New Comfort-Solutions HVAC Contractor
Builds Its Service Customer Base with Trust
by John Parris Frantz

Beaver Creek, Ohio?Two years after starting his own HVAC contracting/service company, David Keivel is seeing the business boom with customers looking for honesty and integrity mixed in with good service.

While many American consumers have accepted claims from other contractors that residential central air conditioners need an annual ?shot? of refrigerant, Keivel is dispelling that notion and his new customers are surprised. Because the seven-year HVAC veteran is finding refrigerant leaks and easily fixing them permanently, residential customers in this Dayton, Ohio suburb are flocking to his Comfort-Solutions Heating & Air Conditioning LLC, from word-of-mouth that there?s a remedy to the costly annual shot of refrigerant.

One customer, who had used several contractors without any solution to the annual refrigerant charging ritual, was quite excited that Keivel solved the leak problem. ?I explain to customers how the sealant works and they?re quite appreciative of the procedure especially when they see the money they?re saving over the long run,? Keivel said.

To date, Keivel has repaired over 20 leaking air conditioners with Super Seal HVACR, Cliplight Mfg., Toronto, a new refrigeration sealant that seals leaking systems from the inside out. Even Keivel was skeptical at first, but after starting up a couple of systems this Spring that have been running flawlessly since Super Seal stopped their leaks two years ago, Keivel is a believer. He?s now stocking 3-ounce cans on his service truck and even stocks a can of Super Seal 3-Phase for commercial units larger than 5 tons in the event one of his growing list of light commercial customers have a leaking chiller, condenser or other large component.

?I make sure the customer realizes I?ve saved them money by repairing a slow leak because refrigeration prices will always go higher,? Keivel said. ?They also appreciate the environmental aspect that their system is no longer releasing refrigerants into the atmosphere.?

When a unit is a pound or more low on refrigerant over the course of a year, he typically performs leak detection with his CPS Products, Hialeah, Fla., electronic detector. Usually leaks are in inaccessible areas such as interior portions of coils. After assuring the system is free of moisture and contaminants, Keivel injects a 3-ounce can of Super Seal HVACR, which is designed for refrigeration systems ranging from 1-1/2 to 5 tons. Keivel hooks up the vacuum-packed can with the included charging hose to the low pressure side of the system. After purging air out of the hose, the can is pierced to allow refrigerant to enter the can and mix with the sealant. Turning on the unit draws the sealant into the system where it moves freely with the refrigerant and oil without damage to components. When the sealant leaks through an exit hole with escaping refrigerant, it reacts with atmospheric moisture, crystallizes, and then permanently seals the hole.

Keivel has tried it on most of the industry?s central air conditioner brands and has not seen any ill-effects to components. Both of Keivel?s favorite Dayton HVAC distributors, Johnstone Supply and 2-J Supply Co. carry Super Seal.

On only one occasion was a hole too large and therefore unable to be sealed. Cliplight?s specification indicates only holes of 300 microns (the diameter of a human hair is 40 to 300 microns) and smaller can be effectively sealed 99 percent of the time. It also recommends attempting to find the leak and fixing it conventionally before using the sealant as a last resort for inaccessible or indiscoverable leaks.

Although Keivel uses only an electronic sniffer to find leaks, he?s planning to use it in conjunction with fluorescent dye and ultra violet (UV) leak detection systems in the future. ?With today?s 410a systems, the coils have gotten larger and leaks are more difficult to pinpoint with electronic methods,? Keivel said. ?Coils with multiple layers, plus windy days have convinced me UV leak detection is a good addition to our service methods.?

Keivel said customers are excited about the money he?s saving them; and because the sealant remains in the system, the residual sealant will seal future leaks for years to come. ?Customers are saving money, but they also like the fact they?re doing their part to solve global warming,? Keivel said.

Keivel also likes the fact that the future sealing effects of the residual sealant will also save him money by helping eliminate service contract callbacks.

From a financial standpoint, using sealants and not getting as many low refrigerant service calls doesn?t hurt the service business because customers no longer have leaks, according to Keivel. ?I?m not selling as much refrigerant, but selling more refrigerant has never been my business model,? explained Keivel. ?I?m gaining new customers because of a good reputation and I still maintain yearly service contracts with existing customers.?


J.P.F. Assoc. Communications, Cliplight Mfg.
John Parris Frantz
John@jpfcomm.com
(773) 871-2600
City: Beaver Creek
State: OH