A notable trend in HVAC and refrigeration is that contractors are increasingly repairing faulty aluminum coils and return bends rather than ordering new parts. Two factors are driving this change: supply chain breakdown and shorter manufacturer warranty periods.
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While the supply chain issues seem to be easing a bit, it&#;s been a frustrating couple of years of long waits to get new parts and it&#;s been tough to keep them stocked. And obviously when equipment fails &#; especially in refrigeration &#; there's no time to wait for the weeks or months it could take to get a new part.
Even if new parts become more readily available, repair work will still be very much in demand. That&#;s because many manufacturers have reduced the length of their aluminum coil warranties, because they&#;ve found that a 10-year warranty isn&#;t viable when it comes to aluminum, which is a thin metal that can be easily damaged. Essentially manufacturers underestimated the volume of replacement parts they&#;d be sending out when they offered the long warranty.
Copper was the mainstay in HVAC and refrigeration coils until , when copper prices went through the roof. Over the next several years, manufacturers began testing alternatives and the industry settled on aluminum as a workable, less costly option, although copper is still used in certain large commercial applications.
Brazing is typically the process that technicians use to repair aluminum coil leaks (see sidebar). Most contractors have been trained to braze copper tubes, but brazing aluminum is a very different proposition, and contractors need to understand the differences.
While aluminum is considerably cheaper than copper, it poses some issues. For example, when doing repair work, it&#;s very easy to further dent or gouge the refrigerant coils, which understandably makes contractors nervous.
Aluminum also has a lower range of heat tolerance for brazing, melting at a much lower temperature than brass or copper. Field technicians need to pay close attention to the flame temperature to avoid a meltdown, or worse, irreparable damage to the part.
Another complication: unlike copper that changes color as it gets hotter, aluminum gives no physical hints.
With all these challenges, education and training in aluminum brazing is critical. Most seasoned techs have not been taught how to braze aluminum because there was no need for it in the past. It's important for contractors to find organizations that offer this education. Some manufacturers provide free NATE-certified training &#; for example my team and I conduct brazing classes for technicians who install and repair equipment &#; and many are now regularly asking for information and instruction on brazing to repair leaking aluminum coils. Trade and technical schools may offer the training as well, although fees would likely apply.
All that is needed for aluminum coil repair work is a brazing torch plus the proper alloys and brushes. Portable brazing kits designed specifically for aluminum repairs are now available and may include mini tubes of flux-cored alloys and brushes and a storage pouch that can attach to a belt loop.
Many brazers use an oxy acetylene torch, which has a very hot flame, so technicians need to have good control of the heat, including keeping the flame further from the metal than they would with copper. The main goal is to melt the alloy out but not melt the base metal.
More and more techs are starting to switch to lightweight hand torches using MAP-pro gas. Made up of 99.5% propylene and 0.5% propane, it is a good low-temperature option. The one-pound gas cylinder is easy to carry around on a job site, which is especially important in tricky applications like a rooftop unit that requires climbing a ladder. MAP-pro cylinders are usually mounted with a 12-inch torch and can be easily maneuvered around the equipment being repaired.
This approach is also a low-cost option. Torches are $50 or less, tubes of aluminum alloys are about $17 (versus 15% copper alloys at $100-plus), and a tank of MAP-pro gas from a wholesaler is approximately $10. The gas is extremely flammable, though, so caution when handling it is strongly advised.
With the proper tools and training, technicians will save valuable time by being able to identify a damaged coil on site and complete the repair job on the same visit. Plus, repair work is an opportunity for contractors to earn additional revenue, so they&#;ll want to make sure staff can do it well.
In the world of brazing, aluminum is not a favorite metal among HVACR techs, as it is thinner and more malleable than copper, and easily punctured. The melt temperature is much lower than copper, making the braze process trickier. Many long-time brazers may have little experience with aluminum, but it has become more important as manufacturers have increasingly replaced copper parts with aluminum.
Here is a brief overview of the brazing steps and techniques to repair holes or gouges in aluminum components:
For more information about aluminum brazing, visit HarrisProductsGroup.com.
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Finding the right coil for your metal roofing project is essential to ensure durability, aesthetics, and longevity in your design. Contractors, architects, and homeowners should all be using high-quality products they can rely on. The key is to find a metal roofing supplier you can trust &#; one that offers a seamless process that gets coil from the warehouse to your facility in a safe and timely way.
At Sheffield Metals International (SMI), we understand how to deliver customers the metal roofing products they need. We&#;ve been in business for over two decades and supply coils, sheets, and other metal roofing accessories like clips and fasteners. Over the years, we&#;ve fulfilled hundreds of orders and have honed our process to make it as easy as possible for our customers.
In this article, we go through the various steps for ordering coil from Sheffield Metals, highlighting the key considerations so that you&#;ll know exactly how to get the products you need. By the time you&#;re done reading, you&#;ll have a better understanding of our ordering process.
Here&#;s where you&#;ll identify your product, including choosing between steel and aluminum, gauge, and color. It&#;s good to have your order mapped out beforehand so you can quickly get through this process.
We carry standard coil widths in 16, 20, 22, and 24 inches. You can also customize coil dimensions if needed, but note that these customizations may incur additional fees to fulfill. When ordering, be sure to also specify your measurements in square vs. linear footage, and remember that pairs of coils must share the same linear footage.
It&#;s essential to understand your specific rollforming machine and what it can handle. When using an overhead reel rack, please provide us with a maximum coil weight so we can provide you with the right products.
Sheffield Metals offers standard sheet sizes of 4×10 feet. You can also order customized sheet sizes up to 12 feet. To determine how many flat sheets you need for your metal roofing project, utilize our trim calculator.
Take a look at the unique engineering of your profile before ordering any accompanying accessories. You must match these accessories to your profile&#;s requirements.
Lead times may differ slightly based on several factors, such as whether we have the item in stock or if we need to transfer it from a different branch. To get a good feel for when your products will be delivered, stay in communication with the team at Sheffield Metals. If needed, you can also schedule an appointment for delivery.
Remember to provide any information that can aid in your order and the delivery process. This will include your shipping address, details for delivery, product specifications, and a number or for direct contact during the process. The more information you can provide, the easier it will be for us to fulfill your order as best as possible.
Try to have your material quantity already converted into square footage when ordering. This will help Sheffield Metals process your order quickly. If you&#;re looking to speed up lead times, it will also help to stay within our standard 20, 22, and 24-inch setup for gauge thicknesses.
Along with information about your shipping address and contact information, make sure to include any specifics or preferences you may have for shipments. This will help us customize your order and make it as safe as possible during transit.
Customers often ask us questions they can find readily available in the Sheffield Metals Learning Center. And while our team is more than willing to help our customers over the , it can be beneficial to look at these resources and gain insight even before you start ordering.
Utilize resources like our panel profiles page for specifics on engineering, installation details, and testing information. You can also find sample warranties that will provide details on what a particular warranty will look like for a substrate or paint system.
Browse through our selection of accessories and find resources such as our clip selection guide, which will help match clips to a specific profile.
One of the most common questions our sales team receives when ordering coil is the difference between 24 and 26-gauge metal. To put it simply, 24-gauge is thicker and thus more durable than 26-gauge.
Now, there&#;s much more to the topic than that, so if you have further questions about gauge thicknesses and 24 vs. 26, feel free to check our in-depth article on the subject.
The minimum quantity for our slitter is 100 linear feet. As for sheets, a customer could technically order one single sheet from us if they&#;d like. Anything more than four sheets will go on a skid. Also, for anything less than 25 sheets, we&#;ll apply a skid charge.
Sheffield Metals applies protective film on every sheet order unless specified differently by the customer. For coil, we only apply film if it&#;s requested.
Staying in communication with your metal roofing supplier is essential so that you can stay on top of any updates or complications during the process. If you have any questions before, during, or after ordering, or need clarifications on subjects like lead times or delivery specifics, contact your local branch via number or , and our team will happily answer.
If you have a technical question related to your profile&#;s engineering, you can contact our technical department by filling out our form with a brief description of your situation.
Every metal roofing project requires the right products and ordering process to ensure seamless delivery and quality installation. At Sheffield Metals, we take that process seriously and provide consistent communication and a streamlined approach to make ordering coil as simple as possible.
In this article, we&#;ve detailed the various steps for ordering coil from Sheffield Metals, including common questions to ask and a list of tips to guide customers along the way. By now, you should have a good idea of how to order coil from Sheffield Metals and could be ready to start your own order. Feel free to check out additional resources, including how to check your SMI order when you receive it, and what to expect when you buy from Sheffield Metals.
Contact our sales team to order coil today.
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