When Brothers Air, Heat & Plumbing, one of the nation’s top 100 HVAC contractors, made the corporate decision to start marketing and using HVAC sealants, its approach was truly unique.

While many contractors are still hesitant to venture into refrigerant sealants, which appeared on the HVAC scene in 2003, Brothers trained all 28 of its service techs not only in proper application techniques, but also how to market sealants to customers with leaking HVAC equipment.

Now with the recession in full swing and a great potential to lose customers that can’t afford replacing leaking equipment, Brothers policy of using sealants positions them to not only retain customers and good will, but add to profitability. “Many of our customers are really suffering financially from the recession, so offering this option is really appreciated,” said Service Manager, Steve Helms.

Helms jumped at the opportunity when Cliplight Mfg., Toronto, which pioneered HVAC refrigeration vacuum-packed sealant technology and currently has over one million sealant applications worldwide, offered an onsite training workshop at Brothers Rock Hill, S.C. headquarters conducted by Paul Appler, Cliplight’s director of research and the inventor of the Super Seal line of sealants. “When you get training from the person that developed the product, that’s about the highest level you could possibly get,” said Helms.

Consequently, Brothers has established the policy that sealants are used in systems that have leaked only 10 percent or so of their charge over a four-week period. Helms contends that larger losses indicate a potential for leak(s) too large for sealing. Since eliminating system moisture is critical to sealant success, Brothers is using Cliplight’s new Ultra Pack, which combines Super Seal HVACR and the new DRY R moisture remover in one package, exclusively. Introduced in 2008, DRY R chemically disassembles moisture and changes it to a low viscosity, residue free, non-oily liquid that is highly soluble with the system’s oil and flows freely throughout the system without chemically attaching to commonly-found AC/R system contaminants. Eliminating H₂O not only prepares the system for sealing, but it also prevents further acid formation, resultant corrosion and other problems associated with moisture.

Since establishing criteria for which systems qualify for sealants, training its service techs, and using a moisture eliminator if applicable, Brothers now has more than 500 applications working smoothly in the field since January 2009.

Training in all aspects of HVAC is so important to Brothers that they employ a full-time technical trainer, Bobby Nasekos, who conducts individual field training with technicians as well as for the entire service department in group training sessions on a wide variety of HVAC subjects.

Marketing Sealants

Presenting sealants properly to customers is almost as important as following the necessary steps to applying them, according to Helms. All service techs are trained for on-site sales presentations and outfitted with their books on all HVAC services that demonstrate accuracy and integrity when explaining different options for servicing and or repairing equipment.

On systems slightly low on refrigerant, the service tech typically tops it off, and then performs a leak search with an electronic leak detector from TIF Instruments, Owatonna, MN or Yellow Jacket Products, Bloomington, MN. The repair/replacement options are presented to the customer and when the leak is located, customers can choose to have it repaired.

“We always like to stay ahead of technology, so when a new product comes along that can benefit our customers, we always investigate it and if it’s a viable solution, we fully commit by stocking it, promoting it, and training our techs on it,” concluded Helms.

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