I wrote this article for The Smart Van, but decided to place it here, too. Love this new ride…

The Smart Van crew asked me to review the Transit Connect (TC) in late June. However, I hadn’t even put 1000 miles on it and wanted to have some more saddle time before submitting a review. Well, it’s been a busy summer and I’ve been driving the TC for two months now. I absolutely love the TC. I certainly wish I could have purchased this van two years ago. Why all the love? I’ll get there in a bit.

First some background about my company setup. We are a three-man company servicing the metro Louisville, KY, area. I am the owner and service technician. We also have an installation technician and a salesman, who doubles as an installation helper.  From time to time, I assist on installations when service calls are slow.  So, most of my time is spent moving from site to site.

On to the review…

Big plus is the fuel economy of 20-22 MPG. I was in a Silverado 2500 with ABC Service Body and was getting 10-13 MPG. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the 80%+ savings in fuel over the summer.  The decrease in engine size from eight to four cylinders took a little adjusting. I learned that the gas pedal does go all the way to the floor for a reason. I really have no problem getting into traffic. I have a harder time jumping into my personal driver. Nearly broke my neck when I jumped on the throttle after driving the TC for a month straight.

All my service items are quickly accessed without entering the van. My tool bag and gages are kept on the driver side cargo area next to my refrigerant jug rack. Refrigerant manifold hangs on divider screen. Behind my bag and attached to the divider, I’ve mounted my oxy/acetylene setup as well as three tank holders – oxygen, nitrogen, and acetylene. The passenger side of the cargo area is plenty for an evaporator coil, heat exchanger or compressor.

They key to managing the TC is the shelf package and bin system. If you are trying to use old school side wall mount racks, you will never put enough apples in the apple cart. If this is a dedicated service vehicle (read — no equipment hauling), then you must purchase the Katerack Four Shelf system. Each shelf can hold 300#. http://www.dejana.com/tc/vanupfits/vanSpecialtyPackage4.html

Katerack Shelf Package

The picture from the OEM is overloaded with tools but you get the idea of the shelves. I’ve yet to add bins to organize my PVC and copper. They’re sitting in a couple of milk crates. A friend of mine runs a fleet of these vehicles. They put more inventory on the TC than they can the E350! Plus, everything is right there on the shelf. Inventory loss is VERY low for him. Without organization, I already have more service stock on the TC than my Silverado. Plus cargo and stock areas are extremely accessible. I sure don’t miss climbing in the bed of my truck to get refrigerant, nitrogen, etc. from my Jobox.

Inventory counting is extremely easy with the shelf package. Everything is right in front of you. I can count my inventory in less than ten minutes. Certainly makes supply house stops more productive.

You’ll want to upgrade to the 255° doors. They have stops at 90° to keep them from flying open. However, a simply button push lets the door swing to the side of the van and lock to magnets. Then, you can access the back of your shelves

My ladder racks include a curbside lowering type. No climbing on the van to remove the 22′ ladder. Driver side short ladder requires me to stand on the back but that’s my own doing because I carry a 13′ Gorilla ladder.

A neat feature of the TC is the overhead storage area in the passenger area. I keep service contracts, brochures, equipment stickers and invoices there. Certainly keeps them in good shape. Plus, I don’t have to hang a folder from the divider.

Pricing is fairly the same around here. You can be out the door with the full upfit package (fancy ladder rack, tank holders, cage/divider, and shelves) on an XLT for around $25K. I went with XLT for the keyless entry, power windows and CD player. If I’m spending half my life in a van, I want to enjoy it.

If there’s a downside, it’s the inability to pull a trailer. There are times that we are so busy that I’d like to haul some equipment to the job but can’t do it. However, my equipment distributor makes job deliveries with a day’s notice. So, we’re covered if we need it.

Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with the Transit Connect. The first service technician I hire will go immediately into a TC.

I was recently asked on a Google+ discussion if you should turn your air conditioner OFF when gone. Plenty of room for disagreement even among the professionals. When taking a purely energy conservation viewpoint, you’ll definitely save when using setback periods. However, we buy these HVAC systems for comfort. How comfortable is an 80*F home after climbing from your 65*F car and the 50*F vents blowing on you during your commute? Not really comfortable.

There’s a simple solution to help – a programmable thermostat with dehumidification capabilities. Research shows use that humans are most comfortable when the humidity is 40-60% and the indoor temperature is 68-78*F. A home at 78*F and 50% humidity has the same comfort feel to most people as a home at 70*F and 60% humidity.

What about dehumidification? Let’s consider the function of an HVAC system in cooling mode. It’s purpose is to cool and remove moisture. If you’re in a deep setup, then the AC won’t be running. If it’s not running, then it’s not removing moisture. So, I prefer the programmable thermostats that can also dehumidify. They do this by cycling the system for 10 minute periods when there is no active call for cooling.

With that, I recommend a setback similar to the EPA (Energy Star):http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=TH and http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=thermostats.pr_thermostats_guidelines.

Keys to the savings: setback period should be at least ten hours and 7*F (heating) and 4*F (cooling). Read the footnote on the second link.

What about my own home? Cooling 78*F. Heating 68*F. Set to dehumidify to 50%. Today it’s 78*F in the home with a humidity of 44%. Very comfortable. Actually a bit of a chill as I entered from work. Set it and forget it because we are gone less than ten hours at a time.

A friend of mine asked for my pulled pork recipe on Twitter. Since there aren’t enough characters to share a recipe there, I’ll share it here. We are a family on the go and are always looking for easy meals. This is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

• Pork loin
• Onion
• Desired spices

Start with a pork loin that’s big enough for your family. I like to cook 1/3 pound per serving. Nice to cook a little extra for a couple of lunches.

Place your pork loin in the crock pot. Cover 2/3 with water.

Thinly slice your favorite onion and place on the pork loin. I use just enough to cover the top of the loin.

Add any additional spices that you’d like to the water.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. I usually start the crock on low as we’re leaving in the morning, and the meat is tender by arrival from work.

Remove the loin from the crock and carefully place on serving platter as it’s hot and tender. I like to use two forks like a big cob of corn. Then, use the forks to pull and separate the loin.

You can leave it plain at this point if the kids don’t like barbecue sauce. When we have a family gathering, we place the pulled pork back in the crock (after draining water) and mix with barbecue sauce. You can serve right from the crock and keep it warm in the crock. We leave it plain when it’s just the four of us as the kids prefer ketchup. Ya, they’re kind of weird like that.

Anyhow, there you have it. That’s our super simple pulled pork recipe.

When our Louisville clients have a major ac repair, we are often asked if they should replace the HVAC system or simply repair the air conditioner.

Two factors influence the decision the most: age of your HVAC system and cost of the repair.

If it’s great than ten years old and you have a major repair (compressor, condenser fan motor, evaporator coil), you should seriously consider a new heating and cooling system. An HVAC system of that age is not nearly as efficient as today’s system. Plus, a new air conditioning system has a 10-year parts warranty standard with 10-year labor warranties available.

If you’re on the fence regarding a new system, here are some things to consider. First, your old system is considerably less efficient than a new system. So, your energy consumption is higher the longer you wait. Second, air conditioners and furnaces increase in price roughly 3% each year. You’ll pay more for that new system the longer that you wait. Combine those two, and you can see why waiting to purchase a new HVAC system may not be the best choice.

If your HVAC system is under 10 years, then repairing it may be your better choice. We offer a two-year guarantee on all of our repairs. Plus, we can show you ways to save money on future repairs through our service agreement program.

Give us a call today at 244-4328 or send us an email via our contact us page.

Louisville utility rates are on the rise. Conventional gas furnace and air conditioning systems can be a burden on the budget. Have you considered a hybrid heat system?

Hybrid heat systems consist of a heat pump and gas furnace. Most homes in Louisville utilize an air conditioner and gas furnace. Most older furnaces are 68 to 80% efficient.  All York condensing furnaces are at least 95% efficient. However a heat pump is 200-300% efficient! You can utilize the heat pump in weather over 30F to provide super efficient heating.

Our most popular hybrid heat system consists of a two-stage gas furnace with variable speed motor and a 15 SEER heat pump. This system offers the savings benefit of the hybrid system and the comfort of two-stage gas heat. Our most recent installation utilized a two-stage heat pump, too. Our client has four stages of heat! Talk about comfort!

If you’d like to know more about a hybrid heat system, send us an email or call us today!