News

Letter to Our Customers

Air Handling Systems serves every industry that is confronted with dust or fume collection problems from woodworking and boat building to spray booths, labs and clean rooms, material conveyance, HVAC and architectural design.

We have shared many success stories with you in the past. For example Benzenberg Cabinets enhanced its dust collection system to keep pace with CNC machines that work faster and produce more dust. According to Edwin Benzenberg, "We rely on AHS as our one stop shop for quick delivery of standard and unique high quality ductwork products."

For Davis Design/Development Corp., "AHS was the only one that offered the total solution we needed", said Doug Bell. "AHS quickly fabricates the right ductwork lengths whenever our buildings present odd angles and non-standard distances. They always deliver on time so that we can maintain our many and varied installation schedules."

Russell Woodworks frequently referred to the AHS design guide for ductwork suggestions and benefited from personal assistance in selecting the right parts and sizes, especially when the design required steps up or down in ductwork diameter. According to John Russell, "80% of the spiral pipe and hose is visible, which adds a nice touch to the shop layout. It looks good, shines and shows durability."

For over 15 years American Dry Stripping has used AHS spiral pipe, accessories and flexible hose to help rid their environment of dust, fumes and odor. According to owner Gary Jones, "Others just sell products. AHS tells me what to use, and how to install it. We receive complete delivery by the next day. Their high quality pipe lasts longer and is so good that we don’t suffer any pressure drop due to leakage."

At Dunsmuir Wood Products, "When we need to upgrade or install a dust collection system, we first consider AHS industrial grade ductwork. We enjoy working with knowledgeable people who facilitate on time delivery and are pleasant to deal with", stated owner Woody Blanchard. AHS products provide an airtight fit for an efficient system. We operate a healthy environment without fire or explosion hazards. We improve quality by preventing embedded chips in finished surfaces and save money on rework."

AHS applies plasma technology for cutting lighter gauge metals required for the emissions ventilation and particle collection systems produced by GL Gray. "We don’t shop each time we need to buy lighter gauge products", said Vincent Ferraiolo. "Instead, AHS complements our product line and is proficient in quickly turning around orders for high quality products. There is an AHS catalog on everyone’s desk. We use its charts and methods for duct reduction to maintain static pressure as volume is removed from a stream."

The Air Handling Systems motto is that problem solving builds lifetime relationships with customers: company-to-company and person-to-person. We are proud of the reputation that our family business has developed over the past 55 years - easy work with, consultative expertise and fabrication competency, whether you need one special fitting or a thousand custom parts, shipped on time to meet the needs of a diversified customer base that spans all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

In this issue of The Pipeline you will read two new success stories about Richardson Yacht Interiors and High Output Inc. They have a unique story to tell about the challenge they faced, the AHS solution, and the business results they enjoyed. Also, the tech-tip will appeal to people who want to continually improve their knowledge about ductwork.

When you need a specialty ductwork solution, please visit our website for self-service design tips and convenient shopping. Then, contact us via phone or email so that we can understand your requirements and offer a practical solution, knowledgeable customer service, and quality products delivered when you need them properly packaged to insure safe arrival at your location.

Thank you for doing business with Air Handling Systems,

Jamison J. Scott, Director of Marketing

JScott@AirHand.com, 203-389-9595 Extension 105

Products in Action

Ductwork Navigates Tight Spaces for Richardson Yacht Interiors

When Richardson Industries of Sheboygan Falls, WI, a world class manufacturer of dining room, bedroom, and occasional pieces since 1848, launched Richardson Yacht Interiors in 2003, it combined old world craftsmanship with state-of-the-art equipment to deliver the highest caliber cabinetry for production cruisers and yachts.

"We needed a total ductwork solution that would match the caliber of our new woodworking machines and positive pressure dust collection vacuum and filtration system", said Dave Hansen, Operations Manager. "We considered hiring a sub-contractor to build the ductwork system for us, but it was too costly, so we decided to do it ourselves at a significant savings."

Richardson sent its drawings to Air Handling Systems after consulting the AHS design guide. "When AHS staff looked at our design, they recommended that we increase the gauge in certain areas to prevent the pipe from collapsing inside itself, which I’ve seen happen before with under-engineered systems", said Hansen.

Due to narrow conduit areas, low ceiling height and the need to navigate between sprinkler systems and joists and through block walls throughout the 50,000 square-foot facility, it was decided that rectangular ductwork with pipe transitions from round to rectangular and back to round was required. One third of the AHS solution consisted of these custom items along with heavier 18-gauge material for the 16-inch diameter offsets and transitions. Standard products included 4"-16" spiral ductwork, tee on tapers, lateral Tee’s, hangers and elbows.

"The AHS team was a pleasure to work with and proved knowledgeable in tweaking our material list for optimal results in our environment and being able to satisfy our need for a total solution", stated Hansen. "We were quite impressed when all parts that we ordered were delivered to meet our tight deadline, packaged to arrive in excellent condition, easily bolted together and met all ceiling clearance requirements."

According to Mary Hughes, technical sales representative, "AHS specializes in helping people, find high quality, practical solutions to their ductwork needs."

For information about Richardson Yacht Interiors, call 920-467-2671 or visit www.richardsonyachtinteriors.com.

Products in Action

Air Handling Systems Meets Mobile HVAC Flexible Ductwork Challenge

High Output, founded in 1986, provides custom lighting systems for movie producers, television networks and broadcasters. The right environment is necessary for a dry complexion. Site lighting and crews associated with the production of commercials, TV projects and feature films raise location or studio room temperature and humidity to a level that cannot be matched by the in-house air-cooling system.

In order for its customers to not have to be concerned about this problem, High Output has developed a competency for provisioning mobile HVAC systems that satisfy interior air-cooling needs. High Output has since expanded its market to include temporary structures for events such as corporate meetings, weddings and major fund-raisers, and also to provide heating during cooler seasons.

High Output’s biggest challenge is to engineer an aesthetically pleasing flexible ductwork solution for channeling the airflow from its mobile HVAC unit into structures that are logistically challenged due to trees, doors, windows, and other barriers.

"We selected Air Handling Systems when we learned about their ability to provide high quality custom ductwork solutions and their knack for being able to meet tight deadlines", stated Jim Hirsch, High Output co-founder and COO. "For a recent project, AHS responded in a quick turn around fashion when we needed larger fittings, couplings, and flexible hose."

According to Mary Hughes, AHS technical sales representative, "the hose that was specified for this application is not part of our standard product line and they needed 125 feet in a hurry. The custom Y Branch was larger than most, not something that we or anyone else in the industry would have in stock".

"Most vendors quote up to two months for this sort of custom work", said Hirsch. "AHS researched our request, verified the application, fabricated the custom items, sourced the flexible ductwork that we found to be rugged and easy to couple, and delivered it within a week to the delight of our customer."

For information about High Output Inc., call 781-364-1800 or visit www.highoutput.com/.

Tech Tip

Be Sure to Check Inlet Collar ID and OD

When installing a dust collection system, people become frustrated when they are unable to slip pipe over or insert a coupling into the dust collector inlet. This is because blower and dust collector manufacturers do not adhere to standard dimensions on their inlet collars.

Due diligence on your part will avoid the installer's nightmare of not being able to make the initial connection when their duct order arrives.

A construction drawing might state that the inlet is 12-inches in diameter, but it does not specify whether it is the ID or OD. Even if it does, don't trust it. Have your equipment supplier measure both dimensions for you in the factory prior to shipping. It is also critical that you take time after the equipment arrives to measure these actual circumferences yourself. In over 75% of the cases when the ID or OD are not matched correctly to the ductwork, it becomes necessary for Air Handling Systems to fabricate a simple custom adapter that facilitates the inlet connection.

For the OD, wrap a string around the collar until it meets itself. Then, measure the length and divide by 3.14. For the ID, attach masking tape inside the collar until it meets itself. Then straighten it on your bench, measure it, and divide by 3.14. Your figures will pinpoint the actual diameters that should be relayed to your duct fabricator. In addition, this approach is required when the inlet is out of round caused by damage during transport.

By Curt Courm, Sales Manager ccorum@airhand.com

Curt moderates the online forum www.woodweb.com