AIR FLOW SHEET METAL OF L.I.C. CORP - Blog

Back to School!

Fri, 22 Sep 2017 00:43:13 GMT

Oh September! You get that "back-to-school" feeling in your gut that asks are my friends going to be in my class? Am I going to be popular? Am I going to make the grade?

This summer we had the pleasure of installing an HVAC system for our new friends the Kinneret Day School in Riverdale, NY who are raising a new crop of wonderfully, educated kids from their earliest educational experiences.

We shared the experience with our friends at Atlas Remodeling.

Stay teachable folks. Happy Autumn!

Weather and your HVAC units

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 21:29:10 GMT

Our AC units - home or commercial - are sadly at the mercy of the elements, elements we see getting more extreme every year.

When severe weather happen, here’s how to take care of your air conditioner in severe weather..

Turn off whatever heating or cooling units you have running. A power surge (lightning) can cause damage to your HVAC system.
When severe winds are present, cover your outdoor HVAC units temporarily. Strong winds can blow debris into your unit jamming it’s fans and motors.
But don’t leave it covered afterward! Leaving you unit covered may attract vermin like pigeons or rodents, as well as growing mold or mildew if air flow isn’t allowed. These create smell at best and health issues at worst. Animals can create cable issues.
Remove loose patio furniture. Loose things in your yard or patio such as furniture, toys,' planters and tools can cause damage to your home or business, including your outdoor HVAC units. Winds can create projectiles that will shoot through a unit like a bullet. Removing them from your outdoor areas before a storm can prevent damage.

So remember to love your unit so it will love you back. Stay dry folks.

Men are from Mars, Women are from FREEZING!

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 16:51:16 GMT

It never fails that in any office (even our own) that the male employees always seem to be blasting the AC while the women employees are freezing their butts off.

We had to take a second to try and understand why this inter-office climate war occurs over the thermostat.

Here's what we found out

1. Women have a higher core temperature than men - We know that seems silly. If a woman has a warmer core temperature, why is she running for a sweater when the AC goes on. Well according to this study, a woman's core temperatures being hotter than her male counterpart's makes the cold air feel that much cooler to her skin. Think about when you are in a hot subway station and then you jump into a frosty-chilled train The sensation of coolness is enhanced because of the temperature differentials.. It's kind of like that.

2. Hands and feet - Any guy that is under the covers with his wife and all of a sudden feels her cold-as-ice feet hit his leg, can tell you that women have some frozen toes. Well it turns out that though their core temperatures are warmer, science also found out that women's extremities are cooler than men's in general by a few degrees. Since this is where we lose a lot of our body heat (leading to gloves and insulated socks in the winter) it's another reason why women invest in the space heaters for the office.

3. Metabolism - Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns food energy so think of it like an engine. An engine burning more fuel to run will ultimately always run hotter than a one with better gas mileage. Men's bodies burn food based fuel at a metabolic rate about 23% higher than women's. This is also why some women have more trouble losing extra weight than men. On the other hand, lady-engines run more efficiently with less fuel but ultimately ladies, your slower metabolism will give you the chilly-willys under the central-air vent.

So fellas please, as the summer wanes remember this ain't the 1950's anymore. We got ladies in the office - keep it at reasonable temperature.

We love Queens

Sun, 06 Aug 2017 13:50:58 GMT

If there's one thing we like talking about as much as climate control, it's our home borough of Queens - especially since Queens has seen an unprecedented uptick in regards to new business growth.

A few things you may not know about Queens:

Les Paul invented the electric guitar in Queens
The game Scrabble was also invented in Queens
Harry Houdini is buried in Queens.
Our neighborhood (LIC) may be the fastest growing economic hub in all NYC!.

So the next time you are planning your next project, before you default to 212, think about how many amazing vendors and resources now reside in the 718.- that said enjoy our hometown heroes singing about our awesome seasides. - happy Summer!

Summer Blockbusters!

Sun, 23 Jul 2017 19:29:53 GMT

Cinemas and air conditioning have had a love affair since the advent of both. For example, cooling systems are still used in projection rooms to make sure film doesn't melt while running through a hot camera and what's better than a bag of popcorn, a Coke and a Star Wars movie in a cool multiplex on a 90 degree day?

But did you know the summer "Blockbusters" we enjoy every year are released around now due to air conditioning in theaters?

An air conditioned system was introduced on Memorial Day weekend, 1925, at the Rivoli Theater in Times Square. Ticket sales skyrocketed. The addition of cooling to theaters made summer a popular time to see movies thus encouraging Hollywood to release high budget, heavily marketed "blockbusters" every year as the mercury rose.

So remember this year when you are watching our favorite super hero from Queens swing across the big screen that air conditioning is responsible for all those car chases, explosions and special effects you enjoy every summer! Stay cool!

Mmmmmm Donuts!

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 18:02:34 GMT

We just finished two install jobs for our friends Mac Donut Donuts in Astoria - sometimes a duct is a thing of beauty! We'll have two glazed please. Who's got the coffee?

Ice Ice Baby

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:29:35 GMT

Did you know there is a museum of rocket science in Albuquerque NM dedicated to the science of sending stuff into space? This is significant. I mean without rockets how would we have cell phones or weather satellites? But what about us we were thinking? HVAC technology is a KEY to our success as the the apex species on the planet! Where's our museum huh?

Well we got one...kind of.

Dr. John Gorrie was the first guy on the planet to make what he called his "Ice Machine." His theory was that "bad air" caused disease in the tropics so he created this device to create ice and cool the environment pictured below. For his contribution to society Dr. Gorrie was not only granted a museum in his name, he got his name on a state park. You can visit his museum located in the park in Apalachicola, Florida.

What Condition Our Condition Is In

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 14:43:03 GMT

You ever wonder why we call it "air conditioning?" I mean we don't call heating "temperature amplification," now do we?

It turns out that in 1906 Stuart W. Cramer, an engineer involved in the textile industry in North Carolina, developed a system using humidity and ventilation that made fabrics easier to process. Cramer was so successful he founded a town! The term "conditioning" was later adopted by Dave Lennox into his company's name.

That all said - enjoy our favorite scene about "conditions" in the Big Lebowski.

Yippie Ki Yay!

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:01:18 GMT

We just wanted to take a moment to hail Bruce Willis as John McClane - PATRON SAINT OF DUCT WORKERS!
"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs...."

HAPPY HVAC TECH DAY!

Thu, 22 Jun 2017 15:31:54 GMT

June 22nd has been officially recognized as national HVAC Tech Day!

What many fail to remember is the advent of modern climate control in many ways has helped develop modern civilization as we know it.!

So maybe today, take a second to thank your techs and buy them a few six packs and some pizza.s They work hard. They deserve it.

Happy HVAC Day to all - stay cool!

via GIPHY