HOFFMAN UNFILTERED
Educational Blog Content for HVAC Professionals

As spring and summer grow near, maintaining optimal Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) becomes top-of-mind for critical environments such as hospitals,...

In the fall of 1989, I sat in a crowded lecture hall with about 200 other students for the very first class of Engineering 101 on the NC State...

If I had to guess, I would say that most of us who work in the commercial HVAC industry didn't plan to end up in this field I, for one, had my eye on...

Wintertime is the season of sickness. The flu, COVID-19, common colds, RSV, and all sorts of unnamed viral infections seem to run rampant as the cold...

A hospital’s design and functionality play a pivotal role in ensuring patient well-being and recovery. Among the myriad of elements that contribute...

For people looking to begin a career in sales, many find themselves weighing the options of traditional sales and sales engineering. Each comes with...

For most commercial buildings and building projects, putting together an HVAC system is not as simple as walking into the hardware store, selecting...

The return to school each fall is an exciting time, but it can also be a challenge for school administrators and facilities managers. After a long...

Behind the dazzling lights and exhilarating atmosphere of casinos lies an essential component that keeps visitors comfortable and engaged - the...

Commercial HVAC regulations play an important role in ensuring efficiency, safety, and environmental responsibility. The Southeast region presents...

When it comes to commercial manufacturing, maintaining a comfortable and productive work environment is crucial. One of the key factors in achieving...

As Canada is facing its record-worst wildfire season, those of us living south of Quebec and Ontario can feel the effects of the smoke on the air...

HVAC systems can’t last forever, unfortunately. According to ASHRAE, a centrifugal chiller will last an average of 17.6 years. A packaged rooftop...

In the dynamic world of HVAC commercial manufacturing, successful partnerships play a crucial role in driving growth and delivering exceptional...

As a commercial HVAC manufacturer's representative, staying on top of the latest trends in HVAC technology is crucial to providing the best possible...

In anticipation of summer break, colleges, and universities are gearing up for a time of rest and rejuvenation. For maintenance and facility...

Load calculations are necessary for designing a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for a commercial building. What are HVAC...

As graduation quickly approaches for many college students, a majority of them are probably wondering 'What comes next? 'Mentorship can be...

A Variable Speed Drive (VSD) is a device used to vary the speed, or RPMs of an electric motor. The most common motor in use today is the AC induction...

The grand opening of our 75,000-square-foot warehouse in Charlotte, NC was March 30, 2023. It was a great day filled with food, brazing classes, and...

The #1 way people discover a new job is through a referral, and on average, employee referrals account for 30-40% of all hires. Every interaction you...

Our team of experienced sales engineers is ready to help you with your next building project. At Hoffman & Hoffman, we strive to provide unmatched...

“The worst thing you could do for your immune system is coddle it.” -Dwight Schrute

There are many types of families in the world. Some are dysfunctional, some are trying their best to do good by each other, and some families are...

When you spend 40 hours a week in one place, it's important to feel valued, respected, and happy while you’re there. Full-time workers spend over...

It’s no big secret that securing an internship is a significant pathway to job success after graduation. An estimated 300,000 students hold an...

Building HVAC systems are like the lungs of a person – they remove stale contaminated air from spaces and replace it with fresh, clean air. HVAC...

A lot of companies promote the fact that they have a good work-life balance, but at Hoffman & Hoffman, we want to put life before work. Your #1...

When controlling the temperature in your commercial building, you want the process to be simple and user-friendly. The Price PRTU Rooftop Unit...

We were thrilled to welcome 22 manufacturers and about 600 attendees to our new facility in Charlotte, NC. We hosted a total of 8 PDH sessions with a...

Outdated and improperly used HVAC Systems are a huge energy suck – creating a strain on your bottom line, and the environment. 

Since 1792, The Farmer's Almanac has been predicting the weather and claims 80% accuracy regarding its long-range forecasts. This year, the Almanac...

Every mechanical device you own, whether a car, appliance, or other investment, will eventually reach the end of its lifespan - including commercial...

Since the advent of COVID-19 in early 2020, parents, administrators, and facilities teams have been more attentive to the indoor air quality in...

When you think of life-changing experiences you might think of graduating from school, moving to a new city, falling in love, or maybe even getting...

Indoor air quality is one of the most important topics in commercial HVAC in 2022 and has been since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020....

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, 93% of the $122 billion funds allocated to K-12 school districts nationwide remains unspent....

After having experienced lockdown, extended working from home periods, and very little human contact outside close contacts, many people are ready to...

Price Industries publishes on their blog The Science of Comfort on a regular basis. If you aren’t a subscriber, consider it if you’re interested in...

If you haven’t checked out Greenheck’s blog, you’re missing out on a wealth of information on system design, ventilation, indoor air quality, and...

We all know that the kitchen is the heart of any restaurant and having a proper ventilation system is crucial to your success. To maintain a cool...

A variable frequency drive (VFD) controls an electric motor by varying its voltage and frequency. Also, a VFD can control the ramp-up and ramp-down...

Chilled beam technology is one of the most used HVAC systems in Europe. The first radiant ceiling was installed in Sweden in the late 1960s and the...

There are a lot of reasons why people don’t really want to hear noisy HVAC systems. Teachers can’t talk over the whispers of students and rattling...

“Good values are like a magnet – they attract good people.” -John Wooden

The Duct Mounted Auto-Cleaning Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization System (DM-2) is the self-cleaning needlepoint bipolar air ionization system designed...

Psychrometrics is the study of the thermodynamic properties of air-vapor mixtures, typically focusing on the interrelation among temperature, partial...

DuctSox Corporation is a manufacturer of custom-engineered commercial and industrial air dispersion products for open ceiling architecture, critical...

What Are Flow Control Valves?

Not every story begins with Once upon a time. Our story begins in 1947 in an apartment in Guilford County, NC, above a two-stall horse barn with a...

A company’s employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, provides its employees with an ownership interest in the company. Check out our top 5 reasons why...

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) featured a technical article in their November 2021...

Eradicating the global pandemic brought on by COVID-19 has become a lengthier process than anticipated. Healthcare facilities are still struggling...

What You Need to Know About Air Terminal Units

While schools are returning to in-person learning this fall, proper ventilation is a key factor in the COVID-19 prevention strategy recommended by...

Haakon Industries announced plans in 2018 to invest $19.6 million in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Asheville, NC, at Enka Commerce...

Airflow is important for any application when it comes to commercial HVAC. One way to control the flow of air is with a damper that is part of the...

I think that we can all agree that allergies are the worst. Here are a few statistics to back this theory up: 

A career in HVAC entails a large scope of work and an even larger responsibility to work safely. The nature of an HVAC technician’s job puts them in...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important diagnostic tool using powerful magnets, radio waves and computers to make detailed pictures of the...

Specifications may sometimes call for damper actuator enclosures rated for weatherproof environments. In some applications, damper actuators provide...

Greenheck is one of our manufacturing partners working with engineers, architects and building owners to ensure that each project fulfills end goals...

As with anything, commercial HVAC systems can develop problems. And this can cause more than just a headache for you. Commercial HVAC systems can...

When we think of air pollution, many of us focus on outdoor air pollution, but did you know that indoor air pollution can be just as impactful on...

The topic of commercial HVAC is broad, and it can be extremely complicated. Whether you are a seasoned HVAC expert in need of a refresher or a recent...

In 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised section 608 of the Clean Air Act to prohibit individuals and businesses from...

Fire dampers prevent the spread of fire through heating, ventilation and AC ducts and are a critical component in the overall safety of a building...

Earning PDH credits can sometimes be a challenge. Now that we're in the back half of the year, the pressure is starting to be on to earn the credits...

The news is out!  Ruskin has received a patent for their unique blade design on the XP500WD aluminum louver.

Many deaths that occur in building fires are not the result of the fire but are, instead, resultant from smoke inhalation or intoxication from carbon...

Sometimes, even in the commercial HVAC industry, you hear things, and you don’t quite know if they’re true or just common myths circling about. But...

Commercial HVAC technicians are tasked with seemingly superhuman duties. Most mechanical rooms are loaded up with various components of commercial...

Here in the Southeast, spring temperatures are already giving way to the warmer temps of summer. We all know that our HVAC systems are under a lot of...

HVAC design engineers have a lot on their plates. Not only do they have to have an in-depth systems knowledge, they also need to understand the...

It's a hard truth about commercial buildings: one thermostat cannot possibly keep an occupied space comfortable. There are countless office...

Are you looking for an effective and affordable solution to keeping your food and beverage facility safe, efficient, and comfortable for employees?...

It’s almost summertime, and things are beginning to open back up. We are sure that this is great news to restaurant owners, especially after the past...

There are many reasons why electric motors fail, resulting in unplanned and expensive system downtime. Maintenance issues like over-lubrication,...

Our manufacturing partner, Daikin Applied, is at it again! As a leading commercial HVAC company, Daikin Applied is continually creating, designing,...

The International Code Council (ICC) is celebrating Building Safety Month throughout the month of May. Week one is focused on energy and innovation....

Thinking about how you are going to earn PDH credits throughout the year can be stressful, and we get that. Luckily, there are plenty of options to ...

One of the things we are particularly proud of at Hoffman & Hoffman is that we work with some of the most innovative and customer-focused...

Energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and saving time and money are at the top of everyone’s list, right? If you are a building owner, facility...

The global pandemic has left us reeling in so many ways. But I’m a silver-lining kind of person and I believe that not everything related to the...

With the pandemic beginning to curve downward as the vaccine becomes more available across the country, people are slowly starting to go back to how...

We are always trying to find ways to beat the heat, and Big Ass Fans(BAF) is making that easy this spring. With summer right around the corner, our...

Businesses all over the Southeast and the country are adding equipment to their existing HVAC systems to help improve indoor air quality. Keeping...

It’s the middle of February, and that means that love is in the air. Love for your significant other, love for your pets, love for your friends, and...

Universities throughout the country have been resorting to virtual learning and decreased numbers of students in residence. Just like the rest of us,...

Proper ventilation can be tricky, especially when dealing with a large space that has high ceilings, like a warehouse.Being able to control the...

Indoor air quality has been a hot topic of late. Everyone who is anyone wants to know how to scrub the air clean to keep building occupants safe and...

A Chinese proverb states, "Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back." We all know how important continuing education is, and...

It’s 2021, and it’s time to focus on all of the good things that make the world a better place. We may be a bit biased, but one thing that is often...

Every single commercial building contains an impressive infrastructure that many building occupants take for granted. The facilities team manages not...

Clean, healthy, safe air. That is what everyone is talking about now, right? Right!  

Often on Thanksgiving, we sit and give thanks for all the things that bring us joy and happiness each year. Many people give thanks for family,...

We all strive for the healthiest indoor air possible, now more than ever.Global Plasma Solutions (GPS), with their patented NEEDLEPOINT BIPOLAR...

We usually don’t talk about foodborne illnesses in the HVAC industry. After all, what does food contamination have to do with commercial HVAC? The ...

The main purpose of an Air Handling Unit (AHU) is to condition and distribute air throughout a buildingin order to keep occupants comfortable and as...

Around this time of year, viewing of scary television shows and movies spikes. There is something about the Halloween season with its cooling temps...

October is ESOP month, which makes it a fantastic time to celebrate all the reasons why working with, and for, and ESOP company is a good idea....

Leaves on the trees are changing color, and you may even be grabbing a jacket on the way out the door. The fall weather is fresh and exciting, but it 

Data centers depend on high performance and reliability, and that’s exactly what Ruskin had in mind when they released three new commercial damper...

Indoor air quality has become a hot topic of conversation in 2020. Offices, restaurants, museums, and other indoor areas have been shut down for...

Within the last year, Greenheck introduced their newest model in their SP commercial ceiling exhaust fan line. If you haven’t heard, themodular SP-AP

White rust is the enemy of cooling towers and other galvanized HVAC equipment. Once white rust has formed, it can significantly reduce the life of a...

CamCarb VG modules are molecular filters that provide efficient removal of acidic or corrosive molecular contamination in indoor air and...

With industry-leading technology, Daikin Applied continues to make life easier for building owners, facilities managers, service technicians and...

We are huge proponents of continuing education. In the commercial HVAC world, technology is changing. We, as system designers, building owners,...

Commercial buildings, universities, and schools are all in the midst of re-opening to the public in the midst of COVID-19. The ASHRAE Epidemic Task...

Keeping building occupants safer is a predominant theme in commercial building. With the advent of a global pandemic that has brought more than 5...

Big Ass Fans has a new Big Idea. The innovative fan company has assembled a powerful collection of purpose-built products to help disinfect the air...

Did you know that it is possible to recover energy from HVAC equipmentventilating a space?

In case you missed it, Daikin Applied recently released a new product. The new SmartSource® Dedicated Outside Air System (DOAS) water source heat pump

Parents, educators, and administrators are all concerned about student and staff safety as schools and universities prepare to open for the 2020...

Much to our collective dismay, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic with the United States currently at the forefront of increasing...

Cooling towers are a vital part of removing heat from a commercial building, whether it be an important piece of the commercial HVAC system or for...

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, building owners, facilities managers, and engineers all have one thing on their mind that they are trying to...

Virtual training is a fantastic way to learn more while sitting in the comfort of your own office or home. Our friends at ABB have designed a Drives...

Most of us go about our days without thinking about the maze of ductwork that helps us control our indoor environments, keeping us cool in the winter...

Automatic Balancing Dampers (ABD) are popular in commercial buildings, as the provide precise and automatic airflow regulation in supply or exhaust...

Do you have a new office building that needs a new air conditioner installed? Call a technician. Is a piece of your equipment malfunctioning, cutting...

Galvanized steel has been the preferred material of construction for evaporative cooling equipment for over 50 years. However a form of premature...

There is no need to break the bank to have the proper air circulation in your commercial space. Big Ass Fans has the perfect budget-friendly...

With all this social distancing, we are getting creative about providing and earning continuing education credits. Greenheck is now temporarily...

Professional life has changed significantly over the last 20 years. Where we once picked up a phone, we now click keys on a keyboard. Shelves of...

Air quality and operational efficiency of K-12 schools are always on the checklist of performance indicators for school design projects. We want to...

According to our manufacturing friends at Daikin Applied, “Over 95% of the time chillers operate in off-design conditions with lower loads or ambient...

As of today, COVID-19 has claimed over 374,000 lives worldwide with over 6 million confirmed cases but, according to a recent New York Times article,...

Think of how often you spend inside on a typical day, the amount of indoor air you are breathing in every minute. According to the United States EPA,...

Each year the “State of the Air" provides a report card on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants: ozone pollution, also known as smog, and...

Ventilation in any building is crucial, but how do you get air from the outside without all the other things that might come along with it? That’s...

Greenheck Group is a global leader in the engineering and manufacture of HVAC equipment. During these times, they continue to support ongoing...

The global pandemic has thrown a curve ball at everyone in the business world. Now that businesses are looking at re-opening their doors, there is a...

Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NPBI) technology works to safely clean the air inside commercial and residential buildings. NPBI is the artificial...

With summer right around the corner, don’t make your HVAC system overwork itself. HVLS fans (High Volume, Low Speed fans) can relieve the work of an...

If you are looking for a piece of HVAC equipment that will improve indoor air quality and provide comfort for your building occupants, while still...

Warm sun, cool breeze, bright flowers, there are so many things to love about spring! But unfortunately, spring can also bring sneezing, a runny...

We love to save engineers time and, sometimes, a few headaches. It's one of the reasons why our team works hard to help engineers select the right...

One of our manufacturer’s, Nortek Air Solutions, LLC., has multiple AHU/DX brands that they have in order to represent the different technology they...

Hoffman & Hoffman is proud to partner with manufacturers who value sustainability and are always innovating to find solutions to make life easier and...

Munters is a global leader in energy-efficient and sustainable air treatment solutions for industrial applications and agriculture sectors. Their...

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our daily lives to the point that some businesses are forced to close their doors, people are sheltering in place...

The HVAC industry is staying on the tip of their toes 24/7 across the country trying to help in any way they can during these difficult times. There...

Are you an engineer, designer or contractor who uses Revit? 

Greenheck has announced their new eCAPS 

Air is something most of us take for granted. For the most part, we breathe in and out throughout the course of our lives without giving a single...