Jason Norman, a seasoned HVAC technician with 18 years of experience, has spent his career with a highly successful company, Emerald Green Mechanical Ltd. Based in British Columbia, the family-owned and operated firm, with a robust team of more than 25 technicians, has been a trusted name in the commercial HVAC, refrigeration and plumbing industry since 1993.

Emerald Green Mechanical services a wide footprint across the Lower Mainland, Tri-Cities, Fraser Valley and Okanagan. Known for its commitment to environmentally conscious practices and quality craftsmanship, the company continues to evolve alongside modern HVAC technologies.

Norman and his team recently took on the challenge of updating the heating and cooling system in a six-floor commercial building undergoing a retrofit. 

“One of the best parts of working for Emerald Green is that my team and I are consistently being exposed to unique projects and tools,” Norman says. “These projects show Emerald Green’s commitment to growth, while also finding ways to support its technicians through continued learning opportunities.”

Unique in several ways

The project was unique for several reasons, but most notably because it featured one of the first gas engine heat pump VRF systems of its kind installed in the province. Rather than relying on a traditional electrically powered compressor, this system utilized a natural gas engine to drive two compressors within the condensing unit, significantly reducing the demand for the building’s electrical service. This type of setup offers a major advantage for buildings with limited power capacity.

“Being able to work with a gas engine-driven system gave us flexibility and helped achieve the customer’s goal for reduced energy usage,” Norman explains. “But it also added complexity for our install in terms of piping and placement.”

That complexity extended into the building’s tight spaces, primarily in the case of the janitor’s closet that served as the hub for the second phase of the installation. With limited room to maneuver, safety and efficiency were top priorities. Additionally, the space limitations forced Norman and his fellow technicians to carefully limit the number of tools they used to complete the installation.  

“Trying to braze in a space like that would’ve been difficult,” Norman adds. “We were dealing with finished walls, limited ventilation and tight timelines, while also working to bring cooling and heating to six different floors in a large commercial building.”

A logical choice

With the additional concern of staff working on site, the idea of using an open flame for brazing was less than ideal and press fittings were a logical choice. Luckily, Emerald Green technicians have been using press fittings for most of the company’s installations for the past four years, so the techs were well-equipped to tackle this challenging install.

The team opted to use RLS (Rapid Locking System) press fittings, including sizes like 1-1/8-, 7/8-, 5/8-, ½-, and 3/8-inch respectively for discharge gas, suction gas and liquid lines. Press fittings were a requirement for the largest diameter pipes, but the smallest size pipes utilized a combination of press and soft copper fittings to provide the highest quality connection. The team estimates they used dozens of fittings per floor across the six floors of the building.

“Just to get from the roof with the three-pipe systems with discharge, suction, gas and liquid lines was around two to three dozen fittings to fit the three different lines in the VRF system,” Norman says. 

On budget

Press technology allowed the team to dry fit and finalize joints without the need for flame, fire watch or the risk of burns. By eliminating the need for hot work permits and cutting down installation time, RLS press fittings helped Emerald Green Mechanical stay on schedule and on budget.

“Pressing is just as reliable as brazing in my experience,” Norman adds. “And you’re not putting yourself or the building at risk. Especially when working on retrofit applications with limited space, the last thing you want to deal with is a torch and the potential for property damage.”

The system now provides efficient heating and cooling across all six floors. Thanks to the innovative natural gas-powered condensing unit, the building benefits from reduced electrical load and utility savings.

“It’s a win across the board,” Norman explains. “The installation went smoothly, the client was happy, and we didn’t have to bring in extra technicians, which meant they could be helping serve our other customers. This kind of system, paired with press technology, makes sense for the right applications.”

A top priority in the field is the ability to manage both the client and technician’s time to maintain a productive and profitable installation. With its proven reliability, Emerald Green has taken to bidding jobs with press fittings as the preferred method for completing jobs efficiently and effectively. 

“Our primary concerns when starting a new install project are job speed, safety, and consistency, which we know we can accomplish when using press fittings,” Norman adds. “Press fittings, specifically RLS, do exactly what they say they will do. RLS press fittings are easy to work with and maintain extremely high PSIs, making them the logical and reliable choice for our jobs.”

Though brazing is still widely utilized through the industry, and Norman notes it is a reliable method, technicians must learn best practices for installing press fittings to fully benefit from their advantages. At Emerald Green, the company heavily emphasizes continued education and extended training to ensure that their technicians stay up to date on the ever-evolving HVAC industry. 

“Press fittings are here to stay,” Norman says. “With technology in our industry continuously evolving, technicians who aren’t actively looking to implement something new in their toolboxes will be left behind.”

As Emerald Green continues to take on more complex installs in commercial applications, Norman and his colleagues are committed to a hands-on approach in the field that allows them to remain engaged with relevant industry changes. The intentionality each Emerald Green technician puts into their craft is reflected in the supplemental training they complete. From traveling to supply houses to learn about new tools from subject matter experts to educational sessions on industry changes, such as A2L refrigerants, the technicians at Emerald Green are dedicated to adhering to industry best practices.

“In this industry you need to be comfortable with hands-on thinking, active problem solving, and taking the extra steps to manage challenging installs that you may run into. When you know you are prepared and capable, there is no sense of panic when tackling tricky installs,” Norman says. “Especially when you keep in mind that we are on-call 24 hours a day, you need to be confident that you understand both the theoretical and practical side of HVAC industry standards.”

Built on a foundation of providing clients with exceptional customer experience with reliability and integrity, Emerald Green Mechanical technicians continue implementing tactics to ensure that they adhere to these guiding principles. By utilizing press fittings for their extensive installations, Emerald Green stays on budget, saves time, and provides customers with dependable HVAC systems.

Jessica Slaughter is the marketing manager at Rapid Locking System (RLS) who has extensive experience in the HVAC/R industry. Jessica regularly connects with industry insiders, staying on top of the latest trends and best practices, to ensure strong brand recognition for RLS within the HVAC/R industry. Her deep understanding of the HVAC/R landscape has been essential to RLS’s continued success.