When The News asked for additional
comments at the end of the article "Aluminum Vs. Copper:
The Great Condensing Coil Debate" (Feb. 18, The News),
the floodgates opened. Out rushed Trane and American Standard
dealer-contractors.
In this article, we present their counterpoint
to Bob Forty's (president, Energy Services Air Conditioning
and Heating Co., Naperville, IL) pro-copper opinions. Trane
and American Standard also wanted to take the opportunity
to explain their aluminum coil design to the hvacr industry.
On this aluminum side of the debate are contractors
Jim Welzig, owner of Welzig Heating & Air (Longmont,
CO); Keith Reynaud, owner of A&H Service Co. (Kenner,
LA); Mark Gibson, owner of Gibson's Heating and Plumbing
(Waterloo, IN); and Lee Robinson, owner of Climate Design
(St. Petersburg, FL).
Each of these contractors respected Forty's
right to his opinion; each also wanted to make sure that
the other side of the condensing coil debate is told.
The major points from the aluminum camp include:
- Condensing coils made with copper tubes
and aluminum fins are not automatically superior. A lot
depends on design and construction and the specific alloys
employed.
- Copper may be strong, but it is not necessarily
stronger than aluminum. Again, the way the coils are constructed
is more important than the metal used.
- Aluminum coils can be more reliable than
copper coils - and these' contractors said they can prove
it.
- There's no questioning the ease of maintenance
of aluminum coils, especially the Spine Fin.
- There's no questioning the heat transfer
characteristics of aluminum coils, especially the Spine
Fin TM.
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THE DIFFERENCE IS THE
DESIGN
If you have not guessed by now, the difference of opinion
regarding aluminum coils centers around Spine Fin and its
construction. Only Trane and American Standard offer this
design, which they say sets it apart from the rest of the
aluminum coil competition.
"In all the years I have been selling
Trane, I've had only one leak ever on any Spine Fin coils,"
said Welzig. "We never have leaks."
Gibson said he puts in 200 to 250 American Standard units
a year, "and we have had only two coils replaced."
Reynaud has known about the Spine Fin for a long time. He
started out as a General Electric dealer in 1973. GE originally
introduced this coil technology. When GE sold its hvac business
to Trane, he became a Trane dealer. He is now an American
Standard dealer.
"I've been a big Spine Fin proponent," he said.
"We don't have any problems with the coils. The aluminum
tubing on this coil is twice
as thick as any copper coil that is made. It is rifled on
the inside. This is aluminum to aluminum, so you don't have
any dissimilar metals."
"When you use the same material for the fins, it eliminates
dissimilar metals problems," agreed Robinson. "Actually,
it reduces the opportunity for leaks. Trane, in its particular
units, has a four-side, completely enclosed cabinet that is
unique in the industry, thus protecting the coil even more
from the potential of foreign objects being thrust into it
or thrown by a lawnmower into the coil and potentially causing
leaks."
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