Updated Website Coming Soon!

New Website Coming Soon

New Year, New Look! An updated website is coming soon.

We have been busy designing a new website just for you! Expect to find the same familiar tools with an improved shopping experience. Check out some of the key improvements you can expect:

Customer Portal (formally your account dashboard) – Your customer portal is where your can now manage your East Coast Metal Distributors account. View and manage account information, order templates, user roles, invoices, and more!

Cleaner Look – A fresh new, updated look. We’ve redesigned our website for a better experience on the cutting edge of industry standards.

Easier to Navigate – A streamlined toolbar will help you find product easily from the jobsite or office. Improved categories and filters help you and your team find the product you need when and where you need it.

Updated Tools – We’ve improved your shopping experience while keeping the same familiar tools that help in your day to day. NEW features, such as parts lookup, have also been added to continue to serve you.

Stay tuned for more updates on our new and improved website at www.ecmdi.com!

Tech Tips: Diagnosing a Front Cover Switch

On a recent cold afternoon, I received a call from a frantic service technician. He diagnosed a faulty gas valve in a gas furnace, arrived on the job site with a new gas valve, taken time to ensure the new valve was installed properly, and then observed in horror as the exact same failure to ignite happened with the new valve. Now, let us all be honest with ourselves … after all, nobody is watching … we have all been that technician. We have all experienced the horror of realizing our diagnosis is wrong. Not a good feeling … and far worse if the furnace is in a closet and the homeowner is standing over your shoulder.

After the technician took a few deep breaths and regained composure, we began to go back through the furnace together.

Continue reading “Tech Tips: Diagnosing a Front Cover Switch”

Tech Tips: Surge Protection

Power surges are commonly blamed when controls go bad on high-end units. I am not sure how often this is an accurate diagnosis versus how often this is just an easy scapegoat for unexplained parts failures. Plus … let us all be honest for a minute and acknowledge that as technicians we have all been guilty of condemning a control board because the system was operating abnormally and we did not understand what was happening … so therefore it must be that fancy looking control board.

Continue reading “Tech Tips: Surge Protection”

The Key to Helping JB Pumps Last for Years is Oil

Black Gold and Vacuum Pump equal Just Better!

The most important take away from this blog is change. your. oil.

The proper oil in a vacuum pump acts as a blotter and absorbs all of the moisture and non-condensables. As the oil becomes saturated with these contaminants, the efficiency of the pump is dramatically reduced.

Maintaining clean oil in the pump ensures that the pump will operate at peak efficiency and prolong its life.

Continue reading “The Key to Helping JB Pumps Last for Years is Oil”

Take control of your inventory today!

SimpleStock

Whether you are a large or small contractor, any business can benefit from  inventory management. SimpleStock can help those who experience a delay in jobs due to stock outs or manual ordering of product. It can also help prevent overstocking of unnecessary items, excess inventory and high write-offs. SimpleStock allows you to take control of your inventory anywhere, anytime from your mobile device or tablet.  

Continue reading “Take control of your inventory today!”

Tech Tips: What’s in Your Bag?

When I was first starting out in the HVAC Industry as a new technician, it was a common joke at my first company that you could tell the longer a technician had been in the industry by looking at his tool bag. The joke was that while newbie technicians such as me had a tool bag loaded with tools, the veteran technicians had a mostly empty and worn bag that had a few things here and there in it. Granted, I learned a lot from the senior technicians at that company, but I did not carry that habit with me. If you want to do a job correctly, then you must have the correct tools.

Continue reading “Tech Tips: What’s in Your Bag?”

VIP Service with Dockside Pickup

Check in with Dockside Pickup right from the East Coast Metal Distributors mobile app. Your order is then entered in a priority queue where you can monitor the progress of your order while you wait in your vehicle. When your order is ready, you will be notified so that you can just load and go.

Benefits of Using Dockside Pickup

1. Minimize Contact – Limit contact when picking up your orders for a safer, quicker pickup experience.

2. Priority Pickup – Your order will go into a priority queue for our staff to pick and stage. Dockside pickup allows you to skip the line for VIP service.

3. Monitor Progress – Track the progress of your order while you wait in your vehicle.

4. No More Phone Calls – Cut out the time it takes to call the branch to let them know you are on your way. Check in, pickup and go.

How it Works?

Dockside pick up can be easily accessed from the home page of the mobile app. Once you check in, your order will be entered into a priority queue that you can track for quicker, more convenient pick up.

How Dockside Pickup Works

1. Check In – Select check in located on the home screen of the mobile app (make sure that you are logged in).

2. Select Orders – Select the orders you wish to pick up.

3. Your Vehicle – Enter your vehicle description and how you would like to be notified.

Interested in using Dockside Pickup? Download the app and start checking in today!

More information on Dockside Pickup can be found here.

Series: Pro Training – Troubleshooting An Inverter Driven Compressor

Pro Training Blog Series

Robert Frost once famously fretted over which two diverging roads in the woods to take. He presented the case of a traveler that has come to a crucial decision that must be made. The same theme often rings true in HVAC diagnosis. The technician finds themselves at a diagnostic crossroads, if you will, and a choice must be made: 

  • The variable-speed blower motor will not run. Is it the board or is it the motor/module? 
  • My inverter system is throwing an error code. The service manual says it could be the compressor or the board. 
  • My HVAC system will not communicate. Is it the indoor control board, the outdoor control board, or the wiring? 

Today I am going to review troubleshooting an inverter compressor and the control that drives it. Often in analyzing service manuals you find flow charts that look like this: 

Continue reading “Series: Pro Training – Troubleshooting An Inverter Driven Compressor”

Series: Pro Training – Non Disposable A/C Units

Pro Training Blog Series

I don’t know about you, but I can say comfortably that I do not find myself in the position of having thousands of dollars I want to dispose of. If you find yourself in a different position, please contact me and I will be happy to help you relieve yourself of those burdensome funds. I am using that statement because I know we can all never agree on the exact “average” cost of a Ductless AC installation, but I feel confident we can all agree that the number is over $1000. My point being that the price point means I am not interested in just “throwing it away” at the first sign of trouble. These machines or appliances are not disposable. They can be maintained, and they can be repaired. However, both of those concepts must begin with us doing something that many of us feel uncomfortable with … opening the machine up. 

Continue reading “Series: Pro Training – Non Disposable A/C Units”

Tech Tip: Slime Time in Summertime

A common service call that arrives in the latter days of summer is a clogged drain line. It is par for the course in the Southeastern United States; we have warm temperatures combined with high humidity. Air conditioning systems work to address both the temperature of the home (sensible heat) as well as the humidity of the home (latent heat). As the HVAC system runs it absorbs both heat and humidity from the home into the evaporator section of the unit. The heat is transferred outside via the refrigerant lines and superheated refrigerant while the humidity is transferred outside the home via the HVAC system drain line.

Slime in a drain is a universal problem. It occurs in shower drains, sink drains, and even appliance drains.  There are many variables that can increase the likelihood and frequency in slime forming in the HVAC drain system. However, two key ingredients are always present: food and moisture. Food is provided by dust or dirt that manages to get into the HVAC system. This dust and/or dirt will contain some organic matter which will serve as a food source. This will combine with already present moisture from normal cooling operations and provide a moist environment with a food source. The result will be a slimy gunk that will easily clog the HVAC drain line. The drain lines in an HVAC system are not under any pressure, therefore it does not take a large amount of resistance to block the drainage of condensate.

Continue reading “Tech Tip: Slime Time in Summertime”