HVAC Signal · The HVAC briefing professionals can read in five minutes. · Issue 2

Share HVAC Signal with a colleague — send them the signup page: https://www.hvacsignal.ai/subscribe

🚨 Rules, Refrigerants & Safety

NEC outdoor HVAC GFCI exception hit Sept. 1 — AHRI TIA 1924 seeks 2028 extension (3 minute read)

AHRI’s Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA Log No. 1924) asks NFPA to push Exception No. 2 to NEC 210.8(F) — which had exempted listed outdoor HVAC equipment from GFCI protection — from Sept. 1, 2026 to Sept. 1, 2028 across the 2020/2023/2026 NEC editions. Public comments closed Sept. 9, 2026; Standards Council decision was still pending at draft time. ACCA backed the TIA, citing unresolved HVAC–GFCI compatibility and nuisance-trip risk. Contractors and AHJs should track adoption state-by-state until NFPA issues or rejects the TIA.

CPSC: second Daikin/Amana TTW recall — ~4,633 units, snubber fire risk (3 minute read)

CPSC Recall 26-734 (Sept. 3, 2026) covers about 4,633 Amana through-the-wall air conditioners/heat pumps (plus ~126 in Canada) — separate from the June 25 window/TTW action. Models: PBC092J00AA, PBC093J00AA, PBC122J00AA, PBC123J00AA, PBH092J12AA. Hazard: snubber circuit can emit flames if it shorts; two shorting reports, no injuries. Stop use; refund via cord cut + photo upload to Daikin Comfort. Hotels/apartments/commercial TTW stock is the exposure.

CPSC: Modine Airedale ClassMate/SchoolMate ventilation fans — 11 fires (3 minute read)

CPSC Recall 26-711 (Aug. 20, 2026) covers about 6,061 Airedale ventilation fans in Modine ClassMate DX and SchoolMate water/ground-source heat pumps used in classrooms (plus ~735 in Canada). Water on the fan circuit board can short the motor and overheat the unit. Modine reports 11 fire incidents and ≥$2.7M property damage; no injuries. Affected configs: CMD/CMP digit-9 C/D/E; SMG/SMW/CMS digit-9 H/J/K/N/P. Disable fan per Modine instructions, then free inspection/repair via distributor.

🏠 Residential & Contractor Business

AHRI July 2026 shipments: combined AC/HP +20.1% vs July 2025 (3 minute read)

AHRI published its July 2026 Statistical Release on Sept. 11, 2026. Per ACHR’s write-up of the AHRI tables: combined central AC + air-source heat pump shipments were 916,830 (+20.1% vs July 2025); AC-only 503,151 (+22.3%); heat pumps 413,679 (+17.6%); gas warm-air furnaces 265,810 (+2.1%). Cooling has posted six consecutive months of y/y gains. Use AHRI’s Excel/PDF for any deck quote — do not round from memory.

🏢 Commercial, Controls & Buildings

Johnson Controls: Absorption Chiller Reference Design Guide for AI factories (2 minute read)

Johnson Controls (July 28, 2026) launched an Absorption Chiller Reference Design Guide aimed at converting waste heat from on-site power generation into cooling for AI/data-center campuses. OEM-modeled outcomes for a 1 GW AI Factory include up to 97 MW additional AI capacity without more generation, cooling electric demand cut up to 44%, PUE as low as 1.23 with zero on-site water, and up to 43% lower cooling-system CO₂ — all illustrative, not guarantees. Specifiers should pull Guide 407 from JCI’s reference-designs hub.

Rheem Torin commercial air-to-water heat pump hits trade coverage (2 minute read)

Rheem’s Torin commercial air-to-water heat pump (68k and 120k BTU/hr) is being positioned for multifamily, hotels, offices, schools, and campuses — indoor or outdoor, DHW or space heating, operation claimed to −13°F, COP up to 4.5, R-454B, ENERGY STAR. Rheem’s own submittal sheet lists models RMHPHDA068VD000 / RMHPHDA120VD000 and matching capacity/COP figures. Applied/commercial teams should confirm listing and install envelopes against the OEM submittal, not trade blurbs alone.

💼 Market, Deals & Workforce

Watsco to acquire The Granite Group — ~$500M Northeast plumbing/HVAC distro (2 minute read)

Watsco (Sept. 14, 2026) said it agreed to acquire The Granite Group, a Concord, NH–based plumbing and HVAC distributor with ~$500M sales, ~11,000 customers, 82 locations across seven Northeast states, and ~29,000 SKUs. Granite stays independent under CEO Bill Condron pending customary closing conditions. Follows Watsco’s June 1 close of Jackson Supply (~$230M, 25 Sunbelt locations). Channel density play — Northeast plumbing adjacency + HVAC.

⚡ Quick Links

  1. ACCA: support for AHRI TIA 1924 — extend HVAC GFCI exception to 2028 — Aug. 19 contractor-association filing arguing life-safety risk from unintended loss of cooling if GFCI nuisance trips outdoors before compatibility work is done.
  2. Modine recall remedy page — OEM instructions for ClassMate/SchoolMate OA/EA fan disable, inspection, and remediation tied to CPSC 26-711.
  3. JCI data-center reference designs (incl. Guide 407 absorption) — Hub for air-cooled, water-cooled, and absorption thermal blueprints for AI factories.
  4. Rheem Torin commercial A2W submittal — OEM capacity, COP, R-454B, and electrical data for RMHPHDA068/120.
  5. ACHR: AHRI July shipment detail + heat-pump streak — Trade breakdown of July tables (verify numbers against AHRI Excel).
  6. CAREL completes Cotes dehumidification acquisition — Sept. 3, 2026 close adds adsorption dehumidification to CAREL’s HVAC/R controls portfolio (announced July 10).
  7. Trane upgrades Sintesis Advantage CGAF/CXAF — Sept. 10, 2026: refrigerant-circuit + condensate upgrades and XXLN low-noise option for 130–350 kW chillers/heat pumps.
  8. Beijer Ref to acquire 75% of FG Europe — Sept. 11, 2026: Greek HVAC distributor (~SEK 1.4B turnover) across Balkans/UK/Ireland/Turkey; subject to competition approval.

SPONSORED

All Contractor: train your crew to run the marketing stack (1 minute read)

All Contractor builds websites, SEO, paid, and content for HVAC contractors — then teaches your people to operate what we build. AI drafts and diagnostics stay human-reviewed; you keep the domain, ad accounts, and data. Diagnose → plan → build → teach, with itemized spend and a straight no when we’re not the fit. If you want capability in-house instead of another black-box retainer, start at allcontractor.com.

HVACGPT.ai: AI consulting stack for HVAC owners (1 minute read)

AI built specifically for HVAC business owners that provides a KPI and P&L consultant, sales coach, estimate copilot, maintenance plan copilot, training coach, cashflow & budgeting, hiring & pay plans, business valuation & exit, and more! It would take at least 4 different consultants to provide you this guidance. Get the best consulting for your HVAC business at a fraction of the cost.

Know an HVAC pro who’d want this? Share HVAC Signal — signup: https://www.hvacsignal.ai/subscribe.

All Contractor, 4018 Ebenezer Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Keep reading

View more
caret-right