ACtion Magazine - November/December 2013 - (Page 42)

Last Watch Buyer beware - are you? Ward Atkinson Last Watch is contributed this month by guest columnist Ward Atkinson, Technical Advisor to MACS. M any years ago, when vehicle manufacturers advertised the horsepower of their engines, the information could not be compared between manufacturers because they didn't all measure horsepower the same way. Through the efforts of SAE International and its committee members, SAE Standard J2723 -- "Engine Power Test Code: Engine Power and Torque Certification," was developed to govern the actual measurement of engine power. This Standard allows direct comparison of each manufacturer's SAE-certified engine horsepower and torque information. In a similar manner, people working in the mobile air conditioning industry have encountered many products with a label that says it "meets or exceeds" SAE Standard requirements. Until recently, there was no way to independently verify that statement. In 2011, the SAE Interior Climate Control Standards Committee developed and published SAE J2911 -- "Procedure for Certifying compliance with SAE Standards." The purpose of SAE J2911 is to provide a paper trail, so a customer or a regulatory agency can see that the product has been properly tested and delivers the performance spelled out in the SAE standards to which it is certified. After a company submits their lab test data and all other required information to SAE International, a J2911 certification is issued and posted on the SAE website. Only then can a company claiming compliance for their product advertise that their product does indeed meet the SAE performance standard, and only then can they make that claim on their product or packaging. Those products include mobile air conditioning system components, service equipment and service training. Products meeting the J2911 requirements can be found at http://macdb.sae.org. This website provides a public listing of the product, searchable by several different criteria. Clicking the MMR number in the upper right corner of the search result leads to the company's J2911 registration. There's also a link to a description of the performance standard the product must meet. And in the interest of industry self-regulation, there's also a link where companies, regulators or individuals can challenge a product's compliance with the SAE performance standard. The right-hand column of the page has a list of SAE Standards referenced by J2911 and links to descriptions of each Standard. Here's a sample of some of the certified products and suppliers currently posted on the SAE website. These companies have completed their J2911 Certification and may claim their product meets SAE performance standards in their advertising. Search for any of these names to test-drive the website and learn more. Refrigerant: DuPont meets J2776 for R-134a Trace Dye: Tracer Products and UView meet J2297 for leak detection dye Leak Detectors: Twin Rivers Engineering, CPS and TechnoTools meet J2913 for R-1234yf electronic leak detectors Refrigerant Identifiers: Neutronics Inc. meets J2912 for R-134a and R-1234yf refrigerant diagnostic identifiers and J2927 for R-1234yf refrigerant identifiers installed in recovery/recycling machines Service Hoses: Veyance/Goodyear meets J2888 for service hose, fittings and service couplers Refrigerant Service Equipment: Ritchie/Yellow Jacket, Service Solutions/ Robinair and CPS all meet J2788 for R-134a R/R/R equipment. Service Solutions/ Robinair also meets J2851 for Recovery-only equipment and, along with CPS, also meets J2843 for flammable refrigerant recovery equipment. Technician Training: MACS Worldwide meets J2845 for Technician Training for service on J-1234yf and R-744 refrigerants. ❆ 42 ACTION * November/December 2013 Advertiser Index 1-800-Radiator & A/C................................2 AGS Company ........................................31 Air Parts, Inc. ..........................................28 Arizona Mobile Air ....................................8 Behr-Hella ...............................................11 BVA Inc. ...................................................33 DENSO ...................................................43 Depo/Maxzone .......................................15 Four Seasons .........................................44 Geniune Parts/NAPA ..............................13 Johnson Manufacturing Company .......39 Kysor/Bergstrom, Inc ............................29 MACS Worldwide .............................24, 25 MEI Corporation .......................................9 Old Air Products .....................................17 Omega .......................................................5 Polar Mobility Research, Ltd. ..........14, 25 T/CCI/Que ................................................27 Trans/Air Mfg. .........................................40 TSI Inc./SuperCool ...................................3 Universal Air Conditioner ........................7 To request information from our advertisers, visit www.macsw.org and click on the ACTION Reader Reply button. Connect with MACS and the digital edition of ACTION™. http://macdb.sae.org http://www.macsw.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - November/December 2013

ACtion Magazine - November/December 2013
Contents
Outlook
Freeze Frame
Virtual View
News and Updates
Leonard’s Law
Cooling Corner
Member Profile
News & Updates
New Products
Going to New Orleans
2014 Exhibitor Showcase
Association News
In Memoriam
Leonard's Law
Quick Check
Last Watch
New Products & Services
Last Watch - Guest Editorial

ACtion Magazine - November/December 2013