The Press-Dispatch

April 11, 2018

The Press-Dispatch

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The Press-Dispatch Spring Home and Garden Wednesday, April 11, 2018 D-13 BUSINESS PROFILES New American-made units with high standards, long warranties available BENNER AND COMPANY: The Benner and Company Heating and Air team stand in front of their new units. Pictured are: Ross Mose, service/installation technician, Ryan Benner, service technician/sales, Carl Benner, owner, Stephanie Henry, officer manager, and Corey Benner, installation manager. By Andy Heuring Six years ago, Benner and Company Heating and Air opened when Carl Ben- ner and his wife, Brenda, purchased a local heating and air-conditioning com- pany. Last week, Benner and Co. installed the first Benner and Company fur- nace. They hope it will be the first of many. "This is a game chang- er. It is exciting," said Carl Benner. A fter years of selling Bryant and Daikin sys- tems from their Peters- burg-based offices, Benner is now offering their own line of HVAC systems un- der the name Benner and Company. He said it allows him to offer HVAC systems with a lifetime warranty that will not just replace a failed main component, but a brand new unit even 20 years later. Several months ago, a representative of Daikin contacted Benner about selling his own brand. Benner explained Daikin is the largest manufacturer of heating and air condition- er units in the world. "They wanted to make dealer specific equipment, where we set the parame- ters and what we want in it and they build it to our spec- ifications, our warranties." "At first I was leery, I won- dered why us." "They said, we were in a prime location and a prime dealer. We had a lot of train- ing, like NATE (North American Training Excel- lence), which involves 400 hours of training a year on all aspects of HVAC." "The more and more we talked about it, the more I felt we were the right deal- er to do it," said Carl. He and his son, Co- rey, went to Daikin's plant in Houston. At nearly 40 acres under roof, Benner said Daikin's two-year- old plant is the largest and most advanced HVAC plant in North America. Carl and Corey went through three days of train- ing and learning about Dai- kin's manufacturing pro- cess and products. "It was intense training. One day we started at 6:30 a.m. and went until 7:30 p.m." "We met and talked with every engineer who de- signed each part of their units and met every depart- ment head," said Carl. He said Daikin offered to manufacture HVAC units to Benner's specifications. "We decided to do this. Their equipment is made 100 percent in America. No other manufacturer can say that because all of them get some parts from Mex- ico or elsewhere and they use 100 percent American workers." "We met line workers, all the way to the CEO. What we saw was totally amazing. Their technology and pro- cesses are way ahead of ev- eryone one else," said Carl. He said the heat exchang- ers are made different. He explained the UL cer- tification takes 40,000 burn cycles to receive certifica- tion. Most manufacturers require 50,000 to 75,000 cycles. But the new Benner and Co. systems require 125,000 and a unit being tested to see how long it will last is up to just under two million cycles. "That is incredible. It is different than any other fur- nace on the market." Carl said the standard clam shell design might start out with 95 percent efficiency, but after four or five years will decrease to about 90 percent. A fter so many times opening and closing, they stay open a lit- tle bit and efficiency drops off. "This furnace doesn't drop off," he said. Because of that design, they are able to offer a life- time warranty on the top three models. If a heat ex- changer or compressor goes out, they will replace it with a whole new unit, not just a new compressor or heat exchanger." "There are 10 -year war- ranties out there by other companies, but they will just replace the compres- sor or heat exchanger. With us, you will get a whole new unit." He said there are labor warranties as well. You re- ceive free 10 year labor war- ranties on the top 3 tier se- ries. Another feature is their Bluetooth technology. He said they have an app that allows them run diagnos- tics on the units to see not only problems that have oc- curred, but ones that might happen in the future. The same technology al- lows owners to control their units remotely from any- where in the world. "You can be on vacation in Hawaii and set your thermostat." "These are things we wanted to do. No one else will give you a new unit if your compressor goes out. They might in the first few months, but not 20 years down the road. All the units have a 10 -year warranties, and lifetime heat exchang- ers. The Patriot, Ameri- cana and Eagle units have lifetime unit replacements." "It is exciting. It is all new. It is a game changer and it will set a new standard," said Carl. Benner and Company units will be offered in four different efficiency levels: The Heritage Series with a single-stage furnace with 95 percent AFUE and 14 seer for A/C or Heat Pump System; The Patriot Series with 96.5 percent efficien- cy two-stage furnace and 16 seer A/C or heat pump; the Americana Series with 97 to 98 percent modulating fur- nace and 16 to 18 seer two seer A/C or heat pump; and the Eagle Series with 98 percent modulating fur- nace and 20 seer with A/C or 21 seer with heat pump. The units are warehoused in Evansville so they will be available the same day, in- stead of having to order a unit and waiting on it to be delivered. Their first Benner and Company unit arrived last Wednesday and they in- stalled it on Friday. As a promotion, they are offering a "bounty on old furnace and air condition- ing units." Carl said if anyone refers a customer to them and that customer buys a furnace, air conditioner or HVAC system, the person who re- ferred them to Benner will get $100. Perry's Heating and Air Conditioning is now into its third generation, after more than 60 years of service in the area. Today, Craig Perry and his son, Vance, are the fac- es of Perry's Heating and Air Conditioning. Almost 70 years ago, Craig's father, Vance, started the compa- ny in 1950. "We have been doing quality work and ser- vice for more than 60 years," said Craig. Craig stated his father, Vance, started the compa- ny working on water pumps. Perry said in the 1940s, there were no rural water corporations. Consequently, people who lived outside the city had to have their own water system. That meant they had to have their own water pumps. "So there was a lot of pump work in the ru- ral area," said Craig. Grandfather Vance Perry specialized in maintaining those systems. But as technology changed and public wa- ter systems came into be- ing, Perry's changed along with it. They now specialize in heating and cooling sys- tems for homes and busi- nesses. Craig said his father in- stalled the first heat pump in the tri-county area in 1959 or 1960. Perry remem- bers his father getting an award from Public Service Indiana for that installation. "Heat pumps have been around for a long time." While they are vastly dif- ferent now, they are still around. Perry said the latest improvement in heat pumps is that now they are "dual fu- el" units. He said the heat pump is electric, but they also have a natural gas side for when the temperature drops be- low the heat pump's opti- mal operating range. "An electrical heat pump is the most efficient and least expensive way to heat, but once the tempera- ture drops below 35 or 36 de- grees, then they lose their efficiency and output tem- perature. So the new dual fu- el units use a gas furnace to supplement them when the temperature falls below 35 degrees. You really do get the best of both worlds," said Perry. In the '50s, Perry's went with new technology from the water pumps to heating. In the 1960s, they jumped on another new trend when air-conditioning caught on big. "I remember we were on vacation in Florida, and Dad came home early and in- stalled an air-conditioner to surprise Mom," said Craig. She was one of many hap- py customers whose lives were changed by the instal- lation of air-conditioning by Perry's. Air-conditioning is one of those things we take for granted now until it goes out, then we wonder how we ever lived without it. Appropriately, they sell the Comfortmaker brand of heating and air-condition- ing products. They handle everything from remodeling to new home installations to light commercial. "We have do- ne several churches in Pe- tersburg and Pike County," said Craig. Craig graduated from South Knox High School in 1973. He has worked ev- er since with Perry's. "I was just kind of born into it and never really thought about doing anything else." His son, Vance, is a recent graduate of Purdue Univer- sity, specializing in HVAC Systems and Controls. Vance's wife, Jenna, is an Occupational Therapist working at ProRehab in Vin- cennes. Craig said he start- ed working with his father at 13 or 14 years old and grew into it. Craig's wife, Denah, is the Clinical Director at Univer- sal Primary Care Clinic in Vincennes. The Perrys have added a fourth generation with grandson Chase. He is a graduate of Vincennes Lin- coln, Vincennes University and currently working on his HVAC certification. Perry's is located at 303 Breckenridge St., Mon- roe City, one block west of Main St. Their hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Fri- day. They can be reached by calling 812-743-2382. Craig Perry and his son, Vance, are the second and third generations of Perrys who have owned and operated Perry's Heating and Air Conditioning. More than 60 years ago Craig's father, Vance, started the company in 1950. The Perrys have added a fourth generation with grandson Chase (not pictured). Quality since 1950 PERRY'S HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING: Looking for an Auctioneer? Full-Time Auction Service Weekly Auctions, Heated and Cooled Facility Onsite Auction Services Available Farm Machinery and Antiques Real Estate Johny Ray is a licensed real estate agent. We can list your property for you! Johny Ray Auction & Realty Call Johny Ray at, 812-598-3936 or visit website at johnyrayauction.com Johny Ray Dimmett Auctioneer/ owner Lic. #AU10800006 FOR SALE 114 E. SR 68, Lynnville Preparing garden beds for spring Gardening enthusiasts may have been thinking about their landscape plans throughout the winter, eager to once again get their hands dirty with soil. Whether a home gardener is making preparations for edible crops or beautiful flowers, he or she must take time to make the soil ame- nable to planting. To establish hearty, du- rable plants, gardeners can focus on three main areas: addressing soil composition, cultivating and adding nutrients. SOIL COMPOSITION Many gardeners prefer growing a vari- ety of plants in their gardens. Such an ap- proach requires taking inventory of the type of soil in one's garden and making the necessary modifications so that the types of vegetables, herbs, shrubs, or flow- ers that will be planted can grow in strong- ly. In fact, according to the plant compa- ny Proven Winners, the most important step to developing good roots is prepar- ing the soil. Take a sample of the soil and examine it to see what is present. If the soil is too full of clay, too sandy, too dense, or too loose, that can lead to problems where plants can- not grow in strong. Work with a garden center to add the right soil amendments to make a rich soil. This may include or- ganic compost or manure, which will also add nutrients to the soil. CULTIVATION Cultivating the soil can involve differ- ent steps. Removal of weeds, errant rocks, See PREPARE on page 15

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