Lessons from 47 Years in HVAC | Facilities Unfiltered | Episode 19

HVAC touches every corner of facilities management, and in this episode of Facilities Unfiltered, Josh and Nic sit down with Richard Boothman (Sales Director at Modine) to get practical about what actually matters in the field—sizing, fuel choices, and the maintenance realities that can make or break comfort, reliability, and budgets. Richard brings nearly five decades of HVAC experience (and Modine’s 100-year legacy in unit heaters) to unpack why “bigger isn’t safer,” what really happens when equipment is under- or oversized, and how to think about redundancy and airflow instead of guessing BTUs. They also dig into the shifting landscape of gas, electric, and hydronic solutions—from where heat pumps shine (and where they struggle), to why hybrid approaches are gaining traction as rates and rebates change. Along the way, Richard clears up the common “condensing unit vs. heat pump” confusion, shares unglamorous but high-impact preventive maintenance lessons (filters, coils, flues, and the infamous wall of shame), and offers a smarter way to think about forecasting equipment life—especially in harsh environments like car washes, greenhouses, and chemical spaces where separated combustion can be a game-changer. Chapters (00:00:50) - Sales Director for Modine Thermal Systems, Virginia(00:03:37) - Air Conditioner(00:09:07) - Heat Pump Unit(00:17:37) - Air Conditioner vs Heat Pump(00:20:42) - Heating and Air Conditioner Maintenance(00:27:46) - How to fix a furnace when it's flaring(00:28:26) - Air Conditioner Maintenance, Predictive vs Scheduled(00:32:20) - How Long Does a Gas Furnace Need to Last?