Case Studies & White Papers
Putting Industry Knowledge to Work
Trane Turns to Timco Rubber to Develop a Rubber Sleeve to Prevent Potential Leak in Gas Furnaces
Trane, a global leader in developing and manufacturing HVAC systems, had a potential leak point in an HVAC application. A product engineer at Trane contacted Timco Rubber to recommend a solution. The potential leak was where the flu pipe on a gas furnace met with the inducer housing. The product engineer wanted Timco Rubber's opinion on how to fix the problem with a rubber gasket or sleeve.
Because of Timco's experience and knowledge in the HVAC industry, the supplier was able to quickly recommend a compound and offer a design suggestion. The product engineer was impressed with Timco Rubber's knowledge of the application and how quickly Timco proposed what seemed like a viable solution. As a result, Trane agreed to build prototype tooling to determine if the solution would work.
The rubber sleeve worked well in preventing any leaks, but Trane had concerns about how to efficiently install the part on the assembly line. Timco Rubber developed a value-added solution where the part would be supplied to Trane with two hose clamps on the outside of the rubber sleeve. The two hose clamps would make installation simple for the Trane line operators. In the end, Trane was pleased with the performance of the rubber sleeve and decided to use it on all gas furnaces made at its Trenton, New Jersey facility.
