Corbin HVAC expert featured in national magazine

Tom Stone, owner and operator of Stone Heating and Air, was featured in a national trade publication for servicing the oldest known, and operational, furnace.

A Corbin heating and air conditioning specialist was honored by a national trade publication recently for keeping the oldest known HVAC unit in the United States operational.

Tom Stone, owner and operator of Stone Heating and Air, won a contest sponsored by the Refrigeration Service Engineer Society in its monthly magazine, RSES Journal, to find out what HVACR service professional was keeping the most outdated piece of equipment working.

Stone’s entry – a 1967 10-ton condenser connected to a 200,000 BTU natural gas furnace. The unit was manufactured by Janitrol and was in operation at the office of Dr. Michael McClintock until December of last year.

“We had to replace it, not because the compressor wore out or any moving part went bad, but because over the years the AC coil on top of the furnace was just so corroded it started to rust a leak,” Stone said.
Stone said the unit was “working like brand new” when it was removed and replaced. He cleaned it annually for the past 15 years and said it was very reliable, despite it’s age.

“I had to replace probably $30 worth of parts for it over all those years,” he said. “Everything else just kept going.”

This 1967 Janitrol unit was installed in 1969. It provided climate control for the office of Dr. Michael McClintock until December of last year when it was replaced.

RSES Journal featured photos and a half-page write up of Stone’s winning entry in the January edition. It was installed when Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States.

Stone, 58, who got into the heating and air conditioning business 40 years ago, said he is semi-retired but still does work for his old customers. He also is faithful about continuing education to keep up with advances in technology in his trade.

“If I didn’t attend classes, I would just be left out in the dark,” Stone said. “Things are changing that fast.”

A heating and refrigeration specialist, Stone is also a Master Electrician. Though Janitrol is not considered a top of the line unit (like Trane or Carrier), it is the most popular residential HVAC equipment installed in the area. It is the largest manufactured heating and air equipment in the U.S.

“A piece of equipment is no better than the person that is installing it,” he said. “It can last 30 or 40 years. You can buy a top of the line Carrier or Trane or Lennox and if you don’t know what you are doing, it will last until three months after the warranty runs out and it will break down. It’s all in knowing how to do it correctly.”

Stone said he expected “only two or three lines” of space in the magazine, and was shocked by the half page spread.

“After thinking about it, I realized that the United States has had air conditioning longer than any other country, and I’m keeping the oldest equipment going and I’m keeping it going longer than anyone else in the world,” Stone said. “That is kind of unique.”

The unit featured in the article was disassembled and junked once removed. Stone said it was so heavy it had to be moved by another company.