Twenty-nine years ago, fate intervened when Alan Hartman and Rick Green met literally by accident. Rick’s car had gotten stuck in a ditch on Wades Gap Mountain. When Alan stopped to help, neither man knew it would be the beginning of a long-lasting friendship, much less an eventual business partnership!
At the time, both had been working in the HVAC business for different companies. In 1990, however, they decided to team up and open their own full-service heating and air conditioning company called Tinbenders. The whimsical name comes from the fact that the partners made their own metal ductwork to help offset initial costs. The name also reflected their additional service of making and installing metal roofing.

In those early years, the Tinbenders established themselves by installing and servicing standard HVAC equipment, gas and oil furnaces, heat pumps, and air conditioners. When the company began to grow, they hired their first employees and never looked back.
In the Fall of 1995, Rick and Alan were approached by WaterFurnace International; an alternative heating and cooling company. WaterFurnace told the partners that there was an abundant source of free, renewable energy that could be used to heat a house in the winter, cool it in the summer, and provide hot water at the tap all year round. Skeptical yet intrigued, the Tinbender boys proceeded to have themselves trained in this alternative technology, and in 1996, they installed their first geothermal heat pump system. This kind of set-up delivers an amazing four units of energy for every one kilowatt of electric energy used. That is an efficiency rating of 400%!
In addition to the geothermal, the technologies for other heating and energy systems have also advanced. Oil, gas, and heat-pump systems have all become more energy efficient. To keep up with the new technologies, Alan and Rick and all the employees at Tinbenders continue to learn with ongoing training. They also constantly upgrade their services and products as the industry moves forward.
Though located at 422 Wades Gap Road in Callaway – just five minutes from Floyd County – 80% of Tinbenders’ customers live in Floyd. The boys even take part as annual participants in the Floyd Energy Fest which is put on by SustainFloyd.
Sales and Marketing Representative, Ed Ricci, tells us that Tinbenders have replaced three systems for the Floyd County Library, and have also improved the ductwork, replaced one system, and installed a mini split in the new kitchen at the Country Store. They’ve replaced the radiant heaters at the Floyd Firehouse, as well as the Park Ranger station, and have installed and maintained mini split systems at Big Indian Farm Bakery and Plenty! Tinbenders even do all the work for Harris Construction of Floyd, as well as dozens of residential customers.
Originally from Philadelphia, Ed first arrived in the area when he bought two-hundred acres of land on Walker Mountain in Giles County. That was 1976. By 1986, Ed was already building houses and selling them. For a while, he owned an energy management system business, and was actually a competitor for Tinbenders.
But it wasn’t an adversarial competition. Rick and Alan had just as much respect for Ed and Ed had for them. In fact, when Ed closed his business due to injury, the Tinbender boys called and asked him to come work for them. That was seven years ago, and Ed says the reason he’s still with them is because “they’re great guys to work for.”
Ed says moving to the area was the best thing he ever did, but it’s certainly different from Philly! “If you need a plumber down here,”, he jokes “they might not be available because they’ve gone hunting!” Lots of folks in Floyd have gotten to know Ed because he’s the guy who comes out to the home or business to evaluate the need and provide and estimate.
Ed loves the moment when someone first hears his still-strong, Philly accent. “You’re not from down here, are ya?” It’s always fun and helps customers to relax and enjoy the process of the Manual J load Study – the evaluation to determine the needed system size.
Ed tells us that the people of Floyd are so happy with Tinbenders that a lot of their business comes directly from references. They also get calls when folks see the Tinbenders vans driving up and down the roads of Floyd on other appointments. All in all, Tinbenders has a great reputation in Floyd County, and all the guys at Tinbenders appreciate the support the County has provided them.
Before contacting Tinbenders for installation or replacement, Ed would like folks to know that the process begins with an in-home inspection and the Manual J load study. This evaluation includes room sizes, insulation, windows, and the direction of the sun. This information allows Tinbenders to determine the correct air flow for the rooms, as well as the correct size needed for the HVAC system.
Years ago, systems were sized according to the square footage of a home with no consideration to its construction. Consequently, many systems installed were oversized. The oversizing not only caused short cycling, but it also created hot and cold spots, as well as higher utility bills. It is Tinbenders’ mission to help folks to replace their old, costly, and inefficient ones by using the load study to determine the proper need.
Comfort is Tinbenders’ goal with every installation. Their ductwork is designed so that air moving from one end of the system to the other is constant, leaving no hot and cold spots in the home. It is then sealed to prevents any loss of air. Tinbenders is primarily a Trane dealer, “It’s hard to stop a Trane!” But they are also a dealer of Mitsubishi Diamond.
Tinbenders, Inc. offers free estimates, maintenance contracts, system replacements, new installations, and 24-hour repair service. They also install geothermal systems, on demand water heaters, boilers, and radiant floor heating systems.
For more information visit Tinbenders on Facebook, for online at Tinbenders.com. You can also call (540)334-5841 to schedule your free estimate!

Tinbenders • (540)334-5841• Tinbenders.com
422 Wades Gap Road, Callaway VA
facebook.com/tinbendersinc/