How HVAC Equipment Fits Into Quotejam's Product System
HVAC equipment catalogs are some of the most complex in B2B. A typical manufacturer line includes residential splits, commercial cassettes, high-static ducted units, packaged air conditioners, VRF systems, scroll chillers, screw chillers, centrifugal chillers, fan coil units, air handling units, and accessories — each with entirely different spec profiles.
Quotejam was built for exactly this kind of complexity. This article walks through how each type of HVAC equipment maps to the product system, feature by feature.
The Building Blocks
Quotejam’s product system has four core concepts that work together:
- Product Categories — organize your equipment types, control which specs are relevant, and drive spec sheet grouping
- Spec Templates & Groups — define the technical fields (capacity, airflow, sound level) organized by domain (performance, electrical, physical)
- Product Sets — bundle components that are sold together (indoor unit + outdoor unit = one quote line item)
- Spec Sheet — auto-generated comparison table on the quote document, grouped by category
Each is built to handle the reality of HVAC: products that have different specs depending on their function, are sold as matched systems, and need technical data printed on the quote for engineer approval.
Product Categories: Match How You Actually Sell
An indoor wall-mount unit and a water-cooled screw chiller are both “HVAC equipment,” but they share almost no specifications. The indoor unit has airflow (CFM), static pressure, and indoor sound level. The chiller has water flow rate, pressure drop, and tons of refrigeration. And when a contractor receives your quote, they don’t want to see wall mounts lumped together with cassettes in the spec comparison — they want each equipment type on its own page.
Product categories in Quotejam do two things:
- Control which spec fields appear when you add or edit a product
- Group products on the spec sheet — each category gets its own comparison table
For a full-line HVAC operation, we recommend categories that match how equipment is actually sold and compared — typically 15-18 categories:
| Category | What Goes Here |
|---|---|
| Split System - Wall Mounted | Wall mount indoor + outdoor units |
| Split System - Cassette | 4-way cassette indoor + outdoor units |
| Split System - Floor Standing | Floor standing indoor + outdoor units |
| Split System - Ducted (Low Static) | Ceiling concealed ducted units |
| Split System - Ducted (High Static) | High static ducted units for commercial |
| Packaged Unit - Air Cooled | Self-contained air-cooled packaged ACs |
| Packaged Unit - Water Cooled | Water-cooled packaged units |
| Rooftop Unit | Packaged rooftop units |
| VRF Outdoor | Variable refrigerant flow outdoor units |
| VRF Indoor | VRF indoor units (wall, cassette, ducted) |
| Chiller - Modular Scroll | Modular scroll chillers (air-cooled) |
| Chiller - Screw (Air Cooled) | Air-cooled screw chillers |
| Chiller - Screw (Water Cooled) | Water-cooled screw chillers |
| Chiller - Centrifugal | Centrifugal chillers |
| Fan Coil Unit | Chilled water fan coil units (cassette and ducted) |
| Air Handling Unit | Central station AHUs |
| Accessory | Controllers, piping kits, brackets, air curtains |
Why this many? Because categories drive the spec sheet. When your quote includes three wall-mount splits and two cassette units, the spec sheet shows them as separate comparison tables — wall mounts compared to wall mounts, cassettes to cassettes. An engineer can verify each equipment type against their schedule without sorting through mixed tables.
Won’t this duplicate spec template setup? No — this is where Quotejam’s multi-category spec groups come in. Each spec group can be assigned to multiple categories at once. So “Air Side” specs (airflow, static pressure, fan type) get assigned to all split system categories, packaged units, AHUs, and VRF indoor — one setup, shared across every category where air-side specs are relevant. You define each spec group once and tag it to all the categories it applies to.
Spec Templates: Structured Data, Not Text Blobs
This is where Quotejam departs from spreadsheet-based quoting. Instead of free-text descriptions, each specification is a typed field with a name, data type, unit, and category scope.
Organize Specs Into Groups
Spec template groups bundle related specifications together. For HVAC, eight groups cover the full range of equipment:
Performance — Cooling capacity, heating capacity, EER, COP, IPLV. These appear on every product.
Electrical — Power supply (V/Ph/Hz), power input, rated current, maximum running amps, locked rotor amps. Universal across equipment types.
Air Side — Airflow (CFM), external static pressure, fan type, filter specifications. Only relevant for products that move air (indoor units, packaged units, AHUs — not chillers).
Water Side — Water flow rate, pressure drop, pipe sizes, evaporator type, condenser type. Only relevant for chilled water equipment (chillers, water-cooled packaged units).
Sound — Sound pressure level at standard distance. For split systems, separate indoor and outdoor readings. For packaged units and chillers, a single rating.
Physical — Dimensions (W x D x H), net weight, shipping weight, casing material.
Refrigerant — Type (R32, R410A, R407C, R134a), factory charge, pipe sizes for field connections, maximum piping length. Only relevant for DX equipment — not for chilled water fan coil units.
Compressor — Type (scroll, rotary, screw, centrifugal), quantity, capacity control method (on/off, staged, inverter, slide valve). Only relevant for equipment that contains compressors.
Category Scoping Eliminates Irrelevant Fields
Each spec group is assigned to the categories where it’s relevant. With 15-18 categories, the assignment pattern follows equipment function:
| Spec Group | Split Systems | Packaged / Rooftop | Chillers | VRF | FCU / AHU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electrical | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Air Side | Yes | Yes | — | VRF Indoor | Yes |
| Water Side | — | Water Cooled | Yes | — | FCU |
| Sound | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Physical | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Refrigerant | Yes | Yes | Yes | VRF Outdoor | — |
| Compressor | — | Yes | Yes | VRF Outdoor | — |
“Split Systems” in this table means all five split system categories share the same spec group assignments. You set it up once — assign “Air Side” to Wall Mounted, Cassette, Floor Standing, Ducted Low Static, and Ducted High Static — and every product in those categories gets the right spec fields.
When someone adds a wall-mounted indoor unit, they see 5 spec groups (performance, electrical, air side, sound, physical). When they add a screw chiller, they see 7 groups (water side and compressor appear, air side disappears).
This is the difference between a product form with 40 fields where half are irrelevant, and a form with 15-20 fields that are all meaningful.
Use the Right Data Types
Quotejam supports three spec data types — and choosing correctly matters:
- Number — For anything you’d compare: cooling capacity (12000), airflow (560), weight (25). Numbers enable comparison tables on the spec sheet.
- Text — For formatted values: dimensions (“802 x 292 x 194 mm”), power supply (“220-240V/1Ph/50Hz”). These display as-is.
- Select — For constrained choices: refrigerant type (R32 / R410A / R134a), compressor type (Scroll / Screw / Centrifugal). Keeps data consistent and filterable.
The common mistake: storing capacity as text (“12,000 BTU/hr”) instead of a number (12000) with a unit (BTU/hr). Text can’t be compared or sorted. If your spec sheet shows three split systems side by side, numbers make them instantly comparable.
Product Sets: Systems, Not Parts
Here’s where HVAC quoting is fundamentally different from other industries. You don’t sell an outdoor unit by itself — you sell a matched system.
Split Systems = Product Sets
Every split system is a set: one indoor unit + one outdoor unit. In Quotejam, you create a product set with:
- Set name: “1-Ton Inverter Wall Mount Split System”
- Combined model number: Indoor/Outdoor model numbers
- Components: 1x Indoor unit product, 1x Outdoor unit product
- Override price: The manufacturer’s system price
When your sales rep creates a quote, they search for “1-ton wall mount” and add the set. One line item on the quote, two products underneath with their individual specs. The customer sees a system, your sales rep didn’t have to remember which outdoor unit matches which indoor unit.
For a product line with 5 capacity sizes in wall mount, 4 in cassette, 3 in floor standing, and 6 in ducted — that’s 18 product sets. Takes an hour to set up, saves thousands of hours over the life of the catalog.
When Sets Don’t Make Sense
Not every HVAC configuration maps to a product set:
Chillers + fan coil units: A chiller serves multiple fan coil units, and the FCU selection depends on the project — room sizes, ceiling types, building layout. The combinations are project-specific. Enter chillers and fan coils as individual products and assemble them per-quote.
VRF systems: One outdoor unit might serve 8 indoor units across 3 different types (wall mount in offices, cassette in conference rooms, ducted in corridors). Create starter sets for common configurations (“8HP with 4x wall mount”) but expect most VRF quotes to be assembled from individual products.
Packaged units and rooftop units: These are self-contained. No set needed — they’re quoted as single line items.
Rule of thumb: If the same components always go together, make a set. If the combination varies per project, use individual products.
Set Pricing
| System Type | Approach | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Split systems | Override price on the set | Manufacturers price matched pairs as a system |
| Chiller + terminal units | Sum of component prices | Configurations vary too much for fixed pricing |
| VRF | Sum of component prices | Same — project-specific |
The Spec Sheet: Your Technical Credibility
When you enable the spec sheet on a quote, Quotejam automatically generates a comparison table appendix grouped by product category. If your quote includes three wall-mount splits and two cassette units, the spec sheet shows:
Split System - Wall Mounted
| Specification | Model A | Model B | Model C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooling Capacity | 9,000 BTU/hr | 12,000 BTU/hr | 18,000 BTU/hr |
| Power Input | 25 W | 30 W | 40 W |
| Air Flow | 490 CFM | 560 CFM | 700 CFM |
| Sound Level | 36 dB(A) | 38 dB(A) | 40 dB(A) |
| Dimensions | 802 x 292 x 194 | 892 x 310 x 200 | 1050 x 340 x 210 |
Split System - Cassette
| Specification | Model D | Model E |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling Capacity | 24,000 BTU/hr | 36,000 BTU/hr |
| … | … | … |
This is generated from the specs you entered in the product catalog — no manual formatting, no copy-pasting from datasheets. The contractor or engineer can verify every item against their design spec without opening a single manufacturer catalog.
For project quotations, this alone eliminates 2-3 rounds of “can you confirm the cooling capacity on item 7?” emails.
Equipment Tags: Speaking the Engineer’s Language
Construction projects tag every piece of equipment on the mechanical drawings:
- AHU-01 — Air handling unit, main plant room
- FCU-B2-L3-05 — Fan coil unit, building 2, level 3, unit 5
- CH-01 — Chiller number 1
In Quotejam, every line item has an optional equipment tag field. When the engineer receives your quote, they can cross-reference each item against their schedule of equipment in seconds. No manual matching, no confusion about which item corresponds to which drawing reference.
This is a small feature with outsized impact on project work. Engineers approve faster when they can verify at a glance.
Putting It All Together: What Setup Looks Like
Here’s the recommended sequence for getting a full HVAC catalog into Quotejam:
Phase 1: Configuration (1-2 hours)
- Create your product categories (15-18 categories matching your equipment types)
- Create spec groups (8 groups, each assigned to the relevant categories)
- Create spec templates (30-40 specs assigned to groups)
- Set up select options for constrained fields (refrigerant types, compressor types, etc.)
Phase 2: Products (1-2 days, in batches)
Work through one product line at a time. Start with whatever you quote most — usually residential or light commercial splits.
- Import or enter indoor units with specs from catalog data
- Import or enter matching outdoor units
- Repeat for each product line
For a full-line supplier with 200-300 products, batch importing via CSV is dramatically faster than manual entry.
Phase 3: Product Sets (2-4 hours)
- Create split system sets (each capacity = one set with indoor + outdoor)
- Set override prices from manufacturer system pricing
- Create optional VRF/chiller starter sets for common configurations
Phase 4: First Real Quote (15 minutes)
Pick a live deal. Quote it using the new catalog. Time yourself. Compare to how long the same quote would take in Excel.
That comparison sells the system to your entire sales team.
Ready to get your HVAC catalog organized? Start free — import your first product line and create a quote in under an hour.