Trusted Brands. Proven Performance.
HVAC supplies are the air and fluid power parts that keep commercial heating, cooling and ventilation equipment running. That means pneumatic damper and valve actuators, pilot positioners, control air tubing and brass fittings, filter regulator lubricator sets, control air compressors and dryers, hydronic hose assemblies rated for glycol, circulator pump seal flush lines, condensate and drain hose, camlock hookups for portable chillers and tower cleaning, and pressure washers for coil work. Nitro Industrial stocks these HVAC supplies, builds custom hose assemblies in house, and repairs control air and hydronic lines the same day from our Concord and Barrie shops. We ship across Canada and run mobile crimping for rooftop and mechanical room work.
This page walks through HVAC supplies building system by building system: pneumatic controls in older towers, control air compressors and dryers, chillers and cooling towers, glycol and hydronic loops, rooftop unit truck stock, and coil cleaning. It also covers how to spec a line and how fast we can build one.
Heating season does not wait. When a glycol jumper lets go at a boiler on a Tuesday morning in January, or a control air line splits and half a floor goes to full heat, the answer has to be measured in hours. Nitro builds and repairs hose assemblies in house at both shops, and standard assemblies are same-day. Bring in the failed line, or the two fittings and a length measurement, and we will match it. We also run mobile crimping, which matters when the failure is on a roof or in a mechanical room where the line cannot come off the equipment. For plant rooms that need a purpose-built package, we design and build custom hydraulic power units and hydraulic systems to your drawing. We hold HVAC supplies on the shelf for exactly this, so a repair does not wait on a distributor order.
Stock depth is the other half of it. Nitro is Gates‘ largest independent distributor of industrial and hydraulic hoses in Canada, so the HVAC supplies behind your assembly, the hose, couplings and adaptors, are on our shelf rather than on order. Contractors pick up at 8520 Jane St in Concord or at 740 Huronia Rd in Barrie, and we ship across Canada for sites outside the GTA and Simcoe County. If your crews go through the same fittings and assemblies every week, talk to us about standing stock and a single monthly invoice. Open an account through our credit application, or contact the team with a parts list and we will price it out. You can also compare notes with the work we do for equipment and machinery customers, automotive and manufacturing plants, and the rest of the industries we serve.
If you service more than one building, send the site list and we will build the standing stock list against it. Most contractors find that a dozen line items cover the calls that actually cost a second trip, and the rest can be ordered as needed. We hold the agreed HVAC supplies list on file with tube size, thread and end style on every line, so a reorder is a part number instead of another trip up the ladder with a caliper.
Plenty of Ontario schools, hospitals and office towers built before the mid 1990s still run 3 to 15 psi pneumatic controls, and the failures are predictable. A cracked 1/4 inch poly tube at a bulkhead. A pilot positioner that drifts because oil got past the compressor. A mixed air damper actuator with a torn diaphragm holding the damper wide open in February. You need main air tubing, barbed and compression fittings, brass adaptors and replacement actuators. We stock the pneumatics side of that list and match thread and barb sizes off the old part at the counter. One more failure is worth knowing. Main air that reads correct at the compressor can still be low at the top floor, because a long branch run with a partly closed isolation valve drops pressure the whole way up. Gauge at the actuator, not at the panel. The HVAC supplies that settle most of these calls are tubing, brass and a replacement diaphragm rather than a new controller.
A control air system is only as clean as its dryer. When a refrigerated dryer ices up or a desiccant tower stops regenerating, moisture rides the main air line into every receiver controller and positioner in the building, and valves start sticking floor by floor. Oil carryover does the same thing to actuator diaphragms. Keep coalescing filters, filter regulator lubricator sets, automatic drain traps and spare elements on the shelf. Our counter carries air prep components and fittings and can size a set to your compressor output. Run time is the other number to watch. A control air compressor that used to run a few minutes an hour and now runs half the time is feeding a leak somewhere in the building, and that leak also pulls humid room air through the dryer faster than it can handle. Find the leak before you upsize anything, and keep the HVAC supplies for that job, tubing, ferrules and drain traps, on the shelf.
Condenser water is the dirty side of the plant. Tower fill loads up with silt and biological growth, strainers plug, and condenser tubes foul until approach temperature climbs and the chiller trips on high head pressure. Service work means portable pump hookups, camlock and grooved fittings, suction hose that will not collapse under vacuum, and a washer for basin and fill cleaning. Nitro supplies the hoses and fittings, the couplings and the water pumps, and builds suction assemblies to the length you actually need. Sizing the suction leg is where crews get caught. A discharge hose used on the suction side will flatten under vacuum and starve the pump halfway through a basin cleanout, and the pump takes the blame. Ask for hard wall hose on anything upstream of the impeller. Condenser water HVAC supplies are cheap next to a lost service window.
Glycol is hard on the wrong rubber. A 40 or 50 percent propylene glycol loop running at 180 F will swell and soften a liner that was never rated for it, and you find out when a fitting weeps behind a ceiling tile in January. The same applies to makeup water lines and air separator drops. Specify the liner and the continuous temperature before you buy, not the peak. We build glycol and hydronic assemblies with the correct liner, crimp them here, and tag the assembly so the next tech knows what is hanging on the wall. Glycol concentration drifts as well. Makeup water added over a few winters dilutes a 40 percent loop, the freeze point climbs, and an outdoor air handling coil that was protected five years ago is not protected now. Test the loop before heating season and top up with premixed fluid rather than plain water. Put the test kit on the HVAC supplies list beside the hose.
A rooftop unit call is expensive because of access, not parts. Once your tech is up the ladder with the hatch open, a missing 3/8 inch adaptor turns into a second trip and a second billable visit. Stock the truck for what actually fails on an RTU: economizer damper actuators and linkage, condensate traps and drain hose, gauge hose sets, belt and bearing consumables, and a spread of brass adaptors. We help contractor fleets build a standard truck kit from industrial supplies and restock it on one purchase order instead of a dozen counter trips. Build the kit around access rather than around price. The parts worth carrying are the ones that turn a second visit into a ten minute fix: adaptors in the three sizes your fleet actually uses, a spare economizer actuator, condensate hose and clamps. Everything else can wait for a counter trip. That short list is the HVAC supplies most contractors underbuy.
Aluminum coil fins bend at pressures well below what most crews assume. Hit a condenser coil at 3000 psi with a zero degree tip and you have flattened the fins and cut the capacity you were trying to recover. Use a wide fan tip, drop the pressure, and match the chemistry to the fin metal. Grease loaded kitchen exhaust coils are where heat earns its keep. Nitro carries both hot water and cold water pressure washers along with wands, hose and hose reels. Rinse water matters as much as pressure. Hard water left to dry on an aluminum fin leaves scale that holds the next round of dirt, so rinse from the leaving air side and let the coil drain instead of baking it dry in the sun. Coil cleaning HVAC supplies should include the right tip set, not just the machine.
Work down the table with the equipment list in front of you. The same tube size can be right on a damper actuator and wrong on a boiler jumper, and the difference is usually temperature rather than pressure.
| Application | Typical construction / spec | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Control air main and branch lines | 1/4 in and 5/32 in polyethylene or polyurethane tubing, 3 to 15 psi signal, barb or compression ends | Cracking at bulkheads and tight bends. Oil and moisture carryover from a failing dryer |
| Control air compressor discharge | Oil resistant rubber or PTFE lined air hose, brass or steel ends | Ambient heat in the compressor room. Confirm cover temperature rating before routing near a boiler or flue |
| Hydronic and glycol jumper lines | EPDM or PTFE liner rated for propylene glycol at 180 F continuous | Liner compatibility. Standard nitrile softens in glycol. Rate for continuous temperature, not peak |
| Condenser water and tower hookup | Hard wall rubber suction hose on the suction side, layflat or rubber discharge, camlock ends | Suction hose collapse. Discharge hose used on a suction leg will flatten and starve the pump |
| Condensate and drain lines | Clear reinforced PVC or braided hose, barb or hose clamp ends | Algae and slime buildup. Proper slope and a trap. Radiant heat from a nearby flue |
| Circulator pump seal flush | Small bore stainless braided hose or copper with compression fittings | Vibration fatigue at the fitting. Leave a service loop, do not pull the line tight |
| Coil, tower and basin cleaning | Cold water washer at 1500 to 2500 psi, 25 or 40 degree tip, chemical injector | Fin damage from a narrow tip. Chemical compatibility with aluminum fin and copper tube |
Before you order HVAC supplies, confirm these six: hose or tube ID and finished length, both end fitting types with thread and barb sizes, working pressure, continuous fluid temperature, the actual fluid (compressed control air, water, glycol percentage, or condensate), and where the line routes so we can spec cover material and bend radius.
This one decision sets the HVAC supplies you buy for the next decade, so it is worth settling floor by floor rather than all at once.
| Factor | Pneumatic actuators | Electric / DDC actuators |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per point | Lower. The main air is already in the walls and the actuator itself is inexpensive | Higher. You pay for the actuator plus wiring, a controller point and commissioning |
| How it fails | Torn diaphragm, cracked tubing, drifting positioner. Usually audible and quick to find | Stripped gear train or a dead board. Often silent until a tenant complains about a zone |
| Parts and stocking | Common. Actuators, tubing and brass fittings cross between brands, and we stock them | Model specific. A discontinued actuator can mean a long lead time or a whole assembly swap |
| Modulating control | Smooth, and strong on large dampers with high torque demand. Needs periodic calibration | Precise, with feedback, and it holds calibration without a tech on a gauge |
| What the building needs | A healthy control air compressor, dryer and drain traps, maintained on a schedule | Wiring pathways, a network and commissioning. No compressor to maintain |
| Best fit | Buildings with sound main air and dozens of points, phased budgets, big damper torque | Full retrofit projects, small point counts, or where the control air compressor is finished |
Short version: if your control air compressor and dryer are in good shape and you have a lot of points, keep the pneumatic system and fix the actuators, tubing and air prep. If the compressor is at end of life, converting a zone at a time to electric usually beats rebuilding the whole air system. Most Ontario buildings we supply run a mix of both, and we keep the pneumatic side stocked because that is the part nobody else carries. Send us the building list and we will hold the HVAC supplies for the pneumatic side so a phased conversion never stalls waiting on tubing.
Common questions we hear from teams in this sector, from choosing the right components to same-day repairs when a machine is down.
Yes. We stock the pneumatic side that most suppliers have dropped: main air and branch tubing, barbed and compression fittings, brass adaptors, filter regulator lubricator sets and air prep components. Bring in the failed actuator or a clear photo with the tubing size and thread, and we will match it at the counter. If a specific actuator body has to be ordered in, we will tell you the lead time up front rather than after you have waited a week.
Specify the liner first. Pressure rating alone will not save you. Standard nitrile liners swell and soften in glycol at hydronic temperatures. You want an EPDM or PTFE liner rated for continuous service at your loop temperature, commonly 180 F, with the fitting material matched to the liner. Tell us the glycol percentage, the continuous temperature, the working pressure and both end connections, and we will build and tag the assembly so the next tech knows what is on the wall.
Our work is the water side and the air side: control air, hydronic and glycol lines, condenser and tower water, condensate, pump hookups and coil cleaning gear. Refrigerant line sets and brazed refrigerant work belong to your HVACR supply house and your gas fitter. Where the two meet, gauge hose sets and service hoses for example, we can help with the fittings and adaptors, but the sealed refrigerant circuit is not our lane and we will say so.
Almost always moisture. When a refrigerated dryer ices over or a desiccant tower stops regenerating, water rides the main air line to every positioner and receiver controller in the building, and valves start hanging up floor by floor. Oil carryover from a worn compressor does the same thing to diaphragms. Check the dryer, the automatic drain traps and the coalescing filter element before you start replacing actuators. We stock the filters and drains. Filters and drain traps belong on the HVAC supplies list before any actuator does.
Yes. Standard hose assemblies are same-day at both shops. Bring in the failed line, or bring both fittings plus an accurate length, and we will crimp a replacement while you wait. If the line cannot come off the equipment, our mobile crimping service can come to you and build it on site. Call the Concord shop at (905) 760-1711 or Barrie at (249) 315-4673 before you drive so we can have the hose pulled. Say it is a line-down call and we will pull the HVAC supplies first.
Both work. Mobile crimping exists for exactly this situation, where the line is on a rooftop unit or buried in a mechanical room and pulling it off the equipment is the expensive part of the job. For anything routine, walking the failed part into Concord or Barrie is faster and cheaper. Call the shop first and describe the failure so we can tell you which one makes sense for your job. Either way the HVAC supplies come off the same shelf, so the price holds.
We ship across Canada from stocked inventory, and both Ontario locations are open for counter pickup. Concord is at 8520 Jane St Units 7-9 and Barrie is at 740 Huronia Rd Unit 7. Contractors working north of the city often find Barrie is the shorter run. If you are ordering ahead for a shutdown or a heating season stock-up, tell us the date and we will confirm what is on the shelf. Ordering HVAC supplies ahead of a shutdown beats chasing them during one.
Yes. Fill out the credit application on our site to set up terms. If your crews consume the same assemblies and fittings every week, send us the list and we will hold the hose, couplings and adaptors so your repeat items are pulled and ready. Purchasing gets one supplier and one invoice instead of a pile of counter receipts from four different vendors. Standing stock means your HVAC supplies are pulled and waiting rather than quoted each week.
Cold water covers most of it. Condenser coils, tower basins and fill respond to volume and the right chemistry at 1500 to 2500 psi with a 25 or 40 degree tip, not raw pressure. Hot water is worth the money when you are cleaning grease loaded kitchen exhaust coils and hoods, where heat does work that pressure cannot. If you do both kinds of work, buy hot and turn the heat off for coils. We can quote the coil cleaning HVAC supplies alongside the machine.
HVAC failures pick the worst possible day. A glycol jumper lets go at a boiler in January, or a control air line splits and half a floor goes to full heat. Most of it starts small: a dryer that stopped drying, a cracked poly tube at a bulkhead, a positioner drifting on oil carryover. A walkaround catches these while they are still a fitting and not an emergency callout, and it tells you which HVAC supplies to stage before heating season starts.
Recommended HVAC supplies to keep on site:
Nitro Industrial is a full-service supplier and service provider for Canadaās industrial sector, with expertise in hydraulics, pneumatics, fluid handling, and industrial maintenance solutions. We support critical operations across a wide range of industries, including heavy equipment, construction, food processing, waste management, and automotive.
Founded by David Sokoloff and Barry Sokoloff, a third-generation professional in the industrial supply business, Nitro Industrial is built on a legacy of hands-on experience, technical knowledge, and a commitment to fast, reliable service.
Our Concord, Ontario facility serves as both a retail storefront and a fully equipped service center. We build, repair, and customize hydraulic systems, pressure washing units, pneumatic controls, and moreāall under one roof. With decades of combined experience, our team works directly with customers to solve complex mechanical issues and deliver tailored solutions that minimize downtime and keep operations running at full speed.
Nitro is proud to be Gatesā largest independent distributor of industrial and hydraulic hoses in Canada. Through exclusive partnerships with leading global manufacturers, we provide customers with access to the highest-quality components, faster lead times, and unmatched technical support.
Whether you are outfitting a new facility or need emergency service on a job site, Nitro Industrial delivers the tools, team, and turnaround time you can count on.
Whatever your operation demands, weāve got the gear to match. Explore our complete selection of industrial-grade equipmentādesigned for power, efficiency, and long-term reliability.
Join us at our Concord location from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for BBQ, customer appreciation, and event-only product offers.