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How Do I Begin a HVAC Balancing Project?

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Posted by Amanda Rahi on April 10, 2012 at 3:38 pm

Before commencing an HVAC air balancing project it is important to plan carefully and do a preliminary survey in order to determine what conditions you will be working with and if they are appropriate for the changes you will be making.

A successful balancing valves project calls for a systematic approach. Preliminary work entails gathering plans and specifications, preparing report forms, inspecting the job site, the distributions system, and preparing report forms. Additionally, it is important to perform the following tasks

  1. Conduct initial tests on all fans and pumps in the targeted system
  2. Adjust any fans or pumps as needed
  3. Take preliminary and final readings after adjustments have been made

Once your initial survey is complete, you should determine if the system has a sufficient amount of valves for proper balancing and if there are factors that may contribute to unbalance, such as a kitchen or fume exhaust fan. Sometimes these fans do not have proper circulation. It is also important to consider how accessible the system is and if there will be any delays due to high ceilings, spline ceilings, or difficult to reach equipment.

To learn more about starting your HVAC balancing project visit this balancing valve and circuit setter suppliers website.

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How Does a Solar Water Heater Work?

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Posted by Marie on March 19, 2012 at 1:26 pm

With solar energy San Diego water heating systems, there are a number of available types and designs available for residences and businesses.  The right system for your Solar water heaterproject depends on the condition of the water in your area as well as your region (mostly due to the climate).

The basis of a solar water heating system is the solar collector – a device similar in appearance to a solar panel that is designed to collect the sun’s energy in water flowing through tubes in the device.  This transfer of energy heats the water, and the system may work in a number of different ways.

  1. Direct.  A direct system heats the water in the tubes directly.  It’s cost-efficient, but water could overheat or freeze.
  2. Indirect.  An intermediary fluid (known as a heat-transfer fluid) collects the sun’s energy and transfers it to a tank system, where the water is heated.  These systems are slightly more expensive.

In addition to direct and indirect heating, either type can also be passive or active.

  1. Passive.  These systems use convection energy driven by heat to move the water.  They’re less expensive, but don’t offer any insurance against overheating or freezing.
  2. Active.  Active systems use pumps to move the water through the building.  They’re efficient, but more expensive.

Your San Diego solar energy provider can help you decide which is the best system for your home or business.

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What is a Control Valve?

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Posted by Marie on October 3, 2011 at 1:11 pm

Control valve suppliers define a control valve as a valve that operates on sensors that monitor changes in the flow, temperature, water level, or pressure of a water system.  When any of these factors changes, a set of hydraulic or pneumatic actuators open the valve partially or fully in order to return the system to normal.  It does this by comparing those four variables to set points set according to the manufacturer’s specifications for optimal functioning.

Many manufacturers and plumbing experts who talk about control valves are actually referring to tcontrol valve suppliershe control valve assembly, which includes balancing valves plus the actuators that open the valve to respond to changes in the system.  It may also include a number of valve accessories like switchers and positioners.

A control valve is an excellent way to limit the trapping of fluid and air in an HVAC system.  The automatic detection means that valves can adjust themselves for extremely precise control, and they are available in a wide variety of sizes and styles for any project.  Many manufacturers sell control valve systems using different combinations of components like strainers and return- or supply-side valves, offering maximum customization.

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Why Do Tree Leaves Change Color in the Fall?

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Posted by Marie on September 13, 2011 at 5:49 pm

Leaves

Redmond arborist Certified Arborist Tree Care offers this explanation:

During warm spring and summer months, a tree’s leaves are green due to large amounts of a chemical called chlorophyll.  In colder months, chlorophyll production slows and the leaves lose their green color.

Rather than producing energy from food consumed from the environment (the way animals do), plants produce their own food from the sun’s light energy through a process called photosynthesis.  Sunlight allows plants to turn water extracted from the ground and carbon dioxide from the air to produce glucose, a type of sugar.  This sugar is the food that the plants use as fuel.  Chlorophyll is an essential chemical in the process of photosynthesis.  It is produced in the chloroplasts of a plant cell, and though a plant leaf contains other substances with brown and red hues, its bright green color overrides other colors to make the leaves appear green.

During the fall, the sun begins to rise later and set earlier – reducing the amount of sunlight available to the plants and cutting their food source.  The cold temperatures that follow also mean that water in the ground may freeze and trees won’t have a fresh water source.  The trees survive the temperature and light changes by going into hibernation.  Food production shuts down and the leaves lose their chlorophyll.  This means that the red and brown colors that were hidden in the leaves become the main color, and as the leaves are starved of food they will eventually die and fall off the tree.

Healthy tree growth during the spring and summer depends on good tree care, including proper winterization and pruning.  For more information on hiring an arborist Seattle visit Certified Arborist Tree Care online.

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Can I Use Wind Energy For My Home?

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Posted by Melissa Le Furge on August 23, 2011 at 12:39 pm

Wind energy systems, like solar systems san diego, are an ecologically-friendly renewable resource.   Many people have seen large-scale wind farms in the middle of fields or along coastlines, but perhaps never knew wind turbines could be used in a residential environment.

Powering a single residential home with wind energy is entirely possible.  Providing, a sufficient amount of electricity to power a home actually requires a bit of space – in other words, putting a turbine the size of a pinwheel on the apartment balcony won’t produce much.   It is recommended that the taller the turbine tower the better, so make sure there is as much room for it laying down (construction and maintenance) as there is standing up.  Implementing home wind energy also requires a location that is, well, windy.  To get the most out of a home turbine, the average wind speed should be about 10-12 mph.

Like solar electricity san diego, wind electricity production is pretty simple:
A wind turbine consists of a generator at the base, a tower shaft and fan-like rotor blades.

  1. Wind rushes past the turbine and hits the rotor blades and causes them to rotate.
  2. The rotor blades are connected to a shaft within the tower and the rotation of the blades causes the shaft to spin.
  3. The spinning shaft spins the generator at the base and creates friction voltage.
  4. The voltage can be used immediately or can be stored during times of lower wind speeds
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When Should I Use a Circuit Setter?

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Posted by Melissa Le Furge on June 7, 2011 at 2:23 pm

Invented and perfected by Bell & Gossett, the circuit setter optimized controlled water flow balance with a pre-set system at minimum operating horsepower where the flow rate can also be manually measured and calibrated.  This newer technology beat out the manual balance valve, which cannot automatically control the water flow and can be difficult to throttle.  Despite having better flow pressure accuracy, the circuit setter still has not made the manual valve obsolete and there are circumstances where the manual has its advantages.

Large Buildings

The circuit setter is better suited in large buildings that have a wider sprawl or wings.  The circuit setter features a built in balance valve and automatically maintains water flow balance. Built in readout knobs can be attached to a pressure gauge as well as a pre-calibrated dial plate that automatically shuts off flow and returns to the set position without readjustment.  A circuit setter can shut one part of the system down and close off the circuit in the rest of the building, allowing it to remain balanced.  It can be beneficial for maintenance and renovation in one part of the building and the system can be easily added on to in the case of building additional wings.

Housing/Small Businesses

Manual balancing valves work great in residential and small business buildings.  Manual valves have a combination of a basic ball valve and a low loss venturi device, which puts out very low turbulence.  Lower water turbulence can mean a more accurate flow reading.   Manual valves are placed all throughout the home’s water system and are custom set up at install by the HVAC technician.  The circuit setter would be excessive for smaller building because individual parts of a home or small building do not generally need to be isolated and shut down, as would a bigger building.  Manual valves are also more cost effective for a home or small building than circuit setters because of their ability to save up to 10 feet of pump head.  Flow pressure on a circuit setter is read with a partially opened valve which can result in an inaccurate read, unbalanced flow, thus resulting in higher water and energy bills for the homeowner.

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What Are The Advantages of Using Automatic Balancing Valves?

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Posted by Melissa Le Furge on May 26, 2011 at 12:47 pm

Installing a water system for a heating or cooling unit requires a set of hydronic valves to balance the flow of water.  One must choose between using manual balancing valves or automatic balancing valves.  The difference between the two is explained in the following blog post.  Manual valves certainly do serve a purpose and are appropriate for many projects, especially where the installer needs to set the stems to custom specifications according to the system design.   However, automatic valves have more advantages over manual.

  1. More Cost Effective:  True, the actual automatic balancing valve hardware itself might be more expensive than manual balancing valves, but they only need to be installed at the terminals and not the distribution lines, branches and risers.  This will greatly cut down on installation costs.
  2. Ease of Use – Automatic valves regulate flow according to their pre-set value.  They do not require proportional balancing and require less repeat maintenance to monitor and re-calibrate.
  3. More Stability – There’s always a chance that manual valves will be poorly calibrated, therefore unable to properly read water temperature.  This will result in sudden rises and falls in a building’s temperature because the system will try to compensate for the discrepancy between the thermostat reading and the actual water temperature.
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