Closing Off Part of the House To Save Energy on HVAC - I have a Heil gas/electric package unit in my home. I, particularly, want to know, if I can close off a section to save on heating. Heating dealers have not been helpful as they hedge on whether and how this can be done with the system still running at its most efficiency.
I have closed doors to seal off the area. Then closed floor registers. Should I also close air return in that area? I just read this should not be done at all as it decreases unit efficiency? Will you please advise. I am thinking of closing off part of the house to save energy on HVAC. Thank you. (more…)
This chilled water unit is a new ammonia chiller. This unit is also unique in that it has no compressor. Instead, it uses the chemical properties of ammonia and heat from natural gas to condense the refrigerant which is ammonia. A chiller provides chilled water to a chilled water loop. (more…)
Condensing Unit Too Close to House - This condensing unit was too close to the house to effectively reject heat. It was a bad HVAC condensing unit installation job by the HVAC installers. A mechanical inspector rejected the final permit until the condensing unit was correctly installed.
It is recommended that condensing units have at least 2 feet of space so that they can effectively reject heat. It needs space to breathe and pull air into the coils so that there is a proper heat exchange taking place when it is running. On this air conditioner condensing unit there are four sides to the unit.
By installing the air conditioner condenser too close to the house the installer effectively reduced the capacity of this unit by nearly one-fourth which will cause problems with the unit in the way of higher head pressures and that will cost the homeowner more money in the long run.
Chilled Water System Basics - Chilled water systems work much the same way as direct expansion systems work. The exception is they use water in the coil rather than refrigerant. Technically speaking, water can be classified as a refrigerant. Chilled Water systems can be rather complex and many chilled water systems are found in commercial and industrial applications. There are some chilled water systems used in residential applications.(more…)
Heat Pump Types - There are different types of heat pumps available on the market today. A heat pump is an air conditioning unit that cools when the temperature is hot and heats when it is cold. There are many different types of these heat pump systems available. There is the geothermal heat pump. It can either utilize a series of closed-loop water pipes buried in the ground or other methods of heat exchange. This process removes or absorbs heat for heating and cooling.
Air source heat pumps can be configured differently. One type of air source heating will utilize electric heating for backup heating while another may use a gas furnace for backup heating. These types of systems can also be split systems or package units and nearly all share a similar heat pump sequence of operation. A description of the various types of systems and how they work is below in this article on heat pump types. These systems utilize similar heat pump components but differ in how the heat pump works.
HVAC Tip - A thermocouple is commonly used in standing pilot gas furnaces and water heaters are technically referred to as a copple element and produces millivolts when heat is applied to the tip. This millivoltage is necessary to keep the pilot valve inside the gas valve open. If the pilot flame goes out, the thermocouple stops generating millivolts. Without the millivolts, the valve closes thus preventing gas from escaping when there is no flame. Thermocouples fail because of oxidation. It is recommended that you keep the pilot lit throughout the year to prevent excess oxidation. The thermocouple can be found in many different types of gas furnaces, gas logs, and gas water heaters. Learn How to Test a Thermocouple with a Multi-Meter
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