by High Performance HVAC | Thermostats |
Thermostat Selection Guide - This article will help you select the right type of thermostat for the HVAC system you have installed. It offers a comparison matrix for you to choose the right thermostat replacement. Get it right the first time!!!
So you have made a choice to replace the thermostat in your home or business and you decided to do it yourself. Hopefully, you will follow the advice on this website and read the instructions before replacing the thermostat.
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by High Performance HVAC | Gas Furnaces |
Gas Furnace with Drain Pipes to Drain the Condensation.
Furnace Water Leak Condensate Problem - Richard, My furnace is leaking water. It is summertime, so I am not using it for heat except for the blower fan which is hooked up to the air conditioner and the heat. I know the pipes from the outside units run into a box on top of the furnace. I think that is a part of the air conditioner. What can I do to fix the problem if you know what the problem is by my explanation here? Dan
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by High Performance HVAC | Commercial HVAC |
VAV Box Types Fan Powered and Shut Off VAV Boxes - When attempting to name the different types of VAV boxes we find there are different names given to VAV boxes by different people and we find that no one is on the same page when VAV boxes are definitively defined.
We have fan-powered VAV and non-fan-powered VAV’s and we have series and parallel VAV’s and we have VAV boxes with a hot deck and a cold deck that mixes and one of the last projects I worked on some of the VAV’s were referred to as shut-off vavs. Variable Air Volume Boxes (VAV Boxes) regulates airflow into zones using a primary air source from a VAV air handler.
VAV Box Types Fan Powered and Shut Off
- Cool only single ducted series
- Fan-powered single duct series with reheat
- Fan-powered single ducted parallel with reheat - uses plenum air before using reheat for energy efficiency
Aside from the control aspect of VAV boxes, pneumatic, electric, electronic, or DDC, there are many different variations to VAV Boxes and we will attempt to define each type of VAV including offering a diagram of each type and matching it with a specific application. VAV boxes are simply an assembly of a damper, damper controls, and sometimes reheat such as electric heat strips or a hot water coil. VAV boxes get their primary air source from a central VAV air handler and then distribute air throughout a specific zone the VAV box controls.
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by High Performance HVAC | Water Heaters |
Water Heater Types - Selecting a hot water heater can be confusing especially if you are not aware of the types of water heating systems available to you. When you go out to buy a new car you want all the information you can get about the car you are buying from how economical it is to how reliable it is to the type of engine it has under the hood. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Water Heaters |
Hot Water Heater Savings Tips - As with many of our systems that consume energy there is always something more we can do to reduce energy consumption to save ourselves money. Water heaters consume up to 15% of our energy budget and even more if you have an older water heater. You can take steps to reduce the money you spend on heating water and save this money on water heater savings that you would otherwise pay to the utilities. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Boilers |
Hot Water Boiler Piping Zone Valves - Boiler piping zone valves are used for zoning hot water systems where multiple zones are needed. Hot water system zoning can also reduce energy cost because hot water heat zones which are not needed can be shut down thereby reducing boiler runtime to provide hot water heat for those specific zones.
Zoning a hot water boiler system can be done by using these zone valves and separate thermostats for each zone. The boiler piping loop is separated using zone valves on a manifold type system with each zone originating at the manifold. The manifold is piped directly to the boiler. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Gas Furnaces |
High-Efficiency Electronic Ignition Gas Furnaces are here. They are the next step up from the standing pilot gas furnace. These gas furnaces are more efficient than the standing pilot furnaces but more complex in design. There are three types of electronic ignition gas furnaces: the intermittent spark pilot, the intermittent hot surface ignition pilot (Honeywell Smartvalve and ignition assembly), and the hot surface ignition furnaces.
While the three are different they all offer higher efficiencies and are both controlled by solid-state circuit boards. Many of these furnaces also have higher efficient heat exchangers.
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by High Performance HVAC | Thermostats |
The Mercury Switch Thermostat | HVAC Control - Mercury switch thermostats are not available for purchase in many states. They have been banned because they contain mercury, and it is important to properly dispose of these thermostats that contain mercury if they are changed out for newer digital thermostats. Some many homes and businesses still have these thermostats in use so we will offer a brief of how these thermostats work including the components inside the thermostat. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Thermostats |
White Rodgers and Honeywell Thermostats - Which type and brand of thermostat do you get when selecting a new thermostat? To do that you have to know what kind of HVAC system you have installed for your heating and cooling system. Do you have a hot water boiler with baseboard heating or radiators with the boiler combination?
In addition to the boiler do you have an air conditioning system with ductwork or a mini-split ductless system? Do you have a heat pump system? Do you have electric baseboard heating? Do you have an air conditioner system with electric heat? It is important to know the answers to what kind of HVAC system you have installed in your home. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Boilers |
Aquastat is the gray box on the left while the circulator is the black pump on the right.
Aquastat Temperature Control - The boiler aquastat controls the temperature of the water inside the boiler jacket. The boiler aquastat is a device to a boiler like a thermostat is to an air conditioner, heat pump, or gas/oil furnace. A boiler aquastat controls the temperature inside the boiler just as the thermostat controls the temperature for an air conditioner or heat pump.
The boiler aquastat will turn the burners on and off and also controls the circulator pump on a hot water boiler system.
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