How Cooling Towers Work - Cooling towers use evaporation cooling to cool condenser water from a chiller. Water is pumped to the top of the cooling tower, where the water flows down some flow plates to the cooling tower basin. As the water is flowing down the flow plates air is pulled through the plates and over the water where it releases heat through evaporation. (more…)
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…)
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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HVAC Near Boiler Piping Components - HVAC near boiler piping is very important to a good hot boiler loop circulation of the water. Hot water loop piping is key to maintaining good water flow throughout the system. The placement of valves, the circulator pump, and other loop controls are generally installed near the boiler. (more…)
Hot Water Heaters - Domestic hot water heaters make our lives much more comfortable than ever before. Hot water heaters give us hot water for washing our hands, showering, washing dishes, and other uses that would otherwise be uncomfortable without a hot water heater.
When considering hot water heaters beyond the cost of the water things to consider are the size of the hot water heater and the type of fuel it will use to heat the water. (more…)
Water Dripping from Air Conditioner - We have 2 air conditioning units in our house and 2 pipes protrude from the roof. One of the pipes is dripping water. We were told to look for a blockage and to empty the pans. I don’t see where to check for a blockage. Any suggestions?
The air conditioning units we have: Bryant models 373LAV, 376CAV Downflow/Horizontal and 383KAV, 395CAV Upflow Gas Furnace. (more…)
The automatic air vent is found in the piping system of water loops. If air is introduced into the water loop system it eventually finds its way to the automatic air vent where it is vented. The automatic air vents are located throughout the system. Automatic air vents may also be found throughout any hydronic loop system. A hydronic loop is a water loop.
These water loops can be for hot water or chilled water. Any hydronic loop needs an air management system or automatic air bleeder system to keep the air out of the system otherwise, the air will be up in the system and air will block or prevent the flow of water throughout the loop. Water naturally has air in it. Air vents help the water loop by: (more…)
Watts Backflow Preventers | Water Safety - Backflow preventers are necessary on water loops where the water is used in a hydronic loop that heats or cools the water through a boiler or chiller system. This Watts backflow preventer is installed on a large boiler system that heats thousands of gallons of water. The hydronic loops are designed to be hermetic. However, there is always some loss of water somewhere in the system.
For safety purposes to prevent the boiler from losing all of its water, a make-up water loop is connected to the loop. The make-up water feed needs backflow preventers installed in the pipe to prevent any of the boiler or chilled water from getting back to a domestic water feed for the make-up water. (more…)
York Air Handling Unit Chilled Water Coil - This coil is a cooling coil in a large commercial York air handling unit. The air handler serves approximately 80 VAV boxes and is responsible for providing cool conditioned air to all the zones the VAV boxes serve based on a set point determined in a DDC program and the chilled water coil seen here. (more…)
