Air Handlers Nonetheless on the Coronary heart of HVAC

Within the easiest phrases, the HVAC business is about shifting conditioned air from one space to a different.

The idea has roughly remained the identical since Willis Provider introduced the primary electrically-powered a/c unit onto the scene in 1902 and an early iteration of the electrical fan was used to flow into that cool air.

Within the Nineteen Fifties, there was a central a/c system revolution and, because of this, many buildings in america nonetheless include ductwork. Pressured air methods are nonetheless a go-to for retrofits, and on the coronary heart of that lies the tried-and-true air handler.

Whereas some new development tasks are choosing ductless methods, air handlers are nonetheless holding as a viable possibility, particularly when paired with one of many greater stars of the HVAC scene as of late.

Market Development

Together with a warmth pump, air handlers are seeing an uptick in market progress, pushed partly by elevated consciousness about its sustainability issue and the way nicely it suits into the electrification puzzle.

SMART CONTROLS: With extra know-how being integrated into air handlers, contractors are discovering them simpler to put in and troubleshoot. (Courtesy of Rheem)

“Air handlers are designed to assist all of these wants when mixed with warmth pumps and utilized to assist these wants whereas assembly efficiency ranges that allow the home-owner to make the most of incentives like tax credit, utility rebates, and state incentives,” mentioned Tony Younger, senior product supervisor, residential air con at Rheem.

Similar to another fashionable piece of HVAC tools, air handlers have built-in know-how that will increase effectivity and ease of use.

“Each contractors and customers have been very receptive to good controls, notably Rheem’s Good Monitoring System, because it gives new ranges of safety, consolation and financial savings,” Younger mentioned. “Shoppers respect the power to be alerted of system upkeep reminders, and the flexibleness provided to regulate temperatures all from a cellular app whereas additionally seeing greater product effectivity and decrease vitality payments.”

Extra particularly on the set up and restore aspect, these good controls permit technicians the power to rapidly diagnose points by means of the air handler’s superior monitoring capabilities, which saves beneficial time and sources.

“Moreover, the good controls permit for higher consolation and IAQ,” Younger famous. “Variable-speed air handlers allow longer cooling cycle run occasions, decreasing humidity within the area and growing consolation at a selected temperature set level. This prolonged run time contributes to higher IAQ as extra air passes by means of the ducts and due to this fact the filter, making it extra doubtless that particles within the area shall be filtered out.”

Because the business continues to development towards client demand for renewable vitality, Younger mentioned they’re seeing a gradual transition towards variable-speed methods, which provide greater effectivity, higher dehumidification, and sometimes a lot quieter operation, which enormously appeals to customers.

As talked about earlier, since air handlers and warmth pumps typically go hand-in-hand, this duo continues to realize in recognition in each new development and even retrofits, as a result of they assist meet new vitality necessities whereas additionally giving customers the satisfaction of understanding they’ve lowered their carbon footprint.

“That is very true for brand new development tasks, as many markets are beginning to require warmth pumps with a purpose to obtain decarbonization targets,” Younger mentioned. “Whereas many areas nonetheless permit gasoline warmth installations, there’s a rising concentrate on vitality financial savings necessities, as a part of each retrofits and new development.”

In the case of the massive retrofit jobs, air handlers are a viable and trusted possibility, as the next instances present.

The whole lot is Larger in Texas

The Lone Star State by no means does something midway, so when it got here cooling a Texas-sized speedway, neither may Rheem.

Each race day, almost 154,000 spectators descend upon the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Price to completely immerse themselves in the whole lot NASCAR has to supply.

Regardless if guests are shoulder-to-shoulder within the grandstand or lapping it up in one of many 200 luxurious visitor suites, everyone seems to be topic to the whims of the Texas solar.

With temps commonly topping 100° in the summertime, the necessity to substitute the unique cooling system put in for the observe’s 1997 opening was paramount.

Within the luxurious suites, the place choose clientele anticipate to have the ability to watch the races in consolation, the present tools was outdated, and with one HVAC unit per suite, the associated fee to run and keep the tools was important.

To treatment the problem, Dallas-based Mechanical Companions Inc. labored with Gemaire Distributors and the Rheem industrial air crew to pick out extra environment friendly heating and cooling tools to carry to Texas Motor Speedway. Collectively, they upgraded the packaged rooftop HVAC models to 10-ton Renaissance packaged models, that includes factory-installed economizers and VFDs to spice up general tools effectivity.

“One of many issues that I like that they do for us, and different producers don’t do, is that the economizers are factory-installed,” mentioned John Blackall, director of service at Mechanical Companions. “That saves me one to one-and-a-half hours on set up. Typically, they’re straightforward to put in and repair as a result of you’ve easy accessibility to the whole lot by means of the aspect panel. And on an set up like this, time is cash.”

In an area the place the whole lot is predicted to maneuver quick, the cleanup after such an enormous venture wasn’t going to be given an exemption. With race day looming, the previous tools wanted to be lifted off the speedway’s roof and changed by new models with assist from a helicopter — an enormous enterprise but essentially the most environment friendly. But when anybody knew what it could take to tug off an set up as huge as this one, it was the Mechanical Companions and Gemaire groups.

“There’s no room for error on a venture like this,” mentioned Derek Black, industrial specialist at Gemaire. “The success of this set up is due in large half to the partnership between all these concerned. It’s all about constructing relationships and gaining belief.”

As soon as the alternative tools hit the roof, the Mechanical Companions crew rapidly moved in to attach and fee the models. Due to months of preparation and arduous work, the models had been rapidly and efficiently up and operating simply in time for a packed home on a triple-digit day.

The end result of years of analysis and improvement, the Rheem Business Renaissance Line was crafted with good new options and unique PlusOne benefits for simple alternative, set up, and repair. PlusOne ServiceSmart options such because the Qwik-clean drain pan and Qwik-change flex-fit filter rack will assist make routine upkeep simpler and quicker, and the upper effectivity options will hold Texas Motor Speedway’s visitors snug for years to come back.

“We simply changed 19 of the air con models,” mentioned Mark Faber, govt vice chairman and normal supervisor at Texas Motor Speedway. “Finally we’ll substitute 150 over a several-year interval.”

Defending a Pair of Presidents

In the case of necessary historic paperwork, there isn’t a room for comprise on the standard of HVAC tools.

On the Fred W. Smith Nationwide Library for the Examine of George Washington, positioned at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the ability acts because the safeguard for the founding father’s books, manuscripts, and associated papers, in addition to serving as an area that gives instructional outreach and scholarly residency applications.

WASHINGTON’S NEW FACILITY: The 45,000-square-foot Fred W. Smith Nationwide Library had a wide range of wants room-to-room, which a brand new air handler was capable of deal with. (Courtesy of Provider)

The 45,000-square-foot facility was set to include a bunch of distinctive areas, together with the Studying Room, Uncommon Books Vault, Rubenstein Management Corridor, and DeVos Home Students’ Residence, in addition to lecture rooms and supporting places of work — all with differing indoor air high quality wants.

When the Mount Vernon Women Affiliation, a personal nonprofit group that owns and operates the historic property, started its design course of, they knew the library would require a state-of-the-art HVAC system with a purpose to defend the roughly 1,500 18^th– and 19^th-century books and papers included within the assortment. Additionally they needed an environment friendly answer that may meet the various wants of these totally different areas of the brand new library.

To perform this job, the Affiliation reached out to Provider to help within the improvement of the HVAC system for the library. With specialised expertise within the historic buildings area, Provider opted to go along with its 45-ton AquaSnap 30MPW warmth restoration chiller and three Provider Aero 39MN air handlers.

THE GENERAL’S LIBRARY: In an effort to defend the necessary paperwork of the nation’s first president, the oldsters on the Fred W. Smith Nationwide Library for the Examine of George Washington went with an air handler for its venture. (Courtesy of Getty Photographs)

STAR OF THE SHOW: Provider’s Aero 39M air handler serves as the guts of a pair of HVAC methods that defend the non-public results of Presidents Washington and Lincoln. (Courtsy of Provider)

“The AquaSnap 30MPW chiller enhances vitality effectivity and lowers utility prices by redirecting warmth from the dry cooler to the ability’s heating loop,” mentioned Vincent Gusmano, senior gross sales engineer at Provider. “When it’s winter outdoors, but indoor occupancy situations demand air con for humidity management, the AquaSnap chiller captures the waste warmth from the cooling system to ship economical occupant consolation.”

The 39MN air handlers had been an indoor set up — a necessity for historic properties the place sustaining authentic exterior look is important. They’re ideally suited to particular installations as a result of they are often personalized with a number of filtration choices and ultraviolet B and C germicidal lamps in keeping with particular facility necessities. One of many 39MN air handlers on the Washington Library built-in carbon filters to take away any gases that may harm the uncommon books, whereas commonplace filtration models cool widespread areas of the library, reminiscent of the lecture rooms and lecture corridor. The 39MN air handlers had been additionally nicely suited to this venture due to their reliability, quiet operation, and ease of upkeep.

“We’re very happy with our Provider tools,” Joe Sliger, vice chairman, Operations & Upkeep at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, mentioned. “The reheat chiller within the library complicated was a brand new idea for us, however we now have been amazed by its nice efficiency and effectivity.”

Leaping from the one-dollar invoice to the 5 and a brand new construct to a retrofit scenario, Provider additionally discovered itself charged with defending and preserving the priceless artifacts from one other of the nation’s most acknowledged faces, Abraham Lincoln.

With a mission to protect, defend, and interpret the home the place Lincoln and his household lived in Springfield, In poor health., for 17 years previous to his election to the presidency, the Lincoln Dwelling Nationwide Historic Web site wanted an improve.

THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR: On the Lincoln Dwelling Nationwide Historic Web site, an air handler was used to retrofit an outdated system. (Courtesy of Provider)

With greater than 200,000 guests shifting by means of the ability yearly, the location gives an academic expertise in regards to the relevance of Lincoln’s life to folks residing right this moment, along with preserving quite a few historic furnishings and artifacts related together with his life.

With the house striving for historic accuracy and a way of the period-appropriate look of an 1860s residence, the addition of air con wanted to be dealt with with care.

Given Willis Provider didn’t invent fashionable air con till 1902, about 37 after Lincoln’s assassination by John Wilkes Sales space at Ford’s Theatre, the unique Provider HVAC system on the dwelling was cleverly hid to supply applicable situations whereas hiding any traces of the trendy air supply system, which is positioned within the safety railings.

Nonetheless, with that present system having been in service for 25 years, for much longer than its anticipated lifespan, it was time for an improve.

HISTORIC RETROFIT: On the dwelling of Abraham Lincoln, a brand new air handler was capable of breathe life into an previous, outdated system. (Courtesy of Getty Photographs)

The Nationwide Park Service, which manages the Lincoln Dwelling web site, known as on Henson Robinson, a Springfield-based Provider contractor, to deal with this necessary job.

“The venture was necessary to the Lincoln Dwelling Nationwide Historic Web site as a result of it allowed us to perform considered one of our major targets, which is the long-term safety of the Lincoln Dwelling and its contents for future generations,” mentioned Dale Phillips, superintendent on the web site.

All through the venture, the oldsters at Henson Robinson had been capable of hold the ability open to the general public whereas the required renovations had been happening.

“It was an attention-grabbing problem to carry out this set up with a minimal of disruption to the guests and workers. The elements of the air handler needed to be delivered by means of a normal three-foot-wide door, and we couldn’t a lot as drill a gap with out permission from the workers,” mentioned Mark Patrick, venture supervisor for Henson Robinson. “Nonetheless, the venture was very profitable, and we consider our founder, Henson Robinson — who himself was a neighbor of Lincoln’s and supplied cutlery for the Union Military through the Civil Struggle — would have been proud.”

Working within the basement and yard, Henson Robinson disassembled and eliminated the previous HVAC tools and changed it with a Provider AquaSnap 30RA air-cooled chiller and an Aero 39M air handler. The air handler was put in within the basement of the historic dwelling, whereas the chiller was positioned in a contemporary however period-designed outbuilding that additionally serves as a warehouse for artifacts not at the moment wanted for show. The buried coolant loop that related the unique chiller and air handler was additionally up to date, necessitating the companies of an archaeologist to supervise the digging within the yard, in case the contractors discovered any historic objects.

The Aero 39MN air handler consists of an electrical heater, so the unit is ready to present each heating and cooling to the Lincoln Dwelling. In an attention-grabbing adaptation, recent air enters the system by way of dampers in an previous chimney. Two dehumidifiers and a steam-powered humidifier serve to maintain the relative humidity on the goal 50%, perfect for each human well being and artifact preservation. Within the sizzling and humid summer time months typical of Springfield, the AquaSnap 30RA chiller gives further cooling capability by sending chilled water to the air handler by way of the loop buried below the yard.