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Dehumidifying Heat Pipes
In order to make a room comfortable in hot, humid climates, an air conditioner must lower the indoor humidity level as well as the air temperature. If an air conditioner fails to lower the humidity adequately, the air will be cool, but will feel uncomfortably damp. Inappropriately sized air conditioners are prone to this problem; large units quickly cool the air, but cycle off before they can properly dehumidify it. In extremely humid climates, even correctly sized air conditioning equipment could fail to maintain a home at a comfortable humidity level.
One technology that addresses this problem is the dehumidifying heat pipe, a device that enables an air conditioner to dehumidify better and still efficiently cool the air. The heat pipe is ideal for hot, humid environments.
A dehumidifying heat pipe resembles two heat exchangers, located on either side of the air conditioner's evaporator coil. Several tubes connect the two sections. A refrigerant (usually an HCFC) inside the tubes pre-cools the incoming supply air by absorbing the heat from it. This causes the refrigerant in the tube to evaporate. The air conditioner evaporator cools it further, extracting up to 91% more water vapor than a conventional evaporator would. After the refrigerant in the tubes changes into a vapor, it flows to the condensing section at the other end of the system. There, it releases its heat into the air stream and returns to its liquid state again. Gravity then causes the refrigerant to flow to the evaporator end of the pipe to begin the cycle again.
Most models of heat pumps and central air conditioners can be retrofitted with dehumidifying heat pipes. You can choose either a replacement cooling coil that incorporates the heat pipe, or add-on heat pipes for the unit's ventilation system. You may also want to consider a complete air-conditioner unit that incorporates the heat pipe.
Although the heat pipes don't use any electricity directly, they cause the conditioned air to leave the system slightly warmer than it would have in the absence of the heat pipe, so it takes more energy to cool your home. The system also consumes more fan power to blow air past the heat pipe. However, the manufacturer claims that your thermostat can be set higher with the low humidity air, allowing a net energy savings.
Heating/Cooling Equipment
Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer. If you have a forced-air furnace, check your filters and replace them as needed. Generally, you should change them about once every month or two, especially during periods of high usage. Have a professional check and clean your equipment once a year.
If the unit is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing your system with one of the newer, energy-efficient units. A new unit would greatly reduce your energy consumption, especially if the existing equipment is in poor condition. Check your ductwork for dirt streaks, especially near seams. These indicate air leaks, and they should be sealed with duct mastic. Insulate any ducts or pipes that travel through unheated spaces. An insulation R-Value of 6 is the recommended minimum.
Troubleshooting a Hot Surface Ignition (HSI) System
Flame Sensor Being Cleaned with Emery Cloth
Troubleshooting and Repair
Furnaces with electronic ignition systems may be much more efficient than their early counterparts, but they do it largely through electronics. And that to some degree, limits what you can do to repair or troubleshoot these furnaces.
For example, although a high efficiency condensing furnace may have a self diagnostic integrated circuit ignition control, you still need the proper equipment and training for diagnostic fault code storage and retrieval. However, there are still some troubleshooting you can do, but fixing the problems can involve replacement of parts more so than repair or adjustment.
PROBLEM: Furnace burner will not ignite
Possible Solution
• With a Hot Surface Ignition (HSI) system, if a gas hissing sound is heard for about 7-10 seconds and the burners do not ignite, the furnace will go into lockout mode.
• To reset turn the furnace power switch off and back on and try again. The switch is probably located on the side of the furnace. A reset button may also be found on the solid state controller. If resetting fails again, proceed as follows.
• Turn off power and gas to the furnace
• Remove and check hot surface igniter being careful not to touch the heat element. If it is cracked or damaged, replace the igniter.
• If the igniter is OK, the problem can be the control board or pressure switch. Testing these requires an experienced service technician.
PROBLEM: Furnace comes on for 7-10 seconds then turns off
Possible Solution:
• Turn off power and gas to the furnace
• Remove flame sensor from it's bracket. Lightly clean the surface with fine emery cloth and replace.
• If this does not work, replace with new flame sensor.
Troubleshooting an Intermittent Pilot Ignition System
PROBLEM: No Spark and Furnace Does Not Work
Possible Solution:
• No power to furnace
• Thermostat not calling for heat
• Loose connections to/from control module
• Damaged spark electrode
• Faulty pilot burner
• Faulty control module
PROBLEM: Spark is Present, but Pilot Does Not Light
Possible Solution:
• Loose pilot valve wiring
• Pilot gas line bent or obstructed
• Pilot orifice plugged; check and clean orifice
• Faulty pilot gas valve
• Faulty pilot burner
• Faulty control module
PROBLEM: Pilot Lights, but Main Burner Does Not Come On
Possible Solution:
• Check that sensor cable and high voltage cable are separated
• Faulty pilot gas valve
• Faulty pilot burner
• Faulty pressure switch / limit switch
• Hose from pressure switch is loose
• Faulty control module |
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How to Save Energy with Humidifier
For buildings with a forced-air furnace, a humidifier may be built right into the furnace. They can also protect wooden objects, antiques and other furnishings which may be sensitive to damage from overly dry air. In colder months, they may provide substantial energy savings, since as humidity increases, occupants feel warm at a lower temperature. These units are typically called bypass humidifiers (because they are connected between the heated and cold air return ducts, using the pressure difference between these ducts to cause some heated air to make a bypass through the humidifier and return to the furnace). The humidifier should usually be disabled during the summer months if air conditioning is used; air conditioners partially function by reducing indoor humidity. There are three basic styles:
Drum style: A pipe brings water directly to a reservoir (a pan) attached to the furnace. The level of water in the pan is controlled by a float valve, similar to a small toilet tank float. The wick is typically a foam pad mounted on a drum and attached to a small motor; hot air enters the drum at one end and is forced to leave through the sides of the drum. When the hygrostat calls for humidity, the motor is turned on causing the drum to rotate slowly through the pan of water and preventing the foam pad from drying out.
Advantages include:
- Low cost
- Inexpensive maintenance (drum-style pads are cheap and readily available)
Disadvantages include:
- Requirement for frequent (approximately monthly) inspections of cleanliness and pad condition
- Water evaporation even when humidification is not required (due to the pan of water which remains exposed to a high velocity air stream)
- Mold growth in the pan full of water (this problem is exacerbated by the large quantity of air, inevitably carrying mold spores, passing through the humidifier whether in use or not).
For the latter reason especially, drum-style humidifiers should always be turned off at the water supply during summer (air conditioning) months, and should always be used with high quality furnace air filters (MERV ratings as high as possible to ensure small numbers of mold spores reaching the humidifier's pan) when the water supply is turned on.
Disc Wheel Style: Very similar in design to the drum style humidifiers, this type of furnace humidifier replaces the foam drum with a number of plastic discs with small grooves on both sides. This allows for a very large evaporative surface area, without requiring a great deal of space. Unlike the drum style humidifiers, the disc wheel does not need replacing.
Advantages include:
- Very low maintenance (basin of humidifier should be cleaned out periodically, unless automatic flushing device is installed)
- No regular replacement of parts necessary
- Higher output due to large evaporative surface area
- Can be installed in hard water situations
- Maintains efficiency throughout lifespan
Disadvantages include:
- Higher price
- Water evaporation even when humidification is not required (due to the pan of water which remains exposed to a high velocity air stream)
Flow-Through Style (also known as "biscuit style" or many other, similar variant names): A pipe brings water directly to an electrically-controlled valve at the top of the humidifier. Air passes through an aluminum "biscuit" (often called a pad; using the term "biscuit" to emphasize the solid rather than foamy form) which is similar to a piece of extremely coarse steel wool. The biscuit has a coating of a matte ceramic, resulting in an extremely large surface area within a small space. When the hygrostat calls for humidity, the valve is opened and causes a spray of water onto the biscuit. Hot air is passed through the biscuit, causing the water to evaporate from the pad and be carried into the building.
Advantages include:
- Reduced maintenance (new biscuit only when clogged with dust or mineral deposits, typically once per year)
- Lack of a pan of potentially stagnant water to serve as a breeding ground for mold as with a drum-style humidifier
- No incidental humidification caused by a constantly-replenished pan of water in a high velocity air stream
- Reduced requirement for expensive air filters
- Uses no electricity
Disadvantages include:
- A somewhat higher purchase price
- Manufacturer and model-specific replacement biscuits versus the relatively generic drum-style pads
- A portion of the water supplied to the unit is not evaporated. This can generate a considerable amount of waste water, and does require connection to a drain
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So, if you have Flow -Through style humidifier as I do you may also to save some energy and of course money!........
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In the chapter, you will learn how to save energy by using your humidifier the right way, how to install a humidifier by yourself and save on installation, or how to add the second one if you do not have enough humidity in your house.
The chapter has 8 pages and 19 pictures in it. Price of the chapter is only $2.50.
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