Series IDPT: Built for Compliance

The HVACR industry is evolving to create more energy efficient and sustainable ways to cool our homes and commercial buildings using eco-friendly refrigerants that are less damaging to the environment, but significantly more flammable than their predecessors. The UL standard 60335 aims to balance these greener refrigerants while still maintaining occupancy safety as it applies to “packaged air conditioners and heat pumps; partial units; liquid chillers and hydronic fan coil units; hot water heat pumps; dehumidifiers; supplemental heaters and equipment with flammable refrigerants1.”

With this standard there are significant regulations put onto the plastics used in air handlers to meet certain burn and smoke criteria, as tested and approved by the UL Yellowcard. Some air handling equipment manufacturers are attempting to meet this specification for pressure transmitters and sensors by mounting pressure transmitters that are typically made of plastic in a metal enclosure or mounting them outside of the plenum spaces.  Continue reading “Series IDPT: Built for Compliance”

The Importance of Water in Concrete Mixing

Concrete is used all around us as foundation for buildings and exterior surfaces, parking lots, sidewalks, countertops, and more. Although walking or riding a car on concrete is a daily occurrence, it’s easy to overlook the basic elements that go into this essential of modern living. 

Concrete is made of a few basic components:

  • Sand and/or aggregate
  • Cement, comprised of limestone and clay that have been crushed and mixed into a fine powder solution
  • Water

Of these components, the ratio of water to cement is particularly important. Continue reading “The Importance of Water in Concrete Mixing”

Airports Use Dwyer Building Automation System Products

Tapping your foot anxiously, you glance at your airline ticket and the terminal noted on it. The flight will be boarding in a few minutes. As you look around, there are several other people waiting for this flight; it seems the plane is fully booked. You close your eyes and breathe in deeply, calming your nerves. The air seems fresh, not stagnant, despite the large number of people around you. There are no empty seats in the area, so you carefully find a window to lean against as you watch the airplanes of other terminals and wait for your own.

Airports must provide a controlled environment for their visitors, while allowing scheduled maintenance within a building that is operational 24/7. Additionally, they must offer a high level of security for their passengers, all while simultaneously moving those travelers and their luggage rapidly through the building, in a finite amount of time.

Generally, airports are large complex buildings divided into numerous areas, with a number of smaller units located within them. Building automation systems (BAS) are used within airports to monitor and control sensors for things like filters, temperature, air flow, and building energy usage.

Airport automation, put simply, is needed to help ensure safety for world travelers and efficiency for those who make it possible. When an airport’s BAS is functioning properly, travelers can focus on the tasks at hand while everything runs in the background to keep them safe. Continue reading “Airports Use Dwyer Building Automation System Products”

What is an Air Handler?

Imagine you sit down at a restaurant on the outdoor patio, and as you’re waiting to order your food, you glance at the large HVAC system on top of the building across the street. Several questions cross your mind: Why do they need such a big system? And what goes into it? Today I want to introduce one of the vital aspects of a building’s HVAC system, the air handler.  Continue reading “What is an Air Handler?”