Racing over to the Big Event
You know, if they just extended it and made the trunk bigger, this would make a fine service vehicle, giving new meaning to fast service.
Once you get past the car and get driver Bryan Wall’s autograph, you could then step into a racing simulator to feel the thrill of the track, try your hand at an interactive racing game, or take the pit crew challenge to see if you’re fast enough for the crew or just the pits.
Moving beyond the racing area, though, contractors could look at some hot product offerings from some of the hvacr industry’s hydronic heavy hitters.
In hot water
Beginning with Burnham, the company had both residential and commercial product displays. Prominently featured in the residential section was the V8 Series oil-fired boiler designed for hot water or steam home heating. According to the manufacturer, the unit has an annual fuel utilization efficiency of 86.3% to provide significant fuel savings over older boilers. It is supplied as a packaged unit ready to install or knocked down for tight installation areas.Over in the commercial display, the V9 Series boiler was shown, including a boiler assembly area demonstrating its sectional construction. Available in 10 sizes with gross output ratings of 346 to 1900 MBH, this unit fires gas, oil, or combination gas/oil and is available with steam or water trim. It offers combustion efficiencies of up to 86%, says the company.
Specifying a system in CSI (Construction Specifications Insti-tute) format is said to be easier with the company’s Smartspec software, designed to allow the user to create a customized specification.
The next new thing
The ITT Industries booth featured new products from both its Bell & Gossett (Morton Grove, IL) and McDonnell & Miller (Chi-cago, IL) units.Bell & Gossett offerings included its NRF-33/NBF-33 wet rotor circulators for residential and light commercial applications; PL-55/PL-75 booster, an alternative to wet rotor pumps; No. 400 automatic air vent, which increases heat transfer and comfort; and Add-A-Zone™ pump controller, a snap-on pump relay.
McDonnell & Miller featured its GuardDog™ low water cut-offs, which shuts down the boiler should the water level drop below the lowest safe level prescribed by the manufacturer. This safety device, mandated by the International Mechanical Code, protects homeowners from potential hazards and contractors from significant liability.
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Over at the Grundfos (Fresno, CA) display, the new MixiMizer™ integrated hydronic/radiant heating pump and control was featured. At the heart of the system is the outdoor reset control, designed to ensure that the heat supplied to the building is equal to the heat loss of the building. The control adjusts the hot water temperature based on changes in the outdoor temperature.
The Taco (Cranston, RI) booth concentrated on just one product - zone valve controls. These controls simplify wiring, the company says, while the external indicator lights provide diagnostic feedback.
Ready, set, reset
At the tekmar Control Systems (Vernon, BC, Canada) booth, new products included boiler and mixing reset controls and commercial hydronic controls. Designed for heating and domestic hot water applications, the boiler and mixing controls are said to be both installer and user friendly. The commercial controls have an LCD user interface that provides the installer/service tech with a number of control features and performance evaluation tools.The Honeywell (Minneapolis, MN) display provided information on the company’s brand-new Flame Quality Indicator (see page 14), as well as outdoor reset controls for boilers and programmable thermostats.
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