The NEWS’ award winners in the Miscellaneous category of the sixth annual Dealer Design Awards make technicians’ jobs easier, which can translate into time and money saved on the jobsite. The gold winner, Western Enterprises’ HVAC VN Series, makes purging and post-brazing leak checking simple, which can save money for the business. The FF-609, by Atomizing Systems Inc., is easy for a technician to install while providing installation flexibility and is this year’s Miscellaneous silver winner.

GOLD WINNER

The HVAC VN Series Purge-N-Test (NitroPurge) by Western Enterprises is a nitrogen regulator/cylinder system. It is designed specifically for the HVAC industry, for nitrogen purging a/c line sets prior to brazing and leak checking a/c line sets after brazing. It can also be used to purge the line sets after the use of a cleaning agent when converting a system from R-22 to R-410A. The system utilizes a lightweight nitrogen cylinder and a state-of-the-art regulator with an integrated cylinder valve.

The product line consists of two cylinder size choices (a 22-cubic-foot aluminum cylinder or a 44-cubic-foot aluminum cylinder), a universal carrier strap system with shoulder strap, and a choice of transfill systems for refilling the cylinders from large industrial-sized cylinders.

According to the manufacturer, “This is a simple tool for the technician to use to properly install an a/c system, avoiding the potential for a nonbillable return service call. All the features of the product save money and aggravation, not only for the technician but also the HVAC dealer.”

Features include regulator and cylinder valve engineered as a single unit, a high-impact shroud that protects the head of the unit, a pressure gauge that reads cylinder content at all times, industry standard ¼-inch flair output fitting, industry standard CGA 580 fill port with check valve, and simple three-position flow control knob.

The built-in carrying handle provides ease in portability. The lightweight aluminum nitrogen cylinders offer 10 percent more product and 20 percent less weight than a conventional system. Also available are transfilling systems, allowing a contractor to refill his own cylinders.

“It’s a great product, I would buy one,” a judge commented.

SILVER WINNER

The FogFan-609 by Atomizing Systems Inc. is a circular, high-pressure, six-nozzle, air-driven fogging unit for adding humidity in areas where injection within an air handler or ceiling is not possible. The 1,700-cfm fan pushes droplets out for full evaporation, and there are check valves in each nozzle. The fan stops when the water shuts off.

It offers installation flexibility because it can be zoned for different areas with independent sensors and it’s suitable for clean rooms with all 316 stainless wetted components. Another installation feature it offers is that the units are ready to hang out of the box; no installer components are required. Each unit is equipped with fuse and high-pressure water valve for shutdown and start-up testing.

It is easy to hang with three-point cable or chains. Any nozzle can be removed if the ceiling lights and columns interfere with spray pattern.

The fogging unit is particularly suited for low-ceiling applications (10 feet) for printing, newspaper, warehouses, manufacturing without wetting/dripping, said the company. Easy-to-use compression fittings and 1/2-inch OD stainless steel tubing are suitable for most installs. No compressed air noise is heard in retail applications.

2009 Honorees: Miscellaneous Products

GOLD WINNER
Western Enterprises
www.westernenterprises.com
HVAC VN Series

SILVER WINNER
Atomizing Systems Inc.
www.coldfog.com
Fog-Fan™

Publication date: 07/13/2009