2023 Dealer Design Awards: Ventilation
FORCE FRESH AIR: Users of CO2-TH can press a “Force Fresh Air” button, which will bring in fresh air. (Courtesy of iO HVAC Controls)
iO HVAC Controls wins Gold in the Ventilation category for the CO2 Temperature and Humidity Monitor (CO2-TH), a wall-mounted touchscreen monitor that reduces CO2 with very little user interaction.
The CO-TH offers an intelligent way to monitor and reduce CO2 levels in an interior space by being able to introduce fresh outside air at a controlled rate, said Ty Brown, engineering manager at iO HVAC Controls.
“The CO2-TH can be configured to meet the requirements of most applications using an Advanced Installer Menu, which allows a user to change how the monitor will respond to and report levels of carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity,” said Brown.
Other installer options include a Force Fresh Air button, which will bring in fresh air. The Force Fresh Air button will flash when pressed to indicate it’s running. When enabled, an LCD backlight can also change the background color of the display between green, amber, and red to provide a visual alert as to the CO2 level in the space.
iO HVAC Controls spent a year surveying contractors when designing the monitor. From there, the company went on to design the product to be easy to install for HVAC technicians — designing the product so the installation process only requires conventional HVAC tools and thermostat wire. The monitor was also designed to allow for either two-position or modulating control (0-10 VDC) of an outside air damper, with each installer setup being intuitive for its users and specific to each application.
“The main difference I see between the CO2-TH and other sensors on the market, though all of them are usually designed to provide pressure ventilation in classrooms or conference rooms, most of them on the market have been pre-programmed from the factory as to how they operate — whereas the CO2-TH allows you to change the settings in the field,” Brown said. “It’s set with factory defaults of typical practice, but if you want a little different sequence of operation after the fact, that can be adjusted in the field.”
The CO2-TH is typically used in office buildings, schools, churches, and recreational facilities, where occupancy can contribute to increased CO2 above acceptable levels, and can also monitor levels of carbon dioxide, humidity, and temperature within the applied space.
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“I really liked the peace of mind knowing [the monitor] is not only keeping the carbon dioxide down or the bad air we breathe out but also low chemicals and low VOCs in the space,” said Jonathan Esquivel of Austin Star Services LLC.
The monitor is also capable of initiating alarms and corrective action if any of the levels exceed their presets.
Esquivel said the time most pollutants enter homes and spaces is as people go in and out of the home, or when they use the stove, washer, dryer, and shower, and all of these circumstances create trapped pollutants.
“So you get a lot of these things trapped into the house and in the morning, and customers can just hit that button on there to force the fresh air in,” Esquivel said. “And it gives them more control than just opening up a window. So they feel a lot safer and in control with that gauge.”
QUICK COMBUSTION: GenSet damper models provide quick combustion air and pressure relief upon the start-up of an emergency generator to avoid damage. (Courtesy of Ruskin)
Silver in the Ventilation category goes to Ruskin for its GenSet Dampers. The GenSet Damper models include the CD60GS (galvanized steel construction), CD50GS (extruded aluminum), and TED50GS (extruded aluminum with insulated blades for thermal efficiency).
“Over the years, we’ve seen dampers installed with slow-moving or inadequate actuators that cannot operate quickly enough, which results in damage to the damper and/or equipment,” said Mike Coyazo, product manager at Ruskin. “The GenSet dampers offer a more reliable solution for proper performance of inlet dampers used in emergency generator start-up applications.”
The GenSet damper models are designed to provide quick combustion air and pressure relief upon the start-up of an emergency generator, which is an essential feature to avoid damage to the damper, equipment, or surrounding area. The GenSet damper models can also be used in air purge-type applications where that same functionality is necessary.
The GenSet dampers feature a new 8-second spring return speed damper actuator for quick openings and an independent damper section operation to avoid interference if an actuator were to fail. Its parallel blades provide faster air relief. In addition, all three models meet Class 1A leakage (3 cfm/ft2 at 1-inch w.g.) when closed.
Ruskin invested a year into researching the design of the GenSet dampers. Research included garnering feedback from customers, analyzing actual field reports of damaged dampers, and conducting onsite visits.
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