Taco Display Offers New Products, Storied History
Hydronics firm's BEST 6.2 Software a 2025 AHR Innovation Award winner
"FRANKENTANK" DISCUSSION: Dennis O'Shaughnessy, left, the owner of Mechanical Equipment, a hydronic HVAC equipment specialist, talks with Taco product manager Ron Falcon over a Taco water-cleaning tank for hydronic systems, nicknamed the Frankentank, during the AHR Expo on Monday. (Staff photo)
Hydronics systems components manufacturer Taco showcased several products, from the latest model of a water circulator with a storied history to new, award-winning software, during a press event at the AHR Expo on Tuesday.
The Expo continues through Wednesday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
Taco's reach in hydronics is broad, encompassing not only tanks, valves, pumps, and heat exchangers, but also software and controllers.
"If it involves moving water in any capacity, Taco has their hands in it," said Dan Vastyan, a publicist who works with the company.
Taco marketing director Ken Scannell said the company's Building Efficiency System Tool 6.2 software, called BEST 6.2, won a 2025 AHR Innovation Award in the software category. BEST 6.2, developed in a partnership with the Radiant Professional Alliance (RPA), provides users with data and insights that allow them to optimize commercial HVAC systems. One of the software's new features is the ability to model multiple heating and cooling sources, the company said.
On display in the Taco booth was an original model of Taco's 007 circulator, from 1974, along with the latest version of the 007. The company said the 007 was revolutionary for its design and efficiency.
Also on display was a Taco "Frankentank" — nicknamed for its resemblance to Dr. Frankenstein's monster of the Mary Shelley novel and countless movies — this one with a cutaway that offered a peek at the interior. Product manager Ron Falcon said the tank, which removes air bubbles, dirt, and other contaminants from the water in hydronic systems, is scalable and customizable to fit the end user's specific needs.
“It does a really good job separating air and microbes in hydronic systems," Falcon said.
Taco also announced its next-generation zone-control system, which can be used in hot-water heating, closed-loop cooling, air conditioning, hydronic heating and cooling, and also in solar and geothermal systems.
The new zone-control system is the company's first to be compatible with Taco's Control Mobile app for customization and better control, and also features diagnostic lights, simplified wiring, and Taco's Smart Plus Logic, which can boost efficiency in domestic hot water systems, the company said.
