Archives for June 2014

Honeywell Lyric Thermostat

Honeywell’s New Thermostat Lyric

By Betty Stephens

The Honeywell TH8732WF5018 Lyric thermostat allows you access to your thermostat from your phone while ensuring optimal comfort for you and your family. The Lyric by Honeywell thermostat comes with Geofencing technology which permits the thermostat to utilize the location of your smart phone to save energy and money while you are away and then provides comfort when you return. The geofencing technology has two settings that allows you to set a 500 ft. or 7 mile radius depending on your usage and travel plans. You can disable it if you need to. You may program the thermostat using the custom programming option on the smart phone. Fine Tune technology allows the Lyric thermostat to take humidity levels and temperature into consideration when satisfying the requested temperature listed on the thermostat.
Enabled with the Smart Cues technology your Honeywell TH8732WF5018 Lyric thermostat provides system updates directly to your smart phone. You are notified of air filter change reminders, upcoming maintenance, and any extreme changes in temperature that can harm your HVAC system. The Lyric thermostat by Honeywell it provides a visual indication of the mode of operation by changing the backlight color to Blue (Cooling), Red (Heating), and Green (Money Saving Mode). You can add a thermostat to every zone within the house and control them through the smart phone application. You can also control any thermostats that may be used in vacation homes, garages, or pool houses. The thermostat is easy to set up, it guides you through the set up process directly on the smart phone. No codes, just easy to understand directions allowing language choices of English, Spanish, or French. It is priced at about $270.00.

Compatibility Chart
The Lyric thermostat by Honeywell works with most heating, cooling, and heat pump systems. It does not currently operate baseboard heat. The product is compatible with the iPhone and Android phones. At this time it is not compatible with the Blackberry and Windows devices.
The Lyric is compatible with the following devices:
• Single Stage Heating & Cooling & Multistage Heating & Cooling
• Heating Only and Cooling Only
• Furnace (Warm Air)
• Central Air Conditioning
• Heat Pump with or without Auxiliary Heat
• Geothermal
• Hot Water
• Steam or Gravity
• Gas Fireplaces (24V)
• Humidifier, Dehumidifier, or Ventilator

Texas Prison Inmates Sue Over Lack of Air Conditioning

Texas Prison Inmates Sue Over No A/C

By Betty Stephens

Texas Prison Inmates sue over no A/C and the number of deaths due to heat related causes.
The suit, filed by the Texas Civil Rights Project and the University of Texas School of Law Civil Rights clinic on behalf of the prisoners, isn’t seeking monetary damages. It seeks cooler temperatures for the prisoners. Eighty-eight degrees to be exact.
The lawsuit, broadly concerned about the lack of air conditioning across state facilities, centers on a facility in Navasota, Texas, known as the Wallace Pack Unit. Located about 70 miles northwest of Houston, the facility houses about 1,400 men. They have no air conditioning, and the windows which do open provide little relief, the suit claims, leading to temperatures inside that often exceed those outside.
20 deaths were reported since 1998 and details names, ages and internal body temperatures of the victims, including cases where the body temperature recorded was well over 100 degrees. Temperatures inside the prison, which was not air conditioned, reached a heat index of 130 degrees. Expert testimony established the temperature during the summer of 2008 temperatures reached “extreme caution,” “danger,” or “extreme danger” levels identified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 51 days. The court held “Allowing a prisoner to be exposed to extreme temperatures can constitute a violation of the Eighth Amendment.” “A reasonable jury could find that the conditions of confinement resulted in the denial of the minimal civilized measure of life’s necessities, the court ruled.

“This is a huge victory for all Texas prisoners,” said Scott Medlock, Director of the Texas Civil Rights Project’s Prisoners’ Rights Program, who represented Mr. Blackmon. “Hopefully this decision will force TDCJ to reconsider housing prisoners in such dangerous conditions.
There is air conditioning in some parts of the facility. The law library, education building and visitation center all are equipped with air conditioning, according to the complaint, but the inmates are “rarely allowed” in these areas. The complaint also said that the warden’s office and other administrative buildings have air conditioning.

McQuay Air Conditioning

McQuay First Air Conditioner Classroom Unit

By Betty Stephens

McQuay International is a global corporation that designs, manufactures and sells heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) products, systems, parts and services for commercial buildings. Since 2006, McQuay has been a subsidiary of Daikin Industries, Ltd. McQuay world headquarters are located in Minneapolis, MN, USA. Products are sold by a global network of sales representatives and distributors.
McQuay was incorporated in 1933 with manufacturing and headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Initial success was built on the first classroom unit ventilator and the first hermetic compressor for air conditioning use. During 1941-1945, McQuay manufacturing facilities were converted to support the U.S. war effort. In the later 1940s and 1950s, McQuay products and sales grew as the demand for commercial air conditioning increased. The U. S. manufacturing facilities were expanded to meet this demand.
McQuay became a multi-national corporation during the 1960s by beginning overseas sales and licensing operations in Canada, England, Scotland, and Australia. In 1965, McQuay established a new division in Italy, McQuay Europa, to manufacture 50 Hz equipment.
Through mergers and acquisition in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, the McQuay product line grew to include more types of commercial HVAC and large capacity equipment, as air conditioning became viewed more as a requirement than a luxury in buildings of all types. In 1984 it was acquired by Snyder General.
In 1992 McQuay, received the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of McQuay being the first to design and manufacture chillers with HFC-134a, a refrigerant with no ozone depletion potential.
In 2006 McQuay, was acquired by Daikin Industries, a global manufacturer of both commercial and residential air conditioning equipment based in Osaka, Japan. Daikin had annual sales of $13 billion in 2009. Daikin was named one of the 100 most sustainable corporations for three years in a row by Corporate Knights, Inc., from 2007 through 2009. As a Daikin Industries group company, McQuay is part of the largest HVACR Company in the world.
With more than six million square feet of manufacturing facilities and offices in more than 75 countries, they are uniquely positioned to make sure their products and services are always within Customers’ reach.

Hermetic Compressor for Air Conditioning

Hermetically Sealed Compressors used in refrigeration systems are often described as being hermetic, open or semi-hermetic, to describe how the compressor and motor drive are situated in relation to the gas or vapor being compressed. In hermetic compressors, the compressor and motor driving the compressor are integrated, and operate within the pressurized gas envelope of the system. The motor is designed to operate in, and be cooled by, the refrigerant gas being compressed. The hermetic uses a one-piece welded steel casing that cannot be opened for repair; if the hermetic fails it is simply replaced with an entire new unit.

Swimming Pool Heaters

Pool Heaters

By Betty Stephens

Swimming pools offer entertainment and relaxation, but it takes a backstage when the water is cold and uninviting. Swimming Pool heaters are a perfect addition to a home’s pool equipment. They allow the owner to maintain a comfortable water temperature for the morning, evening or late season swims. A swimming pool heater works by burning fuel to create heat, which is then passed through a heat exchanger and on to water drawn from the swimming pool. The water, now considerably warmer, is then reintroduced to the swimming pool, raising the overall temperature.
Swimming pool heaters are available in various makes and models, with the basic difference being the type of energy the heater uses. Pool heaters may be natural, propane, or electric heaters. The heaters ignition style may be millivolt or electronic start.
Millivolt Pool Heaters versus Electric
Millivolt heaters utilize a standing pilot that must stay lit constantly to initiate the pool heating process. An electronic start pool heater eliminates the need for keeping the pilot lit by electronically initiating the heating process. Ultra-efficient natural gas pool heaters and low-maintenance propane pool heaters utilize the latest in technology to ensure the pool’s water is kept at the temperature one likes. It is important to calculate the surface area of the swimming pool before purchasing a pool heater in order to determine how many BTUs it takes to warm the pool water. It may be more efficient to select a heater with higher BTUs. It helps warm the water faster and saves on heater’s running cost.
The more surface area your pool contains through which heat can escape, the more BTUs your pool heater will need to produce to heat your pool water. Calculating the surface area of your swimming pool is relatively easy, and some common calculations are provided:
• Round pools: radius (1/2 diameter) x radius x 3.14
• Rectangular pools: length x width
• Oval pools: 1/2 length x 1/2 width x 3.14
• Rectangular pools w/ rounded ends: length x width x 0.8
• Kidney-shaped pools: length x width x 0.75
•
The larger the BTU output of the pool heater, the quicker it heats the pool water. This means less run time on the heater and a longer overall heater life span. Always choose the largest pool heater.

Solar Heaters
Solar pool heaters are the most efficient and are the least expensive way to heat the swimming pool since solar heat is free. A solar pool heater can easily double the swimming season. Solar heating works by collecting free energy from the sun and transferring it to the pool they allow the pool to be opened early, and keep it open longer. Solar pool heaters also help reduce a pool’s carbon footprint. The solar pool heater is clean, easy, cost effective, and provides the owner swimming fun every year.

Tips for Pool Heaters

1. Size there Pool Heater appropriately. Note: a pool heater can never be too big.

2. Monitor pH closely. PH is probably the single biggest problem pool owners face with regard to pool cleaners and pool equipment in general. A pH level that is too low (acidic) will cause corrosion, and a pH level that is too high (base) causes mineral deposits that could potentially clog a pool heater’s plumbing.

3. Maintain correct flow rate. Backwashing their swimming pool filter or washing out the cartridge occasionally ensures that enough water gets to the pool heater for it to function efficiently.

4. To protect the investment. It is advised to use a pool heater cover to keep the heater protected from the elements.

5. Allow appropriate clearance around the Pool Heater

6. Make sure the heater’s gas pressure is adjusted appropriately. A professional should complete this step at installation.

Portable A/C & Spot Cooling Units

Portable A/C Units/Spot Cooling By Betty Stephens

Portable Air Conditioner or Spot Cooler
A spot cooler is a portable, self-contained air conditioner used to cool a space. The entire unit is portable and can be moved to another space, if needed. The spot coolers are completely self-contained and do not have condensing units that need to be installed outside, like at the house.

Air-cooled portable air conditioning systems are most often the system of choice for end-users and industry professionals. The fact that air cooled portable air conditioning units can be installed almost anywhere – usually in minutes – explains their popularity. They can be used for temporary cooling as needed.

Spot cooling products can go with you in the yard while doing landscaping or gardening and in the garage for cooling home projects. Factories and warehouses benefit from the extremely low operational cost (less than $1.00 per day) of these powerful units, while keeping workers cool, thus increasing productivity and employee comfort.

Spot/Portable air conditioner systems are often used to provide cooling relief outdoors and at events. Units are entirely self-contained, enabling quick and easy set-up, installation and breakdown at all events. The portable air conditioners are both ETL listed for outdoor use. This ensures safe cooling under strong sunlight and high humid conditions.

 Brings outdoor cooling to areas area thought impossible to air condition.
 Spot cooler can produce a comfortable environment, even in the hottest and stickiest of seasons.
 Protect participants from the dangers of extreme heat during events.

The Dallas Cowboys were the first NFL football team to use portable units for their summer workouts and the early season games at Texas Stadium. Some claim that, “Thanks to portable cooling that the Cowboys won the Super bowl! This, of course, is not a claim that can be proven, but may not be too far from reality.

The same is true for athletes in training, construction work, and numerous other jobs in warehouses, factories and work areas where the temperature is hot. Working in a cool environment improves the efficiency of workers. Employees stay more alert and become less tired.

Manufacturers Portable/Spot Air Conditioner Units

Portable Air Conditioner prices run from $299 to $3,194.00.Manufacturers are:

• Fedders Corporation
Manufacturer of air treatment products, including air conditioners, air cleaners, dehumidifiers and humidifiers, and thermal technology products.

• Cool-Off
Offers outdoor misting fans, misters, patio cooling systems, and high pressure misting systems.

• Cold Air Products
Manufacturer of portable air conditioners and spot coolers, available for rental or purchase.

• MovinCool
Portable air conditioner, providing cooling solutions for heat problems.

• Heatbusters
Manufactures portable air conditioners.

• Aermec Spa
Air conditioning systems.

• Alen Corporation
Manufacturer of HEPA air purifiers and large capacity portable air conditioners for residential use.

• Advanced Misting Systems
Manufactures outdoor cooling and misting systems, dust and odor control systems, portable fans, and garden accessories.

• Kwikool
Manufactures water and air cooled portable air conditioning systems.

• Air Rover
Manufacturer of portable A/C units and spot cooling systems 1-20 ton capacities.

• AirPac
AirPac manufactures, sells, and rents portable air conditioners, spot coolers, and commercial portable heaters.

• Adapt, Inc.
Supplier and manufacturer of portable air conditioning and spot cooling supplies.

• Portatemp USA Inc.
Manufacturer and vender of air conditioners and split system units.

• MaxPower
Manufactures CoolCube 10 portable air conditioning products for computer rooms, warehouses, and outdoor events that can stand alone, stack, or be mounted on a rack or ceiling.

• Innovative Portable Air Conditioners
HVAC wholesale distributors of portable room air conditioners.

• Crawford Equipment
Manufactures and distributes portable air conditioning solutions worldwide.

• Spot Coolers
Spot Coolers provides temporary and emergency air conditioning for people, equipment, and processes.