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Dew point is one example of a very useful measurement to understand, design for and test for in an HVAC/R system. Take an evaporator coil, do you know how to calculate the exact temperature at which that evaporator coil will start to condense moisture? can you tell the exact temperature at which a surface inside of a space will start to condensate and possibly grow mold? These are both cases where a basic understanding of a psychrometric diagram can help a technician.

This troubleshooting situation has a history. In the six years that the up-flow gas furnace in this three bedroom house has been in service, several attempts have been made to solve the problem of one bedroom that, according to the customer, is always too cool during the heating season. This residence is a brick home on a slab, and the air handling system, which located in the crawl space above the ceiling, is shown in Figure One.

Typically when selecting heating solutions for a building, decisions are made based on its main function. It gets a bit more complicated, however, when the property is designed as a multi-purpose facility – possibly being used for retail, residential, and office space all at once. These buildings often present unique heating challenges that vary from room to room, calling for a diverse portfolio of solutions to ensure energy efficiency and occupant satisfaction. 

eLearning means different things to different people. Sure, it’s a method of education, but more and more we’re starting to see this education taken out of the context of the classroom and utilized in the business arena. In fact, since 2000, the eLearning industry has grown by nearly 900 percent, and over 77 percent of all U.S. companies already use some form of eLearning technology.

Integrated Facility Services (IFS) installed the energy-efficient HVAC system at the $26 million O’Fallon Justice Center, which opened in December, 2017. The 96,000-square-foot justice center houses the O’Fallon Police Department and Municipal Courts, Missouri. The construction manager was McCarthy Building Companies and the architect was Wilson Estes Police Architects.

Too often workplace policies are only considered in the context of some negative workplace action when it is actually occurs, such as a termination or other employment issue. Sometimes it may involve a legal claim by an applicant or employee. Whether our current policies are adequate for dealing with issues in the most regulated area of our economy, today’s workplace, rarely is explored or even considered.

Bob and Tim are on air-conditioning system service call, and the system has a persistent leak. It seems to leak down about once a month and has to be recharged. Several technicians have tried working on the system and cannot seem to find and stop the persistent leaking. Their service order says to says to repair the leak using whatever methods needed to be used. This persistent leak must be stopped.

Refrigerant circuit restrictions can be common things like a plugged filter drier or a restricted metering device. They can also be more difficult to diagnose and exotic issues like a kinked liquid line, blocked evaporator feeder tube, or a compressor connected improperly with a discharge line full of solder (I’ve seen it). To start with, let’s talk about the symptoms.

Venstar announced that the PizzaRev chain is using Venstar’s Wireless Temperature Sensors and ColorTouch touchscreen thermostats with Venstar’s Skyport™ Cloud Services to keep its stores cool and comfortable despite the use of 900-degree pizza ovens. “Venstar’s Wireless Temperature Sensors and ColorTouch thermostats give us the ability to remotely manage and control energy usage and costs at our stores while keeping our customers comfortable,” said Jonathan Castillo, maintenance manager for PizzaRev.