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Online monitoring of heating and cooling system

Junction Mechanical has recently installed Carrier's new web based control product, iVu at one of their large retail customer's office.

The idea behind using the iVu product was to give property managers easy access for monitoring their locations. iVu allows their manager online access to the heating and cooling system, with no software access key.

With the click of the mouse, the property manager sees an active graphical representation of the heating and cooling systems, with live zone temperatrues, setpoint temperature, air delivery temperature, and many other pieces of information.

The property manager is able to make set point adjustments, schedule changes and system resets if necessary. The iVu system will alert the property manager to a variation in temperature away from the norm.

Source: Plumbing Park - The leading online magazine for the Plumbing and HVAC industry.

Heat Recovery Ventilators allow necessary air exchange

The HRV is a key element of the Super E® House-as-a-system approach, but despite its importance, it’s a relatively simple device.

The HRV is simply a heat exchanger. Stale air from inside the house conditions fresh air coming from the outside – energy efficient ventilation. A fan inside the HRV moves the air.

Houses need to have an indoor/outdoor exchange of air to replenish oxygen used by the occupants and to remove pollutants generated by breathing, household activities andemissions from furnishings. Most houses rely on air leakage to provide this indoor/outdoor air exchange.

Unfortunately, a leaky building is no guarantee of adequate air exchange. The movement of air requires both a pathway (i.e. a leak) and a pressure difference. The pressure difference can be caused by different temperatures between the inside and the outside, the wind, and the stack effect – a process where warm air leaks out the top of the house while outside air is drawn in from the bottom of the house to replace it.

An HRV allows necessary air exchange without relying on air leaks, pressure differences or the stack effect. It means you have control over the air in your home.

HRVs not only exhaust potentially harmful indoor pollutants, they control humidity. Filters can also be added to the HRV intake. In short, HRVs are a key to a healthy indoor environment.

Homeowner maintenance of the HRV is very simple. The homeowner should clean the grilles about once a year, clean the filters once every couple of months and make sure the intake and exhaust ducts on the outside of the house are clear from debris. HRVs have a long lifespan, likely at least as long as a water heater or other home mechanical appliance.

Source: Plumbing Park - The leading online magazine for the Plumbing and HVAC industry.

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