TOP 10 FAN COIL FAQ’S

1. A fan coil is among the easiest units to understand in the HVAC industry.  Basically, there is a small forward curved fan, a coil, and sometimes a filter.  They are all direct drive units. Click HERE to see Capital Coil’s full Fan Coil Product Lineup.

2.  Fan coils run from 200 CFM to 2200 CFM, which is 0.5 ton through 5.5 tons.  Anything larger than these sizes requires a belt drive unit…which is really a full fledged air handler.

3.  The thing that differentiates fan coil units is where and how they are going to be installed.  Is the unit going to be hidden above the ceiling or maybe in a closet?  Or is it going to be exposed so that everyone can see it?  Will it be ducted or will it just pull air from the space where it’s located?  These are things that determine the configuration of the unit and which style of unit to choose.  But, every unit has 3 things in common:  fan, coil, and sometimes a filter.

Fan Coils4.  Some units have (2) coils.  One for heating and one for cooling.  Obviously, there is a separate supply and return connection for each coil and these units are known as 4 pipe fan coils.  Many units only use the same coil for both heating and cooling and these units are 2 pipe fan coils.

5.  Units are either horizontal or vertical depending on the orientation and flow of the air.  A typical fan coil in a hotel room is a vertical unit with a mixture of air coming from outside and the air recirculating in the room.  The air enters at the bottom of the unit and is drawn upward through the fan.  This makes the unit a vertical style.  Many units are horizontal with the air entering at the back of the unit and traveling horizontally through the unit.

6.  Almost all fan coils are 3 speed or infinite speed settings based on the controls.  The high speed gives you more BTU’s, but more noise too.  Because the unit is direct drive, when you dial down the speed, you also dial down the performance.

7.  Coils in the units tend to be 3 or 4 row deep coils.  3 row is typically used the most, but if you need the extra performance, 4 row is the way to go.  Performance is always governed by the cooling aspect.

8.  Fan coils sometimes have short runs of duct work and there is static pressure on the unit.  Static pressure reduces the amount of CFM and BTU’s that the fan coil can give you.  This is true of both horizontal and vertical units.  Most performances listed on charts that you will see are static free performances.

9.  The control systems for fan coils are often more complicated and more expensive than the units themselves.  There are balancing valves, isolation valves, unions, y-strainers, p/t plugs, air vents, ball valves, thermostats, condensate float switches, and disconnects.  Capital Coil & Air can do this at the plant, but it is much cheaper and easier to do it at the installation. 

10.  Just describe your installation requirements to a sales engineer at Capital Coil & Air and they will guide you to the right design and configuration of the unit for you.  It requires only a phone call or e-mail! We look forward to working with you!

 

RELATED POSTS

Top 10 Chilled Water Coil Facts

Light-Duty Commercial Belt Drive Air Handlers

Top 10 Questions You SHOULD Be Asking Your Coil Supplier

CATEGORY SUCCESS

Fan/Coil Units Without the Mysteries

Lots of companies in the HVAC business attempt to keep their products as complicated as possible in order to lend a certain “mystery” to the industry, which has never made sense to us at Capital Coil. We have all been in this information age for quite some time with more information/data available to more people than ever before. We feel that by removing some of the “secrecies” surrounding fan/coil units, our customers will be able to better understand the products as we do.

Most of our potential customers know Capital Coil strictly for our HVAC coils, which makes sense because the word “coil” is in our company’s name. But some people may not be aware that we do in fact offer multiple fan/coil models with various quick-ship options, or that fan/coils comprise a significant portion of Capital Coil’s overall business.

With that said – what are fan/coil units (FCU’s) exactly?fan/coil units

  • Fan/coils are easy to understand when you remove a lot of the complex terminology. Our definition of a FCU unit is one that is direct drive and not belt driven…easy enough to understand, right? There is a fan, a coil, and sometimes a filter. Capital Coil offers numerous model types, but the only thing that really differentiates the various models from each other is the casing on the outside of the unit. And the casing is typically based on how and where you want to install the unit.
  • The fan is directly mounted on the motor, and the maximum CFM that can be used in these units is typically 1,200 FT/min. However, Capital Coil does offer some units that can have a CFM as high as 3,000 FT/min, or (7.5) tons.
  • FCU’s can be divided into two groups based on airflow – Horizontal and Vertical. Think of fan/coils installed in a hotel or classroom. These are typically vertical units because the air goes from the bottom of the unit to the top discharge airflow.  Horizontal units have horizontal airflow with inlet and discharge both horizontal as well.
  • As mentioned, fan/coil casings are determined based on how and where you want to install the unit. But figuring that out involves asking some additional questions, such as is the unit hidden above the ceiling or is it exposed? Is the unit horizontal or vertical? Does the unit need a filter?
  • Like most any product, there are several “packages” that you can select, such as certain valves, that will make the unit more expensive and complex. But once you strip away the complex terminology and are able to understand the basic design and concept of FCU’s, they are pretty easy to work with.

Now you know that Capital Coil is very much in the fan/coil business, and when you are looking for something fast, Capital Coil should be your first call or email!

RELATED POSTS

Quick-Ship Fan/Coils & Light Duty Air Handlers

TOP 10 FAN COIL FAQ’S

Light-Duty Commercial Belt Drive Air Handler Units

CATEGORY SUCCESS