Tag Archive for "Steam Coils" | Capital Coil & Air

Top 10 Tips For Measuring HVAC Coils

1. When measuring HVAC coils, performance has very little to do with accurately measuring for replacement coils. Fitting the coil in the existing space with the least amount of labor has everything to do with measuring a coil. If you duplicate the coil in almost every respect, the performance will match and take care of itself. New is always more efficient than old.

2. If you’re ever in doubt about a dimension, smaller is always better than bigger. You can always “safe off” around any coil as long as you can fit it in the space. If a coil is too big, it makes a really ugly coffee table in your shop. Too big is the enemy of measuring coils.

3. The fin height and fin length are not the determining factors in measuring a coil. The overall casing dimensions are the most important, and you work backwards to determine fin dimensions.

4. The depth of any coil is the total casing depth in the direction of airflow. The height is the number of tubes high in any row. Depth is a function of rows deep and height is a function of tubes in a row.

5. Overall length (OAL) is not the fin length and it’s not the casing length. It is the length from the return bends to include the headers that are inside the unit. Again, it is necessary to work backwards to get the other dimensions once you know this critical dimension.

6. Circuiting is the number of tubes connected to the supply header. Generally, you just want to count the number of tubes connected to the header and that will tell you whether it’s full, half, or even a double circuit. It does not matter how the return bends are configured. Your goal is to count the number of supply tubes and all performance is based on that.

7. Fins are measured in fins per inch. Hold a tape measure up to the coils and count the number of fins in one inch. If you can’t get in to take the measurement, a safe rule of thumb is 10-12 fins/inch. That will work on almost every coil. The exception to that rule is a condenser coil. 14-16 fins/inch on a condenser coil is usually pretty safe.

8. Connection locations are difficult only if you are using the existing piping in the system (which are welded). Copper piping is brazed and can be changed easily. If a system is old and the piping is being replaced as well as the coil, the connection location is not a major deal. It’s very easy to match up!

9. With replacement coils, the concept of “left hand vs. right hand” doesn’t actually exist. Connections are “top left-bottom right” or vice versa. Ideally, all coils should be counter-flow which means that the water and air flow in opposite directions. The air hits row one first and the water is piped into row eight first. However, there are lots of installations that are piped backwards, and they work just fine. Just match them up, and the coil’s performance will be equal to the old coil.

10. Connections are not measured from the top of the header! They are measured from the top of the casing to the centerline of the connection. Or the bottom of the casing to the centerline. You need a point of reference, and the header height can be anything just as long as it doesn’t stick above or below the casing height.

All of the above “suggestions” or “secrets” are in no particular order. They are just things that you should know to ensure that you are selecting the correct replacement coil. While most seem like common sense, your best bet is to talk with the sales team at Capital Coil & Air, who can walk your through the entire process and help you to fill out coil drawings when trying to measure the dimensions.

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How Should Steam Coils Be Designed??

Of all of the various types of coils, steam coils operate in the most complicated ways. They are, in effect, a product of the system and controls around the coil. If not installed correctly, steam coils simply won’t work properly.

Overview:

The object of any steam coil is to have steam enter the coil as steam and exit as condensate. In a perfect scenario, the BTU load on the coil turns steam into condensate just before it’s ready to exit the coil. Under real world conditions however, condensate usually begins to form inside the tubes almost immediately. Especially when dealing with low-pressure systems, you have to find a way to evacuate the condensate from the steam coil.

Coil Pitch:

A good coil manufacturer will internally pitch the steam coil within the coil casing to force the condensate toward the outlet connection. This pitch is usually 1/8 “ per lineal foot of coil.

Coil Length:

If you require steam to travel 144” and make multiple passes through the coil, then, simply put, your system will not work properly. Condensate forms too early, and it cannot escape the coil. Because of this, coils cannot be too long. A better strategy is to break one long coil into two smaller coils side by side, while feeding from both sides.

Tube Diameter:

Steam Distributing coils often have to be 1 1/8 ” diameter tubes. If the BTU load on a coil is really large, then as a result, you will generate many more Lbs./hour of condensate. If the tube diameter is too small, then the condensate, which needs to evacuate, has no place to go.

Traps:

Traps are required on steam coil systems. The traps should be “float & thermostatic” type traps and be located 18 “ below the condensate connection on the steam coil. Without this, the condensate just sits in the system without any place to go.

Vacuum Breakers:

Vacuum Breakers are often installed in coil systems to remove any excess condensate that may remain within the coil.

Insulated Piping:

There is no such thing as a “Condensate” Heating coil, built as a steam coil. IT DOESN’T WORK. However, and this happens an astounding amount of times, due to the long distances the steam has to travel from the boiler to the coil, many times, the steam will enter the coil as condensate due to the piping not being insulated.

Anything that makes condensate lay in a coil is harmful to both the steam coil and the system. You will get a “water hammer” when the system is turned on and the incoming steam just blasts against the condensate. Worse than the loud and annoying sound that produces is the fact that it just destroys the steam coil. The brazing was never designed for “water hammer”. Also, the coils do not heat properly. Have you ever seen a long coil and run your hand down its length only to feel that the entering steam end of the coil is hot but the far end is cold? More times than not, this means that condensate is laying in the coil and not allowing the steam to properly travel the length of the coil.

Steam Coils require a real expertise to design & build. We at Capital Coil have a long history in solving coil problems and building steam coils so that they work correctly the first time. Give us a call for your next job – you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

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Steam Distributing Coils

Frozen Steam Coils: How Do You Prevent This?

Regardless if you have steam coils or steam distributing (non-freeze) coil, you can freeze ANY coil. When freezes happen, everyone immediately looks to the steam coil as the cause. When in fact, there are numerous reasons that must be looked at well before the coil.

Freezes generally happen in older systems, however if your new system is not maintained properly or correctly installed, your steam coil can and will freeze. For instance, you’d be surprised at how many times dampers are left open, controls fail, freezestats don’t work, etc.

In a Standard Steam or Steam Distributing Coil, a freeze-up can occur when condensate freezes within the tubes of the steam coil. The two most common reasons for freezing steam coils are the steam trap and the vacuum breaker. The function of steam trap is to remove the condensate as soon as it forms. Condensate usually collects in the lowest part of the coil. If your steam trap isn’t installed properly, that condensate will lay in the coil and it will inevitably freeze as soon as it sees outside air. The vacuum breaker also helps clear the condensate, minimizes water hammers, and helps with uneven temperatures. This must be installed on the control valve and always above the steam trap.

Unfortunately, there are no ways to determine exactly where your steam coil will freeze. And a common misnomer is that the condensate turns to ice and the expansion is what causes the tubes of the coil to pop. In reality, it’s the pressure that builds up between freeze points.

Here’s couple tips in your coil design that can help prevent your standard steam and steam distributing coils from freezing:

Standard steam coils should NEVER see any outside air below 40 degrees. If it does, steam distributing is the only way to go!
5/8” OD Steam distributing coils over 72” long are recommended to have a dual supply
1” OD Steam distributing coils over 120” long are recommended to have a dual supply
Make sure your steam coil is pitched if possible. This slopes the condensate to the return connection making it easier to remove the condensate

Give Capital Coil & Air a try on your next project. Our engineering, pricing and service is the best in the industry!

Heating Season Will Soon Be Upon Us

Commercial Steam Coils; Lengths & Controls

Types of Steam Coils

HEATING SEASON WILL SOON BE UPON US

The real ability and competency in selecting hot water coils or any other heating coil is to know and understand the products that are available. Our goal here is to help simplify your selection process. Just as you’d spend time researching cars before a purchase, you want to be as educated of a buyer as possible!

HOT WATER COILS

The HVAC industry classifies coils as “Hot Water” if they are (1) or (2) rows deep, and “Chilled Water” if the coil is (3) to (10) rows deep. One important fact to remember is that whether the water is hot or cold, a water coil is still just a water coil. Just because you do not need as many rows for hot water applications, all water coils are built the same. Tubes can be 5/8 ” copper or 1/2 ” copper, and water can travel through the coil’s tubes at temperatures up to 200˚F. Capital Coil’s selection program is very user-friendly and can greatly assist in your selection process.

STANDARD STEAM COILS

While steam coils look very similar to water coils, the construction and circuiting of the coil are usually very different. Specifically, the brazing for the tubes and headers has a higher percentage of silver solder in the brazing. The tubes are generally thicker (.025”), and the circuiting of the coil minimizes the passes to allow for easy condensate removal. Unless you have (2) PSI or (5) PSI steam, hot water coils and steam coils are not interchangeable! Steam pressure is extremely important to take into account.

STEAM DISTRIBUTING COILS “NON-FREEZE”

The construction of a “non-freeze” coil is completely different than that of a water coil or standard steam coil. Steam Distributing coils are manufactured as a tube within a tube. This application should always be used when the entering air temperature on a coil is 40˚F or below. There are (2) types of designs for steam distributing coils. They can be constructed with 5/8” (outer-tube) / 3/8” (inner-tube) & 1” (outer-tube) / 5/8” (inner-tube). A Capital Coil sales rep is always available to help with proper selections.

HOT WATER BOOSTER COILS

Hot water booster coils are primarily used in duct applications for reheat purposes. In addition to hot water, booster coils can also be used for low pressure steam. The best part is that Capital Coil has a standard (1) week lead time for booster coils. We value speed and quality as much as you.

Capital Coil manufactures all of the above for whatever heating application you may need. All coils are also available on our quick-ship program – if you need your coil built in 3, 5, or 10 days. Capital Coil & Air welcomes the chance to work with you, and be your source for quick answers and immediate service. Please give us a call on your next project!

Guidelines For Air Velocities

The height, length and resulting air velocities greatly figure in everything in determining the size and performance of a coil. Step # 1 in determining the size and performance of a coil is dependent upon understanding face & air velocities of air across the coil. Whether you use CCA’s coil selection program to help size the coil, or you are replacing an existing coil; the height, length and resulting velocity determine everything.

Hot Water Booster Coils

Every coil has a specific, optimum velocity, so you want to make sure you are within 30% (+ or -) of that number. For example, booster coils have an optimum velocity of 800 ft/minute. That means that you can drop your velocity to 600 ft/minute, or conversely, increase the velocity to 1,000 ft/minute. The duct velocities are almost always higher, which means that you will need to transition to a larger coil. Try to get to as close to 800 ft/minute as possible, while sizing your coil to make the transition as easy as possible. Everything with coils is a balancing act.

Hot Water & Steam Coils

Like booster coils, hot water and steam coils should also have face velocities at approximately 800 ft/minute. Both steam & hot water coils have only sensible heating, which is why their face velocities can be the same. Face velocities ultimately control the coil’s cost, so 800 ft/minute really is a heating coil’s “sweet spot”.

If you are purchasing an air handler unit, oftentimes the heating coil is smaller than the cooling coil because the face velocities on heating coils can exceed those of cooling coils. Due to water carry-over, cooling coils cannot exceed 550 ft/minute, while heating coils only deal with sensible heat.

Chilled Water & DX Coils

Due to the limited face velocities of cooling coils, your choices are more limited. With cooling coils, your face velocity must be somewhere between 500 ft/minute-550 ft/minute. Remember that when dealing with cooling coils, you are dealing with both sensible and latent cooling, so the coil is wet. When you exceed 550 ft/minute, water carry-over occurs past the drain pans.

If you are purchasing an air handler unit, you probably will not have worry about the coil’s face velocity as most coils come pre-sized at the acceptable face velocities. Fan coils also come pre-sized with the correct CFM’s. However, if you are replacing an existing cooling coil, the face velocity must remain at or below 550 ft/minute!!

Air Stratification Across The Coil

Air does not travel equally across the face of a coil. If you were to divide a coil into (9) equal sections, like a tic-tac-toe board, you would see a high percentage of air travelling through the center square, rather than the corner squares. In a perfect air flow scheme, 11% of the air would travel through each of the 9 squares, but that is not what happens. Because more air travels through the center of the coil, you want to avoid putting a fan too near the coil. Due to central air flows, most systems are draw-thru, rather than blow-thru. This is also why you want to avoid installing your coil near any 90 degree angles/turns in the ductwork. Avoid any situations that contribute more than the “natural” air stratification to help ensure your coil is at maximum efficiency.

In some situations involving cooling coils, you will have water carry-over even when the coil is sized correctly. How can this happen? Think about the tic-tac-toe board again. Air velocities are exceeding 700 ft/minute in the coil’s center, while the corners are around 300 ft/minute. This cannot and will not work.

Coils do not have any moving parts. They simply react to the air across the outside of the coil and whatever is running through the inside of the coil. Coils are 100% a function of your entire system, as well as the installation in general.

Capital Coil & Air is here to help with any coil selections that will help avoid costly missteps that lead to wasted time and money. Call us on your next project, we greatly look forward to working with you!

Chilled Water, DX (Expansion) Coils & Moisture Carryover

Tips on Hand Designation & Counter-flow

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Why Is Fin Design On HVAC Replacement Coils Important?

At first glance, fin designs on HVAC replacement coils seem about as exciting as watching grass grow. “Why would I ever care about fin design on any coil” was probably your initial response to our question. Nevertheless, we would not dedicate a newsletter to this subject if fins were not important.

One of the primary reasons fins are so important is that you want to keep your coil as clean and maintained as possible. In order to properly maintain your coil, you need to have an understanding as to how HVAC replacement coils are constructed. While fins do not look like much, they are MUCH more complicated than what you can observe at the entering or leaving airside of the coil.

To begin, fins are responsible for a surprising 65% – 70% of the heat transfer on any coil, while tubes are responsible for the remaining 30% – 35%. Additionally, in order for your coil to work at optimum performance, you need to have a terrific fin/tube bond, (which we will discuss below).

Fins are known as secondary surface, while tubes are referred to as primary surface. While this may seem counter-intuitive, the secondary surface is responsible for twice the amount of heat transfer as the primary surface.
There are special dies (see picture) that stamp out aluminum or copper fins with the correct thickness, height, and depth to make the coil the correct size. For example, a coil might be 36” (height) x 96” (length) x (8) rows deep x 8 fins/inch.
1. Fin Height: 36”
2. Fin Depth: 12”, (8) rows deep
3. # of fins in the coil: 768 (8 fins x 96”)
Each fin has 192 holes stamped in the fin for 5/8” OD tubes (8 Rows x 24 Tubes), and each fin is identical.
Each hole has extruded metal, which is more commonly referred to as the fin collar. The collars are sized to self-space the fins and allow for later expansion of the tube into the fin collar. This practice is also known as “bonding” and is essential to having your coil run efficiently/correctly.
Each fin is rippled at the entering and leaving edge of the fin to help create air turbulence.
Each fin is corrugated in the direction of airflow to allow for greater air turbulence. This is important to remember because turbulence creates heat transfer.

So again, what is the point of understanding the importance of fins in HVAC coils? While coils can be built with flat fins for various reasons, the vast majority of coils are built with enhanced fins. Enhanced fins help to ensure that the airflow is not running straight through the coil.

Regardless of fin type, keep in mind that HVAC coils can and will act as great “filters”. The tubes are staggered and not in-line; while the fins are designed to help break up the airflow and not facilitate an easy, straight-through air path. Dirt and/or other particles in the air get caught easily, which again, is why coils can act as great filters. Additionally, coils with more rows will usually get dirtier than coils with less rows. Lastly, chilled water or DX coils are typically wet coils, which results in them catching virtually everything in the air.

The amount of BTU’s through any coil is in direct proportion to the amount of air through the coil. For example, if you are only getting 90% of the design air through the coil, then you are only getting 90% of the BTU’s.

Coils require good filtration and periodic maintenance. If not done correctly, you’ll pay the price of higher energy costs on an inefficient coil.

By now, you have hopefully come to the realization that HVAC coils are much more complicated than they appear, and that fins are an integral part of the coil as a whole. Again, while admittedly not the most exciting topic, understanding the role and importance of fins in HVAC coils cannot be overstated. Capital Coil & Air is here to help you with any and all coil selections, and we look forward to working with you on your next project.

Repair or Replacement Coils?

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Do You Need to worry about performance on replacement HVAC coils?

With replacement HVAC coils, performance is almost never the issue. This is a common mistake that a lot of folks make. When duplicating a coil, your efforts need to be directed towards making sure the coil fits correctly, as that’s usually the main issue. While you may be thinking that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, here are the main reasons:

Coils were never intended to be filters, but that’s exactly what they become over time. For those that routinely work with coils, you know its design is tailor-made for the collection of dirt and other air particles The tubes are staggered, which means that dirt can not get through. The fins are rippled and corrugated, which typically leads to the same result. Wet coils tend to collect more dirt than dry coils. The process of cleaning coils is very difficult, and the deeper the coil, the more difficult it is to clean. The end result, depending on the age, maintenance and operation, means that your coils operate anywhere from 50%-70% of their maximum efficiency.
Fins do approximately 70% of the work in a coil, with the tubes making up the remaining 30% (generally). When manufactured, the tubes are expanded into the fin collars. But, over time, the fins tend to loosen a little. While not sliding back and forth, the fins lose efficiency and their performance is lessened.
So what’s your typical solution after 5, 10 or 15 years? You’d probably raise or lower the water temp on you coil. You might also speed up the drive to get more CFM across the coil. You’ll try most anything to make up for the loss of the coil’s efficiency. Everybody does.

But when you replace the coil, it’s new and clean. Additionally, with a new fin/tube bond, your new coil is operating at 100% efficiency, while the old coil was working at 60% – 70% efficiency…maybe. With this automatic increase in efficiency means that performance is not really the issue. Your main concern should be that the coil fits in the space available. Otherwise, your new coil is nothing more than an ugly, metallic coffee table.

Your main goal is to replace your coils with as little trouble and cost as possible. While you may still have offsets in piping, as well as other small installation adjustments, performance should be the least of your worries. We’re here to help you meet your requirements quickly and easily. CALL OR E-MAIL US! We look forward to the opportunity to work with you on your future projects.

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Top 5 Reasons Commercial HVAC Coils Prematurely Fail

Capital Coil & Air has come across virtually every scenario over the years in which a commercial HVAC coil had to be prematurely replaced, and we have since created an easy guide targeting the main reasons HVAC Coils prematurely fail.

Coil Plugging: If you are not changing filters and/or your commercial HVAC coils are not properly cleaned in a timely manner, your coil will actually begin to act as a filter. When dirt builds up on the coil, that blockage prevents heat transfer and can cause an approximate 20% to 40% drop in performance. Dirt adds to the coil resistance and can be a primary cause for your coil to fail prematurely.
Vibration: When your HVAC coils are installed near a moving piece of equipment, vibration can occur and cause leaks. You can tell if vibration is the main cause if leaks are near the tube sheet and look like they are slicing through the tube. If/when that happens, the coils should be isolated from the rest of the system to prevent vibration from causing damage. One way to combat this is by oversizing the tubesheet holes, but many manufacturers will not do this. Condenser Coils are usually the most common victims of vibration.
Corrosive Environment: This applies to both the air in the environment and inside the tubes. For instance, if there is a corrosive element in the air, it will eat away at the copper tubes; whether you have 0.020” wall or 0.049” wall. This is very common in coastal areas where there may be salt in the air. To keep the costs down from going to a stainless steel or cupro-nickel coil, we usually suggest coating the HVAC coils. Coatings are almost always within your budget, and its application will only add about a week to the overall lead time. Steam condensate and untreated water can cause corrosion within the tubes of HVAC coils as well. If you have a steam coil that has failed before the one year warranty, there’s a great chance that corrosive agents are in the steam, and it’s eating away at the copper tubes.
Freeze-Ups: Most people think that when HVAC coils freeze, the water or condensate laying in the coil freezes into ice and it expands causing the tubes to bulge and eventually spring leaks. What really happens is that the coil will freeze in multiple areas simultaneously, and it’s the pressure between these areas that cause the tubes to swell and eventually burst. These are very easy to spot as the leaks will run the length of the tube rather than around the tube. ALSO be very careful when considering “freeze-proof” coils! If you remove 5-6 inches from the fin length to make the “freeze-proof” application fit, your coil’s performance will suffer considerably.
System Design: You would be amazed to learn how many HVAC coils were never designed properly for their systems. If there is a design problem, replacing the coil will only waste time and money; while you have done nothing other than duplicate the previous problem. A little known fact in the replacement market is that a high percentage of all our projects are because the coils were built incorrectly or were never designed correctly in the first place. In some cases, owners attempt to improve the coil’s performance by adding additional rows. Most however do this without taking into account the air pressure drop or fluid pressure drop that comes with it.

When dealing with an HVAC coil manufacturer, try to partner up with one who will walk you through the engineering and explain it along the way. Capital Coil & Air has well over a decade of experience and can help you diagnose whatever problem that you are experiencing correctly the first time. We look forward to working with you on your next project!

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Light-Duty Commercial Belt Drive Air Handler Units

There are lots of jobs that require large custom built Air Handler Units, as well as jobs that require Central Station Air Handler Units that are semi-custom built units. There are also plenty of jobs that require neither of the above products. This application only requires that a light-duty standard unit be built that will match the duty and requirements of the job.

Examples

Strip Malls/Shopping Centers
Dormitories and other college campus buildings
Military installations
Office areas in factories or other industrial settings
Condominiums

These examples do not need large heavy-duty units that are expensive and custom built. Instead, most of these units require standard light-duty construction that can provide 800-12,000 CFM. These units come with various options and choices, and are well-built with the highest quality components available. However, the units are not designed for overkill.

Capital Coil manufactures “Belt Drive” units that operate from 800 CFM (2 Tons) – 12,000 CFM (30 Tons). They are available in both horizontal and vertical airflow styles. Included are blowers, coils, drives, filters as well as additional accessories if required. Additionally, they are available in Chilled Water Coils, DX Coils, Hot Water Coils, and electric heat if needed.

So, why would you want to use these units in lieu of a heavy-duty air handler? Cost, cost, and cost again are the primary reasons. In addition, the light-duty units weigh less, they are more economical to install, and long-term maintenance is much easier. The overall cost of a Custom-Built Unit or a Semi-Custom Station Unit is dramatically higher and not needed in most installations. Please visit Capital Coil’s Belt Drive Product Page for additional descriptions of our units.

Shipping Schedules

Standard lead time: (6) weeks
(4) week quick-ship: 30% adder
(2) day quick-ship: 40% adder

Capital Coil is 100% transparent on all prices and pricing options. Each option is clearly listed on all quotes to help make your buying experience that much easier.

The Air Handler industry is pretty easy to understand when boiled down. If your job allows you to stay within “Production” type units that are built to normal standards without any customizations, you can save a lot on your price. The proper units for your project are still of the highest-grade quality, but they are much more of a fit for commercial, light-duty jobs.

Capital Coil & Air looks forward to working with you on all of your future Air Handler projects. You’ll be glad you did.

Quick Ship Program

Coil Selection Software

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HOT WATER COILS

STANDARD STEAM COILS

STEAM DISTRIBUTING COILS “NON-FREEZE”

HOT WATER BOOSTER COILS

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Hot Water Booster Coils

Hot Water & Steam Coils

Chilled Water & DX Coils

Air Stratification Across The Coil

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Examples

Shipping Schedules

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