Archive for January, 2011
Last week Stromquist hosted a Lunch and Learn on Maxitrol gas regulators that was taught by Maxitrol’s industry expert, Tom Ganfield. We were happy to have our biggest Lunch and Learn turnout ever with 28 people. That goes to show the importance of proper sizing and installation of gas regulators! It proved to be a very helpful training session, and we received a lot of good feedback and comments from the attendees.
If you missed the regulator training and would like to see it, we will be posting a video of the session on this website soon so check back for it. If you need assistance with sizing a regulator, go herefor help from Maxitrol. Or you can call the Stromquist office at 404-794-3440 for help with regulator sizing.
In just about every application where the flow of air, water, oil, gas, or any other fluid needs to be stopped or started a solenoid valve is incorporated into the piping system.
Here is a list of common questions that need to be addressed to properly start the selection of your solenoid valve needs.
Valve Type 2-way, 3-way, 4-way
Operation Normally Open, Normally Closed, Universal
Pipe Size Pipe size or flow requirements
Media Fluid to be controlled (what’s going through valve)
Pressure Minimum and Maximum operating pressure
Temperature Minimum and Maximum fluid and ambient temperature
Voltage Voltage and frequency to be used
Extras Special seals, special seats, manual reset, explosion proof, etc.
Since most of the day by day uses of solenoid valves are 2-way/ 2-position let’s look at the above questions closer.
Operation This the most misunderstood question. Normally Open simply put means that when the valve is not energized (no power to coil) the valve is open allowing the media to pass through the valve. When the Normally Open valve is energized (power to coil) the Normally Open valve will shut down not allowing media to pass through the valve. The Normally Closed valve is of course opposite to the Normally Open valve. When the Normally Closed valve is not energized the valve will not allow media to flow through the valve. When the Normally Closed valve is energized the valve will open to allow media to flow.
Pipe Size Most all valves are listed by pipe size and Cv rating along with the valve’s orifice size. Notice that the smaller the orifice size is on a solenoid valve that the Cv rating is reduced. So what Cv do you need? Here is a “rule of thumb”. Cv = 50% of the gpm flow through a valve based on a 2-5 psi pressure drop between the inlet and outlet of the valve. So by way of example if you need 10 gpm of water to supply your need to some equipment with a 2-5 psi pressure drop the solenoid’s Cv factor would be 5.
Media Most common of media type for solenoid valves is air, water, gas, steam, or oil.
Pressure Maximum Operating Pressure Differential (M.O.P.D.) The maximum operating pressure differential refers to the maximum difference in pressure between the inlet and the outlet, against which the solenoid can safely operate the valve. If the pressure at the valve OUTLET is not known, it is safest to regard SUPPLY pressure as the M.O.P.D. Minimum Operating Pressure Differential is that which is required to OPEN the valve and keep it open. 2-way way solenoids with a floating piston or diaphragm, the valve will start to close below the minimum operating differential pressure.
Temperature The normal limitation of 32 degrees F (O degrees C) is advisable for any valve that might contain moisture (water Vapor). Where freezing water is not a factor, minimum ambience as low as 0 degrees F (-18 degrees C) can be tolerated. Special constructions are available for lower temperature ratings. Maximum ambient temperature is usually controlled by the UL listing for the coil insulation available for the valve.
Voltage There are various coil voltages available for solenoids to meet your needs. Please remember when asking for valves to state if the voltage is AC or DC and whether 50 or 60 cycles.
Stromquist and Company is proud to service your needs for solenoid valves by ASCO, GC Valve, and Honeywell. Let us help you pick the right solenoid valve for your needs by calling us at 1-800-241-9471 or 1-800-638-7828.
With concerns for indoor air quality, energy-efficiency and LEED points for commercial buildings, CO2 (carbon dioxide) monitoring is becoming more important. While CO2 is not an air pollutant, it can have a negative effect on us when levels are too high. Since CO2 is emitted with every breath, the more people in a space, the higher the CO2. When levels rise, we tend to get sleepy and have trouble focusing, and some people even develop headaches. For this reason it is important for occupants to have CO2 monitored to stay at a healthy level.
In demand control ventilation, CO2 monitors allow the HVAC system to adjust the amount of outside air coming in based on the levels of CO2 in the building. From an energy-efficiency standpoint, you want to bring in as little outdoor air as possible, but you do need outdoor air to offset air pollutants and CO2. Demand control ventilation with CO2 sensors lets you adjust the ventilation rate to suit the changing needs of the space and thus saving energy costs during times of lower occupancy levels.
For commercial buildings looking to earn LEED points, CO2 monitoring can be a key component. If this is something you are interested in, be sure to study LEED credit information before installing any monitors as there are specific requirements for the location of the sensors and calculating requirements.
Stromquist stocks a variety of duct mount and wall mount CO2 monitors. One to consider is Honeywell’s C7232A, a Non-dispersive Infrared (NDIR) wall mount sensor with an LCD display. If you have questions about CO2 monitoring or would like more information on other types of available sensors, someone at Stromquist will be glad to help you.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Atlanta has experienced some unusually bad winter weather this week. For our friends in the Northern states, this would not be so much of a problem, but here in the South, since we experience this type of weather so infrequently, we are not very well equipped for it. We started with 6-7 inches of snowfall on Sunday night/Monday morning, which was followed by freezing rain, thus creating a nice solid layer of ice on everything. The problem since then has been the below freezing temperatures. Solid ice on side streets, major roads and even interstates had many local businesses closed for 2-3 days.
The weather definitely hindered our business, but I’m happy to say that our team pulled together to what we could do. Since we have the technology and ability, our inside sales staff logged in and took calls from home. Since UPS did not run for 2 1/2 days, we were not able to ship from our Atlanta office, but we were able to still take orders and source what we could to ship from our Orlando office. As soon as UPS started a limited run on Wednesday, we had a few people make it in to the office to pick and pack shipments to make it out. We also had our counter area open for pick ups. As of today (Thursday), we are slowly getting back to normal. We still have a few people who were not able to make it in, and UPS is still doing limited runs, but overall we’re getting back on track. The majority of the remaining ice should melt this weekend when we finally get into the 40s, and we will be back to business as normal Monday morning.
We would like to thank all of our customers for bearing with us during this time. We appreciate your support and your continued business, even when we can’t operate on a normal schedule.
Here in Atlanta we’re not accustomed to much snow and ice, but for the past two days most of the metro area has been shut down due to a blanket of snow that was subsequently covered by a thick sheet of ice.
During these cold days heat sources are working extra hard to keep us warm, and sometimes they break down. That’s where Stromquist can help. In addition to stocking a large range of boiler controls, we also have heating controls such as igniters, restring kits, fusible links, gas valves and more.
One such product we have in stock is Honeywell’s Q3200U Universal Hot Surface Igniter Kit that was designed to be a service replacement igniter in gas fired appliances with Norton/St Gobain 120 VAC silicon carbide hot surface igniters. The Q3200U uses a 120 volt silicon nitride igniter design with long life and high resistance to damage or burn out in the appliance. The kit includes the specially designed silicon nitride igniter and six different bracket configurations, along with accessory parts to allow mounting and wiring the igniter.
If you have questions about this product or any other boiler or heating controls we may stock, call us at 404-794-3440 or visit us at www.stromquist.com.
Stromquist & Company would like to take a few minutes to show you how you can create and customize your own Sedona function blocks for the EasyIO controller using the Tridium Niagara platform. This Stromquist & Company tutorial will get you up and running in no time. With even just a basic understanding of programming, we’ll get you started with your own custom design. Stay up to date with the latest on EasyIO tips and tricks. Subscribe now to www.ControlTrends.com
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Questions have been asked about the proper mounting of a Low Water Cutoff on a steam boiler.
Notice: The measurements given in this article will be close to the measurements necessary for the installation and may not be the same as the recommended measurements by the boiler manufacturer or the manufacture of the Low Water Cutoff. Care MUST be taken to follow installation measurements supplied by the manufacture of the boiler and control.
The first issue to answer is…Is this installation for a primary or secondary LWCO? The Primary LWCO is the operating LWCO and the Secondary LWCO usually incorporates a manual reset and is used for a safety backup for the primary.
Note: on a steam boiler please make sure you have a set of water gauge cocks in the installation. The “center line” of the visible glass should correspond with the boiler’s COLD WATER LINE.
The next issue for the service person to identify is the location of the COLD WATER LINE on the boiler. This is the “normal” cold water fill line as established by the boiler manufacturer. After the boiler’s cold water line is located, look at the LWCO and locate the level mark on the body of the LWCO. With these two marks established installation can now begin.
Primary LWCO Installation:
As a primary LWCO the level mark of the LWCO should be placed for mounting between 1 3/8” to 1 ½” below the boiler’s cold water line which will establish the boiler’s normal operating range.
½” to 3/8” below the LWCO’s level mark will be the burner’s “cut-off level”
Secondary Safety LWCO:
As a secondary safety LWCO the level mark of the control should be placed for mounting between the 1” to 1 ½”area below the primary LWCO’s burner cut-off level. Careful attention MUST be made not to let the float drop below the lowest visible level of the site glass.
Before commissioning the boiler for final usage PLEASE test the Primary and Seconday LWCO levels and make adjustments as needed for proper levels.
I would like to thank Peerless Boilers for their help with information and drawings supplied in this article.
Stromquist & Company presents an analog output configuration tutorial for the Johnson Controls DX-9100 controller. The Johnson Controls DX-9100 has eight analog outputs that are configurable in the Johnson Controls GX-9100 tool.
Please continue to check back for new videos here at www.ControlTrends.com
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