PsychoBandito
New member
Anyone have a recommendation on electronic dampers? I've got 4 floors and it's a pain keep the top cool.
Zoned HVAC
- Thread starter PsychoBandito
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PsychoBandito
New member
I just want the dampers. Wiring them up to individual room stats. No smart control shit, I just want to replace the manual dampers I have with electronic ones in an existing system to close off the lower floor but leave the upper open to increase pressure.
I do it manually daily now but it's fuckin annoying.
I do it manually daily now but it's fuckin annoying.
@cUr@-TL
Legacy Member
That’s calling for trouble down the road... if not right now.
If you choose to ignore the performance and equipment life aspects and considering you currently have no zoning equipment at all, you would need to wire a thermostat/sensing device for each space to control the damper(s). A transformer would be needed as well.
Zoning requires proper ducting, plus adequate zoning equipment and fine tuning. Anything short of that is calling for trouble.
If you choose to ignore the performance and equipment life aspects and considering you currently have no zoning equipment at all, you would need to wire a thermostat/sensing device for each space to control the damper(s). A transformer would be needed as well.
Zoning requires proper ducting, plus adequate zoning equipment and fine tuning. Anything short of that is calling for trouble.
PsychoBandito
New member
This is what I want to do. When I say i'm just looking for dampers, I just mean the parts. I don't want to pay someone to do the work. It's an easy job.
https://www.smarthome.com/sc-how-to-install-an-air-duct-damper
https://www.smarthome.com/sc-how-to-install-an-air-duct-damper
SkIz
Legacy Member
Let's say your ducting is well done for zoning. Don't forget to add a by-pass damper as your blower has probably a 5 speeds motor, hence when you close a damper, all the airflow will blast out from the other zone (and imagine you got a small zone on that, you might hit the upper limit and get the system to shut down).
Let's say you know all this stuff and go ahead, make sure you don't buy random damper motors without having the right control board too. Some control boards aren't compatible with some dampers (as with the Carrier system, they need their own dampers/motors).
So basically, if your ducting setup is ready to accept the zoning, what you will need is :
1 control board (verify how much zone it can accept, some are limited to 2-3)
X Dampers mounted with their controls (motor and stuff)
X thermostat to fit the amount of dampers you've bought
Usually one transfo is enough, but it all depends on how much zone you're gonna hook up.
1 By-Pass damper (you need to calculate how much flow the smallest zone is giving and then substract the total CFM of your blower from the rest to size the by-pass to use to maintain a good static pressure)
My suggestion would be to go with EWC control or Honeywell.
The electronic static pressure damper from EWC control is awesome (SBD-10, SBD-12, SBD-14,...)
Have fun.
Let's say you know all this stuff and go ahead, make sure you don't buy random damper motors without having the right control board too. Some control boards aren't compatible with some dampers (as with the Carrier system, they need their own dampers/motors).
So basically, if your ducting setup is ready to accept the zoning, what you will need is :
1 control board (verify how much zone it can accept, some are limited to 2-3)
X Dampers mounted with their controls (motor and stuff)
X thermostat to fit the amount of dampers you've bought
Usually one transfo is enough, but it all depends on how much zone you're gonna hook up.
1 By-Pass damper (you need to calculate how much flow the smallest zone is giving and then substract the total CFM of your blower from the rest to size the by-pass to use to maintain a good static pressure)
My suggestion would be to go with EWC control or Honeywell.
The electronic static pressure damper from EWC control is awesome (SBD-10, SBD-12, SBD-14,...)
Have fun.
SkIz
Legacy Member
Something that could help you out is blank out some air returns that are located on the first 2 floors (don't blank them all), and make sure that there is enough return on the 4th floor. A kleenex should hold tight without touching it on your different return registers.
If not, your system is getting all it's return from the easiest place to get it, which is closer to the blower, which should be on the first and second floor. You need to get that hot air back into the system and cool it down to make it more comfortable on the upper floors.
That would not solve 100% of your problem, but if done right, it can help a lot.
@cUr@-TL
Legacy Member
*VR6*
Well-known member
Au pire fait comme Skiz et donne l'info pertinente en spécifiant qu'il y a un prérequis plutôt que de rester flou et dire que c'est compliqué pendant 4 posts consécutifs...
:dunno:
@cUr@-TL
Legacy Member
Comme dans le post #4 ?
*C’est* compliqué. J’veux simplement eviter des desagrements à OP. Les gens ne sont souvent pas conscients des problemes qui surviennent/surviendront quand on «*tapone*» à l’aveuglette sur un systeme central.
ziboy
Moderator
Start with a proper balancing of your zone. Each room need enough cfm to heat or cool. I guess you have only one thermostat ? I don't know how old is your system but you could add more space sensor and put it as the primary when you need it the most, and the rest of the day, put it on the slave mode, or you can do the average. It all depends on the control you can hook up.
If you really want to add zoning, follow what skiz said. He knows what to do properly.
Carrier/honeywell are equivalent. I don't work with honeywell because they are expensive as fuck in the commercial field. I'm not into residential that much except for big projects.
If you really want to add zoning, follow what skiz said. He knows what to do properly.
Carrier/honeywell are equivalent. I don't work with honeywell because they are expensive as fuck in the commercial field. I'm not into residential that much except for big projects.