Between battling summer temperatures and COVID-19 concerns, HVAC systems have been running full throttle for months on end now. Many customers began bringing in more outside air to combat germs and keep fresh air prevalent in buildings. (We discussed how outside air is critical for your building in August. With temperatures falling and more and more customers facing colder conditions, it’s time to fully embrace the heating season, and give your customers’ systems the TLC they need, and consider how more outside air may affect your plan.
Typically, heating air takes place by air blowing across a heat exchanger and therefore gaining heat. It is then funneled through a system of ducts and distributed throughout the system. This means that the colder it is outside, the harder the system is going to work to heat the air that it is drawing from. So, what does this mean for outside air (OSA) intake?
Your customers may think that OSA intake changes as seasons come and go but they need to know that it doesn’t. However, conditions do. In most of the country, unless you live in a climate with a constant temperature, your customers enjoy a brief reprieve as seasons change where they are able to open windows, which equates to free economizing. All the air being brought in via the OSA dampers is just right to meet the customer’s needs. Now that it needs to be heated though, it may be more cost-effective for, say, a customer in Atlanta rather than a customer located in Fargo.
So, it’s critical to make sure that each part of the system is running without fail and that any necessary repairs or retrofits be done sooner than later if you want to stay ahead of winter weather. You want to help keep costs down and retrofits minimal so that heating season doesn’t turn into a huge cost year after year for those who are already paying more to heat their air. As always, it’s important to inspect the following components before Old Man Winter gets here:
A few specific parts you may want to have on hand are 12-25-ft. averaging sensors, 12-ft.+ low limit switches, capillary clips to go with both, and don’t forget the new UV disinfection solutions Kele now offers.
Don’t hesitate to run a system/maintenance check to make sure that everything is running as it should! With the increased intake of OSA and colder conditions, preventative maintenance is a must. Advise your customers to be proactive rather than reactive because no one wants to be without heat when Jack Frost is nipping at their nose. Your customers’ systems need to be in tip-top shape to fight off colder temperatures and the adjustment that all systems go through when seasonal change hits.
Kele is here for all your HVAC needs to get you and your customers through this winter season. Call us or use our live chat today and get what you need to succeed and keep that winter weather at bay.
