heating & cooling distribution Archives - Energy Vanguard https://www.energyvanguard.com/tag/heating-cooling-distribution/ Building science knowledge, HVAC design, & fun Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:35:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 Can You Oversize a Mini-Split Heat Pump? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/can-you-oversize-a-mini-split-heat-pump/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/can-you-oversize-a-mini-split-heat-pump/#view_comments Thu, 27 May 2021 14:26:41 +0000 https://www.energyvanguard.com/?p=5800 Yesterday I did a consultation with a homeowner in Michigan.   He’s got a 60 year old house with a boiler and radiant heating system that has become a burden.  The pipes for hydronic distribution system just developed their seventh leak…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/can-you-oversize-a-mini-split-heat-pump/feed/ 67 Do UV Lamps Really Improve Indoor Air Quality? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/do-uv-lamps-really-improve-indoor-air-quality/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/do-uv-lamps-really-improve-indoor-air-quality/#view_comments Wed, 22 Apr 2020 16:49:42 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=do-uv-lamps-really-improve-indoor-air-quality I used to be a smart-ass who would say things I thought were clever but really were just annoying.  When I learned the basics of quantum physics, for example, I had a clever/annoying answer for anyone who asked me, What’s…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/do-uv-lamps-really-improve-indoor-air-quality/feed/ 65 17 Steps to Better Duct Systems https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/17-steps-better-duct-systems/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/17-steps-better-duct-systems/#view_comments Mon, 10 Feb 2020 15:34:08 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=17-steps-to-better-duct-systems If a 12 step program is good for helping people deal with addictive behaviors, then a 17 step program ought to be better, right?  Or maybe it’s just a random number that fits the number of tips that popped into…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/17-steps-better-duct-systems/feed/ 25 The Third Worst Place to Put a Duct https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/third-worst-place-put-duct/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/third-worst-place-put-duct/#view_comments Tue, 13 Aug 2019 12:01:20 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-third-worst-place-to-put-a-duct Ah, so many choices.  If you want to design and install a duct system to create problems, the possibilities are endless.  I’ve certainly written about a lot of them (as well as how to do it properly).  Today, though, let’s…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/third-worst-place-put-duct/feed/ 27 The Best Velocity for Moving Air Through Ducts https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/best-velocity-moving-air-through-ducts/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/best-velocity-moving-air-through-ducts/#view_comments Wed, 26 Jun 2019 22:26:24 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-best-velocity-for-moving-air-through-ducts The first thing to know about the velocity of air moving through ducts is that the slower you get the air moving, the better it is for air flow.  That was the main point of my last article.  In fact,…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/best-velocity-moving-air-through-ducts/feed/ 25 Is Low Velocity Bad for Air Flow in Ducts? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/is-low-velocity-bad-air-flow-ducts/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/is-low-velocity-bad-air-flow-ducts/#view_comments Wed, 12 Jun 2019 00:36:24 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=is-low-velocity-bad-for-air-flow-in-ducts It’s obvious that moving air too quickly through ducts can be a problem.  Faster air means more turbulence, more resistance, and more noise.  But I run into people who think that low velocity also can be a problem in ducts. …

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/is-low-velocity-bad-air-flow-ducts/feed/ 47 How Often Should You Change the HVAC Filter? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/how-often-should-you-change-hvac-filter/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/how-often-should-you-change-hvac-filter/#view_comments Mon, 20 May 2019 13:36:57 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=how-often-should-you-change-the-hvac-filter One of the topics I’ve hammered on for years is the inadequacy of using rules of thumb for sizing air conditioners.  The standard one ton of air conditioning capacity for each 400 to 600 square feet of conditioned floor area…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/how-often-should-you-change-hvac-filter/feed/ 6 The Path to Low Pressure Drop Across a High-MERV Filter https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/path-low-pressure-drop-across-high-merv-filter/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/path-low-pressure-drop-across-high-merv-filter/#view_comments Mon, 22 Apr 2019 14:20:38 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-path-to-low-pressure-drop-across-a-high-merv-filter Last August I began a series of articles on filtration and indoor air quality.  You can find the list of them at the bottom of this article but let’s do a quick review here:  We spend a lot of our…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/path-low-pressure-drop-across-high-merv-filter/feed/ 86 The Unintended Consequences of High-MERV Filters https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/unintended-consequences-high-merv-filters/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/unintended-consequences-high-merv-filters/#view_comments Sun, 04 Nov 2018 19:24:23 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=the-unintended-consequences-of-high-merv-filters What is a hair’s breadth?  A strand of the finest human hair is about 20 micrometers (also called microns) in diameter.  Take a piece and slice it in half.  Then take one of those halves and slice it in half…

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]]> https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/unintended-consequences-high-merv-filters/feed/ 139 What Happens to Air Flow in Ducts When Size Changes? https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-happens-air-flow-ducts-when-size-changes/ https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/what-happens-air-flow-ducts-when-size-changes/#view_comments Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:36:57 +0000 http://energyvanguard.flywheelsites.com/?blog_post=what-happens-to-air-flow-in-ducts-when-size-changes As we continue our study of indoor air quality and filtration, we now come back to duct design.  Today’s lesson is on an interesting bit of physics that applies to anything that flows.  It could be heat or particles or…

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