External static pressure, Checking external static pressure, Checking approximate airfl ow – Friedrich 9 User Manual

Page 22: Electric heat strips

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EXAMPLE: Airfl ow requirements are calculated as follows:

(Having a wet coil creates additional resistance to airfl ow.

This addit ional resistance must be taken into consideration

to obtain accurate airfl ow information.
1 ½ TON SYSTEM ( 18,000 Btu)
Operating on high speed @ 230 volts with dry coil
measured external static pressure .20
Air Flow = 500 CFM
In the same SYSTEM used in the previous example but

having a WET coil you must use a correction factor of

.94 (i.e. 500 x .94=470 CFM) to allow for the resistance

(internal) of the condensate on the coil.
It is important to use the proper procedure to check external

Static Pressure and determine actual airfl ow. Since in

the case of the VERT-I-PAK, the condensate will cause

a reduction in measured External Static Pressure for the

given airfl ow.
It is also important to remember that when dealing with

VERT-l-PAK units that the measured External Static

Pressure increases as the resistance is added externally

to the cabinet. Example: duct work, fi lters, grilles.

External Static Pressure

External Static Pressure can best be defi ned as the pressure

difference (drop) between the Positive Pressure (discharge)

and the Negative Pressure (intake) sides of the blower.

External Static Pressure is developed by the blower as a

result of resistance to airfl ow (Friction) in the air distribution

system EXTERNAL to the VERT-I-PAK cabinet.

Resistance applied externally to the VERT-I-PAK (i.e. duct

work, coils, fi lters, etc.) on either the supply or return side

of the system causes an INCREASE in External Static

Pressure accompanied by a REDUCTION in airfl ow.
External Static Pressure is affected by two (2) factors.

1. Resistance to Airfl ow as already explained.

2. Blower Speed. Changing to a higher or lower blower

speed will raise or lower the External Static Pressure

accordingly.

These affects must be understood and taken into consideration

when checking External Static Pressure/Airfl ow to insure that

the system is operating within design conditions.

Operating a system with insuffi cient or excessive airfl ow

can cause a variety of different operating problems.

Among these are reduced capacity, freezing evaporator

coils, premature compressor and/or heating component

failures. etc.

System airfl ow should always be verifi ed upon completion

of a new installation, or before a change-out, compressor

replacement, or in the case of heat strip failure to insure

that the failure was not caused by improper airfl ow.

Checking External Static Pressure

The airflow through the unit can be determined by

measuring the external static pressure of the system, and

consulting the blower performance data for the specifi c

VERT-I-PAK.

1. Set up to measure external static pressure at the

supply and return air.

2. Ensure the coil and fi lter are clean, and that all the

registers are open.

3. Determine the external static pressure with the

blower operating.

4. Refer to the Air Flow Data for your VERT-I-PAK

system to fi nd the actual airfl ow for factory-selected

fan speeds.

5. If the actual airfl ow is either too high or too low, the

blower speed will need to be changed to appropriate

setting or the ductwork will need to be reassessed

and corrections made as required.

6. Select a speed, which most closely provides the

required airfl ow for the system.

7. Recheck the external static pressure with the

new speed. External static pressure (and actual

airfl ow) will have changed to a higher or lower value

depending upon speed selected. Recheck the actual

airfl ow (at this "new" static pressure) to confi rm

speed selection.

8. Repeat steps 8 and 9 (if necessary) until proper

airfl ow has been obtained.

Checking Approximate Airfl ow

If an inclined manometer or Magnehelic gauge is not

available to check the External Static Pressure, or the

blower performance data is unavailable for your unit,

approximate air fl ow call be calculated by measuring the

temperature rise, then using tile following criteria.

KILOWATTS x 3413

= CFM

Temp Rise x 1.08

Electric Heat Strips

The approximate CFM actually being delivered can be

calculated by using the following formula:

DO NOT simply use the Kilowatt Rating of the heater (i.e.

2.5, 3.4, 5.0) as this will result in a less-than-correct airfl ow

calculation. Kilowatts may be calculated by multiplying

the measured voltage to the unit (heater) times the

measured current draw of all heaters (ONLY) in operation

to obtain watts. Kilowatts are than obtained by dividing

by 1000.

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