Specifications

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In order to purchase HVAC automated zone dampers there are some questions
that must be considered before a purchase is made. Pick an accurate size in
diameter for the damper that you will need. Some dampers come in lengths of 6
inches and 8 inches. Also determine the automated zone damper variety that you
want, either normally open or normally closed. Subsequently you need to figure
out how many dampers you will need and also make sure to purchase a 24 V AC
power supply and electrical wire.
To select the best damper for a person‟s residential or commercial unit you need
to compare and determine the function required for each damper. Damper
varieties range from the balancing type or isolation type. An isolation type
damper main purpose is to block air flow in the ducts once the AC unit is on. The
balancing type damper regulates a certain amount of air flow through the ducts
which is specified by the control panel from the users input. The configurations
or shapes for balancing type dampers come in butterfly or louver shape. For the
other damper type, the configuration basically comes as a guillotine shape. Once
all these criteria‟s are determined, the mounting preferences need to be
considered. When placing the dampers in a residential or commercial unit the
mounting can either by a horizontal installation or vertical installation. Some other
factors in damper placement are to calculate the velocity of airflow as well as
check the size and shape of the damper.
Having automated zone dampers in the house is an asset to have because of its
relatively inexpensive cost to install, they don‟t consume a lot of energy (low
power consumption), and they are simple to maintain. Automated zone dampers
also have disadvantages for HVAC systems. These dampers are not always
reliable due to the normally open and normally closed conditions for the motors.
Automated zone dampers control one zone or room in a house, whereas multiple
zone dampers can control multiples zones of a building. Dampers of this type are
very beneficial because one damper doesn‟t work, the other dampers operate
without any deviation to air flow within the zone. A drawback of the multiple zone
damper system is that they are less cost efficient and use up more power than
the regular automated zone damper system.
2.16 Sensors
One of the main essential components for our HVAC system control that our
group will be implementing in the design is sensors. The HVAC system control
we are building is intended for residential units such as apartments and houses.
A sensor that we will be utilizing in our HVAC design control measures a physical
quantity such as temperature and humidity; and converts it into an electronic
signal that will be read by an IC chip in the HVAC control system. These sensors
will mainly be comprised of two types: a temperature sensor, and a humidity
sensor. A temperature sensor is an integrated circuit chip that measures ambient
temperature. These chips are usually placed on pre-designed circuit boards to
accurately read and measure temperature for thermostats in residential and