Commercial HVAC FAQ’s
- Fins are responsible for 70% of heat transfer of HVAC coils. Which obviously means the tubes are only responsible for 30%.
- The performance between copper fins vs. aluminum fins is very minimal. The only reason to ever use copper fins is if there is a problem with corrosion. Unless you like paying almost triple the cost!
- The air that travels across the face of the HVAC coils must be specific to what type of coil it is. For instance, steam or hot water face velocities are not the same as chilled water or direct expansion. For steam or hot water, 800 feet/minute is ideal. For chilled water or refrigerant, 500 feet/minute is ideal.
- While we build 1/2” OD and 5/8” OD HVAC coils, there is very little difference in performance. The reason for this is the overall tube surface is almost the same. 5/8” tubes are larger, but 1/2” coils have more tubes per row. And given that tubes are only responsible for 30% of heat transfer in HVAC coils, you’re not missing out on much by going with 1/2” tubes.
- There’s no such thing as right hand or left hand in hot water booster coils. If you need a right hand coil, just flip it over and install!
- You can use hot water booster coils for low pressure steam. Don’t let the manufacturer up-sell you into a custom steam coil if you don’t need it.
- You always want to minimize the number of passes on a steam coil. The less times the steam has to pass through the coil, the better. Two passes through any steam coils should be the maximum.
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