You bet it can. When it comes to dampers, your choice of blade operation (Parallel vs Opposed blade configuration) can have a significant impact on how effectively and efficiently your system will function.
TAMCO’s Director of Engineering, Dane Carey, has authored a white paper addressing the pros and cons of parallel blade and opposed blade configuration. This paper also addresses when one type of configuration is recommended over the other.
Click here to read the paper.
TAMCO manufactures high-end dampers and air control products, serving commercial, industrial and institutional markets. TAMCO entered the ventilation industry in 1955, and in 1980 began to engineer and produce an innovative line of aluminum dampers.
Great attention has been devoted to design, in order to develop products which are durable, maintenance-free, energy efficient, and unparalleled in performance. TAMCO continues to lead the charge, bringing creative solutions to the air control market.
Contact us here to learn more!
In hospitals and other wellness facilities, heating and cooling inefficiencies have a direct bearing on the comfort, health and well-being of patients and visitors alike. Additionally, energy costs associated with the inefficient heating/cooling of such massive facilities can quickly add up. So when HVAC control and reliability became a problem at one of the country’s most respected Ohio-based hospitals, AEB stepped in to help.
Because the facility’s aging air handling system was becoming increasingly inefficient, wild temperature variations of anywhere from 8 to 15 degrees off set-point were common.
This inefficiency resulted in:
Not only were energy and money being wasted; but the facility’s maintenance staff was constantly called in during off hours or away from other duties to make adjustments to the control units and dampers. And so, when an opportunity to upgrade the dampers arose, the hospital knew exactly where they would turn for the solution.
AEB was awarded the project to retrofit the hospital facility with new dampers. TAMCO low-leakage airfoil blade dampers are aluminum constructed and completely maintenance-free for 20 years. As TAMCO’s authorized Ohio representative, AEB worked with the hospital to plan and carry out the project.
“TAMCO certainly has a reputation for quality and we’ve always had good experience with their dampers,” said the hospital’s facility manager. “They seal up tight with precise and smooth functionality. For us, the choice to rely on AEB and TAMCO was a no-brainer.”
Today, following renovation, uncontrollable temperature swings are a thing of the past. “The difference is nothing short of incredible,” said the client. “Today we set a temperature and know with confidence that throughout our facilities will be within plus or minus one-tenth of a degree.”
Aside from obvious comfort improvements, the new dampers are delivering a fast return on investment. In addition to lower energy costs, cost-savings can also be tied to labor. “Because of the reliable performance of the new tightly sealing TAMCO units we no longer waste time, money and resources continually making adjustments to the dampers,” explained the client. “This eliminates overtime costs and allows us to focus our resources and attention in other areas.”
And what was the client’s experience with AEB? “AEB was extremely professional and responsive throughout the entire project. As an example, because of a contractor error one of the damper units needed to be remade. AEB worked to get the replacement unit turned around very quickly.”
Accurate and reliable temperature control is important in any building complex as even minor variances can result in uncomfortable working conditions and excessive energy costs. But when such issues affect hospitals or other types of wellness centers, problems are more than a minor inconvenience. Heating and cooling inefficiencies have a direct bearing on the comfort, health and wellbeing of patients and visitors alike. Additionally, energy costs associated with the inefficient heating/cooling of such massive facilities can quickly add up. So when HVAC control and reliability became a problem at one of the country’s most respected Ohio-based hospitals, AEB and TAMCO stepped in to help.
Challenges
Because the facility’s aging air handling system was becoming increasingly unreliable and inefficient, wild temperature variations of anywhere from 8 to 15 degrees off set-point were the norm. This resulted in:
Not only were energy and money being wasted; but the facility’s maintenance staff was constantly being called in during off hours or taken away from other duties to make adjustments to the control units and dampers. And so, when an opportunity to upgrade the dampers arose, the hospital knew exactly who they would turn to for the solution.
Air Leakage
It is not uncommon for outside air handling systems to experience some level of leakage. But as equipment ages, gaps develop creating leaks or allowing outside air to invade the system. In a relatively short period of time this loss of hot or cold air will become exponentially greater further straining equipment and resources while taking a toll on energy cost. HVAC problems are not uncommon in older large buildings and have a detrimental and unrecoverable cost to the bottom line of any company.
“Air drawn from the outside must be conditioned prior to circulation; and this costs money,” explained AEB Technologies President, Joseph Moore. “Some estimates put this cost at $5 per cubic foot. Now, multiply that by the size of today’s sprawling facilities and you can see why companies are taking air handling equipment upgrades very seriously.” Specializing in commercial HVAC instrumentation and controls, AEB is an Ohio-based company representing market-leading technologies essential to the design of today’s high performance building designs.
A typical damper in need of replacement may experience a leak rate of somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 or so cubic feet per minute. Multiply this by just a 3’ by 3’ foot opening and the result will be 1,350 cfm of leakage. At a square foot cost of $5, that’s nearly $7,000 of savings that a reliable damper can deliver. While this is certainly significant, AEB has seen even greater energy savings.
“There was a recent example of a damper in Chicago leaking at a rate of 230 cubic foot per minute per square foot. Basically the broken damper was stuck to an open position. This 5’ by 5’ opening resulted in 5750 cfm of leakage or about $28,750 additional energy cost. Regardless of the size of the facility, it’s not hard to see the quick payback of a damper system upgrade.”
“A building’s air handling system is only as strong as its weakest link,” concluded Moore. “While dampers and actuators may not represent the same level of investment as rotating equipment, for example, they can quickly negate the efficient operation of the entire system when not functioning properly. When you consider wasted energy costs, quality dampers are clearly worth the investment.”
New TAMCO Dampers
AEB stepped in to bid on a project to retrofit the hospital facility with new dampers. TAMCO low-leakage airfoil blade dampers are aluminum constructed and completely maintenance-free for 20 years. “TAMCO certainly has a good reputation for quality and we’ve always had good experience with their dampers,” said the hospital’s facility manager. “They seal up tight with precise and smooth functionality. For us the choice was a no-brainer.”
Measurable Results
Today, following renovation, uncontrollable temperature swings are a thing of the past at this hospital. “The difference is nothing short of incredible,” said the client. “Today with our pulse DDC (Direct Digital Control) system HVAC functionality is automated and reliable. We set a temperature and know with confidence that throughout our facilities will be within plus or minus 1/10 of a degree.”
Aside from the obvious comfort improvements, the new damper system was delivering significant savings in other areas. In addition to lower energy costs, cost-savings can also be tied to manpower. “Because of the reliable performance of the new tightly sealing TAMCO units we no longer waste time, money and resources continually making adjustments to the dampers,” explained the client. “This allows us to focus our resources and attention in other areas.”
And what was the client’s experience with AEB? “AEB was extremely professional and responsive throughout the entire project. As an example, because of a contractor error one of the damper units needed to be remade. AEB worked to get the replacement unit turned around very quickly.”
