A central air conditioning system is of four types: single package, split system, mini split and multi split, and small duct high velocity units.

A single packaged air conditioning unit can be placed outdoors, on the roof or through a wall. The compressor, condenser and evaporator are all placed in one unit. It is relatively inexpensive to install. Cool air is circulated across all the rooms based on an up flow, down flow or horizontal system. Such units generally come with gas furnaces and heating coils. Single packaged air conditioners are generally not found in residences.

In a split system, some components are placed indoors and some outdoors. The compressor and condenser are placed outside while the evaporator is placed in a cabinet inside. Refrigerant lines connect indoor ducts to the refrigerants located in the outdoor cabinet. A split system is relatively cheap to install if the house has a furnace but does not have an air conditioner.

In mini split and multi split units, there are a number of indoor units. Multiple indoor coils are connected to a single outdoor unit. The indoor unit can be mounted on a ceiling, floor or wall. Ductwork is not required in such units, making them suitable new additions to residences. The indoor and outdoor units are slimmer compared to other split system central air conditioners.

A small duct high velocity air conditioner circulates cool air via plastic pipes to inlets and outlets, which distribute air throughout the living area. Such units do not require ductwork and can be retrofitted in residences using hydronic or electric baseboard heating.

Heat pumps are another type of air conditioners. These are reverse cycle air conditioners, which consist of an indoor evaporator and outdoor condenser unit. The evaporator and condenser switch roles to produce cool air and also generate heat. Heat pumps are better options compared to central air conditioners in homes that have electric, gas or oil furnaces. They also provide significant savings in costs of heating during winters. The savings can be in the range of 20 to 60% depending on the energy source – it’s higher in case of electricity and lower in case of gas.

Air conditioners are cooling systems fitted in homes, offices, private and public establishments. An air conditioner is a major 20^th century invention, introduced first as a luxury item, but one that has become a necessity in many countries across the world. Air conditioners provide relief from heat and humidity by keeping the indoor environment cool. They add to the utility bill, but people would rather pay up the bill than suffer in the uncomfortable heat, especially during the summer season.

Air conditioning systems can be broadly divided into three types: room air conditioners, central air conditioners and heat pumps. A room air conditioner is used for a single room or living area. Such a unit is fixed to the wall of a room or fitted to the window sill. It is also called a window air conditioner. Room air conditioners are ideal if only a few rooms in the house are required to be kept cool and others can do without such a cooling system. This type of air conditioner also doesn’t add too much to the utility bill, at least when compared to a centralized system. It is also relatively cheap to get a room air conditioner installed.

A centralized air conditioning system is ideal for cooling larger areas, such as offices, buildings, theatres, hotels and homes. If the entire living or working space needs to be kept cool at all times, a centralized air conditioner is the best option. Instead of fitting air conditioners in each room of the house or office, it is better to get a central system fixed. An advantage of such a system is that, being central it can be maintained easily. It also provides effective cooling and goes about its business quietly, without the low humming sound made by room air conditioners.

Purdue University researchers are developing a new heat pump design that promises better efficiency in very low temperatures and can be used effectively across a wider geographic range. If the end result of the project meets all projected expectations, then it could drastically cut down heating bills of people living in cold climates.

US Department of Energy is funding the project, with a grant of up to $1.3 million. It is hoped that a concept/prototype pump design will be ready after the research span of three years. Others working on the project with Purdue include Carrier Corp and Emerson Climate Technologies Inc. Emerson is involved with the research side, while Carrier has taken the responsibility of integrating the design into a complete heat pump system.

The research aims to make changes in heat pump operation for better performance in very low temperatures. Two cooling processes involved in heat pump compression are being studied by researchers. In one process, moderately large quantities of oil are being added to the compressor to absorb all the heat produced during compression. In the second process, a vapor and liquid mix refrigerant is being injected at different times during the compression process to facilitate cooling. The injection of oil and refrigerants is not possible in a traditional reciprocating compressor design. Researchers had to redesign the scroll compressor to allow the addition of these substances into the compressor chamber.

Eckhard Groll is a mechanical engineering professor working on the project. According to him, a design modification was necessary as the reciprocating compressor could not accept liquids. The new scroll compressor is unique – in this, the liquids can be easily pumped, something that was needed for the purpose of the study. He said that it is important to evaluate the level of efficiency of a system that can pump liquid as well as compress gas and a significant amount of computational modeling will be involved.

Groll added that heat pump efficiency can be maintained with this technology, even if temperatures outside drop to low levels. Others assisting on the project include assistant professor of civil engineering W.Travis. Horton. The new technology that will be developed at the end of the research will work by altering the existing vapor compression cycle used by typical refrigeration and air conditioning systems. There are four stages in the process: the refrigerant is compressed into a vapor which condenses to form a liquid. This is further expanded into a mixture of liquid and vapor and ultimately evaporated.

The process of injecting the refrigerant into the scroll compressor will be carefully controlled by a set of valves that are being developed as a part of the project. An ongoing research on the Ericsson cycle will be used for this purpose. Purdue University is researching something similar in a joint study with the California Energy Commission.

Doctoral students participating in the research are Ian Bell and Margaret Mathison. Their research papers will be presented at the 13^th International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference.

Have you walked into the washroom of a restaurant and found yourself admiring its design, cleanliness or style? You may have also walked around to examine its murals or looked at the bathroom’s luxury fittings in admiration. If you have, then there is a possibility that this restroom is one of the over hundred Canadian restrooms that has been nominated in a contest to pick Canada’s best bathroom.

You can now choose the best bathroom in the whole of Canada online, with ‘Canada’s Best Bathroom’ contest, the Canadian version of the popular American contest (‘America’s Best Bathroom’). Sponsored by Cintas, maker of cleaning products, the contest attracted in excess of hundred nominations. Now, it is down to five finalists. Public can vote online until August 31st to come to a decision on Canada’s best bathroom.

Of the five finalists, Toronto’s Mildred’s Temple Kitchen is certainly the most colorful of the lot. The restaurant’s marketing tactic this Valentine was to place condoms and Kama Sutra copies in its unisex washrooms, in a bid to encourage customers to have sex in them. Maeve Gallagher, the restaurant’s guest services manager, said that the marketing ploy was just a reflection of their unique brand of humor. Though the restaurant has gained notoriety after this quirky promotion, there is no disputing the aesthetics of its bathrooms. The restaurant’s beautiful murals, painted by artist Alice Jarry, have been acknowledged by the contest.

Toronto restaurant Spice Route, whose garden views have been recognized by the contest, finds itself in the top five. Another finalist, Metro Toronto Convention Centre hosted President Obama recently, one reason why it may have had an edge over the other nominees. But hosting powerful politicians apart, the centre’s hands-free technology has been lauded by the contest. Vancouver’s Cactus Club Café and Shangri-La Hotel are the two other finalists.

The contest’s media relations director David Brandt said that voters should look at two criteria. They should decide how immaculately clean the restrooms are and also judge which restroom is the most memorable, based on their personal experience and the levels of luxury, quirkiness, fun that makes the restroom stand apart.

Brandt added that the competition was not all fun and there was a serious message attached to it – that of cleanliness. He said that that there is direct relationship between washroom cleanliness and customer satisfaction. According to a study conducted by Cintas, 95% of respondents admitted that they wouldn’t go back to a restaurant or public center that had dirty restrooms. Mildred Temple Kitchen’s Gallagher also voiced her opinion on the issue, saying that a clean bathroom is indicative of the level of service provided by a restaurant. She added that the restaurant’s priority was to ensure that customers were comfortable in all areas of the restaurant.

The winner will be crowned in September. It is to be seen how the Canadian public will vote. The contest is sure to inspire establishments to take a second look at the cleanliness of their restrooms.

President Kyle Lumsden was recently interviewed by Mechanical Business and was featured on the cover page. It was a candid Q&A session with a focus on Kyle’s personal interests and views. He spoke about his early days in the business (it’s been twenty years since he first started) when he would travel at least three hours a day with his best companions – audio books.

Kyle said that he loved interacting with people and solving their technical issues – a perfect combination for the job he is so passionate about. He also briefly talked about the level of service provided by Clearview. He also mentioned how all Clearview service vehicles come with custom shelves and several hundred parts. He said that all customers are treated equally and get similar levels of service.

Recounting one of his fondest memories on the job, he narrated the incident where Clearview helped out a single mother and her kids with a broken heat exchanger in winter. With some help from the city of Calgary and the supplier, Clearview supplied a free furnace to the woman, who could not afford to buy a new one. He said that this was what was important to him and to the company.

Kyle also told Mechanical Business about Clearview’s charity program, which awards one charity $1000 through a draw held every month. He said he wished that they could write out a check to all the charities and help them out with all the money they need.

On a lighter note, he spoke about his favorite food (lots of steak!), movie (The Hurt Locker), sports (bike racing and weight lifting) and favorite business websites. The hard core Metallica fan also said that the one place in the world that he would most like to visit is China and the one person that he would like to meet is Lance Armstrong. He signed off with a few words of motivation for all – “make everyday your absolute best”.

At least 1200 homes in the UK could be potential death traps for the residents living in them! These homes have concealed flue boiler systems, which are prone to carbon monoxide leaks and have already caused two known deaths so far. The Health and Safety Executive has issued warnings after this fact came to light. The homes which have been deemed ‘immediately dangerous’ will have to be assessed for safety by the relevant officials and remedial action will be taken if required.

There are some steps you can take to ensure that you stay safe within your home from such accidents. The HSE recommends annual gas checks on your appliances by a Gas Safe registered engineer who is qualified to spot leaks. For tenants, the landlord must undertake to carry out this periodic check. He or she is required to give you a copy of the gas safety check certificate.

Servicing your appliances and keeping them in good working condition is important to stay clear of the risk of dangerous emissions like CO in your home. Get your chimney cleaned completely at least once a year to ensure free flow of smoke and fumes to the outside.

Make sure you hire Gas Safe registered technicians for all repairs and new installations. These technicians can detect leakages in existing gas appliances and ensure leak proof installation of new devices.

The HSE also strongly recommends using CO alarms within your home. Make sure you get alarms that are approved by the appropriate regulatory authority and carry the mark of credibility and reliance. These devices should comply with British Standard EN 50291 and should be certified to be effective leak detectors.

Remember, CO is a silent killer and you may not even know you are breathing it in. Take the right precautionary measures now to stay safe at home.

The death of a young dance teacher in West London sent shock waves across the nation in February 2008. The death was a tragic and wholly unexpected occurrence no doubt. But what made it even more horrifying is that the young woman died within the ‘safety’ of her own home.

Investigations revealed that the dance teacher died from inhaling poisonous carbon monoxide gas, a silent killer in her home. The gas was traced to the concealed flue boiler system that had been installed in the home.

In 2007, another resident had died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a home which used a similar boiler system. It was only after the 2008 tragedy that this earlier one was viewed in a different light – as having been caused by faulty evacuation of dangerous gases from the boiler. Surprisingly, both homes had all the necessary gas safety certificates.

Concealed flue boilers can become killing machines if they are not installed properly or in the right places. Gas fired central heating devices such as these can be producing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO) if they are not functioning properly. If the flue which carries this deadly gas out of the house has breaks or gaps, then the CO can escape into the ceiling and enclosed spaces where it is ‘concealed’ from view. You can imagine how easily the same gas can permeate into your living spaces through gaps or openings in the ceiling or enclosure.

Because these flues are concealed, it is virtually impossible to gain access to these areas on a regular basis for periodic checks by qualified professionals. Although warnings have been issued and many builders using this system have run checks and installed CO leak detectors, the fact remains that the concealed flue boilers have cost two lives recently and may still be endangering lives of many others. If your home has a concealed flue boiler system, you should run a thorough check on it immediately. It could save your life.

Saving water, one of the most important natural resources, has many benefits. You not only save on your water bills, but also meaningfully contribute towards the environment. Saving water at home is not as difficult as it may sound. Just follow a few simple best practices and you will be able to save significantly on your water bills. Here are a few things that you can do:

• Check for leaking faucets and get them repaired immediately.
• Don’t keep the tap water running as you brush your teeth; this is one of the easiest ways to save water.
• If you are washing dishes by hand, make sure you make optimum use of water without keeping the tap running all the time.
• Xeriscape your garden using an irrigation system that uses minimal amount of water.
• Make sure that you don’t keep the water sprinkler in your garden running all the time.
• Employ rain water harvesting techniques to re-use the collected rain water for several household purposes other than drinking.

Educate you children and your community about water conservation and lead by example. Water is a valuable resource and it’s becoming increasingly important to conserve it, as the water tables around the world recede year after year. So don’t hesitate and do your bit for the cause.

Residents of a condo in Town of Milton recently faced the lethal menace of CO poisoning. The deadly carbon monoxide fumes entered the living areas of one of the flats. The residents of this contaminated flat succumbed to the lethal gas.

James Folk and his fiancée Joan Leith, both retired, lived in the flat. The couple was found lying unconscious in the house when relatives opened up the door after failing to get any response despite repeated knocks and calls.

Authorities found high levels of carbon monoxide inside the flat when they tested it post the tragic event. The couple was believed to have left their minivan running through the night by accident. The exhaust fumes from the van filled the garage and then permeated the home too, causing them to breathe in the killer fumes. The worst part is, the couple probably had no idea what was happening and couldn’t have even managed to make any attempt to save themselves.

Neighbors shudder to think that this could have so easily happened to them as well. CO has no odor, no color and it is virtually impossible to detect it in your atmosphere before it is too late. Inhaling excessive amounts of the gas can be fatal and it all happens too quickly for you can react and move out to safety.

Prevention is the best solution where CO air contamination is concerned. It is recommended to install CO alarms and undertake periodic checks of gas appliances to prevent leaks. All potential sources of CO should also be kept out of access to indoors, where the CO can accumulate to lethal levels.