Transcript
Advantage Third Quarter 2008 Volume 8, Issue 3
Steam vs. Evaporative. . . The Choice Is Clear Millions of satisfied customers can attest to the benefits of evaporative humidifiers. Evaporative humidifiers offer a cost effective solution to the unavoidable issues associated with heating cold air. Evaporative humidifiers offer the lowest cost to install, maintain, and operate when compared to steam humidifiers. Whether installed on a gas furnace or a heat pump, evaporative units deliver impressive amounts of humidity. DELIVERY SYSTEM Evaporative humidifiers perform well without a call for heat. In fact, Aprilaire Series 600 and 700 humidifiers capacities meet or exceed similarcapacity steam models such as the Honeywell EVAPORATION RATE models illustrated. HEATING SYSTEM SUPPLY AIR SUPPLY WATER OPERATION
Gallons per day is gallons per day, regardless BLOWER ONLY of whether it is delivered via steam or an HEAT PUMP GAS FURNACE evaporative style humidifier. Refer to the facts. Aprilaire humidifiers deliver the same or greater capacity, regardless of system or operating conditions.
COST PER MONTH TO OPERATE HUMIDIFIER 600A 700A HM506 HM509 HM512
Madison $32 $41 $88 $88 $79
Atlanta $31 $40 $84 $85 $75
CITY Baltimore $39 $52 $98 $99 $88
Chicago $33 $43 $100 $100 $89
NYC $47 $60 $149 $150 $134
TEMP
TEMP
HM506
HM509
HM512
Deg F
Deg F
MODEL 600 MODEL 700 gph
gph
gph
gph
gph
70 90 120
120 120 120
.35 .49 .72
.48 .63 .86
.25 .25 .25
.38 .38 .38
.50 .50 .50
LOWEST COST TO OPERATE A steam humidifier can cost the homeowner up to 2-1/2 times that of an Aprilaire humidifier to operate, mainly due to electrical consumption necessary to feed a very hungry heating element. That’s up to $75 per month or more! Will you be prepared to take the call the first time the homeowner sees his electric bill?
*Based on cost to evaporate 6.5 gallons per day with fan-only operation at 70F plenum
LOWEST COST TO MAINTAIN Some steam humidifiers require an in-line water filter to be installed on each system or they will void the warranty. This filter can be 239% more expensive than a #35 water panel, and more time-consuming to change out. With Aprilaire evaporative humidifiers, simply replace the affordable water panel, perform a couple of quick checks on the drain line and water delivery system and you are done. It’s that easy. LOWEST COST TO SERVICE The self-diagnostic features of the Aprilaire automatic digital control eliminates time spent trouble-shooting, as well as faulty repairs due to misdiagnosis. This can save time and money for both the homeowner and the dealer.
The Choice Is Clear (continued) Steam humidifiers typically have more than twice as many functional parts compared to Aprilaire. More parts mean more parts to go wrong and more expensive when they do. These repairs will again be expensive and cost prohibitive for the homeowner. Do you really need all these headaches and unhappy customers? ECO FRIENDLY – APRILAIRE WINS AGAIN Steam humidifiers do consume less water than many evaporative humidifiers. Remember in most cases, however, the electric usage is much higher. If your customers want green, quote the Aprilaire Model 400A. This large bypass humidifier has the same capacity as the 600A, but uses 100% of the water and virtually no other electrical power is needed. Now that’s green! CONCLUSION There are very few applications that are not well suited for evaporative humidifiers; attic installations and crawl spaces are two examples. In these situations, a steam humidifier with remote mount capabilities may be the solution. However, due to the extremely high cost to install, operate and maintain these units, they should only be considered as a last resort.
Which humidifier would you prefer to troubleshoot?
Aprilaire delivers: MORE COMFORT, MORE PROTECTION AND MORE ENERGY SAVINGS. Install Aprilaire and exceed your customers’ requirements. Aprilaire is the best choice for all the right reasons. I
Turn On That Blower Everyone knows you need air movement in order to humidify. In standard evaporative style installations, this means waiting for a heat call from the thermostat. However, Aprilaire humidifiers perform well with or without a call for heat. We just need to operate the blower. There are several ways to do this and all are easy to do. • FAN SWITCH ON THERMOSTAT – When wired properly at the furnace terminal strip, the homeowner can simply flip the thermostat fan switch to the “On” position. This operates the blower and allows the humidifier to operate. – When installed on a gas furnace, wire the humidifier through the “EAC” circuit. This will require a transformer. – When installed on a heat pump, simply wire the humidifier to the “G” circuit.
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• APRILAIRE MODEL 8570 THERMOSTAT – This premium thermostat allows extended run time of the blower if the humidifier control is not satisfied. Minimum run time is five minutes to a maximum of 15 minutes. Besides allowing the blower to continue operating, the thermostat provides these benefits as well: – Displays Outdoor Temperature and Indoor Relative Humidity – Easy, menu driven programming and much more! • APRILAIRE 4851 BLOWER ACTIVATION RELAY – When wired properly, the installation of this relay allows the humidifier to energize the HVAC blower on a call for humidity. Your customers can now properly humidify their homes, automatically, regardless of whether or not there is a call for heat. This new item is available now from your Aprilaire distributor! I
Aprilaire Humidifier Maintenance Maintenance is a critical task on any piece of mechanical equipment, and humidifiers are no exception. It is essential that these fast and easy tasks be performed so your customers can enjoy all the benefits of their Aprilaire humidifier in the upcoming heating season. • CHANGE WATER PANEL: Use a genuine Aprilaire replacement water panel for optimum evaporative efficiency. Water panel should be replaced at least once per year, more often if water hardness caused excess mineral build-up. – Install with the colored spot up – Inspect scale control insert and replace if cracked or broken – Wipe all mineral deposits from the scale control insert and water distribution tray. – When reassembling, make sure the water distribution tray is properly seated in scale control insert. • WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM: – Check fittings at saddle valve and solenoid valve. They should be tight and leak free – Water feed tube • INSPECT WATER FEED TUBE: Inspect water feed tube and replace if there is any sign of cracking or wear.
• PROPERLY INSERTED: Make sure it is properly inserted into nozzle or water distribution tray – Clean/replace orifice and strainer at the solenoid valve. These are inexpensive items that should be on every service truck. • CHECK DRAIN LINE: Checking the drain line is one of the most overlooked areas in humidifier maintenance. Yet it is critical in achieving trouble-free performance. It is recommended that the drain line be replaced every 2 years. – Constant downward slope – Low or flat spots in drain line will result in stagnant water, which can allow microbiological growth and/or sediment to accumulate, blocking the drain. – Make sure drain line is not kinked or flattened • SYSTEM CHECK: Turn on the HVAC blower and check the static pressure, which should not exceed 0.4 in wg. – High static pressure can cause air to flow at a high velocity through the water panel and fling water off the panel. – Check pressure in all modes if system is zoned. I
Make the Most of Your Advertising Dollars Aprilaire’s Co-op Advertising Program is a great cost-effective way to help you get new sales leads by promoting your business along side Aprilaire products. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: • As an Aprilaire dealer, you automatically receive $1,000 in your annual co-op advertising account • You'll grow your co-op account by earning 2% on all additional Aprilaire purchases. For example, if you buy $50,000 in Aprilaire products, we will credit $1,000 ($50,000 x .02) to your co-op account • Just fax, e-mail or send copies of purchase statements or invoices and Aprilaire will do the rest. It's that simple! Using the co-op program gives you the ability to promote your business for half the price. Aprilaire will pay 50% of the cost based on your account balance. Professionally developed advertising materials for Aprilaire products are pre-approved and ready to go.
You can order them today and start generating leads tomorrow: • Ad Slicks for newspapers, magazines, newsletters • Radio Spots • TV Spots • Direct Mail If you are interested in custom advertising using your own creative, we'll gladly work with you to make your program successful. Contact our Marketing department with your advertising proposal. (Pre-approval is required for all custom advertising.) Aprilaire Co-op Advertising is easy to use and is an effective, affordable way to grow your business. Contact your Aprilaire representative or call 1-800-334-6011 to get started. I
www.aprilairepartners.com
P.O. Box 1467 • Madison, WI 53701-1467 1-800-334-6011
The 6706 Retrofit Damper is Back! Aprilaire is proud to announce the 6706 retro fit damper is back in full production, in stock and ready to ship. Retro zoning is not going away and neither is Aprilaire. The new home market has forced many dealers to find other ways to generate revenue from the existing home market and retro zoning is the perfect way. Just think of all those homes where the homeowners have been living with temperature control issues and for who knows for how long they’ve lived with the problem. Retro zoning is the perfect solution for these customers and your opportunity to generate new revenue. But we are sure this not new news we are bringing you but more importantly we want you to know, we are your partner. I
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID MADISON WI PERMIT #557
Booties from Aprilaire! Start the call off right by showing your customers that you are a professional and you care about their home. Your recommendations will mean more and they will remember you! Aprilaire Booties can be slipped on in seconds to protect carpet, tile or wood floors from dirt mud and scuff marks. • Case of 50 pair • Convenient, dispenser box • One size fits most • $20 per box Order them today by calling 1-800-334-6011. I
Let Us Know… We welcome any comments and suggestions that you may have. Please direct them to
[email protected] (refer to Dealer Newsletter in the subject line).
