HVAC Supplies Blog

The human body is very sensitive to the gain and loss of heat making comfort elusive, especially during summer and winter months. To make our homes a comfortable space to live in, we install cooling and heating systems, ventilation, insulation, and other features to protect us from drastic changes in temperature. HVAC systems combine all of these features into a single, all-in-one system, and controlled by one of its most essential components, which is the thermostat – a device that monitors your indoor temperature to provide greater control over the temperature setting.

With a thermostat installed, you won’t need to worry about being too hot or being too cold. It's an important part of a lot of homes providing comfort to each member of a household.

What is a Braeburn Thermostat?

Braeburn is a company based in Montgomery, Illinois which manufactures high quality digital electronic and electro-mechanical thermostats, zoning systems, air filtration products, humidification, and various accessories for installation by professional contractors worldwide. They are committed to increasing comfort in any home or business environment while lowering energy costs.

If you are looking for a thermostat for your next electrical project, visit Blackhawk Supply and choose from their selection of Braeburn HVAC thermostats. They have thermostats with zone control panels allowing you to divide your home or office into zones for better distribution of energy; thermostats with touchscreens so you can change or schedule the temperature you want with ease and Wi-Fi enabled thermostats allowing you to monitor the temperature of your home remotely through your mobile devices.

The Installation

The Braeburn thermostat should only be installed by professional service technicians. This is to ensure that your device will work effectively and efficiently while minimizing the risk of accidents and damages to your property. Improper installation can cause electric shocks, blowing a circuit breaker and damage to your cooling and heating systems as well as the thermostat unit itself.

The Set Up

After your thermostat have been installed by professionals, you will now need to program it to your desired settings.

Step 1 - In a normal operating mode, press the DAY/TIME button on the keypad to set the day and time of your thermostat.

• Press the up and down arrows to adjust the hour then press DAY/TIME when done.
• Press the up and down arrows to adjust the minute then press DAY/TIME when done.
• Press the up and down arrows to adjust the day of the week.
• Press RETURN to exit.

Step 2 - Press the FAN button repeatedly to scroll through the different modes.

• In the AUTO mode, the fan will only run when the heating or cooling units are running.
• In the ON mode, the system fan stays on continually.
• In the CIRC mode, the fan will run intermittently to help circulate air and provide more even temperatures when the heating or cooling system is not active.
• In the PROG mode, the fan turns on depending on how it was programmed.

Step 3 - Press and hold the RETURN button for approximately 3 seconds to access the User Options menu.

• Press the up and down arrow buttons to change the setting for the displayed User Option.
• The first stage differential determines how much the room temperature must change from the set temperature before heating or cooling must be initiated.
• Second and third stage differentials are only available on the 2220 models and can be set the same way.
• Press RETURN to exit when you have made the necessary changes.

Programming a 7-day Schedule

Here’s the thing with thermostats - the more you fiddle with them, the more power they consume. Blackhawk Supply’s programmable thermostats get rid of this problem because they enable you to program seven days’ worth of settings to maximize energy savings.

Here’s how to program your Braeburn thermostat for a 7-day residential schedule. Take note that setting all 7 days at once will copy over any previously programmed individual days

1. Press the PROG button for approximately 3 seconds to switch to SpeedSet programming mode.
2. Press SYSTEM to choose from the HEAT or COOL modes.
3. Press the up and down arrow buttons to adjust the hour for the MORN (morning) event then select NEXT.
4. Press the up and down arrow buttons to adjust the minute for the MORN event then select NEXT.
5. Press the up and down arrow buttons to adjust the temperature for the MORN event then select NEXT.
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for the DAY, EVE and NIGHT events.
7. Press RETURN to exit.

If you prefer to set individual days, you can do so by doing the following:

1. Press the PROG button to switch to programming mode. On the screen, M (Monday) will be displayed and the hour will be flashing.
2. Press SYSTEM to choose from the HEAT or COOL modes.
3. Select DAY/TIME to choose the day you would like to program.
4. Press the up and down arrow buttons to adjust the hour for the MORN (morning) event then select PROG when done.
5. Press the up and down arrow buttons to adjust the minute for the MORN (morning) event then select PROG when done.
6. Press the up and down arrow buttons to adjust the temperature for the MORN (morning) event then select PROG when done.
7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 for the DAY, EVE and NIGHT events.
8. Press RETURN to exit.

Resetting the Thermostat

If you want to reset all of your settings and programming, use a small, thin object such as a toothpick or a paperclip and gently press the button inside the small hole at the front of the thermostat which is labeled “reset”.

Changing the Batteries of the Thermostat

Your Braeburn thermostat will come pre-equipped with two AA type alkaline batteries. When the batteries become low, a low battery indicator will appear in the display. To change the batteries, you should:

• Remove the thermostat outer case by gently pulling it from the base.
• Remove the old batteries and replace with the new ones. Make sure that they are positioned properly.
• Gently push the thermostat's outer case back onto the base.

Cleaning the Thermostat

Spraying any liquid on the thermostat is not advised. Use a soft, damp cloth to wipe the outer body of the device. Never use any abrasive cleansers to clean your thermostat.

Winter is coming! And no, it’s not the White Walkers that you have to worry about. It’s those dangerously-low humidity levels that come with the ultra-cold weather.

Humidity is defined as the amount of water vapor that is present in the air at a given time. During the winter, the temperature of the air drops considerably, which also decreases the amount of water vapor that it can hold, resulting in lower humidity levels. Humidity levels this low doesn’t bode well for your health as it can cause an irritation in the eyes and itchy, flaky skin. It also dries out the mucous membrane lining, which lines the respiratory tract, which also results in a higher risk of suffering cold and other infections. It can also add to the amount of mold and fungus growth within your home.

To prevent all of these, a humidifier should be present in your home to maintain the quality of air within your living space.

Benefits of Humidifiers

Controlling the level of humidity is important. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that the air inside your home should be kept between 30 and 50 percent humidity for the maintenance of your health. For the upcoming winter season, having a humidifier inside your home can help you achieve those humidity levels. Additionally, there are other benefits of having a humidifier inside your home or office during the winter months:

• Helps prevent static – If the air inside your home is too dry, you might notice that touching some fabrics, other people and pets will give you a little shock. This is called static and although it's harmless, it is still very annoying.

• Helps prevent the spread of viruses – According to a recent study, keeping indoor humidity to at least 43% has a dramatic effect on approximately 85% of airborne viruses (including the influenza virus) rendering them ineffective.

• Helps reduce snoring – Low levels of humidity will cause dryness to the throat which increases the likelihood of snoring. By having a humidifier, you are introducing the needed moisture to the air to help soothe the tissues at the back of your throat helping you to sleep more comfortably.

• Prevents damage to wood – Wood that is exposed to dry air for a long period of time will shrink and split. So protect your wooden furniture or fixtures with a humidifier to prevent costly damages.

• Makes your home warmer – Air that has a good level of humidity feels warmer than dry air. With more water in the air, sweat evaporates more slowly, leaving the people inside the house feel warmer. This is important because, during winter, you are most likely to turn up your heater to keep your indoors warm. Having a great humidifier may cost less compared to turning your heating system to full blast thus saving you money on utilities.

Different Types of Humidifiers

There are many different types of humidifiers. If you want to add moisture to a medium-sized room such a bedroom or an office then a tabletop humidifier will be your best choice. These humidifiers are light-weight but still deliver outstanding results often offering germ protection, combination warm or cool mist outputs, easy-to-use controls, and built-in hygrometers. If you want to humidify more than one room, you will need a console humidifier which is considerably larger and can add moisture to spaces as large as 3,000 square feet. The type that you choose would obviously depend on your needs. Let’s take a look at the most common types:

• Evaporators - These are also known as wick humidifiers which take air in through an internal fan and run it through the wet wick filter before blowing that moistened air out into the room. Evaporators are one of the most affordable type of humidifiers but they tend to put too much moisture in the air. High level of humidity is problematic because it can also contribute to the growth of dust mites and mold.
• Impeller – Impeller humidifiers have a rotating disc that directs water through a diffuser which breaks the droplets of water into smaller ones before dispersing them into the air as a cool mist. These are considered to be the most commonly used type of humidifier due to their low price, low power requirement and their ability to cover large areas despite their small size. Because impellers are classified as cool mist humidifiers, they are considered to be a child-friendly.
• Ultrasonic – This is another type of cool mist humidifier but you can also get them in a warm mist version. They produce humidified air through ultrasonic vibrations.
• Steam Vaporizer – These are classified as warm mist humidifiers. Within the unit, water is heated at boiling point until vaporizes, therefore moving moistened warm air around the room. Steam vaporizers are the most portable and inexpensive but they are not recommended around children because the steam they give off causes burns.

For a house or a large office that has a significant need for moisture, whole-house or central humidifiers are best suited for the job. These types that are directly installed on your home’s HVAC unit and directly connect to the water line to disperse moisture all over the indoor space continually. They are permanent installations that humidify the entire house at once making them very efficient when it comes to energy and cost savings. There are three primary types of central humidifiers and these are:

• Bypass Humidifiers – Water vapor is generated by the bypass humidifier using water from the plumbing system mixed with warm air from the heat duct. Then, the moisture is distributed into each room of your home through the ductwork system.
• Fan-Powered Humidifiers – These work the same way as bypass humidifiers but they have a fan that blows air across the water panel for increased water evaporation. Because of this, fan-powered humidifiers produce more humidity compared to bypass humidifiers but since they use their own fan to move air, they consume more electricity. Fan-powered humidifiers are more costly to operate.
• Steam Humidifiers – These humidifiers heat the water in their reservoir to convert it to steam which is then picked up by the system blower then pushed throughout the home vents.

Every home is unique and you need to choose a humidifier that is best suited for your needs. Luckily, Blackhawk Supply has you covered. Shop for the best humidifiers on the market now!

Thermostats are key pieces in your home or building’s HVAC system because they provide you with greater control over the temperature that you want to achieve. It is arguably its most important component due to this function. That is why it is also important to place much care on your thermostat.

But no matter how much care you put in, certain situations may arise wherein your thermostat may need replacing. These situations include a broken thermostat, glitches, or upgrading the unit to a more advanced model to take advantage of advanced features on newer, more advanced models. For this reason, you will need to understand how to change your thermostat properly in order to avoid future problems occurring due to an incorrect installation.

Types of Thermostats

Not all thermostats are created equally. Some thermostats are manually-operated while some can be programmed to perform automated tasks related to your temperature requirements. These differences in the type and function of the thermostats create differences in the procedures in which these thermostats are installed. That is why in order to know how to install thermostats properly, each type should first be identified.

Mechanical Thermostat

Also known as traditional or analog, mechanical thermostats are devices that contain heat-sensitive bimetallic strips or vapor-filled bellows that have the ability to respond to various changes in the temperature. They are often found in older, more traditional homes and are often found to be unreliable due to the slow responses of the bimetallic strip, which results in significant variations in the temperature.

Non-Programmable Thermostat

Non-programmable thermostats are a type of digital thermostat that is completely solid-state, which means that they are deemed more accurate since they are able to provide temperature readings with fewer fluctuations than their mechanical counterpart. They make use of a solid-state temperature sensing device called a thermistor to detect changes in the temperature and then uses a circuit board along with user settings to provide a reading on the information about the HVAC system.

Programmable Thermostat

There are actually two types of programmable thermostats, namely programmable digital thermostats and programmable mechanical thermostats. Mechanical thermostats that are programmable, however, are very old and are difficult to find. Programmable digital thermostats have now replaced their mechanical counterparts. Digital thermostats offer multiple functions and settings that provides users with access to a variety of added functions and program these functions in a variety of combinations to suit the user’s preferences. It is helpful to note that there are some units that are quite easy to program while others can be very difficult to program and understand.

WiFi-Enabled Thermostat

WiFi-enabled thermostats, also known as smart thermostats, are advanced-level thermostats that have the ability to learn the behaviors of your home through the use of the internet. They use WiFi in order to provide additional layers of control over your home or office’s HVAC system and can be controlled by your computer, tablet, and smartphone. Most WiFi-enabled thermostats on the market today have the ability to adjust itself based on the behavior it has learned after prolonged use.

Reasons to Replace Your Thermostat

Thermostats encounter various problems throughout their entire existence. Just because some problems are encountered, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that they require replacing immediately. There are some instances may arise where a specific part just might need minor repairs or replacement. In some cases, there are specific situations wherein the replacement of the entire unit is needed. These situations include:

• The malfunctioning of the unit cannot easily be attributed to a loose wire, dust buildup, or corrosion.
• When the unit doesn’t display accurate information.
• When the user wants to upgrade to a better, more efficient unit.

But before you proceed with any replacements to your thermostat, make sure that you…

Turn Off Your Furnace and Air-conditioning Unit

Make sure your furnace, A/C, and all other units associated with your thermostat are turned off. Remember that the best form of security and safety is prevention. To do that, go to your breaker box and flip all the switches related to your A/C, furnace, and others. This is to ensure that they have indeed been turned off. Make sure they have indeed been turned off by adjusting your thermostat to the highest and then the lowest setting. If your furnace and A/C doesn’t turn on, then you’re good to go.

Preparing to Detach Your Thermostat

Be sure to note the type of thermostat that you have to note how to detach your specific type. Some thermostat models will have their entire bodies detached while for others, only the cover detaches. Once you’ve done that, carefully detach the body/cover of the thermostat and note the number of low-voltage wires present and the terminals in which they are connected. This will make it easier for you to install your new unit when you just duplicate the connections.

Install the Mounting Plate for the Replacement Thermostat

Depending on the types of the old and replacement thermostat, you will need to replace the wall mounts for each thermostat unit. To do this, you will need to first detach the old wall mount using the appropriate screwdriver. Then, install the mounting plate for your new thermostat. Take special care to prevent the wires from falling back into the wall. Once the new mount has been attached, attach the wires to the correct terminal by matching the colors of the wires with the corresponding terminal.

Installing the New Thermostat Unit

Once the wall mount has been securely attached to the wall and all the wires have been connected to the appropriate terminals, attach the new thermostat face. This should be a fairly simple step to accomplish. Otherwise, refer to the user manual for instructions on how to attach the face.

Configuring Your New Thermostat

Return to your breaker and turn the power back on to your furnace and air-conditioning unit. The natural next step is to configure the new thermostat – but herein lies the tricky part. Configuring the new thermostat will depend highly on the type you just installed. Mechanical thermostats are typically the easiest to configure while programmable thermostats are the most difficult. It is best to consult the user manual to find out how to properly configure your thermostat to avoid any problems.

The installation of HVAC systems in every business or residence is very important in order to have a solution for the regulation of temperature that is built with an emphasis on energy efficiency. They play an important role in the protection of equipment from various changes in the weather and the regulation of their temperature as well as regulate the indoor temperature of homes and businesses for the comfort and health of its many occupants. They ensure that every indoor environment can enjoy optimized temperature regulation as well as proper airflow for more comfort.

What are HVAC Systems?

HVAC is an acronym, which means Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning. As the name indicates, they are integrated systems composed of various elements that carry out specific functions such as heating, cooling, and ventilation for climate control in indoor environments. Climate control is essential in regulating the temperature and moisture levels of indoor environments to make sure that all occupants are not only comfortable but also healthy. Not only that, it is paramount in maintaining the integrity of equipment and other sensitive equipment or materials such as historical artifacts in museums.

How do HVAC Systems Work?

Basically, all HVAC systems are composed of many moving parts. Of course, the design of these systems may vary from one system to another but these parts are generally present in all HVAC systems. Learning about the function of these parts can give you a basic idea of the anatomy of HVAC systems as well as how they work.

Thermostat

Typically, each component would have their own thermostat. For HVAC systems, all the components are integrated into one efficient system, which needs only one thermostat. It is easily the part that you will get to interact with the most. They can be used to manually set the temperature or be set to automatically regulate the temperature and trigger the HVAC system to compensate for any changes to the ambient temperature.

Furnace

The furnace is perhaps the largest part of any HVAC system and will require the most space. It is designed to increase the heat of air that is then delivered to various areas within the home or building via piping systems or air ducts.

Evaporator Coil

The evaporator coil is responsible for cooling down the air when the thermostat is set to lower temperatures, which is then delivered to various areas within the home or building.

Condensing Unit

The condensing unit is an external part of an HVAC system. It houses the refrigerant on the outside of the building. This refrigerant is normally in a gaseous state but is condensed into a liquid state by the condensing unit by cooling the gas, which is then pumped to the evaporator coil to be transformed back into a gas to provide cooling.

Refrigerant Lines

The refrigerant line is responsible for delivering the gaseous refrigerant to the condensing unit.

Air Vents

Air vents are pathways that are used by the cooled or heated air from the duct system into various areas around the home or building. These are typically placed near the ceiling with a slight downward angle in to send air downward.

What are the Different Types of HVAC Systems?

• Heating and Air-Conditioning Split Systems – normally referred to as the traditional HVAC system. They have components inside and outside of the home or building to deliver cool refrigerant or hot air to different rooms.
• Duct-Free Split Systems – they are composed of a heat pump or air conditioner, wires and tubing, and a small fan coil – all components that help the system function without ductwork.
• Zoned Systems – this HVAC system allows you to cool or heat different areas by controlling valves or dampers within the ductwork.
• Humidity Control Systems – these are modern systems with built-in humidifiers and dehumidifiers to provide users with great control over the level of humidity.

How much do HVAC Systems Cost?

The total cost of HVAC systems is difficult to accurately provide. That is because there are many factors that can contribute to the total cost. These include:

Cost of the Equipment

HVAC systems have various components that need to be installed separately. These components are usually priced and bought separately but some can give you an estimate on the price of the entire system, which will still depend on the price of each component. But it goes without saying: higher quality components and systems will definitely cost more.

Installation Costs

The cost of installation is highly dependent on many factors such as the quality of the equipment being installed, the area in which you live, the need for ductwork, and the size of the home or building. Typically, new HVAC system installations can approximately cost $3,000 to $30,000. Of course, this will depend on those factors stated previously. But keep in mind that cheaper does not always mean better. On the contrary, it is usually an indicator of low-quality systems.

Maintenance Costs

The key to ensuring the efficiency of your HVAC system is timely maintenance. Its various parts need to be checked regularly and replaced to make sure everything is always running smoothly. These parts include the thermostats, humidity controllers, dampers, humidifiers, zoning systems, and temperature controls. They require replacement every so often in order to make sure no problems will be encountered in the future. This means things can get very pricey – but not if you choose to purchase from the right vendor. For the best quality and most affordable parts, grab them here.

Operating Costs

The operation of your HVAC system is easily the largest expense you can incur due to large energy expenses. That is why it is extremely important to choose energy efficient systems that allow you to enjoy the benefits of an HVAC system while keeping costs to a minimum – higher efficiency systems mean lower operating costs. It is also important to make sure that your home or office is well-insulated to prevent any leakage and avoid losses.

Due to all of these factors, it is very difficult to provide an exact price for HVAC systems. That is why it is extremely important to have a professional visit your home or office to allow them to assess your area and provide you with an estimate.