Tag: equipment air conditioner

NEMA Ratings Explained

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment

NEMA ratings serve as important standards that delineate the specific environments suitable for electrical enclosures. Established by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, this rating system indicates the capacity of a fixed enclosure to endure various environmental conditions. Below are some of the reasons why NEMA ratings are used for rating enclosures.

Environmental Protection– NEMA ratings serve as a benchmark for the level of protection that electrical enclosures offer against various environmental elements, including dust, moisture, chemicals, and corrosion.

Safety – Ensuring the safety of personnel and preventing accidents related to enclosures is of the utmost importance. By choosing the correct NEMA-rated enclosure, the risks associated with electric shock and exposure to hazardous materials can be significantly reduced or entirely avoided.

Equipment Performance– To ensure optimal performance of electrical equipment, it is essential to adhere to specific environmental requirements tailored to the equipment’s needs. The ratings associated with the equipment will guide you in selecting appropriate enclosures that offer adequate protection against temperature extremes, humidity, and excessive vibration.

Compliance and Regulations– NEMA ratings are established by regulatory bodies and industry standards to ensure that electrical installations adhere to essential requirements. Adhering to these ratings minimizes the risk of non-compliance and the potential legal ramifications that may arise from it.

Equipment Durability and Reliability– Electrical enclosures designed with the appropriate NEMA ratings provide enhanced durability and reliability by safeguarding internal components from environmental influences. This protection not only prolongs the equipment’s lifespan but also minimizes maintenance requirements and boosts overall system performance.

NEMA 12 Cabinet Cooler Systems are oil-tight, dust-tight, and rated for indoor duty. They can also be installed on the wall of an enclosure (instead of the top) with a Side Mount Kit.

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler NEMA Ratings:

NEMA 12 enclosures are designed primarily for indoor use in industrial, manufacturing, and machining environments. These robust metal enclosures provide effective protection against dust, dirt, and non-corrosive liquids, including oils and lubricants.

NEMA 4 rating signifies that an electrical enclosure is designed to withstand exposure to wind-driven dust and rain, splashing water, and water from hoses, while also resisting damage from ice accumulation. This rating makes the enclosure suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications, ensuring robust protection against various environmental conditions.

NEMA 4X rating indicates that an electrical enclosure is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications, providing protection against wind-driven dust, rain, splashes, and hose-directed water, as well as resistance to corrosion. The inclusion of the “X” signifies enhanced corrosion protection, making these enclosures ideal for challenging environments such as marine locations and chemical processing facilities.

If you have questions about NEMA Ratings, or anything regarding EXAIR and our products, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

I’d Like To Buy a Valve

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment

Both solenoid valves and ball valves function as on/off mechanisms to regulate flow within piping systems. Despite their similar roles, it is crucial to recognize the key differences between these two types of valves when selecting the most suitable option for your particular application.

Manual ball valves provide operators with the ability to manually shut off the air supply. We offer a range of full-flow ball valves, ensuring that there is no restriction on flow, with sizes available from 1/4″ NPT to 1-1/4″ NPT. These valves serve as an excellent solution for those seeking a straightforward and efficient method to manage air flow.

EXAIR stocks Solenoid Valves in a variety of sizes & voltages

Solenoid valves provide an electronic means to control the air supply, facilitating the development of more automated systems. Available in three voltage options—120VAC, 240VAC, and 24VDC—these valves accommodate a variety of flow rates and feature port sizes ranging from 1/4″ NPT to 1″ NPT. All models comply with RoHS and CE standards and are UL-listed, ensuring safety and reliability in their applications.

In addition to offering our solenoid valves as standalone products, we have incorporated them into various other solutions, such as our thermostat-controlled Cabinet Coolers and Electronic Flow Controllers, to deliver a comprehensive, ready-to-use option. Furthermore, these valves can be managed via a PLC, allowing for customization to meet specific application requirements.

It is advisable to turn off your compressed air system when it is not in use, even if you are utilizing the most efficient engineered products. This practice not only reduces energy consumption, leading to cost savings, but also contributes to the longevity of your air compressor. If you have questions about solenoid and ball valves, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

Air Cooling Maintenance?

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

The time has finally come, and spring is here! The Cincinnati Reds are playing, Spring Soccer is happening early on Saturday mornings, and the FC Cincinnati Stadium is bustling here in Cincy. With that, temperatures are climbing, the grass and weeds are growing, and more and more families are out walking around and doing outdoor activities. With this, also comes warmer temps, and lots of spring allergies in the Farno household. As a dad, I have stepped into my role pretty well by trying to delay turning on the air conditioner until everyone else in the house is plotting my demise. This year, I achieved it by putting off the routine maintenance of the condensing coils.

In case you weren’t aware, here in the Midwest, where pollen runs rampant and the winds have been strong this year, it is a great idea to clean out the condensing coils on your home’s A/C system before turning it on for the year. Unfortunately, your home A/C system is not maintenance-free like the Cabinet Cooler Systems EXAIR offers; at the same time, your home needs a lot more than a few thousand BTU/hr of cooling capacity. When we first bought the home, I didn’t know this was a thing, as the home I grew up in didn’t have central air. We rocked Window A/Cs, and my parents still do. So, cleaning the outdoor unit was not part of my knowledge base. This is something I learned once the air conditioner wasn’t working, and I started to troubleshoot.

The main purpose of the condensing coils is to strip all the heat out of the refrigerant and get it to “condense” back into its liquid state to be pushed back through the orifice and continue to cool the air that is being passed over the A Coils inside the house. These coils are covered in fins that are very tightly spaced. The outside unit has a large fan that pulls the surrounding air in through the coils and exhausts the hot air up out of the top. There is no filter on that incoming ambient air, though, so all the leaves, cobwebs, pet hair, pollen, dirt, mulch, you name it, get pulled up into these fins. Over time, this starts to get a buildup, and the cooling fins will start to lose their efficiency. The fan won’t be able to pull as much air through, and eventually, the gas doesn’t get condensed, which then reduces the cooling and can cause other bigger issues. This is just like a refrigerant-based A/C panel cooler in a facility. Most of the time, they have at least a small filter on the air intake to try and reduce the contamination of the condensing coils. So I clean the A/C condenser at my house using a coil cleaning solution diluted down, a pump sprayer, and a regular garden hose.

The main thing to remember when cleaning this is that the majority of the dirt is from the air being pulled into the center by the fan. So I rinse the coils from the inside out and make sure I have free passage all the way through. The water doesn’t need to be a high-pressure rinse like an OmniStream nozzle or one of BETE’s NF Nozzles, just a simple low-pressure stream of water to get between the fins and push all contaminants as well as rinse the solution away. Remove any leaves or other unwanted debris from inside the unit and then bolt the fan and cage back down. Then let the family enjoy some cold air inside the house.

This type of maintenance is something that easily gets overlooked when looking at refrigerant-based electrical panel coolers. That is where EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems shine. The only filter you have to worry about is a redundant point-of-use compressed air filter that is included with the Cabinet Cooler Systems. No chemicals needed for cleaning, no water, no mess to change out a compressed air filter, just long-lasting performance. If you want to talk about how to change your control panels over to Cabinet Cooler Systems, contact an Application Engineer today.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Cabinet Cooler Selection

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

EXAIR‘s Cabinet Coolers are a low-cost and reliable way to cool and purge your electrical panels. They incorporate our Vortex Tubes to produce cold air from compressed air. With no moving parts, our Cabinet Coolers can run maintenance free for many years.

When selecting which Cabinet Cooler is right for your application, there are a few things for you to consider:

First, is your cabinet in a hazardous location? We have HazLoc Cabinet Cooler models that are rated for UL Classified areas, including Class I Div 1, Groups A, B, C, and D; Class II Div 1, Groups E, F, and G; and Class III; as well as ATEX rated units that are approved for use in Zones 2 and 22. All of our hazardous location Cabinet Cooler Systems need to be used in conjunction with a purged and pressurized control system.

From right to left: Small NEMA 12, Large NEMA 12, Large NEMA 4X

After this you will need to determine what NEMA integrity your enclosure requires.
We have NEMA 12(IP54) models, which are dust and oil tight. These are ideal for most industrial environments where no liquids or corrosives are present.
Our NEMA 4(IP66) options can be used inside and outside, and are splash resistant as well as dust tight and oil tight. The low-pressure relief valve will ensure the integrity of the NEMA 4 enclosure is maintained.
Finally, our NEMA 4X(IP66) option offers all the same protection as the NEMA 4X, but is constructed of stainless steel for food service and corrosive environments.

Next, you need to decide if you need continuous operation or thermostat control. The thermostat control systems are the most efficient way to operate a Cabinet Cooler. They save on compressed air by only activating the cooler only when the internal temperatures approach critical levels. The standard thermostat control systems include an adjustable thermostat factory set at 95°F. We also have our Electronic Temperature Control (ETC), which allows for precise temperature control that can be adjusted with the touch of a button.

ETC Electronic Temperature Control can be used in a wide variety of applications.

Finally, you will need to calculate the heat load to determine the cooling capacity. We have a calculator on our website that can help with this. However, if you speak to any of our Application Engineers, we can perform these calculations for you. If you would like to discuss your Cabinet Cooler application, feel free to give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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