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A Sophisticated Residential/Commercial DOAS Every 'Heat-n-Air' Man Can Install

DOAS (Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems) are intimidating, often requiring considerable expertise in installation and setup, and periodic maintenance. Because simple changes require an engineer or maintenance person, system complexity has traditionally locked local heating and air conditioning contractors out of this market. No more.

To operate a DOAS year round you need to know outdoor absolute humidity, i.e.., how much water vapor is in the outdoor air. Other factors, temperature, humidity may be considered. The system then needs to know what the occupant accepts for his or her comfort, then how to process the outdoor air.

Our approach simplifies the installation to require only installing duct and a few wires, simplifies the controls so the occupant can manage his (her) ventilation desires with ease.

The simplification:

1. Installation
   1. Package the unit as a complete kit with all parts needed for installation. This means no substitutions or shortcuts because one part wasn't on the truck.
   2. Use 'one wire' technology (1 wire + ground) for control wiring. This is a simple two wire plug-in from control switch to unit housing.
   3. All sensing/communication is built-in. No remote mounting.
   4. Upstream communication is 2 wire, 24 vac. Might be fan, CO2, etc.
   5. Downstream communication to additional equipment is 24 vac or if 120 volt, a built-in UL approved plug-in connection.
2. Technology
   1. Outdoor absolute humidity must be sensed so unit can function under an incredibly wide range of conditions. These conditions will be high temperatures, moderate temperatures, low temperatures, with humidity all over the scale in all the above conditions.
   2. No system tuning or balancing. When power is plugged in, unit is in full operation.
   3. Operator interface must be homeowner-friendly, give homeowner control of managing his (her) comfort. There should be operator feedback.
3. Capacity
   1. Capacity can meet ASHREA 62.2 intermittent ventilation requirement.
   2. If additional capacity is desired, a simple plug-in output should be available.

Our ventilation device described above is called HI-IQ™ because we have two computers talking to each other via the 'one wire' technology. This greatly simplifies both installation and operation.

Since all the varying operating parameters are in computer memories, and with easy-to-use occupant control and feedback we seen no need for a Heat-n-Air Man (or engineer) to tinker with algorithms designed to accommodate the vast annual weather variances across the country.

Peter Carpenter, ASHRAE, ICC

Smartvent, Inc.
3255 Cimarron Drive
Conway, AR 72032

Web: http://www.smartvent.net
Phone: 501-329-4915
E-mail: sales@smartvent.net