Tampa, Florida
October 2, 2007
The meeting was convened by Chair Dale Greiner at 1:00 p.m. A quorum was achieved with nine voting members present: Steve Bassett, Ron Bailey, Bob Cochell, Jan Geyselaers, Dale Greiner, Donald Kitner, Richard Reynolds, Roger Sanders and Rob Vieira representing Philip Fairey. Staff support was provided by Ann Stanton.
Meeting Objectives:
• View a presentation onMis-matched Coil Testing to Simulate Condenser Replacement by Bob Cochell.
• Discuss and provide a recommendation to the Commission on a request for Declaratory Statement, DCA07-DEC-172, by Bob Cochell of Gulf Coast Air Systems on Section 13-607.1.ABC.3.1.1 of the FBC, Building , concerning whether the code allows mis-matching of existing systems during replacement of a unit's compressor
Actions Taken:
The agenda and minutes of the 8/20/07 meeting were unanimously approved.
Bob Cochell gave a Power Point presentation on Mis-matched Coil Testing to Simulate Condenser Replacement, describing the significant drops in both efficiency and capacity on existing SEER 10 air handlers with replacement SEER 13 condensers. He made the following conclusions:
• Up to 40% reduced capacity in cooling, meaning the system may not be able to keep up with thermostat setting.
• Up to 48% reduced capacity in heating resulting in strip heat coming on earlier.
• Up to 40% reduced efficiency in cooling resulting in higher power bills. Not only is it going to run longer but dollars per cooling will be more as well.
• Up to 60% reduced efficiency in heating resulting in higher power bills.
• System charging becomes critical since the charge might seem correct for one condition but flood on another.
• TXV will not solve the charge problem for all cases since the SH and SC can change dramatically with condition.
• All of these situations will result in numerous service calls and most likely the only way to resolve it is to replace the indoor coil with a larger coil anyway.
After an explanation of the staff analysis of DCA07-DEC-172 provided by Stanton, the following discussion ensued:
Exception 1 in Section 13-101.6 is for part of a functional unit, such as a compressor. A condenser is a functional unit and, in accordance with DCA06-DEC-176, would constitute a replacement, not a repair. Section 509.12 of the Existing Building code requires a Level 1 Alteration to meet Chapter 13 of the Florida Building Code, Building .
On a motion from Geyselaers and a second from Reynolds, the TAC approved the following disposition of DCA07-DEC-172 in a vote of 9-0:
QUESTION 1:
To the question, “Is the mis-matching of [the referenced] A/C and Heat Pump system s allowed under the Energy Code?” the answer is NO, the condensing unit of a split system air conditioner is not a repair because it is a functioning unit. A replacement constitutes a new system. However, mix-matching of equipment components of different manufacturers is allowed in accordance with Section 13-607.1.ABC.3.1.1. Replacement of a compressor is not within the definition of a Level 1 Alteration as defined in the FBC-Existing Building.
QUESTION 2:
To the question, “Does the code require demonstration of compatibility, system capacity and system efficiency?”, refer to the answer to Question 1.
QUESTION 3:
To the questions, “Does the code require same manufacturer matches? Will a letter from a manufacturer suffice or is ARI data required?”, refer to the answer to Question 1.
The meeting was adjourned by Chair Greiner at 2:12 p.m.