MERIDIAN’S HARD WATER AND HYDRONIC COIL FURNACES

We’re all aware of Meridian’s notoriously hard water; you wash a glass and two seconds later it has a film on it. Now, think about what that hard water is doing inside a Hydronic Coil Furnace that has water in it constantly. We’ve had several units that have had the coil literally burst and flood apartments. While there is nothing to be done about the water quality, we can offer some tips for helping to avoid a complete disaster.

First and foremost the filter in the unit must be changed on a regular basis and replaced with a clean one. Restricted airflow can cause the evaporative coil to freeze up, which in turn can potentially cause the Hydronic Coil to freeze and burst.

Second, we can have Freeze Protection Stats installed for a small cost. These are installed inside the unit on the coil and wired to the A/C. The purpose of the Stats is to shut the A/C off if the Hydronic Coil temperature reaches 35 degrees. This will decrease the chances of the coil bursting.

Lastly, for a higher cost, we can have a Safety Water Shut-Off System installed. These are 24 volt controlled shut-off solenoids installed at both the supply and return water lines. The solenoids are connected to a “Wet Switch” safety that is activated by the presence of moisture. The wet switch, when activated, will shut down the HVAC equipment as well as the water supply lines to the Hydronic air handler. This system will not completely do away with, but will substantially decrease water damage caused by Hydronic Coil failure due to pressure or corrosive issues.