Launch of the Sensi Touch 2 Thermostat

Tom Lorenz from Sensi joins the podcast to talk about the launch of the Sensi Touch 2 thermostat. The Sensi Touch 2 smart thermostat is compatible with room sensors, which makes it an efficient and effective thermostat.

Smart thermostats are becoming more common in homes, especially as we focus on HVAC efficiency. Designers are aiming to make smart thermostats user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, easy to install, and driven by data (via sensors).

Installation is easy for contractors, as it relies on push terminals and cleanly covers up the previous thermostat's installation site. The Sensi Touch 2 requires a common wire, but it has easy-to-use push terminals that allow wires to click into place. It also has dedicated accessory terminals for add-on equipment like dehumidifiers. You can also pair the Sensi Touch 2 with its respective app to program the thermostat.

Smart maintenance automatically alerts homeowners about poor performance or efficiency. These sorts of alerts can offer peace of mind for the homeowner. The room sensors allow the Sensi Touch 2 to manage home comfort by collecting data from several locations of the house; you can sync up to 15 room sensors to the Sensi Touch 2 thermostat.

As with other Sensi thermostats, the Sensi Touch 2 has contractor branding capabilities. You can get your company name and number programmed into the main display so that the customers know who to call whenever they need something. You can learn more at procontractorbranding.com.

Tom and Bryan also discuss:

History of Emerson, White-Rodgers, and Sensi controls
Personal data and privacy concerns with smart technology
Smart thermostat design and aesthetics
Energy Star certification
Sensi Lite (coming soon)
Warranty information

Learn more about the Sensi Touch 2 at https://sensi.copeland.com/en-us/for-professionals/touch2-smart-thermostat.

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HVAC School – For Techs, By Techs

Real training for HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Technicians. Including recorded tech training, interviews, diagnostics and general conversations about the trade.

In today’s podcast, Bryan talks with legendary Hydronics author and trainer Dan Holohan about the history of steam heating and some practical applications of old ideas. Recently, Dan has been working on more novels, having published two of them over the past few months.

Steam heating is a “lost art” nowadays; it has become increasingly uncommon and has been disappearing since the Vietnam War. Many people who understood steam heating either retired or died after the Vietnam War. Many elements of steam heating are difficult to understand or surprising. (For example, steam pressure has a surprising relationship with velocity: low-pressure steam moves through piping much more quickly than high-pressure steam.) So, Dan Holohan is on a mission to revive that knowledge and teach the newer generations about the lost art.

There are many older steam heating systems still operating today, especially in the older large buildings in New York. Dan learned a lot about steam heating when working on these old systems and optimizing them. Most of the time, he optimized those systems by removing unnecessary accessories, not by adding components like steam traps.

Many old boilers used coal as a heat source. Nowadays, many old boilers have been fitted with conversion oil burners with thermostats, but they are still piped for coal. Some systems now have multiple risers or massive vents on the main riser to prevent the thermostats from getting too hot too early and satisfying the thermostat too early. We call that master venting, which reduces pressure and allows steam to move very quickly and efficiently.

Dan also discusses:

The 2-PSI standard
Transportation metaphors for BTUs in steam
Harmful renovations for old boilers
Replacement vs. restoration mindsets
Gaps in steam boiler education
Monopolizing the market if you HAVE the education
Boiler piping and venting
Two-pipe vs one-pipe steam

Find out more about Dan and hydronic heating at HeatingHelp.com.

Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.

Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 6th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.