Advantage Airtech Commercial Ltd. Blog

Approaches to Humidity Balance

August 2nd, 2021

System of ventilating pipes

We recently discussed the problems of high humidity in buildings. In this post, we wish to talk more in depth about how we take a holistic approach to creating balancing humidity. A key part of this approach is managing humidity levels inside buildings through proper ventilation, air balancing, and dehumidification. As anyone who has gone through a single summer in Toronto knows, high humidity is a major problem—and it easily gets into buildings where it can cause significant damage beyond simply making a space less comfortable.

The standard measure of high humidity is relative humidity that’s greater than 60%. (Relative humidity is a measure of water vapor in the air relative to the temperature of the air, i.e. the percentage of water vapor in the air of the total amount that could be held at the current temperature.) Residential homes usually aim to balance humidity at 45%. But when it comes to commercial and industrial spaces the ideal humidity balance may be different based on equipment and process. This is one of the main reasons to work with professionals to combat humidity in your facility: our experts will know what humidity level is ideal for the space. 

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Answers a Few Common Questions About Commercial Geothermal HVAC

July 19th, 2021

geothermal-vents-in-groundGeothermal energy offers special advantages for heating and cooling commercial facilities. These systems remove boilers and cooling towers from the conventional HVAC set-up for a building and instead use the thermal energy of the earth—a renewable resource and one that allows for high levels of energy efficiency.

Although geothermal heat pumps aren’t “new” technology, they are new to many commercial facility owners and operators, who often have many questions about how geothermal operates and if it will work for their specific needs. We’re experienced with all types of HVAC for commercial and industrial facilities and have worked extensively with geothermal HVAC in Toronto, ON, so we can provide answers to some of the most common questions.

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Warnings of Failing Rooftop AC Units

July 5th, 2021

air-conditioning-units-sunny-roofIf your facility is like most modern ones, it uses packaged rooftop AC units to provide it with cooling. For a small retail business, you might only need a single unit to meet your needs. Larger companies may use many of these modular units to deliver the proper climate control within the building. 

The modular design of these ACs makes it easier for technicians to service one of them without a facility losing all of its cooling at once. However, detecting that one or more of the rooftop units is starting to fail is key to acting fast so the equipment can be repaired or replaced with minimum interruption. Your facility may be able to continue to operate when one of these units fails, but it will throw off the climate controls, lead to higher bills, and may damage equipment and process if it’s allowed to continue.

Below we’ll go over some ways you can detect rooftop AC units that are failing and need our assistance to repair or replace them.

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Does Building Automation Really Make a Difference With Energy Management?

June 21st, 2021

heating-and-cooling-iconsBuilding automation systems (BAS) are common among both new buildings and retrofitted older buildings. You’ve probably already heard plenty about how much a facility can benefit from having a building automation system installed. But you may have felt hesitant about making the leap to retrofitting your facility with something so extensive. Is this change worth it? Does it make an important difference in commercial energy management?

The simple answer is: yes, absolutely! The longer answer we’ll get into below.

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Humidity Control in a Commercial Building

June 7th, 2021

humidity-on-windowRelative humidity during the summers in Toronto is often extreme. The July daily average is 82% relative humidity, which is 22% higher than what’s already considered high humidity. The increase in moisture in the air is a cause of discomfort on hot days, but high humidity is also a major concern for commercial buildings. Not only do commercial facilities need to worry about comfort levels indoors, they also have concerns about the damage high moisture levels can do to equipment and property and how it can affect process.

Humidity control inside a commercial facility is much trickier than in a residential home. A house can sometimes deal with humidity using a standard AC that’s the right size for the space, or a whole-house dehumidifier. With commercial facilities, humidity control is the job of the entire HVAC system—and this is a place where experienced commercial HVAC professionals can make a huge difference. Especially pros like ours, who get to know our clients’ equipment and facilities in detail so we can deliver the customized work necessary.

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5 Common Mistakes Facilities Make With Server Room Cooling

May 24th, 2021

plugs-in-power-stripAir conditioning for commercial facilities takes many forms: it’s not just about providing comfort to the people inside the building, and in many cases its main purpose is to protect equipment from overheating. 

Server room cooling is the best example of this type of commercial HVAC: any server room requires a special air conditioning and ventilation system to protect the equipment and stop devastating data loss.

Unfortunately, facilities often make mistakes when trying to set up cooling for a server or computer room. The biggest mistake is thinking server rooms don’t need special cooling at all, just a fan in the space. That’s an extreme case. Below are some less extreme mistakes with server room cooling that you’ll want to avoid in your facility: 

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What Building Automation Can Do for You

May 10th, 2021

tech-servicing-heating-panelBuilding Automation Systems (BAS) are both the present and the future of energy management for commercial and industrial facilities. Using building automation gives you new tools for handling different systems in your facility, including heating, cooling, ventilation, security, and electrical systems. The increasing complexity of these systems makes it necessary to have automation to oversee them effectively. Customized building automation in Toronto, ON can have a huge beneficial impact on running your facility, especially if you have a rowing business that didn’t previously use any type of BAS. 

Below are only a few of the benefits of having our team set up a customized building automation system for your business.

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Don’t Forget Spring Commercial AC Maintenance

April 26th, 2021

industrial-rooftop-pipesWhat is the best thing you can have done for your commercial air conditioning in Toronto, ON, regardless of how you use cooling in your facility? It’s to schedule routine professional maintenance for it. How often you’ll need this job done will depend on your facility and equipment, but almost all commercial HVAC contractors recommend spring maintenance to prepare the equipment for the rigors of summer. 

If you want to have your spring maintenance done by the right people, and you want to develop a plan for future maintenance, then Advantage Airtech is the contractor in the Greater Toronto Area to talk to. We offer much more than the standard maintenance service that many other contractors provide.

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What Is Negative Air Pressure?

April 12th, 2021

clouds-in-skyNegative air pressure inside a building creates problems for both homes and commercial/industrial facilities. The simple description of negative air pressure is that it is when the air pressure inside a building is lower than the air pressure outside it.

This may not sound like a huge problem, but for a commercial or industrial building, negative air pressure can create several major issues that need to be addressed with proper ventilation and air pressure balancing.

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Upgrading Industrial Heating Systems

March 29th, 2021

Industrial-ventilation-systemResidential homes have standard maintenance program calendars: maintenance for the air conditioner in spring and for the heater in fall. It’s not so cut-and-dried for industrial facilities where cooling and heating systems often work year-round and handle more jobs than simply providing indoor comfort for customers and employees. The heating systems in an industrial facility serve numerous functions and must operate during all seasons, making their regular maintenance essential in periods when everyone else is scheduling service for their air conditioning systems.

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