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HVAC SystemsFeatured

Why the Frost Stat Is on the Extract Side of a Plate Heat Exchanger

On a plate heat exchanger AHU the frost protection reads the extract, not the incoming fresh air, and engineers rewire it believing it to be a mistake. Why the ice forms on the extract side, how pack frost protection differs from the coil frost stat, and what actually triggers a defrost.

11 Oct 20269 min read

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Latest Articles

HVAC Systems

What Is a Recuperator AHU, and How Does It Compare With a Thermal Wheel?

A recuperator AHU recovers heat through a static plate pack; a thermal wheel does the same job with a rotating matrix and moves moisture with it. What separates them, the efficiency figures the manufacturers actually publish, and the different point schedule each type lands on a controls contractor.

11 Oct 20269 min

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BMS Technical

AHU Controls: How Air Handling Unit Control Sequences Actually Work

A full guide to AHU control sequences: start/stop and optimum start, the damper sequence, fan control, coil sequencing through a deadband, CO₂ demand ventilation, heat recovery by device type, both frost protections, and what to prove at commissioning before you accept a unit.

11 Oct 202612 min

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Case Studies

24V Window Actuator Wiring After a School Roof Replacement

Royal Harbour Academy, Ramsgate: eight weather-damaged 24V window actuator feeds re-cabled in 4 mm² fire-resistant cable, AHU control cabling drawn back and re-terminated, and extract fans wired back to the BMS during a roof replacement.

2 Oct 20267 min

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HVAC Systems

VAV Installation: TROX VAVs & Sontay CO₂ on a Trend BMS

A real VAV installation on a refurbished office floor: four TROX TA-Silenzio extract VAVs and Sontay duct CO₂ sensors wired back to a Trend panel two floors up. Core-by-core terminations, the signal-range and mode checks that decide whether the floor works, and what good looks like at handover.

28 Sept 20269 min

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BMS Technical7 Sept 202611 min

Three-Phase Motor Wiring: Star, Delta and Six-Terminal Connections Explained

What the six terminals on a three-phase motor actually are, how the star and delta links sit on an IEC terminal board, how to read 230/400 and 400/690 V nameplates, the difference between a fixed connection and a star-delta starter, and what happens when the links do not match the motor and supply — with a real terminal box from a 15 kW fan motor.

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BMS Technical7 Sept 202613 min

AHU Fan VSD Tripping? A Practical Motor and Drive Fault-Finding Guide

When an AHU or extract fan drive trips, the code on the keypad tells you what the drive measured, not what is wrong. This guide sets out the sequence we use on site — fault record, control and supply checks, safe isolation, motor-circuit tests independent of the drive, duty/standby comparison, mechanical checks and commissioning back into Auto — with a real ABB ACH580 output phase-loss fault as the worked example.

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BMS Technical25 Aug 202612 min

ABB ACH580 Fault 3381: Tracing an Output Phase Loss to Incorrect Motor Connections

A duty extract fan on ABB ACH580 reported Fault 3381 — output phase loss — while the supply was healthy and the windings were intact. Systematic testing, a standby-motor comparison and a look inside the terminal box revealed the real cause and restored operation without replacing the drive or motor.

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Water & Utilities22 Aug 202611 min

Cold Water Tank Level Sensors: What They Do, When You Need Them, and What Retrofitting One Actually Involves

What a cold water tank level sensor does, why two-level float switches are the standard for storage cisterns, what the Water Fittings Regulations and HSG274 actually require, and what really drives the cost when you retrofit them into two GRP tanks in a live hotel.

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BMS Technical11 Aug 202613 min

Open Protocol BMS Systems: How They Work, Pros and Cons

Open protocol sits in nearly every BMS spec and rarely means what the writer thinks. How the layers actually work, what open genuinely buys you, and what it doesn't.

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BMS Technical11 Aug 202614 min

BMS Field Devices: The Complete Field Equipment List

The BMS field equipment list an engineer actually needs: what each device does, what signal it produces, what to specify, and which ones cause the commissioning problems.

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Tendering / Quoting30 Jul 202618 min

The BMS Tender Process: A Step-by-Step Timeline From Enquiry to Submission

How long a BMS tender really takes — go/no-go, take-off, spec review, site survey, supplier pricing, controls schedule, RFIs and submission, with realistic timescales for every stage.

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Tendering / Quoting30 Jul 202615 min

How to Handle RFIs During a BMS Tender (And Why Sloppy Logging Costs You Later)

When to raise an RFI on a BMS tender, how to log and track it against the return date, what a professional submission should contain, and what to do when a query goes unanswered.

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Tendering / Quoting30 Jul 202613 min

BMS Lead Times and London Delivery Risks: What a Tender Price Must Account For

Controller and panel lead times, FORS accreditation, ULEZ, the Congestion Charge and site delivery curfews — the delivery risks a London BMS tender price has to account for before it goes out.

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Tendering / Quoting22 Jul 20269 min

BMS Cost Per Point: The Quantity Surveyor's Guide to Pricing Trend & Distech Controls Packages

What a BMS really costs per point in the UK — Trend and Distech rates, points schedules, NRM2 measurement, and how QSs should benchmark controls tenders like-for-like.

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Building Management Insights

Why the Frost Stat Is on the Extract Side of a Plate Heat Exchanger

Latest Articles

More Articles

Three-Phase Motor Wiring: Star, Delta and Six-Terminal Connections Explained

AHU Fan VSD Tripping? A Practical Motor and Drive Fault-Finding Guide

ABB ACH580 Fault 3381: Tracing an Output Phase Loss to Incorrect Motor Connections

Cold Water Tank Level Sensors: What They Do, When You Need Them, and What Retrofitting One Actually Involves

Open Protocol BMS Systems: How They Work, Pros and Cons

BMS Field Devices: The Complete Field Equipment List

The BMS Tender Process: A Step-by-Step Timeline From Enquiry to Submission

How to Handle RFIs During a BMS Tender (And Why Sloppy Logging Costs You Later)

BMS Lead Times and London Delivery Risks: What a Tender Price Must Account For

BMS Cost Per Point: The Quantity Surveyor's Guide to Pricing Trend & Distech Controls Packages

Ready to Optimise Your Building?