Zone Control with Arzel: Understanding modern pneumatic zoning

Here at Arzel, our zone control panels are different. We pride ourselves on our reliable operation, lifetime warranty, and being made in the USA. Here’s how our zone controls work, which will also answer the question, “What makes Arzel’s zoning systems so reliable?”

How Zoning Works

HVAC zoning divides a home or business into separate comfort zones, each controlled by an individual thermostat. In forced air zoning, dampers are placed in the ductwork. The dampers open and close to isolate different zones. This way, each zone receives the heating or cooling its thermostat calls for, without having to heat or cool the entire building in the same way. Sometimes we call zoning “right place, right time” heating and cooling.

Zone Control Panels

Zone control panels take in signals from the thermostats and distribute that information in a few different ways. Since the zone control is wired in between the thermostats and the equipment, one thing it needs to do is send the call for heating, cooling, fan, etc. on to the equipment. However, that’s not the only thing a zone control panel does.

Small Pneumatic Pump

Inside every Arzel zone control, there’s a small pneumatic pump. When the zone control receives a call from a thermostat, this pump turns on. It provides pressure and vacuum that will be used to open and close the dampers, which will isolate the zone that needs conditioning. (Pressure closes the dampers, while vacuum opens them.)

What are Solenoids?

At Arzel Zoning, our zone control panels also contain solenoids. These components turn an electrical signal into a mechanical one. There’s a solenoid for each zone, and it works as a pressure valve. The solenoid will energize to provide pressure to zones that need to be closed, and it will de-energize to provide vacuum to zones that need to be opened.

Zone Dampers

Zone dampers in the ductwork are connected to the zone control with pneumatic tubing, which carries pressure or vacuum to the damper. When the damper receives pressure, that air pressure will fill a small diaphragm inside the damper. As the diaphragm fills, the damper blade will move to the closed position, completely blocking the duct. A gasketed seal makes our dampers achieve a great seal with very little bleed by.

Each pump can control about 35 dampers. In some cases, it will be a bit less because of large dampers with more than one actuator. As a general rule of thumb, though, you can install 35 dampers with an Arzel system, with no need for extra wiring or transformers.

Zone Control: The End Result

The pump, solenoids, and dampers all work together to achieve something remarkable. A thermostat on the second floor can call for extra cooling, while the first floor doesn’t receive any cooling because its thermostat is already satisfied. Sometimes all zones will call at the same time, and then the zone control will open all dampers and serve all of the zones. Other times, two thermostats might send competing calls – one for heating and one for cooling. In these cases, each Arzel zone control works differently, but they all have a way to manage competing calls.

Why Arzel?

There are other zone controls out there, but none of them work quite the way ours do. Here are the quick facts that explain why many contractors only use Arzel.

• Our pneumatic dampers are quicker to install and more reliable than their 24-volt competitors.
• Our industry-leading warranty shows how we stand behind our products.
• A variety of damper options makes Arzel Zoning the best choice for retrofit zoning, while our builder-grade panel makes us the best choice for new construction.
• We’re proud to be made in the USA, and we can ship most orders within two days from Cleveland, OH.