HVAC Zone Controls & Zoning Dampers
The latest form Honeywell ARD dampers is a nice looking product and works nicely with ecojay SmartZone. Wire as shown below. Other damper wiring at www.zoningsupply.com/blog
SmartZone has the simplest setup and best features of any zone control. Find out more about SmartZone and why it's the smart choice: www.zoningsupply.com/buy-smartzone/
Despite often being used interchangeably, wifi and wireless thermostats refer to 2 very different types of devices.
Wifi stats (like the Nest or Ecobee) have surged in popularity over the last few years. Wireless stats have actually been around for a quite a while but are not quite as popular. Both types of devices perform the same basic function of controlling your heating and cooling unit as the room’s temperature changes. Both can be programmable and have touch-screens. Both can help you reduce energy consumption, especially when paired with a zoning system like SmartZone.
Wireless thermostats can essentially be placed anywhere in your home. Think of it like a remote control for your HVAC. They do not need to be WIRED to the wall or to the HVAC unit.
WiFi thermostats are not wireless and are generally wall-mounted. They enable users to control the thermostat remotely from a phone, computer, or tablet. In some areas, even the local energy companies can request access to your wifi stat.
The differences are as simple as their names imply. Wireless stats operate without being wired to the wall or system. Wifi stats are stationary, but can be controlled from peripheral devices.
A person in the market for a wireless thermostat is looking for a device that can be placed anywhere in the home and not necessarily on a wall.
A person in the market for a wifi thermostat is looking for the ability to control their thermostat from anywhere. They might also be looking for the benefits that come with having your stat connected to the internet. Some top of the line wifi thermostats can display weather info, news headlines and more. They can also integrate with various home-automation systems.
After looking at the benefits of the 2 types of devices, it’s easy to see why wifi thermostats have out-paced wireless thermostats in popularity. However, both inventions are remarkable examples of how the HVAC industry is racing forward to meet the comfort and convenience requirements of 21st century homes and buildings.
For more information about innovative thermostats and HVAC energy-efficiency, visit:
No more need to track down a replacement zone panel... SmartZone is the only one you need.
SmartZone is the simple solution to any zone control system replacement or new install. It has all the features to control any equipment type: Heat Pump, Dual Fuel, Gas, Electric, Single Stage, Multistage... even Fresh Air vent integration. We have customer after customer tell us that once they use SmartZone for the first time, they are hooked. Contractors love the features and homeowners love the simplicity and reliability... not to mention, SmartZone has the best cost and value available.
Here is a short list of just a few of the zone controllers that can be replaced by SmartZone:
Well, maybe not technically ALL of them but dozens and even more than in this photo.
We narrowed down by specs that would work for us first. Between 30 and 60 second travel time, 90 deg rotation, at least 1.5nM torque, lower than 3.5VA power consumption, 24Vac operation, clutch free movement, minimum open/close, range of 3/8" to 1/2" shaft and more. Once we narrowed down to here we still had about 6 or 8 motors and we tested the top 5 for full 10 year accelerated life and field testing. Some we even used in production for a while. We are now confident when we proclaim that the Belimo motor that is made for ecojay and we sell with SmartZone wins in all categories... reliability, noise & installation/setup.
This basic diagram shows how SmartZone is connected to all of the pieces of the zoning system including thermostats and zone dampers.
Click to enlarge.
For more details about wiring, installation & configuration of Zone Control systems, check out the installation information on the SmartZone Install Guide
- Zone Controller (SmartZone)
- Pro-Grade Round Zone Supply Dampers*
- Bypass Damper (Round Barometric)
- 40VA 24VAC Power Transformer
* Select each size when "Adding to Cart"
NOTE: All dampers subject to a 10% restocking fee.
ECOJAY SmartZone residential & light commercial zoning Controllers are easily configurable to satisfy a wide range of application and equipment requirements. Simple installation and setup make smartzone perfect for CHANGE-OUT, RETRO-FIT, NEW-INSTALL and UPGRADES. brightly-lit LED display shows system mode & status information as well as, temperature readout from included supply sensor. Color-coded LED's on all wiring connectors simplify troubleshooting by showing all inputs and outputs without using a voltmeter. SmartZone maximizes equipment efficiency & protection with exclusive built-in ‘Time & temp’ staging controls. Universal compatibility means smartzone works with all equipment types (Heat Pump, Dual Fuel, Gas, Electric, etc), thermostats & 24V dampers. Time-saving and exclusive features like Fresh-Air, SmartLINK for up to 20 zones & push-in terminals make SmartZone the smart choice.
We confirmed today, thanks to a helpful customer, how another DuroZone damper wires using 3 wires (even though it has 5 terminals).
If your damper motors look like the one shown, wire to SmartZone as shown.
Another DuroZone model… on this model it is reported that some versions TERMINAL 4 (the blue wire shown) goes to CLOSE instead of OPEN.
If your motors looks different than this, see our other posts about damper wiring:
4-Terminal and 8-Terminal Damper Wiring
If the motors you have are not compatible with SmartZone, you still don't have to replace the whole damper. You can replace just the motor (actuator) on just about any standard residential damper with the SmartZone / Belimo motor.
Published in Playboy's Electronic Entertainment guide in Fall 1982.
This is off of our normal subject but I came across this old magazine that includes other articles like "There's more to life than Pac-Man: How to beat Donkey Kong" and "What computers can do for you" which says that "VisiCalc is the most popular program of all time with 250,000 copies sold". And it included a scathing review of this Magic-Stat product. Sold for $79 mail order. At first glance, I thought it was just another ugly thermostats in a long history that still goes on today. Then i read the article which explains a "LEARN" mode that makes it easier to set much like the nest would do decades later. Also, it claims to have what is now reffered to as "adaptive recovery". This is where the thermostat starts the equipment before the set time so it can get the home to temperature at a specified time instead of just starting to get to temperature at the time of setpoint. I haven't done any fact-checking, but it says they are the first thermostat to do this... too bad it took 20 years for this to become a more standard feature.
Here are a few more pics I took of the magazine...i claim no rights or ownership of any of this material.
The only Zone Control you will need! Over ten years to perfect the latest version of SmartZone design. Attention to detail during engineering SmartZone make it the ultimate combination of simplicity, features & compatibility. Contractors install our board every day with confidence and you can too. Most contractors that use SmartZone one time, never want to use anything else again on HVAC zoning applications because it is so easy to install and use.
SmartZone 2L, sometimes we call it SmartZone-LITE, not because it has less capability but because it is so SIMPLE. It is the simplest even for a novice to understand. The display shows exactly what the zone control is doing (even the temperature)
Because a zone control system interacts with so many different parts (thermostats, transformers, heating/cooling equipment, dampers & temperature sensor), a zoning system can be daunting to troubleshoot when there is a problem. However, we have realized that there are really just a few common issues are the cause most all of the issues. With a combined 20+ years of zoning questions and technical support calls, we have tried here to boil down to the top 5 reason 99% of zoning systems have a problem. These do not include a potential problem with the configuration of the Zone Control itself. The troubleshooting of the zone control configuration is covered well in most Installation Guides.
1. Equipment
Refrigerant charge, fan speed, wiring, power, etc.
Always verify that the equipment is working properly first!
2. Thermostats
a. Incompatible with zone panel
b. Defective thermostat
c. Wiring defect
3. Zone Dampers
a. Actuator failure
b. Mechanical failure
c. DUCT Sizing (not enough or too much CFM)
d. Wiring defect
4. Bypass/Relief
a. Actuator failure
b. Sensor (Static Pressure sensor defect)
c. Mechanical failure
d. Setup (Modulating calibration or weight arm setting)
e. Orientation of installation (SPC or barometric bypass)
f. Improper sizing (not enough CFM capacity)
g. Wiring defect
5. Power
a. Transformer fuse
b. Wiring defect
c. Primary circuit problem (shared/capacity, breaker)
d. Improperly sized transformer (not enough VA)
For help troubleshooting your system contact the experts at zoningsupply.com directly via email or phone.
This simple animation shows as the dampers close to each zone, one at a time, the bypass should gradually open until... when only one zone is left open, the bypass is open all the way. Airflow can be seen going back through the system to relieve the pressure in the duct. The purpose of bypass (pressure relief) is to minimize air noise at the register (air vent in the home) and to prevent over pressuring the duct system which can have many negative implications including not enough airflow.
Includes:
(1) Power Zone Damper
(1) Static Air Pressure Switch
Combined, these can be used as the most effective and reliable means of air pressure relief (BYPASS) for any zoning system.
NOTE: All dampers subject to a 10% restocking fee.
Good video that shows the basic wiring steps for replacing a honeywell truezone with SmartZone. The video features the HZ322 but also applies to the HZ432, HZ311, & HZ221
If you have any questions about replacing your zone control with SmartZone, contact us for expert zoning support!
There are many different models of 24VAC dampers available on the market. Some have 2-wires, some have 3 wires, some have 5 wires and some even have 8 wire terminals. Nearly all of these can be used with the SmartZone products (2L, 2X & 4X). Both 2 and 3 wire dampers are straight-forward to wire and even shown in the installation guide that comes with SmartZone. However, some of the less common types of dampers (4, 5, 6 & 8 wire) require a little more understanding. How to wire some of them are shown below.
If you have any other type of damper, please contact us and we will help you.
Better dampers available from ZoningSupply:
Round gasket-ed blade, weight-arm style pressure relief (Bypass) damper.
NOTE: All dampers subject to a 10% restocking fee.