Condair Water Treatment Guide
Ensuring Optimal Performance and Hygiene for Your Humidification System
Introduction
Even if water appears clear and pure, it may still be unsuitable for use with Condair humidification systems. This guide provides essential information to support your water treatment needs for humidification. Condair is dedicated to advancing humidification technology and prioritizes hygiene and water quality, positioning itself as a leader in water expertise to ensure system reliability and hygiene.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Why Water Treatment?
- Water Quality
- Water Hygiene
- Condair RO Systems
- Water and Humidification
- Sizing Reference Chart
- Additional Resources
Why Water Treatment?
While water may be safe for drinking, untreated water can lead to scaling or bacteria build-up in humidification systems, causing dusting in applications. Proper water treatment is crucial for maintaining system efficiency and preventing issues.
Scale Management:
- Isothermal Systems: Prevents scaling in boiling systems, reduces maintenance frequency and costs, and improves operation efficiency and energy costs.
- Adiabatic Systems: Prevents scaling and corrosion of components like media and nozzles, prevents application dusting due to particle carryover, and reduces maintenance frequency and costs.
Hygiene:
- Isothermal systems that boil water produce clean atmospheric steam without the need for additional water treatment.
- Eliminates bacteria content in water, preventing its carryover into the air during humidification.
Water Quality
Understanding water quality components is vital for effective humidification system operation. Key components and their potential difficulties include:
| Component | What is it? | Difficulties Caused |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | Ca and Mg scales, CaCO3 | Scale |
| pH | Hydrogen ion concentration | Corrosion |
| Chloride | Cl- | Adds to scale, Corrosion |
| Silica | SiO2 | Hard Scale |
| Conductivity | Dissolved solids | Affects performance of electrodes, nozzles |
| Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) | Minerals and Organics | Foaming |
| Silt Density Index (SDI) | Scaling potential of suspended solids in water | Scale |
| Carbon Dioxide | CO2 | Corrosion |
| Oxygen | O2 | Corrosion |
Water Treatment Processes
Condair systems utilize advanced treatment methods:
- Pre-treatment: Water undergoes dechlorination and softening. An activated carbon filter removes chlorine, followed by a duplex softening system.
- Treatment: Water is treated through reverse osmosis (RO) and deionization filters. RO membranes remove up to 95% of minerals. Additional deionization filters can be added for ultra-pure water.
- Absolute Hygiene: Condair products incorporate features like automatic disinfectant dosing, UV lighting, silver ion dosing, and automatic flush cycles for system sanitation and water hygiene.
Condair Hygiene Services
Bactiquant (BQ) Testing: A robust testing method performed by a Condair trained technician to determine the total bacterial load in a water sample, providing fast results and minimizing downtime.
Condair RO Systems
Condair offers a range of RO systems designed for various humidification needs:
- Condair RO-H: A compact and economic RO system removing over 95% of salts and minerals from tap water. Models: RO-HB and RO-HM.
- Condair RO-E(+): A compact and integrated RO system that can seamlessly pair with Condair RS resistive steam and Condair DL hybrid humidifiers, controllable via an integrated or standalone controller.
- Condair MLRO: An industrial RO system ideal for large isothermal or adiabatic applications, providing RO water from pre-treated water for optimal quality.
Water and Humidification
Each Condair Humidification system has specific inlet water quality requirements. Below is a summary for common products:
| Technology | Products | Water Compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| EL Series |  |
Potable |
| RS Series |  |
Potable/DI/RO |
| GS Series |  |
Potable/RO/DI |
| SE Series |  |
Potable/RO/DI |
| ME/MC Series |  |
Potable/RO |
| ML/HP Series |  |
Potable/RO/DI |
| DL Series |  |
Potable/RO |
| JS Series |  |
Potable/RO/DI |
| PH1000 PRO |  |
Potable/RO |
Water Quality Requirements Quick Guide
Refer to product IOM for full water installation and water quality requirements.
| Product | Water Type | Temperature | Conductivity | pH | Hardness | Silica (SiO2) | Chloride |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL Series | Potable | 34-104°F (1-40°C) | 150-1200 µS/cm | 7-7.5 | 0-3 gpg | 4-14 mg/l | 0-50 mg/l |
| RS Series | Potable/DI/RO | 34-77°F (1-25°C) | 1-1500 µS/cm | 6.5-7.5 | 0-12 gpg | 0-4 mg/l | 0-40 mg/l |
| GS Series | Potable/RO/DI | 34-77°F (1-25°C) | 1-1500 µS/cm | 6.5-8.5 | 0-12 gpg | 0-12 mg/l | 0-40 mg/l |
| SE Series | Potable/RO/DI | 34-77°F (1-25°C) | 1-100 µS/cm | 7-7.5 | 0-1 gpg | 0-14 mg/l | 0-25 mg/l |
Sizing Reference Charts
Isothermal Humidifier RO-E Sizing Chart
| Technology | Unit Size | Supply Water at 5°C (41°F) | Supply Water at 15°C (59°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS | 50 | RO-E 40 & up | RO-E 40 & up |
| GS | 100 | RO-E 100 & up | RO-E 40 & up |
| GS | 150 | RO-E 200 & up | RO-E 100 & up |
| GS | 200 | RO-E 200 & up | RO-E 200 & up |
| GS | 300 | RO-E 300 & up | RO-E 200 & up |
| GS | 450 | MLRO 500 & up | RO-E 300 & up |
| GS | 600 | MLRO 500 & up | RO-E 300 & up |
| SE | 50 | RO-E 40 & up | RO-E 40 & up |
| SE | 100 | RO-E 100 & up | RO-E 40 & up |
| SE | 175 | RO-E 200 & up | RO-E 100 & up |
| SE | 250 | RO-E 300 & up | RO-E 200 & up |
| SE | 375 | MLRO 500 & up | RO-E 200 & up |
| SE | 525 | MLRO 500 & up | RO-E 300 & up |
| SE | 750 | MLRO 800 & up | MLRO 800 & up |
| SE | 1050 | MLRO 1000 & up | MLRO 800 & up |
Adiabatic Humidifier RO-E+ Sizing Chart
| Technology | Unit Size | Supply Water at 5°C (41°F) | Supply Water at 15°C (59°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 0 - 60 lbs/hr | RO-E+ 40 | RO-E+ 40 |
| DL | 60 - 115 lbs/hr | RO-E+ 100 | RO-E+ 40 |
| DL | 115 - 210 lbs/hr | RO-E+ 200 | RO-E+ 100 |
| DL | 210 - 290 lbs/hr | RO-E+ 300 | RO-E+ 200 |
| DL | 290 - 370 lbs/hr | MLRODL | RO-E+ 200 |
| DL | 370 - 529 lbs/hr | MLRODL | RO-E+ 300 |
| DL | 290 - 2200 lbs/hr | MLRODL | MLRODL |
| HP/MLP | 100-800 | HPRO/MLPRO | HPRO/MLPRO |
| HP/MLP | 1000-3000 | MLRO 1000 & up | MLRO 1000 & up |
| JetSpray | Any Size | RO-H & up | RO-H & up |
| ME | Any Size | Sizing Available, Contact Condair Application Engineering for Support | Sizing Available, Contact Condair Application Engineering for Support |
| PH1000 | Manual / Auto Fill | RO-H | RO-H |
Resources
Hygiene is paramount in humidification. Current regulations and guidelines, such as VDI 6022, offer valuable information on design, planning, manufacturing, and system operation. These resources highlight the requirements for hygienic humidification equipment and crucial planning criteria.
- WHITE PAPER - ASHRAE 188-2021 Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems: This standard aims to prevent the risk of Legionellosis from water systems in any building.
- Hygiene Criteria | Planning Guidelines for Humidification: A five-criteria method for promoting a flawless hygienic humidification system, essential for both new and existing humidifier projects.
- WHITE PAPER - Water Hygiene for Adiabatic Humidifiers: Provides guidance, instructions, considerations, commissioning, and preventative maintenance for cold water systems in Adiabatic humidifiers to mitigate biological growth and bacteria spread.
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