ISH 2011 in Frankfurt will see Zehnder present the redesigned version of its ComfoFond-L, marking the very first outing for this latest upgrade to the company's earth tube collector system for comfortable indoor ventilation.
The product, which preheats supply air on cold days using a brine ground collector or ground loop, thereby ensuring efficient operation of the comfort ventilation system with heat recovery, has already made its mark - but now, thanks to some intelligent innovations, it has three new features which make it even better than before. A new housing offers maximum hygiene and, together with the pre-installed connections, makes installation much easier. As well as this, a high-efficiency pump plus a larger tube collector make the Zehnder ComfoFond-L even more energy-efficient. The Zehnder ComfoFond-L earth tube collector ensures that the comfort indoor ventilation device is able to work at maximum thermal efficiency (up to 95%), even on cold winter days.
The device takes advantage of the temperature of the ground at between one and two metres in depth, which remains relatively constant at 8°C to 12°C over the course of the year, and uses brine to absorb this by means of a ground collector or ground loop. In a heat exchanger connected upstream of the ventilation device, the brine releases the energy to the external air that has been drawn in. During the winter, this prevents the heat exchanger in the ventilation device from icing over as a result of condensate from the exhaust air. A welcome bonus is that, during the summer, the residential unit can receive supply air adjusted to the right temperature. The controllers for all of Zehnder's ventilation devices measure the required temperatures and thus create the right settings for the brine pump. A number of key innovations have made the heat exchanger even easier to install and use than before. A new housing holds the tube collector, hydraulics and filter in better positions, ensuring that all the components are located directly behind the front cover and are readily accessible. This enables all of them to be cleaned with ease. Thanks to the reworked arrangement of the brine connections and the fact that the pump and temperature sensor cables are now pre-installed at the factory, the installation process requires much less work: the brine pipes are now easier to connect and installing power connections for the pump has become a thing of the past.
A key feature of the new high-efficiency pump that makes it really stand out is its particularly low power consumption. Additionally, it already meets the requirements of the future EuP (European EcoDesign) Directive. Not only this, but a larger tube collector plus the use of the same filter as the Zehnder ventilation device also keep pressure losses to a minimum as well as enhancing the efficiency of the new Zehnder ComfoFond-L.
A feature that is familiar from previous models is the fact that the brine pipes can be routed throughout the residence, regardless of the angles involved. This allows them to be laid easily without draining the earth tube collector pipes. Additionally, the design is perfectly matched to the ventilation unit, enabling quick and easy installation. With these features, the Zehnder ComfoFond-L ensures a future with year-round energy-efficient room ventilation that offers maximum comfort and minimum installation work.
