Reliable Condensation Protection.
Even in everyday room air applications, condensation can occur on the casing of commercial room air handling units (AHUs) in adverse weather conditions.
Know How
Extreme weather conditions, or technical centers with high temperatures and humidity, are increasingly frequent. In AHUs with low technical values, condensation occurs much more quickly on the casing surface.
The risks due to condensation on the casing surface are:
- Hygiene deficiencies due to the proliferation of micro-organisms in a humid environment (e.g., molds)
- Damage and premature aging (corrosion) due to the accumulation of corrosive substances in the condensate.
- Structural damage due to the condensate water penetrating the building structure
Thermal Bridge Classes as an Indicator.
DIN EN 1886 describes five classes for assessing air handling units concerning thermal bridges. The tendency of the unit casing to condense increases considerably from class TB1 to TB5. In poor TB classes, condensation on the casing surface occurs much sooner.
For TB3 and TB4 classes, only 99% of the casing surface must meet the requirements. Therefore, condensate can practically occur. For example, on the door frame, screws, or hinges, it is permissible to fall below the actual TB class by one class in each case.
Without compromise, robatherm offers the best TB classes, confirmed by measurements of the German Technical Inspection Agency (TÜV-Süd). Even observation windows are available from robatherm in the best TB1 quality.
The decisive factor for a casing construction's condensation tendency is its quality concerning thermal bridges (kb factor). Differences within and between the individual thermal bridge classes can be substantial. Insulation properties such as density, thickness, and thermal conductivity are secondary to this. Therefore, a decisive factor is the quality of the thermal decoupling of the entire casing construction.