Input on Unico

[brian in mass]

Unico is in a class of their own compared to other HV brands.

I wouldn't even entertain the idea of another brand.

[1manband]

I don't want to disrupt this thread but, have any of you tryed to zone a unico system. I had a customer that wanted two 4 zone hi-velocity systems. I called Unico and they would not say yes or no. I installed two 4 zone conventional systems instead, oh and a full radiant floor system, SWEET.

[captainrat]

unico is operated by a splinter group from spacepak, when they left spacepak they could not take patented designs with them. space pak has been around since like the 40`s
i have seen there original equipment still running strong
attend a spacepak seminar before you go with unico
you will see how unico grasp at straws to get where spacepak is. Spacepak is clearly a better more reliable & simpler product, trunk is far superior too.
see for yourself & dont be misled.
The Captain

[duct dr]

1man, I asked that question about zoning at the class I went to. The Rep there said Unico systems should not be zoned, instead try to use multiple systems. Something about maintaining air balance if I remember right.

[gillman-air]

I have installed spacepak and unico. The spacpaks are smaller and you only need one part number when ordering. With unico you have to order about 4 freakin parts to build an airhandler. I just worked on an old dunham-bush HV system last month. I think they are now spacepak.

[hvac-tech-lane]

Originally posted by 1manband
I don't want to disrupt this thread but, have any of you tryed to zone a unico system. I had a customer that wanted two 4 zone hi-velocity systems. I called Unico and they would not say yes or no. I installed two 4 zone conventional systems instead, oh and a full radiant floor system, SWEET.

From Unico tech bullitin #110
Therefore, do not reduce the airflow below 200 cfm per
nominal ton. Likewise, do not bypass the supply air into
the return duct, as this is similar to reducing the airflow.
If you close off a main trunk you must open another. In
other words, make sure that the number of open outlets
remains essentially constant.
The most common type of system has two zones, where at
any given time, the airflow never falls below the minimum.
Delivering more than the minimum amount of air
is rarely a problem. To illustrate, consider the following
examples.
Example 1. Consider a nominal 3-ton application with
two equal zones. Each zone has a plenum serving each
area. The minimum airflow is 600 cfm so the system
requires at least 15 full open outlets. Both zones are installed
with 10 outlets. Each plenum has a two-position
damper that is fully open or partially open (in the closed
position). When either zone requires air, the damper in
the plenum for that area is fully open. Otherwise, it is
partially closed equal to half the airflow (or the equivalent
of 5 full outlets). With either zone calling for conditioning
the minimum number of outlets is 15 and with both
zones open the number of outlets is 20. Notice the number
of outlets never drops below 15 when the system is
Technote 110 — Page 2
© Copyright 1999 Unico, Inc.
operating. The actual number of outlets in each zone does
not have to be equal so long as the equivalent of the
minimum number of outlets is always open.

[duct dr]

Ummm yeah, what tech said, LOL.
I do remember that from the class.

[1manband]

What concerned me was that their "engineer" basicly told me, "if you zone it,we don't own it." I was a little nervous with zoning after that, O.K. alot nervous. I got the impression that zoning the system would lead to no warranty. I just have a hard time installing something the manufacturer will not get behind.

[duct dr]

I can understand that 1man. I think Unico Systems aren't really meant to be zoned. Guess it's the way they're designed. I sometimes disagree with zoning, multiple systems are actually better on certain applications.

[momav]

can anyone tell me which they think would be better for a 3500 square foot ranch near the shore in nj, i am so confused but have almost decided on one of the following options-the house is kind of chopped up due to several crazy addtions with lousy ductwork setup- a unico system with air and heat or a unico for the air and hot water baseboard for the heat with a boiler mate water heater( will be about$5000 more)any advice would be greatly appreciated

[hvac-tech-lane]

Momav:
Give us some bio in your profile and post as new thread you'll get more response.

[momav]

thanks!new to this, guess you can tell