Fact: the majority of heat wheel retrofits will return the cost of replacement in 12 to 18 months through reduced energy costs. We can provide an energy analysis of your existing heat wheels and show you the savings.
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Principal of operation: Heat recovery wheels attain high levels of efficiency by transferring total heat or enthalpy between two air-streams. Enthalpy is both the heat and moisture energy in the air. Simply stated, In summer the outside air is hot and wet. The inside air is cool and dry. The wheel spins through the two air-streams and transfers the energy contained in the return air from the building to the supply air which becomes cooler and dryer. This cooler and dryer air is the supply air which then goes to the cooling coils lowering the need for cooling capacity.
In winter the opposite state occurs. The Outside air is cold and dry the Inside air is warm and wet. The wheel again transfers the energy contained in the return air from the building to the supply air which becomes warmer and wetter lowering the need for heating in the building. In both cases the desiccant coating on the wheel is the primary driving force of this transfer.
Failures: There are two reasons for wheel failures. Mechanical: the wheel is not turning, and Thermodynamic: the media is not transferring the energy. Mechanical failures are generally easily diagnosed and solved. Thermodynamic failures or failure of the media to transfer energy, are much more difficult to evaluate and understand. Media that is clogged or if the desiccant coating is degraded, will cause a substantially lower performance of the wheel . In either case, whether it is a mechanical failure or a media failure, your facility can lose thousands per year in added heating and cooling costs.

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Problem: This wheel has loose media caused by a basic design fault. The media is not securely held in place by the spokes and tension of the rim. As the wheel rotates the force of rotation causes the media to begin to wear on the spokes.
Solution: Our rim and spokes have slots and grooves which correspond to matching slots and grooves machined into the media. This coupled with our unique rim tensioning system provides a wheel that is extremely strong. Note: here you can also see the "I" beam design of the spokes and the massive frame which keeps our rotor assembly from shifting.
Problem: This wheel was severely damaged when the seal was pulled into the media face by the rotational force of the wheel. The seal can then do considerable damage to the
media face.
Solution: Our seals are held securely in place with machine screws. We don’t use clips or rivets which can easily fail and allow the seal to damage the media face. Note how close we can position the seal to the media. This is because our wheels can be made extremely flat and there is almost no deflection of the wheel caused by the airflow.
Problem: This wheel has had a rim break at the rim joint. This caused a catastrophic wheel failure. Weak welds and formed steel components will not
provide for the strength needed for a wheel operating continuously.

Solution: Our rims are designed as an box structure made of 2 pieces of extruded aluminum. This design provides for both a lightweight and extremely strong rim. The rim connector seen here from the bottom, holds each rim firmly to the spokes.

Problem: This is a Regenerative Heat Corp. wheel. The media was manufactured from steel fibers similar to steel wool and coated with a desiccant. Through years of use the media has become clogged with dust and dirt and is no longer capable of transferring the proper amount of latent energy between the air streams. This condition will diminish free airflow through the wheel. It may look like it's working but it's costing thousands in lost energy recovery.
Solution: A typical retrofit with a THERMOWHEELTM.*system will pay for itself in energy savings within 12 to 18 months. Start with a wheel designed by engineers who have repaired every type of wheel failure. Retrofit your heat wheel with a THERMOWHEELTM.*.