Water Coils
At HeatEX Technologies, we craft high-quality water coils, recognized for their robustness, design versatility, and exceptional heat transfer capabilities. Our water coils deliver dependable and effective solutions across a myriad of applications.
What are Water Coils?
Water coils—also called hydronic coils or water-to-air heat exchangers—are assemblies of tubes and fins that transfer heat between flowing water and moving air. As air passes over the coil, the water inside either absorbs heat (cooling the air) or releases heat (warming the air).
Anatomy of a Water Coil
Water coil components include:
- Copper tubes (heat transfer pathways)
- Aluminum fins (increase surface area)
- Headers (distribute water into circuits)
- Hairpins/return bends (create coil rows)
- Coatings (for corrosion resistance)
Applications of Water Coils
Where Water Coils are used:
- Air Handling Units (AHUs): Large commercial buildings almost always have AHUs that condition huge volumes of air. They're used because AHUs need to heat/cooler air efficiently as it's distributed through the duct system. Inside every AHU you’ll find:
- Chilled water coils (cooling)
- Hot water coils (heating or reheat)
- Fan Coil Units (FCUs): Fan coil units are small, room-level HVAC devices. Water coils are used in this application because it is easier to distribute water as opposed to refrigerant, and the coils allow for temp zoning. Each FCU contains:
- A small water coil
- a fan that blows room air across the coil
- Variable Air Volume Units (VAV Boxes): These units include reheat water coils. The coils in this case reheat air that was cooled by the AHU, allowing for precise temp control on zoning. Common in office buildings, hospitals, and schools.
- Induction Units and Chilled Beams: Energy efficient buildings often use active chilled beams, passive chilled beams, and induction units. All of these rely on water coils to heat or cool air locally, with minimal energy usage.
- Industrial Process Cooling/Heating: Manufacturing facilities use water coils to cool machinery, control humidity, and maintain stable temps for sensitive processes.
- Data Centers: Some data centers use hydronic cooling coils in their air handlers to remove heat from server rooms and maintain strict temps + humidity control in order to prevent damage to the equipment.
Other areas you will find water coils include applications such as dehumidifiers, pool hvac systems, cleanrooms, pharmaceutical production, food processing plants, and much more.
We manufacture water coils to your specific size or performance. If you are looking for a water coil, be sure to reach out!