Revit Electrical - Multiple Loads (Heating / Cooling)

[npsconsultingllc]

Does anyone have any good ideas or workarounds to account for (2) different electrical load classifications for a single piece of equipment. For example, if you have a split system AC with multiple loads (ie. Electric heat + heating/cooling motor), is there any way to account for those loads individually using their respective load classifications? Currently, I suppose you'd have to do (2) Separate electrical connectors with the respective loads, but then you would have to circuit those loads individually.

My guess is that this isnt possible and like most other things in Revit Electrical you need to just fake it but figured it was worth posting the question.

Thanks so much all.

[scbunker]

Yes, you'd have to do two separate electrical connectors. But you don't have to circuit them separately, they can be on the same circuit. Create a circuit with one connector then add the other connector to the circuit.

[HVAC-Novice]

Are you concerned with just electrical load (for electrical panel sizing), or with space loads (for HVAC load and energy simulation)? 

For just electrical, you only use one connector with the data provided by manufacturer). Obviously the actual electrical load will be less under most operating conditions. 

If you need to assign a load for cooling/heating loads, use a separate connector. When you circuit the device, you will need the correct one. 

if this is about HVAC load, my thread about lighting power density vs. space load of light fixtures MAY help. 

[Tim_Munro]

How is this accomplished?

I have an air handler family with two connectors in the family - one is heating and one is motor.

When I "Power" the air handler, it asks me to choose one of the connectors, so I do. Then I select the family again, power it, and the second connector is assigned to a different circuit on the panel schedule. I tried this again but selected the connectors in reverse order, same results.

I then tried powering one of the connectors, then I selected the circuit and tried to "Add to circuit" the other connector but I could not select the same piece of equipment again. I tried this again in reverse as well, selecting the other connector first, etc, same results.

When I change the order that I select the connectors, I am changing whether I am selecting the "Primary" connector first or second. I don't know what difference this should be making but it doesn't seem like much. I have noticed that when I power the secondary connector first, the equipment doesn't reflect the circuit number it is assigned to on the panel schedule, but it is assigned a circuit number on the panel schedule. Only the primary connecter's circuit number is reflected at the equipment, which messes some things up for me elsewhere, but that's a different issue.

I also tried involving the "Load Sub-Classification Motor" option but this just turns it into a motor load only, so back to the beginning. 

[scbunker]

Sorry; I missed a step. The second electrical connector has to be in a shared nested family. 

[Tim_Munro]

I may have answered my own question. I right-clicked the second connector after powering the first, then added it to the circuit. It now shows one circuit for the air handler and a heating load classification and motor load classification in the summary at the bottom of the panel schedule.

Revit seems to prefer this workflow over the one I tried in my earlier post. 

[Tim_Munro]

This is interesting, even though I found another route to take. I wonder what possibilities open up if I have an air handler family that is essentially a box with duct and pipe connections, and then have 2 shared nested families, one for the motor and one for the heating, with their own connectors.

[Tim_Munro]

I forgot that connectors can't be nested in families so back to my workaround.

[scbunker]

Connectors cannot be nested in families unless they are shared. When the family is shared, the model sees both the nested shared and the host family. 

[scbunker]

I'm glad you figured it out. I'll have to try that next time I need it. Thanks for sharing.