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Halton Smart Override (HSO)

Halton Smart Override (HSO) is a patented feature that allows the HVAC damper to be alternatively opened manually to black-start during a power outage.

During a power outage, critical HVAC equipment, such as fans, stop working and HVAC dampers are automatically closed. Once the emergency generators start to produce power, the fans are one of the first HVAC components to start working again. This is especially important in locations where pressure critical areas are necessary for safety. However, the pneumatic supply of HVAC dampers to the actuator may not be restored for a few minutes. This causes a big problem as the fans are bringing air against closed HVAC dampers. Traditionally operators would manually open the dampers using a temporary pneumatic air supply from a portable compressed air bottle carried by the operator. This is known as HVAC damper black-start.

Operation principle

The Halton Smart Override (HSO) feature allows the damper to be reinstated without carrying a cumbersome portable compressed air bottle. By pulling the locking knob and rotating the handle, the damper can be opened in seconds. This procedure disconnects the actuator from the damper driveshaft. Once the power and/or pneumatic air supply is reinstated, the auto-reset functionality of the Halton Smart Override (HSO) tool will automatically reset the damper back to normal operation. This auto-reset feature is critical in ensuring that the HVAC damper cannot inadvertently be left open or disengaged in error.

The Halton Smart Override (HSO) feature also helps during the construction phase during which ventilation ducts need to be open but power is not available for the dampers to stay in the open position.

The Halton Smart Override (HSO) feature is available for all electrically or pneumatically operated Halton Marine dampers, such as FDA, FDO, FDB2, FDL, FDH, UTP, and UTA.