Building Simulation Troubleshooting

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This page is under construction

This page poses useful techniques and methods to assist in troubleshooting efforts.

Examples of Problems:

Model out of compliance with a standard
Warning messages that threaten bad results. (Some warning messages may be of little concern, read them fully)
Error messages that cancel program runs.

Geometry problems
Over constriction of system information that makes systems not work.
Referenced information somewhere in the inp file pointing to other information that is not there

Does the boiler have outdoor reset temperature turning off the boiler when some rooms are asking for heat?
Outside air being doplicated or exagerated. "It is always the Air" -Sandor Rosta, energy modeler

To much outside air or outside air quantities not coordinated.
See below, "Preliminary 2: Outside Air Coordination"
Minuscule changes in outdoor air flow taxes systems and performance tremendously.

Improper setup of distributed systems that don't allow space temperatures to be kept in check by larger multi-zone hvac system.

Associate problem zones, problem hvac systems, problem spaces. What do they have in common? Compare with functioning areas. What are the differences?

Special Schedules?
Unique Temperatures?
Hvac systems/system types?
Outside air cfm/sf higher than other spaces?
Keep in mind that one zone having trouble may virally spread to adjacent zones through wall constructions, and common hvac systems (if multizone hvac).

Are there indoor constructions seeing outside air conditions?
Are the ground floors touching the ground? (shown as green in the 3d view)
Do roofs exist between floors?
Do interior surfaces relate to each other? Are adiabatic surfaces between interior zones unintentionally?
Rooms of extreme different use: temperature schedules/ gains/ occupancy/essay companies/phentermine online/local moving company/college essays outside air will always cause problems to surrounding zones, and/or common hvac systems.

Is the parking garage temperature performance or extreme ventilation affecting rest of building? What are the wall constructions between this space and rest of building?
Count the people in the building in E-Quest table (space, occupancy, number of people). Does the number of people in the building seem reasonable? Are there 600 people in a 150 apartment building? Are there more people in an office than there are chairs?
Conference rooms and auditoriums in office buildings often have occupancy schedules that subtract people from other occupancy schedules. This is not the case for schools, class rooms, and auditoriums where occupancy schedules compound and operate in parallel.