Build Equinox CERV2 User manual

USER’S GUIDE
CERV2 Touchscreen Interface
Build Equinox
[email protected]
(773)-492-1893
Rev 1.0 - 07/09/2018
© Build Equinox 2018
USER’S MANUAL

Contents
Controller Overview .............................................................................................................................................................................4
Connecting The Wireless Controller.....................................................................................................................................................4
Home Screen ........................................................................................................................................................................................7
Heating and Cooling Setpoints .............................................................................................................................................................8
CO2/VOC and Ventilation Setpoints.....................................................................................................................................................9
Recirculation.......................................................................................................................................................................................10
Trigger Ventilation..............................................................................................................................................................................11
Wireless Device Setup ........................................................................................................................................................................12
Wired Auxiliary Outputs .....................................................................................................................................................................15
Wired Auxiliary Inputs........................................................................................................................................................................18
CERV Operation Mode........................................................................................................................................................................21
ECM Fan Settings................................................................................................................................................................................22
CERV Assessment Interval ..................................................................................................................................................................24
Display Settings...................................................................................................................................................................................25
Status & Alerts....................................................................................................................................................................................26

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Controller Overview
The CERV’s integrated touchscreen interface and optional wireless touchscreen controller puts control of
your indoor air quality literally into your hands, providing a gateway to the most advanced air quality
management system available today. While the CERV uses complex algorithms and computations to
optimize your indoor air quality, the touchscreen interface was built to be simple, easy to read, and intuitive.
From the controller, you can easily view real time air quality and comfort conditions in your home and
configure the CERV’s settings or auxiliary devices. This guide serves as a reference to allow you to
maximize your understanding of how to configure the CERV to serve you best. Refer to the CERV Operation
Manual for more information on the CERV’s system components, modes of operation, and recommended
settings.
Air quality, temperature, and relative humidity are measured directly at the CERV, and then displayed on the
integrated touchscreen, or relayed wirelessly to the touchscreen controller, allowing flexibility to locate the
controller wherever convenient. The wireless controller can be placed on a flat surface or mounted to a wall
using the bracket attached to the back of the controller enclosure. A wall outlet is all that is needed to plug in
the power supply. CERV setpoints and configurations are stored locally on the CERV’s control board
memory, so powering the touchscreen is not necessary for the CERV to operate. Checking CERV status or
making any changes will require use of either the touchscreen controller or the CERV-ICE internet gateway,
which allows online control and monitoring as well as other features. More information on CERV-ICE can be
found at http://buildequinox.com/products/cerv/cerv-ice/.
Connecting The Wireless Controller
To pair the wireless touchscreen controller with the CERV, make sure that both the touchscreen and CERV
are powered. While the wireless network used is often robust enough to allow access throughout the entire
home, in some cases the touchscreen may be out of range and need to be moved closer to the CERV. To
simplify the process, perform the pairing with the wireless touchscreen and CERV in the same room. Follow
the diagrams on the next two pages.
Wireless Touchscreen controller
Power supply

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After reaching the Link to CERV screen, the base CERV must be put into pairing mode so the two can be
linked together. Follow the instructions on the next screen to navigate to the correct screen on the base
CERV. The touchscreen may be paired by either pressing the green Send Pairing Request button, or
manually entering the wireless touchscreen’s wireless touchscreen ID.
If multiple wireless touchscreens are being used with one CERV, a previously paired touchscreen may be
used to enter pairing mode instead of the base CERV.

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Once the wireless touchscreen is paired, it will start receiving data from the CERV and configuration screens
will be active. On the home screen of the wireless touchscreen controller, the “connected” icon will change
from to

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Home Screen
Overview:
The Home Screen displays the current temperature, relative humidity, CO2, VOC, and status of the CERV.
It additionally provides quick access to other screens, such as heating and cooling setpoints, timed
ventilation, status and alerts, and the Main Menu.
The background color of the screen, along with some of the icons will change depending on the CERV’s
current operating mode. The possible modes are:
•Assess –The CERV is recirculating air throughout the house in order to obtain current readings of
the home’s overall health and comfort. If the CERV is within all setpoints and does not need to
ventilate, heat, or cool, it will revert to its standby “off”mode. Assessment is 2 minutes in duration and
time between assessments depends on the Assessment Interval (see pg 15).
•Vent (Heat/Cool/Setpt) –The CERV will ventilate the home for various reasons. The CO2/VOC
levels may have gone above setpoint, a wireless ventilation switch was triggered, a timed ventilation
event may have been started, or the CERV may be using outside air to heat or cool the home. If the
home is within the heating and cooling setpoints, but the CERV is ventilating, the screen will be green
and the current Mode will show Vent Setpt. A red or blue screen will appear if the CERV is heating or
cooling while in ventilation mode.
•Recirc (Heat/Cool) –If ventilation is not needed, but the inside temperature is outside the bounds of
your heating or cooling setpoint, the CERV will go into a recirculation heating or cooling mode. The
screen will be red or blue depending on heating or cooling mode.
•Off –The CERV has determined that your air quality is acceptable and your inside temperature is
satisfactory. It will conserve energy by turning itself off. The screen will be gray while in this standby
mode. The CERV fans will come on periodically for the assessment period.
Other Notes:
The colored bars below the CO2/VOC readings indicate how the current air quality levels compare to the
setpoint. Green indicates that your air quality is acceptable, yellow indicates that the pollutant level is
nearing the ventilation setpoint, and orange indicates that the pollutant level is above the setpoint and the
CERV is ventilating or will start doing so shortly.

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Heating and Cooling Setpoints
Overview:
On this screen, you may configure your heating and cooling setpoints for the CERV. There are two paths to
get to the heating and cooling setpoint screen. From the Home Screen simply press the thermometer icon or
go through the Main Menu. On the temperature setpoints screen you may change either setpoint and then
press the checkmark to accept the change. To reject the changes or make no change, press the .
After pressing either the checkmark or the X you will be taken to the previous screen.
Note: The lower bound of the cooling setpoint is two degrees F above the current heating setpoint. Likewise,
the highest the heating setpoint can be set is 2 degrees below the current cooling setpoint. It may be
necessary to move one setting first in order to move the other.
On many screens you will notice a “?” button. Pressing this button will take you to a Help Screen for the
screen you are currently on. The Help Screen provides detailed information on the current screen
including what settings can be changed and how these settings relate to the CERV’s operation. Below is
the help screen for the Temperature Setpoint screen. This demonstrates how the CERV operates in
heating or cooling mode in relation to the setpoints. Data shown on the help screen is only
representative.

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CO2/VOC and Ventilation Setpoints
Overview:
On this screen, you may configure your ventilation setpoints for the CERV. Like the Temperature Setpoint
screen, there are two paths that take you to the Ventilation Setpoints. On the left side of the screen are the
CO2 and VOC sensor settings. The CERV is a demand controlled ventilation (DCV) system and has
independent CO2 and VOC sensors. These sensors are controlled with a single setpoint. If the CO2 or VOC
sensors read above the PPM (parts per million) setpoint, the CERV will go into fresh air ventilation mode to
bring the air quality back to an acceptable level. Clicking on the CO2 or VOC buttons at the top will disable
or re-enable either sensor. An orange background on the button indicates the sensor is enabled, while gray
indicates the sensor is disabled.
The right side of the screen lets you set scheduled ventilation where the CERV will ventilate for the chosen
% out of an hour regardless of the CO2 and VOC sensor readings. For example, 10% would ventilate 6
minutes out of every hour. This can be used in addition to the demand controlled ventilation (DCV) or in
place of DCV if the pollutant sensors are turned off.
Recommendations:
Recommend Ventilation Setpoint is 900 to 1100PPM. Studies have shown that levels above 1000PPM can
indicate that a home may have detectable odors as well as negative effects on productivity, alertness, and
general comfort. In some rare cases, outside air may actually be more polluted than the air inside your
home. In this case bringing in outside air will increase the pollution level inside, rather than decrease it. This
could be due to neighbors burning leaves, wood burning stoves, etc. In this type of situation, you may
choose to disable the CERV’s affected CO2 or VOC sensor until the situation is resolved.

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Recirculation
Overview:
Scheduled Recirculation can be used to move air throughout the home during times when the CERV would
otherwise be off because no heating, cooling, or ventilation is needed. This Scheduled Recirculation setting
is reached through the Comfort Menu. By setting the Scheduled Recirculation setpoint, the CERV will spend
the set % of the Assessment Interval time in Recirculation Mode. For example, if the Assessment Interval is
set to 10 minutes and the Scheduled Recirculation set to 10%, the CERV will recirculate for 1 minute out of
the 10 minute interval. During recirculation, only the inside supply fan is powered. See pg 17 for information
on the Assessment Interval.
Recommendations:
The time available for scheduled recirculation will depend on time needed for ventilation, heating, or cooling
because this recirculation is only possible at times when all setpoints are satisfied. Setting to 100% will
ensure constant movement of air throughout the home. Initially leaving it at 0% will allow user to evaluate
CERV’s time spent in off mode and if an increase in Recirculation % is desired to move air during down
time.

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Trigger Ventilation
Overview:
From the Home Screen or through the Comfort Menu you can trigger a timed ventilation event. Trigger
Ventilation lets you force the CERV into ventilation mode for a specified amount of time. If you are cooking
or have another event that may produce moisture or odors for which you require ventilation, this function can
be used. Even though the CERV will detect pollution and ventilate automatically, there can be a delay
between the production of the pollution and when the CERV detects it. Proactively ventilating can help
mitigate propogation of pollution in the home.
To use the function, change the time to the desired length and then press Start Vent. The CERV will switch
into vent mode and the time remaining will begin counting down. If you would like to cancel the ventilation at
anytime, press the stop button. On the home screen an hourglass icon will appear in the status bar while the
ventilation event is occurring.

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Wireless Device Setup
If you purchased the CERV with a wireless switch, active circuit transmitter, wireless touchscreen, etc., you
will need to pair the device to the CERV then, if applicable, configure the functionality of the device. When
pairing a device to the CERV, it is often helpful to have the wireless device located close to the CERV to
ensure good communication.
From the Wireless Device Overview screen, adding a new wireless device is simple. For all wireless devices,
you may either “actively” pair the device (pressing a button on the device when prompted), or “manually” pair
the device (typing in the address of the device). There is additionally often a “Status” box which allows you to
test operation of the wireless switch, active circuit transmitter, etc. Lastly, you will input a name for the device
(maximum 8 characters).
Shown below is an example of pairing a new wireless ventilation switch.
After the name is entered and the green checkbox pressed, you will be taken to the Device Configuration
Screen. This is where you can rename, enable/disable the device, setup functionality, or delete the device.

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Wireless Device Configuration –Wireless Switch
With wireless ventilation switches, there are several options to configure:
•Ventilation Length: once the wireless ventilation switch is triggered, the CERV will ventilate for the
specified period of time.
•Configure Fan Speed/Link to CERV:
oConfigure Fan Speed: if this option is selected, a specific fan speed will be selected for this
particular ventilation switch. Multiple ventilation switches in a home may have different fan
speeds depending on location.
oLink to CERV: if this option is selected, the switch will use the CERV’s configured Triggered
Ventilation Fan Speed. This fan speed setting may be configured in the ECM Fan Settings
screen.
•Target Zones: in the scenario where one or more Zone Dampers are used with the CERV, the
homeowner may wish to pair a ventilation switch to activate one or more zones. For example, if there
were exhaust zones for the master bathroom, guest bathroom, and kitchen, and a wireless switch is
“linked” to the master bathroom zone, triggering the switch would close down the guest bathroom and
kitchen zones to favor the master bathroom.

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Wireless Device Configuration –Active Circuit Transmitter
The Active Circuit Transmitter (ACT) option allows a remote circuit to influence the function of the CERV,
much like the hardwired Auxiliary Input(s). The ACT can be installed along with a load, such as a light
switch or kitchen vent hood, or even used with a separate system as a fan interlock or system shutoff. Once
the ACT is installed, powered, and paired with the CERV, its functionality can be programmed.
When the circuit is “active”, the ACT will periodically send a signal to the CERV indicating that the circuit is
on. In most cases, this will cause the CERV to suspend its current activity based on internal sensors, and
instead enter the mode specified by the device’s configuration. If the ACT is activated, the CERV will
perform the configured function for 5 additional minutes after the circuit is turned off.
See Wired Auxiliary Inputs –Configuration for more information about configuration.
Wireless Device Configuration –Wireless Relay
Wireless Relays allow the CERV to control on/off functionality of a remote device, much like an extension of
the CERV’s built in Auxiliary Output(s). Configuration of the wireless relay, therefore, is identical to
configuration of the wired auxiliary outputs.
See Wired Auxiliary Outputs –Configuration for more information about configuration.

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Wired Auxiliary Outputs
Overview:
The CERV can control external auxiliary devices with different functions through its built in Auxiliary Relay,
or optional Expansion Board. The following graphic shows the path to reach the Auxiliary Output Overview
screen. The base system’s Auxiliary Relay is identified as X0, while the optional expansion board (if
applicable) identifies as X1-X6.
Once an output is configured, the Auxiliary Output Overview will display the current configuration and status
of any configured auxiliary outputs. The diagram below details the information shown for each device.

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Configuration:
To set up a new auxiliary output, simply tap on the button corresponding to the desired device. Similarly, if
you wish to change the configuration of an existing device, just tap the device.
For some of the auxiliary output functions, you may wish to link the device to a wireless temperature,
temperature/RH, or temperature/RH/CO2 sensor instead of the CERV’s built in sensors. If there are no
wireless sensors paired with the CERV, the wireless relay will automatically be configured to use the
CERV’s built in sensors.
When the Integrated CERV Sensors option is chosen for heating, cooling, or ventilation, the “activation”
setpoint for the device is chosen as an offset from the CERV’s current heating, cooling, or ventilation
setpoint. Consider the following example: Your CERV is configured with a heating setpoint of 65, cooling
setpoint of 75, and ventilation setpoint of 1000ppm.
•A heating device with offset of -2 would activate when the CERV is heating and the indoor temperature drops below 63
•A heating device with offset of 0 would activate whenever the CERV is heating
•A cooling device with offset of +2 would activate when the CERV is cooling and the indoor temperature rises above 77
•A cooling device with offset of 0 would activate whenever the CERV is cooling
•A ventilation device with offset of +100 would activate when the CERV is ventilating and the CO2/VOCs rise above 1100
•A ventilation device with offset of 0 would activate whenever the CERV is ventilating

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Alternately, if the Wireless Sensor option is chosen, the “activation” setpoint for the device will be a distinct
value, independent of the CERV’s current mode and setpoints. Care should be taken, therefore, to ensure
that setpoints are chosen in a way that does not result in conflicts between the CERV’s
heating/cooling/ventilation operation and the external devices (i.e. CERV is heating, while a remote device is
cooling). When the Wireless Sensor option is used, the sensor’s name and current reading will appear to
the right of the setpoint selection area.
The Zone Damper configuration consists of selecting the zone you would like to control with this device. If
no zones have been configured yet, a button will appear which will take you to the Zone Configuration
screen.
When the Geo Boost and Fan Interlock options are chosen, no setpoint configuration is needed. The Geo
Boost uses the CERV’s internal temperature sensors to determine the most beneficial conditions to enable
or disable the glycol pump. The Fan Interlock option simply enables the relay whenever the fans of the
CERV are operating.
Unless otherwise stated, the CERV Installation Manual should be used for installing any auxiliary device.

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Wired Auxiliary Inputs
Overview:
The Wired Auxiliary Input option allows an external device to influence the function of the CERV through
either a 24VAC input or dry contact. NOTE: 24VAC/DRY CONTACT selection is configured with the
small slide switch on the left side of the control board under the front plastic cover. All wiring
should be done with the CERV’s power cord disconnected from mains. Once the control wiring is
complete, the input can be configured as follows.
Once an input is configured, the Auxiliary Input Overview will display the current configuration and status of
any configured auxiliary inputs. The diagram below details the information shown for each device.

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Configuration:
To set up a new auxiliary input, simply tap on the button corresponding to the desired device. Similarly, if
you wish to change the configuration of an existing device, just tap the device.
Once the wired auxiliary input is active (sensing either 24VAC at the terminals, or sensing a dry contact
closure), the CERV will immediately enter the configured mode. Unlike the wireless Active Circuit
Transmitter, an inactive circuit will immediately cause the CERV to exit the input’s configured mode (as
opposed to the ACT’s 5 minute timer).
For Vent and Recirc configurations, you may select Additional Ventilation time. This means once the circuit
is turned off, the CERV will continue to ventilate or recirculate for the specified time. For example, you could
have a dry contact kitchen wall switch wired to the CERV, set to 30 minutes additional ventilation. After you
finish cooking and turn off the switch, the CERV would continue to ventilate for 30 extra minutes to help
clear out pollutants. 30 minutes after the switch is turned off, the CERV would then return to the mode it
was in previously.

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For heat, cool, vent, and recirc, you may select either a custom fan speed for the device, or “Link to CERV”,
which uses the CERV’s configured fan speeds.
If configured for Ventilation: in the scenario where one or more Zone Dampers are used with the CERV, the
homeowner may wish to pair the input to activate one or more zones. For example, if there were exhaust
zones for the master bathroom, guest bathroom, and kitchen, and the input is “linked” to the master
bathroom zone, triggering the input would close down the guest bathroom and kitchen zones to favor the
master bathroom.