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Frequently Asked Questions  
 

When answering tech support calls or e-mails, we tend to see a group of common questions that are asked most often. We thought it would be helpful to compile a list of our most Frequently Asked Questions. You may want to come here first before contacting us to see if your question is listed.

These questions start with general issues applying to Elite Software or all our programs in general, and then follow with some questions that are specific to certain programs. Any such questions in the latter group will specify the program name above the question, and the program questions are in alphabetical order by program name.

General FAQ  

I installed my program but it does not seem to work correctly. I can't enter large numbers or large amounts of data.
Your program is set to a demo. We restrict our demo programs to certain limits for data input. If you are encountering such a limit, this means your program is set at a demo level. A program can install as a demo even if you follow the normal procedure to install a fully licensed program. For example, sometimes this can happen when the install disk or CD does not read the license file correctly. So we have a feature in our Windows programs to activate your license from within the program at any time.

To activate a program license, first insert the installation CD we sent you with your order into the CD drive (or if your order was prior to July 2005, insert the license floppy disk into the floppy drive). If the Elite Software Program Installer window opens, close it. Then open the program you installed and click the menu "Help | About [program name]." Then on the About box, click the Copy License File button. If your license is on the Elite CD, then on the Browse for Folder dialog select the "License" folder on the CD drive and click OK. If your license is on a floppy disk, then select the floppy disk drive on the Browse for Folder dialog and click OK. A confirmation message will appear if you are successful.

I want to activate a demo program, but I got a license file by e-mail. How is this done?
Sometimes we send you a license file by e-mail upon request or if we determine your original disks or CDs are lost or unreadable. To use the license file(s) we sent you to activate your program(s), you need to first extract or save (but don't open) the attached file(s) from the email to your Desktop or some other folder you normally use for downloads. (If you don't know how to save an attachment from an e-mail, consult the documentation or tech support for your e-mail program. If we sent the licenses in a zip file, double click it to open the zip file window and go to the Help menu in that window if you need help with extracting the files.) Once this is done use the Copy License File procedure detailed in the first question above, but in the Browse window select the Desktop (or other folder used) and click Ok.

I want to activate a demo program, but I had my license on a floppy diskette and my new computer doesn't have a floppy disk drive. How do I use the floppy now?
You can still use the floppy diskette if you have access to another computer that has such a disk drive. Find the license file on the floppy on that computer and copy the license file to its hard drive. Then you can get it from there to your new computer by copying it over a network, sending it by e-mail (see previous question), or using other media. Any media that you can read on the new computer can be used including burning it to a CD, copying it to a flash card or jump drive, or other such methods. Once the file is brought to the new computer you can activate the license using the Copy License File procedure in the first question, selecting the folder or drive where you placed the file in the Browse window.

Could you give a specific procedure for licensing my program? These instructions seem vague.
Yes, the above instructions allow for different media, programs and folder types you can use for license activation. They may seem unclear, but when put in practice it involves just a small number of quick, easy steps to activate your license. So if it is not clear how to use the above instructions in your case, click here for specific, step by step instructions to activate a program license.

Could you clarify what media is used to install your programs? I see floppy disks discussed in the program manual but I just got a CD.
As noted in the above question, most new computers do not have a floppy disk drive, so we now distribute our programs on CD only. When we send a CD it includes your license file(s) in the License folder on the CD. Orders made before July 2005 got their license files on a separate floppy disk, and we have not had time to update all our program manuals yet to remove discussion of floppy disks. If you received our programs after July 2005, please ignore the manual chapter that discusses these disks, since this is out of date.

What are the system requirements for your programs?
This question is not as critical as it used to be several years ago. Computer speeds are fast enough with new computers that RAM requirements and such are more than sufficient for most programs, even AutoCAD programs that used to require a specialized workstation to run. So generally speaking, any Windows computer made in the last 10 years or so is compatible with our programs and should have sufficient RAM, hard drive space, etc. to run our programs. But if you need specific requirements, see the following page: https://www.elitesoft.com/web/minimumreq.htm

When I try to preview or print reports from my Elite Software program, it prints or shows blank sheets or misaligned text. How is this resolved?
Most printing problems with our software like this are fixed by downloading the latest printer driver from your printer manufacturer's web site. For example, if you own an HP printer you would go to this page on the hp.com web site. This is recommended whether you have a standalone or network printer. If this doesn't help, other things to check are in the printer setup window in your program, including page margins, text sizes and fonts, and other settings.

In Rhvac, Chvac or Ductsize, I try to enter data for room information but most inputs are grayed out. What is wrong?
You have the program set to use Drawing Board mode, which grays out the regular room or duct inputs so that information can be specified in the drawing. To return to normal mode, click the DB/x button in the toolbar to switch modes (where x is the first letter of the program running with Drawing Board).

Will my state regulatory agency accept Elite printouts for certification of my results?
For the most part, our programs are not accredited by official agencies, local or otherwise, usually because they do not do formal software accreditation. One exception is Rhvac which is accredited by ACCA, and it exports to Energy Gauge and other similar programs that are supported at the state level. We have been a leader in the HVAC, plumbing and electrical software industry for 25 years so you can rest assured that all our program results are acceptable for the methodology they employ. But if you have any doubt you should ask the agency, municipal board or other regulatory body if they accept our program output, or the calculation methodology cited in our programs.

CAD Details FAQ  

What do the CAD Details for Electrical, HVAC, Fire Sprinklers and Plumbing do?
Unlike most of our products which are software programs, our CAD Details packages are just a collection of CAD drawings on a CD. You can copy these .dwg or .dxf files to your hard drive and view or edit them in any AutoCAD application.

Chvac FAQ  

I want to see calculation results in the reports, but the output data pages show all zeroes for the results.
Go to the Air Handler Data window and make sure the Number of Occurrences is not set to 0. If it is, set it to 1 and refresh the reports. They should now show a full set of data.

I try to reduce the cooling coil temperature but there is no change in the results. Why is this?
You have reduced the cooling coil temperature below the dew point of the indoor air. Psychrometrically speaking, the temperature cannot go lower than this value so it is fixed at the dew point. If you reduce indoor humidity however, this results in a lower dew point so you can enter a lower coil temperature. In most cases, since humidity is not a critical parameter to control, users just drop their indoor humidity selection from say, 50% to 40% and this takes care of the problem.

Drawing Board FAQ  

I think I've installed the programs for Drawing Board but I can't find it. How do I start Drawing Board?
Drawing Board is meant to run as an accessory program to other Elite programs like Chvac, Rhvac and Ductsize, and is seldom run by itself. So we included a way to run Drawing Board as an integrated application, inside these other programs. When running a project in one of these programs, in the top toolbar just find the Drawing Board icon (which looks like a small picture of a drafting board) or select Project|Drawing Board. If this icon is grayed out you need to switch to Drawing Board mode, which is done by selecting the DB/x button where x is the first letter of the program you're running with Drawing Board. This opens a selection to switch between regular mode and Drawing Board mode.

I purchased Ductsize (or Rhvac, or a similar program). Do I get Drawing Board with this purchase?
No. Because we integrated Drawing Board in our other programs, as a demo or otherwise, the terminology can lead to some misunderstandings. But to make it clear, these programs are each purchased separately. When you purchase Chvac 50 zone for for $595 for example, you must pay an additional $495 to use Drawing Board with it. You cannot use Drawing Board as a fully active program unless you pay for the primary program like Chvac plus an additional $495 for Drawing Board. We apologize for any misunderstandings but hope anyone who wasn't clear on this distinction can appreciate that it can be difficult to convey how a program can be considered integrated, yet separate.

Fire FAQ  

I see an error referring to an "isolated pipe section" and the calculations will not run. How do I fix this?
This means that there is a break or disconnection in your pipe sections, or some pipes are Inactive that cause such a disconnection. All pipes must be connected in the sprinkler system or calcs will not run. The error message should cite a node number close to the break, so you should be able to identify it. But if you can't find it you can e-mail your project file to tech support and we can determine the location of the break.

How do I add a fire pump to my project?
To add a fire pump, first create a pipe section that will contain the pump. Then in the Mat/Loss column, instead of using a pipe material number, enter a P (or select it from the list of material types). This designates this as a fire pump section. A pump curve window will open next, allowing you to enter curve data or select saved data from the Pump Curve Database. However you can cancel this window if desired and instead enter the pump boost in psi (or kPa) below the P.

Proposal Maker FAQ  

How do I run Proposal Maker?
Like our Drawing Board program, Proposal Maker is designed to run as an accessory program in other Elite programs like Energy Audit and Rhvac. See the question on Drawing Board above on how to run one Elite program inside another.

Psychart FAQ  

The chart looks different from another chart I'm comparing it with. Is something wrong?
You need to make sure the extents of the chart axes are the same as the other chart you are comparing it to. And also that the elevation above sea level is the same. Note that the Psychart demo fixes the elevation at above 9000 ft so if it is set to a demo it will look different from a sea level chart.

S-Pipe FAQ  

How do I connect the hot and cold pipe sections into one network?
If you do not connect the hot and cold pipe sections, they are treated separately and do not have cumulative pressure drops and flows among them. So normally they are connected.

You must do two things to have the source hot pipe node connect to a cold pipe section, thus making all pipe sections interconnected. First enter a hot supply source node in the General Project Data window, Settings tab. This must correspond to the ending node of a cold pipe section. Secondly, the cold pipe section containing that end node must also contain a piece of hot water equipment, like a hot water heater. See the Sample.spw project file for an example.

 

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