How Is Your Summer Going?

 

How Is Your Summer Going?

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

8/3/22

It is the height of the summer months and this is the time of year when our AC equipment is typically the most challenged. So the question is – how is your summer going? Is your AC equipment keeping up with the demand? If it isn’t, there are are a number of possible explanations that you need to explore. They may include any one or a combination of the following:

1. Is our periodic preventive / predictive maintenance effective? If the equipment was not properly maintained prior to the start of the cooling season, this is the point in the year when those failings would be most evident. The inspection and testing of critical components, along with the cleaning of the coils and filters are critical to the proper operation of AC equipment. The equipment may ‘get by’ when temperatures are mild, but in the heat of the summer when the equipment is pushed to its capacity limits, failure to perform the required maintenance will often result in equipment that just cannot perform as needed.

2. Have their been periodic inspections monthly throughout the summer to ensure the equipment is still operating properly and undamaged? Sometimes, even with the best of regular PM maintenance, problems unexpectedly occur. Perhaps a tree limb fell on a condensing unit. Perhaps there was higher than expected pollen or dust this spring that clogged the condenser coils again after they were cleaned in the spring. Or there may have been an unexpected refrigerant leak. Periodic inspections should be part of the facilities manager’s weekly routine to catch small problems before they become large ones.

3. What is the age of your HVAC equipment? Everything has an expected lifespan. Everything! BOMA publishes a guidebook that includes expected lifespans for various equipment (https://www.boma.org/BOMA/BOMA/Research-Resources/Publication_Pages/Preventive%20Maintenance%20Guidebook.aspx) . If your HVAC equipment has reached or exceeded its expected lifespan, it is a good idea to consider replacing it. Not only is new equipment going to be more reliable, repair components will be more readily available, and newer HVAC equipment will likely be more energy efficient than your current older equipment.

This is the time of the year when the weather will do some performance testing for you. If you are experiencing issues with your HVAC equipment, take a closer look and determine which course of action you should take. If you have more equipment than you can effectively manage on your own, or would like an independent third party evaluation of the condition and state of your equipment, look to an engineering firm that has experience in this area that can provide you with an in-depth analysis with recommendations to avoid future problems. The money you invest now will pay itself back several-fold in the avoidance of downtime and emergency repairs. An ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure!