Air Handler Refurbishing
Air Handling Unit Refurbishment
As buildings age the essential HVAC components begin to deteriorate. This is an issue faced by property managers & maintenance personnel everywhere. For many buildings the distribution of tempered air throughout the building is critical to the buildings function. This is most commonly achieved through air handling units (AHU) located within the building mechanical rooms.
Common Air Handling Aging Issues
Common issues with air handling units aging include:corrosion, leaking, inefficiency and potential health hazards. Air handling unit refurbishment offers a solution to these problems, as well as, a variety of benefits that typically outweigh traditional replacement options.
Refurbishment verse Replacing
When air handling units show signs of deterioration this doesn’t mean the entire unit needs to be replaced. Controlling the location and removal of water within units is the key to keeping corrosion to a minimum. This can be achieved with stainless steel coil racking that is sloped and properly drained. Installation of drift eliminators will direct ‘carry over’ from cooling coils or humidifiers into your drains or sump. This work will eliminate costly leaking outside of the unit. Mechanical room floors often are unsealed and allow water to find its way below and create mould and other unpleasant disruptions. Inefficiency can stem from plugged and corroded coils, old fan motors and aging damper systems. These issues can be solved and tackled with minimal disruption to services. Potential health risks associated with aging air handling units include mould and legionnaires disease. Eliminating and controlling moisture within units is the key to ensuring the absence of these risks.
Benefits presented when comparing AHU refurbishment to replacement include:
- Significant cost savings
- Minimal equipment “downtime”
- Existing services kept intact
- Option for personalized solutions
Air Handling Refurbishment Cost Savings
Projected cost savings can range from 20-80%. There are many factors that contribute to potential savings: unit size, access/location, unit condition and servicing area can all affect pricing.
Equipment Downtime
AHU replacement can lead to lengthy downtime for the area(s) it services unless costly temporary services are put in pace. AHU refurbishment addresses these issues by completing the work in stages. The units would be offline during off-peak hours (typically nights or weekends) and turned back on to provide service during the day. Completing this work over shoulder season months also reduces the dependence on heating and cooling. This allows for project completion with minimal interruption.
Existing Services Kept Intact
AHU refurbishment allows the existing services such as controls, duct work, plumbing and electrical to remain in their current locations. This keeps costs down and project planning to a minimum.
Specialty Coatings
Abbotts Air Ltd produces our own coatings to facilitate the various services we provide. Our rust converter can be applied to convert iron oxide into a hard magnetite and act as a primer for the top coat. This rust converter can be used for various applications and is a key component to our AHU refurbishment process. Our Kast-a-cide cleaning agent is an effective all-purpose type cleaner that has many applications. All our coatings are low VOC to allow for indoor use. The coatings are food grade acceptable and come with applicable federal DIN numbers.
Personalized Services
We work closely with building operators to put together a solution that meets their needs. If there is specific equipment you would like to see installed we can facilitate this in most cases. Want to add a heat wheel to recovery energy? Add a VFD capable motor? Plan ahead for future expansion? These solutions can be easily adapted to the refurbishment of your air handling unit.
Abbott’s Air Can Help
Abbott’s Air Ltd has been completing AHU refurbishment for over 10 years working closely with building operators and property managers. We service commercial, medical, educational and industrial buildings across Canada. Based out of Barrie, Ontario we regularly work within the various regions of the province. Abbott’s prides itself on superior workmanship and customer satisfaction.