This is a list of common HVAC components in commercial buildings. You probably know that you have an HVAC system for your facility, but you might not know what all of the components do. Here is a list of the most common HVAC elements found in a commercial building and how they work together to keep your building at its ideal temperature. An air conditioner is designed to dehumidify and remove heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. A condenser is a component of the basic refrigeration cycle that removes heat from the system. The condenser is the hot side of an air conditioner. Condensers are heat exchangers that can transfer heat to air or heat to fluid (such as water or glycol) to carry the heat away. An air handler, or air handling unit (often called an AHU), is used to condition and circulate air as part of an HVAC system. An air handler usually contains a blower, heating or cooling elements, filter racks or chambers, sound attenuators, and dampers.

Air handlers usually connect to ductwork that distribute the conditioned air through the building and return it to the AHU. Small air handlers are called terminal units, and may only include an air filter, coil, and blower. These smaller units are also called blower coils or fan coil units. A larger air handler that conditions 100% outside air, and no re-circulated air, is known as a makeup air unit (MAU). An air handler designed for outdoor use, typically on roofs, is known as a rooftop unit (RTU). A chiller removes heat from a liquid through a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle. This cooled liquid flows through pipes in a building and passes through coils in air handlers, fan-coil units, or other systems, cooling and usually dehumidifying the air in the building. There are two types of chillers – air-cooled or water-cooled. Air-cooled chillers are usually outside and consist of condenser coils cooled by fan-driven air. Water-cooled chiller are usually inside a building, and heat from these chillers is carried by re-circulating water to a heat sink such as an outdoor cooling tower.

Now that you know the difference between these components, do you remember when the last time was that you had them tuned up? Be sure to perform regular facility HVAC maintenance to keep your system running at its peak. Facility Services Newsletter – Receive maintenance tips, business updates, and our quarterly cocktail. Principal ignores offers to host free carnival for poor ki... Never Miss a Story Get The Post delivered directly to your inbox By clicking above you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Roof Leaks caused by HVAC roof mounted systems. Air Conditioners on roofs that leak can cause hundreds of dollars in repairs. The problem is finding the responsible party. I can’t tell you how many times, year in and year out, how I have been blamed for a leaky roof I installed, only to find out that someone installed a AC on the roof poorly years after I did the roof. When it leaks, who do you call, the roofer! The photo to the left shows how a HVAC contractor from the Sacramento area has bent , broken and stuffed his roof mount HVAC stand poorly into this roof.

There is no way this roof would not leak, and it did, and who did the home owner call? Yep, you got it , me. The shingles and underlayment needed to be repaired and during this job a broken rafter was discovered and replaced.  As you can see to the right the unit’s stand on the bottom left is extended more than the right side to make up the sag in the roof. The HVAC contractor cut a rafter and it loaded too much weight on what is called the cripple rafter which had no purlin support. why is my window ac unit freezing{ A cripple is a rafter that runs from a hip to a valley} ac wall unit with thermostatThis HVAC contractor that did this horrible job is a large company that does a lot of advertisement, but will never get a referral from me because of this type of work.how to build ac unit

There were many issues with this installation and don’t get me wrong because for the most part HVAC contractors are great. This installation was very poor and did not get inspected by the Building Department. I have seen many maintenance issues on a Air  Conditioners that also caused leaks. I hate having to tell the customer they need to call the HVAC Contractor that work on the roof recently to come back out and fix this problem. Did you know I have seen small 1/2 holes stabbed into the elbow so the HVAC contractor can temp/test the return air, then leave that little hole. I could go on and on but I think the point is made. This area of the roof is most important to get right and hiring the best to do the two jobs is critical. I have for years developed great working relationships with HVAC Contractors. As a roofing contractor it is good to have a few you can trust and use because things can really go well if the two know each other and work good together. The reason why is this, when the roof and HVAC are being done at the same time, both contractor that have worked together  both understand each others job responsibilities.