A real-life lesson in planned maintenance programs for packaged rooftop units.
Upham’s Corner Health Center offers comprehensive culturally sensitive, community-based health care and social services to North Dorchester and surrounding neighborhoods.
With nine buildings to manage, Tom Tuan Le knows that the secret to reliable and longer-lasting HVAC equipment is a scheduled maintenance program.
Mr. Le is the Upham Corner Health Center’s facilities director who contracted with LC Anderson to regularly inspect, maintain, and repair their HVAC systems.
Despite the limited space near the building, the team was able to clear a safety zone in a small parking lot, Rigging the three old units off and the new ones onto the roof was challenging in the confined space. They completed the operation in good time during off-hours and had minimal impact on the customer.
Depending on the type of system and a variety of contributing factors, the life expectancy of a commercial packaged rooftop unit is typically 15 years, per ASHRAE (American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers). By early 2020, the equipment at the organization’s primary location had lived beyond its life expectancy and was showing signs of its age. Rising repairs coupled with the fact that the R-22 refrigerant for the system was now illegal to produce or import, led to the decision for a planned replacement.
LC Anderson’s sales engineer prepared the project estimates to replace the three packaged rooftop units for the planned replacement and to avoid unplanned downtime. Mr. Le was able to secure project funding approval by mid-2021. COVID supply chain issues caused a slight delay in building the equipment. What would normally be 6-8 weeks for large custom-built units, instead took twelve weeks. This highlighted the importance of partnering and planning ahead. LC Anderson technicians kept the old system operational until the installation could take place.
Each of the three package rooftop units weighs over 8000 lbs. The crane operator and the LC Anderson team coordinated closely to carefully place the units onto their steel base structures. The project was so well choreographed, it went like clockwork.
When the equipment was ready, the crane was set, and the project was underway. From prep work and moving equipment to connecting, wiring, and sealing ductwork, the three new units were installed and up and running within four days.
“We selected LC Anderson for our HVAC planned maintenance and service a little over five years ago. They are consistently professional, responsive, and prompt. They always send the right people for the job.
Replacing the packaged rooftop units, was a massive job. From quoting and ordering the equipment to maneuvering the crane in our small parking lot, the project was extremely well-orchestrated. They even managed to complete the installation during mild weather when neither heating nor cooling was needed.
It has only been a couple of weeks, but I appreciate that the energy-efficient equipment is saving time and operating costs, and we’ve had no temperature complaints.”
Tom Tuan Le ~ Facilities Director
Upham’s Corner Health
