We all know that heating and indoor air quality play a significant factor in providing a happy and healthy work environment, and that yearly maintenance is necessary to keep those systems running efficiently.
Jeff Hodge, a member of the Cambridge service team, has provided some simple tips for mid-year maintenance to your commercial or industrial HVAC unit.
End-of-Year Maintenance Tips
1. Filters - Service the filters as needed based on the “loading” experienced. Turn off the heater before servicing filters. Remove the filters from the filter section by opening the filter access door. Handle the filters carefully to prevent debris from being dislodged from the filter into the heater.
2. Check the belt - periodic belt adjustments help ensure the sustainability of the belt. If a belt is too tight, it can prematurely wear out the bearings and the belt. If the belt is too loose, it can slip or squeal.
3. Check the discharge temperature - Use a wired thermistor at the mixing box to calibrate the system if necessary.
4. Inspect the control panels - Look for loose or frayed wire connections and make sure all connections are tight.
5. Perform a gas valve leak test - This will ensure the integrity of the valves.
6. Grease the bearings – Dependent upon usage, your bearings may need to be regreased. The grease should be evenly distributed around the race. However, do not use the standard bearing grease in the Baldor motor. Instead, this motor takes special grease that can be referred to in the technical manual.
7. Check and clean the evaporator and condenser coils - Dirty coils will drastically reduce cooling equipment efficiency and strain the compressor.
8. Perform a gas valve leak test - This verifies the integrity of the valves.
9. Verify that the manifold differential gas pressure matches the nameplate. It is extremely important that this is set up properly. If the manifold pressure is incorrect, the heater temp rises and its efficiency will be affected.
10. Inspect the direct evaporative media (CELdek) - Ensure that there is proper water flow across the media.
11. Check the calibration of digital thermostats - Press the up arrow and hold it; the display should show 0F. If not, the calibration may have been adjusted to show a warmer or cooler temperature than desired.
Additional Resources
It is important to achieve maximum efficiency from your commercial or industrial HVAC system. For more tips and instructions see our “How-To” videos, and with any further questions, please reach out to the Cambridge service team.