Commercial HVAC Systems 101
As a business owner or manager, whenever something happens in your business or in your building, you need to react in a manner that is practical and in the best interests of the organization overall. You probably have no training in commercial HVAC, yet you need to understand the basics of how it works so you can make the right call when the need for service or repair comes up.
To help you get on track, we’d like to use this article for a quick introduction to the basics of how a commercial HVAC system works in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Let’s get started!
Residential and Commercial Have a Lot in Common
The first thing you should know about commercial HVAC is that it is not all that much different from residential HVAC. Sure, the equipment is larger and more powerful, and the systems tend to be more complicated due to their scale, but the goal of heating or cooling indoor spaces is the same. Some type of fuel source is used to transfer heat from one medium to another, and the altered air temperature is then distributed throughout the building. In the end, a properly functioning system will keep the air at a moderate temperature and everyone inside the space will be comfortable throughout the day and night.
Some Possibilities
Where residential and commercial differ is the type of equipment used to get the job done. The typical residential furnace or air conditioning unit just isn’t going to have nearly enough capacity to handle the average commercial property. As a result, a variety of different types of systems have been developed over the years to make it possible for commercial HVAC to heat or cool even the biggest of buildings. Two common options are as follows –
- Split HVAC systems. If you have ever seen a commercial building that is being served by many air conditioning units up on the roof, you have seen a split system. The basic idea here is that each of those individual units serves a specific space inside the building. You might see this put to use in an office building that is occupied by many different tenants – each can control its own system and adjust the temperature up and down, as needed. This type of system takes up a lot of space, obviously, but it can offer quality results in an affordable manner.
- Rooftop HVAC units. This is another type of system that lives on the roof of the building, but it has everything all in one unit rather than housing the condenser on the roof and the other pieces elsewhere. Once this unit has altered the temperature of the air, it will distribute that air directly into the ductwork of the building so it can make its way around to the various spaces that need to be heated or cooled. The simplicity of this system can be appealing in some situations, however, you might find that it demands more maintenance and may not be quite as efficient.
A Custom Solution is Best
Perhaps the most important thing you can understand about your commercial HVAC system is that it needs to be customized to the specific demands of your building. Working with an experienced contractor like Walker Air • Plumbing • Electric will help you figure out what kind of equipment is currently in place and whether or not that is the right approach for what you need to accomplish. Spending too long running an inefficient, ineffective system is only going to mean bad things for your business, so any HVAC issues you are facing should be addressed as soon as possible.
At Walker Air • Plumbing • Electric, you can be assured that we are up to any commercial HVAC challenge that you may face. Contact us as soon as an issue comes up and our team will be quick to respond and help you understand what has gone wrong. You can also bring us in before any issues arise to perform preventive maintenance and keep the system on track for reliable performance moving forward. Give us a call today to learn more.
