Whether you have a planned or emergency need for temporary cooling this summer you should be prepared to act as fast as possible to implement your temporary HVAC system. Here is some information to gather about your site before you rent to get you on your way as quickly as possible:
1. What is the big picture?
Describe the overall cooling or heating need in a sentence or two. For example, “We need a rental, because we plan to replace a 500Ton water-cooled chiller in an HVAC application, on October 1st, 2019, at our Orlando hotel location.”
2. When do you wish to start the job and how long is the rental?
Is this an emergency rental needed immediately? Is it a planned outage/equipment change/pilot plant that will happen at a set future date for a planned amount of time? Is it for a “contingency plan” that may or may not happen or depend on specialty equipment failing?
3. How many Tons of chilling do you need?
Although you may be replacing a certain number of Tons of chilling power for a failed unit or one that is being serviced, how many Tons of chilling you actually need and how many you have had available could be different. An opportunity for captured costs and efficiency is to make sure you true size the amount you are actually using… you may need somewhat less than you think! Same questions should be asked if renting air conditioners, cooling towers, boilers and other rental HVAC equipment.
4. How large of an area do you have available for the rental?
We specialize in developing unique solutions with regard to challenging spatial constraints around our rentals, but it always helps to know what that looks like beforehand. What is the square footage of the area? Are there any nearby structures that might present installation challenges? Do you have available area on the ground level, or does a rooftop unit make more sense?
5. How close or far is that footprint to the cooling site? How far to the power supply?
It’s unavoidable—sometimes your rental HVAC equipment can’t be as close to the actual cooling/heating site as you would like. This is where our technicians get creative about system design to make sure you have what you need. So how far is that distance?
6. What Voltage and amount of power (Amps) are available?
How much power is available? How many Amps at 3-phase? What Voltage? How many power supply Disconnects (at what amperage each) are available? Crunching numbers around generators can yield surprising results; many sites prefer to use internal power if possible for their rental because they reason that their total cost of operation will be lower. But have you assessed your power bill to know that for sure? A look at the numbers will help you make the best decision.
7. Do you oversee an older structure with any historic restrictions or limitations?
There are few things with more character than a historic structure or site, but they do present their challenges when the natural limitations of the building or historical landmark legislation come into play. Knowing what these may be beforehand will help avoid last minute surprises and will make sure we can deliver the highest level of comfort by the least invasive means.
8. What regulatory compliance is required?
Is the location classified as Hazardous by NEC code? (Class 1, Division 2, Group C&D) Are there maximum emissions requirements for cooling tower operation; generator operation; boiler operation? How about guidelines for commissioning or decommissioning equipment in a sterile environment? We thrive in environments with rigorous requirements such as the food and pharmacy industries and will guarantee the compliance of your rental.
With these questions answered or a general idea of what the answer may be, you will be strongly equipped to make your commercial HVAC rental happen with the maximum efficiency and speed and the least amount of hassle. We’ll take this information and ensure that your exact requirements are met every time, on time and at or under budget.
So how did you do? Have answers for all 8 questions? We’ve been doing this for years and have seen every application imaginable. For guidance on creating a unique plan for your facility please contact us and we’ll have a technical expert reach out to you.