Common Commercial HVAC Problems
How much professional attention has your commercial HVAC system had in the last year—or the last decade? Many commercial heating and cooling systems go unattended for years, accumulating problems and losing efficiency and performance until they finally fail entirely and a technician is called. At this point, you’re facing a more expensive repair alongside the myriad of headaches that can stem from a failure of your heating or cooling.
Losing your commercial HVAC system unexpectedly, even for a few hours, can be a massive problem, whether that means miserable, unproductive employees, inadequately cooled servers or refrigerated sections, or an environment customers won’t willingly visit. We want to help you avoid that costly situation by sharing the most common commercial HVAC problems so that you can identify them and get them fixed while they’re still easily manageable.
General Lack of Maintenance
Countless commercial HVAC systems go years without proper maintenance from an experienced HVAC technician, that is, if they get any maintenance at all. By skipping annual maintenance for your systems, you’re guaranteed to see the reduced performance, increased energy costs, a greater risk of damage requiring repairs, and a shortened system service life. Maintenance visits will also typically spot the other issues we’re going to discuss, so you can get them fixed before they surprise you.
Improper Air Balancing
If your HVAC system has poor air balance, you’ll notice that it’s nearly impossible to keep every room comfortable when you’re running heat or AC—there will always be rooms that typically get too hot or cold and rooms that don’t get warm or cool enough. This can lead to discomfort, inefficiency, and a wealth of other headaches for your business.
Thermostat Problems
Many HVAC problems for commercial units stem not from the system itself but from the thermostat. If you can’t trust your system to start and stop when it should, as set by your thermostat, it’s a problem that you should have fixed. While most thermostat issues are unlikely to cause additional damages, the combination of discomfort and lost efficiency makes them well worth resolving.
Compressor Issues
Hear loud, unusual noises from the compressor outside your building when you’re running your air conditioning in the summer. Notice oil or other fluids where they shouldn’t be outside? You may have a problem with your compressor, as these can indicate scrambled or leaky compressors, respectively.
Heat Exchanger Problems
Many commercial AC issues stem from the heat exchangers at either end of your air conditioner’s loop. A result of poor maintenance or poorly managed drainage, dirty, clogged condenser or evaporator coils can lead to poor efficiency, frozen units, and other headaches. Similar issues stem from fan failures.
Electrical Problems
Commercial HVAC systems frequently suffer from electrical problems, especially in larger buildings where wiring isn’t as closely managed and maintained as it ought to be. In many cases, the wiring and panels associated with your HVAC system haven’t been looked at in decades, even if the unit itself is newer—add a few other high-draw appliances or machines, and you’re almost guaranteed to have HVAC issues.
Rust, Soot & Housing Damage
Poor ventilation and time without maintenance contribute to significant problems stemming from rust, which results from moisture, soot from combustion, and damage from both the housing and large components of your heating and cooling units. Other damage or visible problems also warrant professional attention, even if everything seems to work correctly. Any one of these can cause problems with efficiency and performance, put other components at risk of failure, and introduce serious risks in the form of gas leaks, risk of fire, etc.
What To Do About It?
Taking action quickly will save you money and frustration in the long term. You shouldn’t put aside issues like increased expense as efficiency drops or parts become more damaged. The risk of an unexpected, unscheduled loss of your HVAC and the potential losses associated should give any commercial property owner pause.
If you’d like to learn more about commercial HVAC service, or you suspect problems with your own system in the New York City area, contact the experts at AFGO Mechanical Services online or dial (718) 478-5555.
At AFGO, we don’t believe in one-size fits all HVAC systems…
we succeed by providing our customers with alternative HVAC solutions.
