News | United CoolAir

March 25, 2013 by Matt Hanson

Targeting the HVAC Retrofit Market

United CoolAir Corporation (UCA) is repositioning itself to stand out in the high-growth retrofit air conditioning marketplace. Namely by adding the tagline “All-Indoor Solutions,” which calls attention to the fact that all UCA equipment mounts entirely indoors. For example, our units require no roof or pad space. UCA manufactures a wide range of equipment styles for practically any retrofit application.

With many aging buildings, especially in urban areas, older systems need replacement by more capable units meeting new efficiency standards. Because many of these old units were installed at the time during building construction, they are difficult to replace. Specifically, “A high proportion of the multi-story buildings in cities like NYC, Boston and Chicago have floor-by-floor air conditioning systems that are difficult to access.

The problem is not removing the old system out but rather replacing the system at a reasonable cost. “In most metropolitan buildings, space is unavailable for exterior condensing or rooftop unit mounting,” said United CoolAir President Neil Tucker. Mr. Tucker remarked that often owners, contractors, and even some consulting engineers tend to focus on equipment cost rather than the Total Installed Cost. You must include the additional charges for special permits, crane rental, rigging, building modifications, equipment modifications, and labor. In order to make these changes, the new HVAC equipment must only cost a small fraction of the entire project.

UCA’s All-Indoor Solutions include unique characteristics separating them from other suppliers of retrofit cooling equipment. Please see a list of the characteristics below.

UCA offers a variety of equipment styles and sizes that tailor to fit practically any building requirement. In other words, the design of UCA equipment is adaptable to the most difficult installations at a lower installed cost.
Configurations include horizontal, vertical, ceiling grid, VAV, and even dedicated outside air systems.
Air conditioners mount entirely indoors requiring no rooftop space, slab, or special exterior condensing section mounting. Furthermore, unit availability includes air-cooled, water-cooled, chilled water, and heat pump configurations.
The equipment modular design allows for disassembly for transportation. However, most sections fit through standard doorways and elevators, eliminating the need for expensive building modifications, rigging, or crane rental.
The equipment retains the exterior architectural appearance of the building, especially with historical structures.
Theft and vandalism are practically eliminated without the added expense of special security systems or cages.
The units refrigerant is factory charged during production. This means there is no piping, brazing, evacuation, or refrigerant charging in the field which realizes a lower installed cost.
Systems are made-to-order allowing us to place air paths, electrical connections, and refrigerant lines that match existing hookups. In fact, contractors can completely install a number of our systems in as little as a weekend, minimizing workplace disruption.
UCA equipment maximizes indoor space by taking advantage of closets, small rooms, and ceiling spaces. The equipment protection from harsh outdoor weather extends its operating life, and this eliminates high maintenance fees for outdoor servicing.
UCA uses standardized parts and components allowing routine maintenance completion at very cost.

Summary

United CoolAir leads in the manufacturing of indoor packaged and splittable light commercial air conditioners. Their “unique comfort solutions” develop around an innovative modular all-indoor design. UCA began manufacturing air conditioning equipment in 1988 for military applications along with highly specialized HVAC systems for commercial applications.

Presently, UCA manufactures a broad line of air conditioning systems that include horizontal ceiling mount, vertical systems, and outside air systems such as EZ-Fit and Renovator. They also manufacture a full line of portable air conditioners and heating systems for the rental industry. For more information about United CoolAir, please call 717-843-4311 or visit www.unitedcoolair.com.

September 7, 2012 by Matt Hanson

EmblemHealth EZ-Fit Renovation Project

HEALTHCARE AIR CONDITIONER REPLACEMENT TURNS INTO SIMPLE OPERATION

Photo of Emblem Health Building — Emblem Health Building

Renowned for the quantity and variety of tall buildings towering over the Manhattan skyline is New York City. Many of these structures are at a point where age has taken its toll on mechanical systems and requires replacement. Even if they are still operational, today’s new air conditioning systems are more energy-efficient, making it cost-effective for change-out.

You might not think this is a big deal because this occurs every day but New York City, like many large metropolitan areas, is a little bit different from a smaller city. In smaller cities like say White Plains, NY mechanical systems are generally easier to access. In New York City, replacing a large system often requires demolition, cranes, rigging, and a lot of extra work.

They hired us for a project at an EmblemHealth facility located in mid-Manhattan around 35th and 7th avenue. The building construction occurred in the early 1970s and the mechanical systems have been running for over 25 years. Since it is a hospital, maintaining ideal comfort conditions is critical. The AC system replacement happened quickly and with the least amount of disruption to the patients, service providers, and staff.

Floor-by-floor Replacement Solution

Like many tall buildings, space conditioning AC installation is floor by floor rather than large central units. Many of the systems were installed during the building construction where access was not an issue. Removing the old systems is generally not a problem because the units disassemble proceeds by whatever means available and scrapped. Getting the new units to their installation location is where the fun begins.

The EmblemHealth building had four existing units spread out from the basement, main floor, and at an upper level. Sizes ranged from 45 tons and the replacement units would be the same size. MWSK Equipment is a manufacturer’s rep located on 7th Avenue in lower Manhattan. They service the five boroughs and have had a lot of experience in squeezing air conditioning systems into tall structures.

Replacement happens without Building Modification

“Often the HVAC contractor has to do a lot of preparation work in order to fit an AC system through small passageways. Larger units may have to lift by crane to upper floors and require rigging, permits, and building modification. If they take it through the building, the unit may have to be delivered partially disassembled and reassembled on-site. Sometimes walls and doorways opening allow access,” said Freddie Taruc, Sales Manager at MWSK. Regardless of the entry method, the installation cost can easily exceed the unit’s cost. This is especially true when you measure man-hours and special equipment necessary to complete the job. Of course, there’s the additional time needed for demolition, installation, and final repairs.

Taruc said they needed to get the replacement units in quickly and with as little building modification as possible. They naturally selected their best candidate for the job—United CoolAir EZ-Fit units. “United CoolAir makes cooling equipment uniquely designed for our market. They manufacture a class of air conditioners with many flexible features that allow negotiation through narrow doorways and halls. Furthermore, they also require no evacuation and charging after installation,” said Taruc. Tareq Batarseh, PE, LEED AP Associate for Robert Director Associates Consulting Engineers (RDA) is the specifying engineer for the latest EmblemHealth project and is no stranger to these kinds of retrofit installations.

“Each room has its challenges, some rooms have height restrictions and width restrictions,” said Batarseh. “United CoolAir units have the ability to connect to existing piping and ductwork with minimal modifications”. He likes the flexibility in United CoolAir’s system design and their ability to modify the cabinet sizes as needed. These are two major reasons why they are an approved manufacturer for EmblemHealth.

Healthcare Facilities Unique Challenge

Unlike most commercial buildings, Healthcare facilities are generally active 24 hours each day. The retrofit scheduling included two weekends with two units replaced each weekend. John McBride, Design Engineer for JFK & M Consulting Group made sure the replacement work would not interrupt the facility’s busy weekend schedule. The old equipment removal happened on Friday and the bringing in of replacement units with minimal interference with hospital operations transpired.

Summary

The modular sections were quickly reassembled and connected to the existing hookups. Since the units were pre-charged at the factory, they eliminated brazing, evacuation, and charging in the field saving many hours of valuable labor. The units were operational by Monday morning at the start of the new week,” said McBride. This latest installation went smoothly much to the credit of the easily-handling modular units, resealable refrigerant connections, and factory-charged sections.

This came as no surprise to Joe Ptak, Chief Building Engineer for EmblemHealth, who was first introduced to United CoolAir units. They installed the first units in his building and have not looked back since. “I was very pleased with the performance of their units then and I recommended using United CoolAir systems for all the other EmblemHealth mechanical system replacements,” said Ptak. He said they have other facilities ready for the same treatment in the near future.