AboutJ Cook Expertise With 25+ years experience, I am familiar with residential, commercial, and industrial HVAC equipment including but not limited to boilers, chillers, reciprocating and screw compressors. I am trained in all manners of control wiring.
Experience I currently have three HVAC licenses and Refrigeration license by the State of North Carolina. I have been in this field for over twenty years. I have been a service technician for a contractor and also worked at a state college in the repair and maintenance of steam lines and equipment. I am currently the Building Maintenance Superintendent for a municipality.
Question I manage a small housing project. Five buildings with 4 apartments in each. Currently they are heated by 40 year old boilers. Have had very little problems, but think I need to find something current and more efficient. Also, the a/c is through the wall units near the ground. Dirt is kicked up into them when we mow, etc.
What would you suggest to update these systems?
Answer Hello Cindy. You have issues that can easily snowball. If the boilers are abandoned for conventional heat and a/c by also replacing the a/c units, you will most likely be limited to some sort of fuel heat units as the electrical will most likely not be enough for heat pumps. That being said, in the long run your heating costs will probably increase. Four individual units will cost more to operate than the single building boilers. Also you would need to install ductwork in every unit for a forced air system. The only other alternative I see is to install ductless heat pump units that have a fan section inside attached to an outdoor unit. These are very efficient and the electrical may withstand this load. You could even go this route for just a/c and replace the boilers for heat. Let me know if I can assist further. Thanks, J
