MyHVAC

STEPS TO CONDUCTING YOUR HVAC ASSESSMENT

Collect Building Information:

• Building age
• Mechanical drawings
• Floor plan drawings
• Operating and maintenance manuals
• Past reports

Conduct Interviews to Obtain Historical Information:

• Pre-survey questionnaires
• Client
• Maintenance Employees
• Building occupants on how they perceive the building’s condition

Overall Building Condition Assessment:

• Walk through the occupied spaces to observe if ceiling tile stains, water stains on walls, mold formation and the condition of visible components such as thermostats and radiator valves.
• Pop up ceiling tiles and look through access panels to determine if the ducts are insulated, check duct and pipe hangers.
• Inspect plumbing, vent pipes and rooftop equipment such as makeup air units, air conditioning units, condensing units and exhaust fans.

Observe Mechanical Rooms at the End for:

• Piping:
  • Look for leaks
  • Presence/condition of insulation
  • Support
• Boilers:
  • Tag information
  • Pressure relief valves
  • Settings
  • Casing
• Pumps:
  • Noise
  • Leaks
• Expansion tanks:
  • Review if water conditioning exists
• Certificates:
  • Review if posted
• Fire protection:
  • Review condition and fire penetrations

Summarize and Prioritize Financial and Risk Assessment:

• Review implications of losing a particular piece of equipment and if redundancy exists
• Divide observations into maintenance and capital improvement categories
• Decide if testing is needed
• Consider:
  • Indoor air quality tests (CO, humidity, etc.)
  • Boiler efficiency tests
  • Furnace Heat Exchanger Integrity

Next decide if further studies would be merited. For example, an energy study might be beneficial. Finally, decide if systems need to be re-commissioned.