Commercial office refurb

Refrigerant Removal Bristol Water

‘A’ team cuts time and costs on refrigerant recovery mission

Even with the best maintenance routines in place, mechanical systems such as air conditioning plant still carry some risk of problems. And when a key component needs attention, the challenge is to restore full operation as quickly and as cost effectively as possible.

Facing this challenge at the headquarters of a utility company, Daikin brought in specialist help to cut the time and cost of refrigerant recovery. Although the incident occurred in Spring, when outdoor conditions were temperate, the aim was to minimise any discomfort for staff in the office.

The Solution

Bristol Water’s three-storey HQ at Bedminster Down has three Daikin VRV IV heat recovery modules outdoors, with total capacity of 40hp. These serve 25 indoor units, including concealed ceiling units (medium static pressure) and under-ceiling cassettes. The system is charged with 45-50kg of R410A.

One of the outdoor units needed work – necessitating recovery of the entire refrigerant charge so that the component could be changed.

For the Bristol project, Daikin called in A-Gas, its refrigerant reclaim partner, and international specialists in the supply and lifecycle management of refrigerants and other gases. The A-Gas rapid recovery vehicle arrived on site at 08:30 and after accessing the units on the roof, positioning the vehicle and pulling 100 feet of hose up to the roof, its crew removed the Schrader valves and connected the recovery lines.

Time savings amounted to around one man-day and there was no need to hire cylinders, because A-Gas rapid recovery team brought then as part of the recovery service. A further benefit is that the gas will be reclaimed and returned to the supply chain as equivalent to virgin gas. This also has the benefit of being additional to the F-Gas quota system.