HVAC Commissioning and Infrared Imaging

And last but not least, our series on commissioning ends with a look at HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) Commissioning. Just like mechanical and electrical commissioning, the point of HVAC Commissioning is to ensure that your HVAC system is working the way it is supposed to work. To maximize the energy efficiency of your commercial building, you must be sure that your environment isn’t compromised by inadequate or poorly sealed ductwork, plumbing issues or other problems related to improperly functioning HVAC systems.

This was really brought home to me in a conversation I had with a developer friend of mine. Seems every time a new unit in a block of condos is sold, the new owner turns on the A/C and water leaks start showing up within a couple of days.

It turned out the problem is a missing piece in the air conditioning system – easy to fix, but hard to find. And of course, now the developer is responsible for fixing the leak and the resulting issues (replacing drywall, re-painting, etc.). This is just a simple example of an improperly functioning HVAC system – but multiply this problem in a large multi-system commercial building and the costs rise exponentially!

There are actually three different kinds of HVAC Commissioning:

• Retrocommissioning: Commissioning of an existing system that was never commissioned
• Recommissioning: Subsequent repeat commissioning of a system that was once commissioned
• Continuous Commissioning: Incorporating commissioning activities into operating and maintenance processes so that no separate recommissioning processes are required

Like mechanical and electrical commissioning, thermography and thermal imaging have a role to play in HVAC Commissioning.  The Building Commissioning Association (BCA), an organization of commissioning professionals, gives this example:
 
“I also carry a thermal-imaging camera to find leakage in buildings and to see which equipment in existing buildings is on and which is not on…For example, a prep school dining hall was cold and, through thermal imaging, I found that no steam was entering the coil. In the sub-basement, I would have had to crawl under pipes and ducts where rats and mice like to be. Instead, I was able to take thermal images of the ducts to see where the heat was being stopped. I found that the condensate trap had failed at the coil, so no heat was getting through on either duct branch.”*

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IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial and residential end users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit www.irinfraredservices.com or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/infraredscans.


*Source: http://www.distributedenergy.com/november-december-2009/concept-of-commissioning-2.aspx