AEM Blog - Archive

The majority of commercial spaces in the United states are serviced by commercial rooftop air conditioners. There are other systems available that use less energy to cool, so what makes them so popular?  They have a small footprint and are a more lightweight design than other options. This impacts roof construction and structural support allowing for reduced construction costs. An added benefit is that the rooftop system provides basic heating, cooling and ventilation. Do I Repair, Upgrade or Replace My Existing Rooftop System? An older RTU operates at a lower efficiency level and is like...

The best time to tackle HVAC issues is before they become a problem. Changes in seasons are rough on your commercial building HVAC equipment. Are you ready for the brutally cold temperatures heading our way? More importantly, is your commercial building ready? HVAC Preventive Maintenance Tips Replace Worn Out Equipment: It is difficult to assign a set number of years your HVAC equipment will last. So much depends on factors such as operating conditions and whether or not you have kept up with annual maintenance. Generally speaking, if your equipment is more than 10 years old you should have a ...

Condensation Your furnace does not use water in order to operate, but water is a byproduct of the cooling process involved with your central air conditioning. The likely causes are: Plugged drain pan. Plugged drain hose. Rusty drain pan with a hole in it. My furnace has a drain pan? Yes and no. What you typically think of as your furnace is actually two components in one. The lower portion of your furnace is the actual furnace that heats the air for your home during cold months. Mounted above that is the inside section of your central air conditioning unit. Central air conditioners have two pi...

Ask Questions And Listen To The Answers The only bad question is the one you did not ask. Your questions should be specific to your needs and make sure to listen to the answers provided by the potential HVAC contractor. Vague answers may indicate a lack of experience, or poor communication skills. Both are important for your HVAC contractor to posses. Be sure to ask for clarification if enough information is not provided in their answers.  Allow conversation to develop around the answers given to you. Often a better understanding of the question asked and a more complete answer forms as t...

Your mechanical systems will fail with time. The day you installed the new air conditioner, heating or ventilation system in your church, restaurant, store or manufacturing facility you thought to yourself, "Crap that was expensive!" Well here you are again, years later and it is time to replace them again. You know you can't really complain, you did get years of faithful service from them. You took care of them with regular annual maintenance and repaired them when they broke down. However the relentless march of time does take its toll, it is time for new equipment. In the end, you will bene...

Too Hot . . . Too Cold . . . Too Bad? Churches are notoriously difficult in relationship to temperature control. A church typically has many rooms ranging in size from the broad expanse of the main worship area to smaller community rooms where church groups hold weekly or daily gatherings. This presents a number of challenges in providing a comfortable environment for you and your congregation. Comfort isn't the only concern. Naturally everyone wants to be comfortable while worshiping and gathering for other church functions. However, there are other considerations that are often overlooked. M...

Preventive maintenance can avoid many problems. It is a widely understood truth that poorly maintained equipment uses more power, suffers more failures and operate for longer periods of time to produce the same effect as well maintained equipment. Poorly maintained equipment translates into: Higher repair costs. Higher utility costs. Lost sales. Reduced customer satisfaction. Lost inventory. Lower profitability. When you are running a bar / restaurant the last thing you need to deal with is equipment failures. The best way to avoid trouble is to be proactive and implement a preventive maintena...

How to Avoid Disaster & Keep Your Business Running If your data center is anything like 40% of data centers nationwide, then your computer server exists in a place that it was never intended to inhabit. Quite likely, it’s operating in an empty office, a mechanical room or even a closet where space is limited and its temperature could increase faster than your cooling system is capable of decreasing it. This very real and risky possiblitiy could force your server to shut down, potentially disrupting your business for days or even weeks. How can you avoid that kind of disaster and keep your ...