There are many homeowners and building owners who are forced to considered retrofitting for their HVAC systems.  By replacing only certain elements of the system, it is possible to keep the job totals to a feasible level, and to get the efficiency that is expected.  But, how do you decide what components stay and which must be replaced?

During a retrofit or rehabilitation project, it is important to identify what systems are being retrofitted or replaced. Often, in order to completely understand how a system is operating, data collection is the first step in analyzing the system. Once the data is collected from the systems being investigated, the data collected needs to be compared with the original design intent of the system as well as the new design intent, in order to fully understand how the system in question is going to operate under the new circumstances.

In other words, you must know which components are doing their job properly.  The question, of course, that often arises during this process is, “How do I know the equipment in place is operating properly”?

In order to ensure temperature sensors are operating properly, the aforementioned field data collection is required. For instance, tools, like the handheld calibrated Optris MS thermometers allow field collection of temperatures.  This provides a verification of field installed temperature measuring devices. This allows the contractor, or building owner the capability to make informed decisions on what temperature sensors can remain in the system, and what ones require replacement.

That is hardly the only evaluation that will take place.  There are a series of tests that must be completed to determine which valves, sensors, and other system components are operating as they should, and which will only continue to cause issues after a retrofit. Exchange the faulty parts of the HVAC puzzle with new, and you may be able to enjoy a much more efficient space, without a full-scale system replacement.