Our services include:
For all refrigeration & air conditioning systems within the domestic, commercial, leisure, health, retail & light industrial sectors.
We also conduct TM44 air conditioning inspections, a legal requirement for all air conditioning systems over 12kW.
Design.
With every installation first comes the design stage. Unfortunately there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution to installing an air conditioning system, and numerous factors have to be considered to find the perfect design.
Even when we can immediately identify the type of system you need, we still have to work out the most efficient, cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing options for you.
Two identically sized rooms can warrant very different solutions depending on their construction, lighting, use, occupancy, equipment, location, accessibility, number of doors, windows, window coverings and even their aspect. Lots of large south facing windows can mean your environment is more akin to a greenhouse in summer, rather than a working office space, and dramatically alter the specification of the required system.
Key stages in the air conditioning design process include:
discuss the clients needs
confirm a time scale
survey the site
identify affecting factors
calculate heating / cooling requirements
select suitable systems & options
check equipment lead times
plan optimum equipment positions
verify design with suppliers
complete installation drawings
submit quote to client
1. Discuss the clients needs:
It is important to ascertain exactly what the client needs and expects. Open plan areas with many occupants pose an entirely different set of needs and expectations to a small office with 1 occupant.
Just take a look around any large office; there will be some staff in short sleeves and others who won’t take their coat off. It’s important to clarify exactly what is practicable and this may mean discussion with more than just 1 person in the office environment.
2. Confirm a time scale:
A simple single split air con system can be installed in less than a day, the same system that has to traverse 6 floors and pass through 5 offices may take 2 weeks. A comprehensive site survey is paramount to ensure that achievable time scales are agreed.
3. Survey the site:
The survey is important to identify any particular issues that may arise. We assess the most feasible positions for units and ensure they could fit, look at containment routes and find the most practicable and direct route. We examine the building’s construction to highlight any difficulties there may be with installation processes, fixing points and penetrations to interior and exterior walls.
It’s necessary to take in to consideration the existing office layout, desk positions, furnishings etc to identify access needs. On a larger install there may be a necessity for storage containers and waste management skips, we need to ensure there is space and provision for these on site. And we liaise with the client regarding access and any needs for out of hours works.
4. Identify affecting factors:
Such as the current heat load in the area affected by existing hvac systems, room size, room construction, ceiling heights, occupancy, lighting, i.t. stations, servers, printers, fax machines, kettles, ovens, fridges, vending machines, windows, sunlight, ambient temperature ranges etc.
5. Calculate heating / cooling requirements:
In addition to the affecting factors we may need to build in a redundancy factor for planned / unplanned building layout & use changes or substantial changes in occupancy. All very important considerations when sizing the system as an oversized system is equally as bad as an undersized system.
Undersized systems won’t achieve the clients needs and expectations and over sized systems are more prone to breakdown due to short-cycling and add significantly to install, running and maintenance costs and as a result, the carbon footprint.
6. Select suitable systems and options:
Once requirements are confirmed the type and style of system is chosen. There are many options from split, multi split, vrf and ducted systems. There are also various different styles of units that can be matched to the existing look of a building, inside and out.
With careful design and selection we can achieve a seamless aesthetic and keep the system as discrete as possible. The best looking systems are the ones you don’t notice at all. Other options include remote control type and its accessibility, indoor unit surrounds, condenser mounting options, ceiling diffusers, condenser cages, condensate drip trays and pumps.
7. Check equipment lead times:
With a time scale agreed, the selected equipment must be available. While this is not normally an issue, there are times when new equipment is high demand and suppliers may have a longer than normal lead time. This is checked and the client notified.
8. Plan optimum equipment positions:
Especially relevant is the positioning of the equipment. Firstly it’s confirmed that units will fit in the ideal space, there must be room above the ceiling and suitable fixing points. Indoor units are positioned to give an even spread over the room. Condenser units must have adequate airflow around them, be in an easily serviceable position, ideally out of direct sunlight and when multiple units are used, installed as not to interfere with each other’s air flow.
9. Verify design with suppliers:
We work closely with our suppliers who have an in-depth knowledge of their products. They are involved during most phases of the design process, and will verify a final design will meet the clients needs and expectations. This done by a combination of equipment experience and computer software modelling.
10. Complete installation drawings:
Not all installations require detailed drawings. On most occasions simple layout drawings indicating equipment positions and containment routes are adequate. On larger installations though more complex drawings are required. These show all system positions, containment routes, electrical wiring diagrams and refrigeration network isometrics.
11. Submit quote to client:
Finally, the results of all our hard work, knowledge and due diligence is just part a project quote for the the client. All for free!
Installation.
A showcase of some of our projects is available in our Portfolio page, where you can see pictures, explanations & samples of our installation quality.
Service & Maintenance.
All air conditioning systems need a minimum annual maintenance to maintain proper performance. Regular maintenance on the system will sustain peak performance, economy and reliability when it is needed most. A/C can help create a comfortable working environment, increasing the production levels of employees during hot periods of the year.
Generally speaking, your air conditioner loses 5% of its overall efficiency every year it goes without proper professional maintenance. If the parts get dirty or suffer from general wear and tear the unit may only reach 40% of its potential. To compensate for the lower efficiency levels, users are forced to leave their air conditioning on a higher setting for longer periods of time which leads to an increase in the cost of energy bills.
Much like most pieces of equipment, your air conditioning unit will start to develop small problems over time which, if not identified early, can escalate into larger, more costly issues. Such problems will mean the system will have to work harder to cool the environment, leading to a significant decrease in its efficiency.
If your air conditioning system is operating efficiently and to a high standard, you shouldn’t even notice that it’s there. When serviced correctly, air conditioning units are very reliable, durable pieces of equipment which will remain fully functional for many years to come.
Systems operating at peak efficiency can cut monthly energy costs by up to 25%. Proper maintenance more than doubles the life span of the average heating and cooling system.
If your system has been neglected, fortunately it’s not too late. Users can recover lost efficiency through service and maintenance from a trained professional. With regular maintenance, an air conditioning unit will keep up to 96% of it’s original efficiency.
More information and pictures of air conditioning maintenance in this article.
Reactive.
There are times when any air conditioning or refrigeration system can go wrong. It’s times like these when you need a fast reactive service to get you back up and running again.
Some systems are more critical than others. In oil refineries, power stations and some industrial processes, refrigeration & air con is so critical that they usually have 100% redundancy backup. An entire 2nd system on standby in case the worse should happen. For the majority of users though, this wouldn’t be cost effective, and a fast reacting repair service is what’s needed.
Here at Torr we are happy to attend a one off emergency call out to fix your system. Simply use our one call number 0845 0945 188.
We can fix 90% of problems there & then with the equipment & spares available to us. In the event that an instant repair is not possible, we can arrange temporary emergency solutions to get you through until a full repair can be undertaken.
Clients with a Preventative Planned Maintenance (PPM) contract with Torr enjoy guaranteed call out times. Wherever you are, whatever the problem, we’ll be there within 4 hours (though it’s usually within the hour) – Guaranteed.
Repair.
Reduce -Reuse – Recycle – REPAIR.
In line with our environmental policy we will always endeavour to repair systems & parts wherever possible.
Although he refrigeration and air conditioning industry is constantly evolving with new technology year on year, the basics of how a system works remains fundamentally unchanged. There is a vast network of parts and spares for nearly all systems available for years after their discontinuation.
Older systems however pose a different problem with the gasses they run on. Inline with the Montreal & Kyoto protocols, and their brief to reduce the impact of ozone depleting & global warming substances, some of the older refrigerants are now either banned or scheduled for phase out, and systems that run on them are having to be either converted or replaced altogether.
The cost of refrigerant literally changes month by month, and some refrigerants that are still legal to use are becoming prohibitively expensive. Something that has to be borne in mind when comparing the cost of repairs with the cost of upgrade & replacement.