American Mechanical Group Inc. is uniquely positioned in the service industry because of our innovative approach to business. Our focus on achieving peak performance and maintaining HVAC systems, rather than replacing them, has motivated us to develop and document superior processes and technology to detect and diagnose maintenance problems. We use the Honeywell Service Assistant that quickly and accurately identifies system faults in the field based on the data it collects.
The Service Assistant combines the functions of the manifold pressure gauge, digital thermometers and electronic inspection forms using algorithms embedded in the palm pilot hand-held computer. The AMG Inc. technician simply connects the manifold hoses to the high and low side pressure taps, attaches the temperature probes to the suction and liquid lines, and the Palm Pilot gathers the data and performs the necessary calculations to accurately diagnose a fault in the system. The Palm Pilot quickly converts the data into an accurate, easy to understand diagnosis of the unit.
Some of the diagnostic examples that a technician might see include:
All information relevant to the refrigeration cycle is obtained mechanically, in a matter of minutes. Data collected by the Hand tool includes: Suction Pressure (SP), Suction Temperature (ST), Liquid Pressure (LP), Liquid Temperature (LT), and Ambient Air Temperature (AMB). The data is then manipulated by mathematical equations that provide the following information: Evaporating Temperature (ET), Suction Line Superheat (SH), Liquid Line Subcooling (SC), Condensing Temperature (CT), and Condensing Temperature/Ambient (COA).
The data above was taken from a single unit operating under normal conditions in the northeast United States. Using traditional methods, most air conditioning technicians would accept these readings as perfectly normal (Diagnosis: no service required). Using the additional information provided by the Service Assistant ( EI: 81 ), we see an opportunity to achieve approximately $760 (19% efficiency improvement) in annual energy savings simply by cleaning the unit.
When multiple HVAC units exist across a geographically dispersed portfolio, opportunities to achieve significant savings from targeted maintenance will inevitably exist. We have collected data from rooftop air conditioners in the US. When comparing the costs of energy inefficiency to those of maintaining the air conditioners to an acceptable performance range, we project that the use of targeted maintenance could produce an opportunity for energy savings of $1,000,000 from a $250,000 maintenance investment.
HVAC