Roof Top Spring Maintenance

Before the cooling season begins; at the very least, a basic Spring Inspection of your equipment should be performed by a qualified technician. A basic checklist for Roof Top equipment should include:

Basic Maintenance

Air Filters	Evaporator Drain
Fan Belts	Access Doors and Panels
Motor Lubercation	Thermostat

Let me provide an example. Cleaning of a Condenser Coil. If not done regularly, a dirty coil will cause the compressor to run longer and hotter at a higher current draw. If the compressor gets too hot the valves and bearings will wear faster. A typical compressor replacement requires a compressor, refrigerant reclaim, new refrigerant filters, welding, electrical supplies, contactors, material lifting equipment and several hours of labour. A regular cleaning on a condenser requires a hose, pressure washer and 1 hour of labour. Bottom line, Dollars. It will cost much less to clean the condenser even if done every year for 20 years than it will to replace a compressor once. 'Do' the Preventive Maintenance; it is key to smooth running equipment.
The following steps should be included in a more detailed and thorough initial Spring Inspection:

Preventive Maintenance

Condenser Coil	Control Sequencing
Condenser Fan	Fresh Air Intake
Indoor Fan Wheel	Air flow
Indoor Fan Motor	Compressor
Evaporator Coil	Refrigerant Levels
Contactors	Electrical Connections
Economizer Operation

Roof top safety tips

Packaged Air conditioning equipment is normally located on the roof of the building. These are normally accessed by a ladder up the side of the building or through an internal roof hatch. A properly secured ladder or a properly operating roof hatch will reduce the element or risk involved. Unfortunately not all equipment has safe access. Many units do not have fixed ladders attached to the building or location to place an extension ladder. Internal roof hatches cannot always be safely accessed or a roof hatch that does not have a safety spring or hydraulic lift can quickly fall on your head and damage your spine or neck or worst knock you from the ladder.

Roof top units maybe located near the roof edge; there should be a minimum of 6 feet clearance around the equipment. A safety railing should protect areas with less than six feet clearance. When removing a panels from the equipment beware of the wind, a sudden gust and easily take off with the panel or knock you over.

There should be an electrical service disconnect attached to the equipment to turn of the power. If s service disconnect is not present then the power will have to be shut off at the source and locked off. Even with the switch off, you must still test for voltage. Older disconnects have been known to fail, leaving the power on to one leg. You may even hear the equipment shut off as you turn the power off, it does not mean there is no voltage present. Remember the old saying about "assume" assumption with live electricity won't make you an ass, it will make you dead!

The indoor and outdoor fans on a roof unit can still move even with the power off. Condenser fan blades will spin freely form even light winds and the in blower will spin from internal pressure differences to the outside. Some buildings have serious negative pressure problems, which can keep the fan spinning. Fans belts can be very dangerous on large blowers, even when moving slowly. Take care around any moving parts.