Chilled Water HVAC Systems
Which Chilled Water System is Best for You?
Broomhall Brothers repairs, maintains, and installs commercial chillers of all sizes. A chilled water system uses a refrigeration cycle to create chilled water (between 45° and 48° F) to circulate through fan coil units for comfort cooling. The refrigeration system may have an air cooled or water cooled condenser. The components of a package chiller (evaporator, compressor, air or water cooled condenser, and control device) are manufactured, assembled, and tested as a complete package at the factory. Water cooled chillers use a cooling tower to remove the heat from the building. The cooling tower may be located within the building and vented outside or located outside the building, often on the roof. These water cooled packaged systems are available with a small foot print allowing the units to be retrofitted to any sized system, moveable within the building's elevator, and easily fit into small equipment rooms. Water cooled systems are available in 5-10 ton capacity for residential and small commercial applications to any combination of capacity upwards of 100+ tons.
Air cooled condensers generally consume more electrical energy than water cooled condensers. Broomhall Brothers has found that while air cooled condensers may have a lower up-front cost, they do not have the operational life span or efficiency of water cooled condensing systems. The most common cause of failure and shortened life span is the lack of regular maintenance, inadequate water treatment, and external factors such as hail damage.
Here are some factors to consider when choosing between air or water cooled condensing systems:
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Installation Costs
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Energy Consumption
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Space Requirements
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Freeze Prevention
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Building Cooling Load
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Maintenance Costs
Call Broomhall Brothers for additional information and assistance with choosing the best options for your commercial HVAC needs.
At Broomhall Brothers, we provide same day emergency service, a 90-day warranty on labor and 1-year on parts, technicians that are factory-trained and CFC certified, and licensed in 30 Colorado cities and counties. We provide safety, value, efficiency, and comfort to our customers.