In the Spring of 2020, we were referred to The Anchor Foundation, who had a 20-ton split system that was in disrepair and needed to be replaced. They priced out the job of replacing the system with other HVAC companies, but the estimates they received were way above their budget. The reason the estimates were so costly, was because they all centered around hiring a crane to remove and replace the condensing unit from the roof setback on the 21st Floor. Despite the generally straightforward nature of the replacement, the cost of the Crane combined with the many necessary rigging permits and street closure permits drove the price up.
After analyzing the system, Unique Mechanical agreed that the condensing unit must be replaced, however, the air handler was in satisfactory condition. Instead of proposing to replace the air handler, we simply recommended a rigorous maintenance on the entire unit. As for the replacement of the condensing unit, we proposed demolition and removal of the unit in pieces as opposed to hiring the crane.
In the days and weeks leading up to the job we coordinated the delivery of the unit to the job site and reserved the building freight elevator to ensure that everything was completed in an efficient manner. Our crew of about (8) team members arrived at the job site at 8 am on the day of replacement. The crew immediately began demolishing the existing condensing unit where it sat on the setback on the 21st floor. The dismantled parts and pieces of the large condensing unit including the semi-hermetic compressor were loaded and carted away via our trucks. While this old condenser was being broken apart and taken away, the new condensing unit was delivered and unloaded in front of the service entrance of the building.
THIS IS THE PART THAT SEPARATES US FROM THE REST:
This new condensing unit was CAREFULLY dismantled right there in front of the service entrance, and our technicians began to haul the unit in pieces back up to the 21st floor setback. By 4 pm that same day, the new condensing unit was reassembled all the way down to the last screw where the old unit previously sat.
The following day, two mechanics arrived to complete the refrigeration piping, control wiring, and electrical wiring. Before they left, they put a vacuum pump on the system and let it run overnight to guarantee a deep vacuum. On the third and final day, the system was charged with refrigerant, started, tested and the final adjustments were made. Three days after the initial demolition of the condensing unit, the entire system was fully operational and the job was completed for less than half of the competitor’s estimates.
