INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE
Service agreement critical for chillers
For example, work on
piping typically leaves
flux in the system that
needs to be flushed.
Failing to check for
and remove this debris
can result in long-
term damage to the
equipment. Similarly,
changing operating
conditions requires
refinement of machine
performance.
There is also the
perennial issue of
maintenance. If the chillers fail to run,
it can result in business downtime as
service staff scramble to troubleshoot
problems, find parts and fix the plant
equipment. Regular servicing ensures
maintenance is scheduled in good time.
In addition, there is now the option of
connected maintenance.
By upgrading controls to smarter
connected equipment and installing
sensors, the business can monitor the
performance of their equipment based on
model, age and application benchmarks.
The sensors are sensitive to gas leaks,
excessive vibration, temperature
For facilities such as mines, hospitals,
malls, data centres and industrial sites
that use refrigeration, chillers can be
critical to both safety and the continuity
of operations. A Service Level Agreement
(SLA) can keep equipment up and
running, with scheduled maintenance
ensuring minimum downtime. It
also helps address the rising cost of
electricity.
To keep costs down and managed,
organisations are increasingly requesting
a ‘total cost of ownership’ solution. They
also want to know how to make their
HVAC solutions more energy efficient.
A service agreement can ensure the
right balance is achieved between chiller
performance and costs. With ongoing
visibility of equipment performance,
the service provider is able to fine tune
performance and, where viable, apply
new approaches and upgrades (such
as retrofitting a variable speed drive) to
improve efficiencies.
But it’s not just older equipment that
needs to be maintained; in the first year
of operation, a service agreement can be
critical. There are many issues that need
to be attended to within the first weeks
and months of commissioning a chiller.
York centrifugal Chiller.
variances, and more. When thresholds
are met, alerts are sent to relevant
authorities to take action. This service can
be retrofitted on most chillers less than
15 years old. There is also an immediate
benefit – with visibility of performance,
the service team can do a remote
assessment and provide the right support
and right parts, first time.
The key is to ensure the service
provider has the skills, capacity and
knowhow.
The above article was contributed by Ian
Hargroves, Branch manager – after sales
at Johnson Controls South Africa.
ELB Equipment to clean up KZN
ELB Equipment has secured the lion’s
share of orders for government’s
Green Good Deeds campaign which is
aimed at cleaning-up rubble within the
municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal.
The campaign is an initiative of the
Department of Cooperative Governance
and Traditional Affairs in the province
with the aim of bringing financial relief
to municipalities who have been hiring
equipment such as Backhoe Loaders
(BHL), graders, rollers and trucks at great
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
costs to clean up their areas. In addition
to clean-ups, the equipment will also
be used to build, maintain and renew
infrastructure such as drains, pipelines,
outfalls and clearing operations.
ELB Equipment divisional director,
Desmond van Heerden, says the company
was able to supply the majority of yellow
equipment (27 machines) for the R104-
million contract, with trucks, water
tankers, honey-suckers and a fire engine
secured by vehicle suppliers.
Tel: +27 (0) 11 579 4940
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FEBRUARY 2020
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