RACA Journal I February 2026 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za 35
LABORATORIES voices
Three of the Trane Chillers situated closest to the plantrooms – 2 heat pump chiller units and 1 heat recovery unit.
inspection of the major plant rooms. Technicians conduct walk-throughs of chillers, pumps, AHUs and generators, paying attention to abnormal noise, vibration or leakage.
The Building Management System( BMS) provides a real-time overview of temperatures, humidity levels and pressure readings throughout the facility. Any alarms or deviations from setpoints are investigated immediately. Critical pressure regimes, especially those in operating theatres and isolation rooms, are verified daily using digital manometers to ensure compliance with infection control specifications. All readings and observations are meticulously entered into logbooks.
Weekly routines include the inspection and cleaning of AHU pre-filters, checking and adjusting fan V-belts, clearing condensate drains and ensuring plant room cleanliness and safety. Generators, crucial for maintaining essential services during power outages, are tested weekly under no-load conditions and monthly under load to verify automatic start-up and transfer capability.
Behind this schedule is a layered preventive maintenance plan developed and implemented by myself. The programme
was risk-based and data-driven, designed to ensure reliability and compliance across every level of system criticality. The foundation of the plan lay in the hospital’ s comprehensive asset register. Maintenance frequency was tiered according to equipment type, usage intensity and its role in infection control. Critical assets with high runtime or direct patient impact – such as AHUs serving theatres and ICUs – underwent monthly or quarterly servicing. These included filter inspections, belt tension checks and drain maintenance. More extensive six-monthly services covered coil cleaning, chiller safety control testing and electrical integrity checks. Annually, full overhauls were performed, including chiller teardowns, motor testing and calibration of system sensors.
In addition to in-house expertise, external specialists were occasionally brought in for advanced diagnostics. One example was the use of‘ Objective Eye’ reporting from ACCM Airconditioning to perform deep electrical and mechanical analyses of compressor health, particularly for warranty validation during annual servicing. RACA
Hot and chilled water makeup tanks.
RACA Journal I February 2026 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za 35