Author: Lindsey Burbee

How To Read A Melink T&B Report

Posted on by Lindsey Burbee

Understanding HVAC test and balance reports can be a challenge, especially for busy facility managers. Knowing you have limited time and likely several facilities to oversee, we’ve put together this simple guide to help you navigate your Melink T&B reports.  If you don’t have your T&B report on hand, see our Melink T&B page for a sample report by clicking here, navigate to the “Stay Informed” section.

 

Melink T&B Certified Test Adjust Balance Report
1.  Review the report’s Cover page carefully. Be sure the information is accurate, including the facility’s location, store number if applicable and original visit date. This is vitally important if you have multiple facilities. While you’re in review mode, confirm the names, phone and fax numbers, and email addresses on the Test And Balance Contact Information page.
Field Summary Corrections ABCD Restaurant 2.  Concentrate on the Field Summary: Corrections pages. This section basically is the written story of what Melink’s T&B technician(s) did at your facility during the site visit. It gives a breakdown of who the technician talked with, what kind of equipment was used for the testing and balancing, inspections and adjustments that were made, and any other important actions and observations.
Field Summary Corrections ABCD Restaurant 3.   Consider the Field Summary: Punch List your action steps section of the report. The Punch List details the remaining deficiencies of your facility’s HVAC/mechanical systems, along with instructions for corrections. (Please remember the corrections are necessary to comply with design specifications.)

At the bottom of each Punch List page is a box that states: “Melink recommends revisiting this store due to the deficiencies listed above.” It then gives choices of Revisit necessary? 30-60 days after opening? Before opening? Do not overlook the recommendations listed here.
Field Summary Recommendations ABCD Restaurant 4.   Read Field Summary: Recommendations to learn what steps your Melink technician recommends you take to improve comfort and energy efficiency. The items listed here are not requirements of the design specifications.
ABCD Restaurant Photos 5.   Understand that the Photos section is simply a photo gallery that correlates with the Field Summary: Punch List. The photos are listed in order of importance, with the highest-level deficiencies listed first. The Photos section also cites best practices and gives credit where it is due.
Rooftop Inspection ABCD Restaurant 6.  The Rooftop Inspection,Above Ceiling Inspectionand Below Ceiling Inspection sections give you a quick way to see all the checklist items. The √ indicates the action was completed; an X indicates a deficiency (this is noted in the Punch List section too); and N/A means Not Applicable.
Building Air Balance ABCD Restaurant 7.   Detailed readings in the Building Air Balance, Motor Load Summary, Rooftop Units Data, Air Distribution Data, Exhaust Fan Data, Kitchen Hood Data andThermostat Settings sections are available for those interested in digging deeper. Most important are the Field Summary: Corrections, Field Summary: Punch List, Field Summary: Recommendations and the Melink recommendation box located at the bottom of each Punch List page.
Building and Rooftop Layout ABCD Restaurant 8.  And lastly, the Building and Rooftop Layout section on the final pages of the T&B report is a key that shows where your building’s HVAC-related equipment is located. Each piece of equipment is assigned a numbered code that corresponds to review sections of the report. (The Abbreviations page near the top of the report also is a helpful way to learn names of the equipment noted on these pages.)

“We want facility managers to understand how important it is to follow through on the Punch List items then have us back for a final visit, if necessary, to verify the work was completed properly,” says Derick Ramos, regional network manager of Melink’s T&B business unit. “A lot of times, facility managers don’t know if the fixes were made as instructed, so a re-visit is critically important. Our overriding goal is making sure the building is working properly for the owner.”

Troubleshooting Air Balance With Mechanical Contractors

Posted on by Lindsey Burbee

Are you still experiencing HVAC comfort or efficiency problems?  It’s time for the next level of technical HVAC skill.  Though at this point you may have realized you’re dealing with negative building pressure, you might wait on calling the air balance contractor and first become more informed about the problem with your management team.  It’s time to call in your trusted mechanical contractor (MC).

Your contractor’s first steps will be to inspect many of the same areas we advised in our previous post. These areas should include circuit breakers, thermostats, as well as the areas listed below.  In addition, you should locate any past air balance reports and confirm that all the punch list items were corrected.  With these observations and baseline data as your starting point, you or your MC can begin to formulate a hypothesis. To dig deeper into problems, check the following areas where we most frequently find the causes of HVAC comfort issues:

1.   Filters inside the unit

Dirty, old, or clogged filters will restrict airflow through the unit.  Filters should be at least replaced quarterly for a commercial unit and can be added as part of a preventative maintenance scope of work.  In the Restaurant Facility Management Association’s Facilitator Magazine, Red Lobster Facility Manager Angela Hughes writes in her article Staying On Top of Comfort Concerns, “The washable metal filters inside each makeup air fan need to be cleaned during major preventative maintenance.  These are often overlooked by HVAC preventative maintenance vendors.  Dirty filters can block airflow into the unit and greatly affect the building balance.  If the filters are damaged or missing, be sure to replace them.”

Dirty air filters

Above: Dirty Outdoor Filters

 

2.  Inspect coils inside units

Dirty, clogged, or frozen coils can also heavily restrict airflow through the unit. Mechanical contractors are equipped to unfreeze and clean coils.  Angela Hughes explains, “Dirty coils will cause the unit to freeze up and temporarily shut down, which causes stress on the compressors.”  Further, if the rooftop unit (RTU) blower compartment and/or coils are dirty, then they are likely causing reduced airflow and contaminated air.  The solution is to clean internal components of the RTU.

Frozen evaporator coil
 

Above: Frozen Evaporator Coil

Dirty RTU blower compartment
Above: Dirty Rooftop Unit Blower Compartment
 

RTU dirty coil
Above: Dirty blower wheel inside Rooftop Unit

3.   Check refrigerant levels

Low refrigerant levels can lead to uncomfortably warm temperatures. Your mechanical contractor should be equipped to refill refrigerant.

 

4.   Open up units and inspect outside air dampers

The amount of outside air is specified in the building’s design, however it is often adjusted later as a quick-fix for short term issues, leading to bigger problems in the long run.  It is common to find improperly installed and inoperable outdoor air dampers, which negatively impact the building pressure.   The dampers will need to be adjusted to proper position and outside air intakes may also need to be installed to achieve desired airflow.

Improperly installed air dampers
 

Above: Improperly Installed Outside Air Dampers (sealed closed with caulk)

 

5.   Check for negative building pressure in your facility

The tell-tale sign of negative building pressure can be found with using the door test.  A quick way of checking your building’s air pressure is to test it with a lighter or a match at an exterior door.  Crack the door open and place a lighter in the crack as pictured below.  If the flame pulls toward the inside of building, then the building is negative.

Door lighter test

 

Above: If flame pulls toward inside of building, the building is negative.

 

6.  Has your facility undergone a remodel, renovation, or a major change in equipment?

Remodels, renovations, or major equipment replacements change the distribution of airflow and requires an air balance service.  HVAC equipment installed in a building will not function at design specification at start up.  Adjusting the system to design specification requires testing, adjusting, and balancing.

These are 6 examples of what your mechanical contractor may discover in their assessment process.  If they are able to find and properly resolve the HVAC comfort or efficiency issues, then your troubleshooting may end here.  If not, you may need to consider calling in a certified test and balancing firm.  See our next post in this series for understanding what to look for in a test & balance contractor.

Additional Reading:

  1. Bringing in an Air Balance Contractor, Larry Moore, Melink Test & Balance
  2. Angela Hughes, a Red Lobster Facilities Manager with distinguished technical knowledge of HVAC systems, authored a very practical approach for FMs to self-diagnose comfort problems without prematurely spending money on contractors. Staying On Top Of Comfort Concerns
  3. For suggestions on preparing for an air balance, read Optimizing Air Balance Report Data  by Greg DuChane, Retail-Restaurant Vertical Market Director at Trane
Resources:

DuChane, Greg. “Optimizing Air Balance Report Data.” Trane Tracks (Apr. 2015): n. pag. Trane. Web.

Hughes, Angela. “Staying On Top Of Comfort Concerns.” Facilitator Magazine Apr/May (2015): 66. Restaurant Facilities Management Association, 25 June 2015. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

Melink Test & Balance Technicians. HVAC Deficiency Images. Digital image.Melink Test & Balance. Melink Corporation, n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2015. .

3 Steps to Troubleshooting Your Facility’s HVAC With Onsite Staff

Posted on by Lindsey Burbee

HVAC Troubleshooting

Have you identified that your facility is experiencing a potential air balance problem?  You might be experiencing hard to open doors, uncomfortable temperatures, poor smoke capture, odors, drafty areas, or any combination of the other common sick building symptoms.  The inevitable question now is, “Who can resolve this best?” Bringing in your facility’s mechanical contractor may be your first instinct but troubleshooting with your onsite managers is actually the best place to start. Work through the following questions with your facility’s day-to-day manager:  

1.  Is the equipment running?

As basic as this may come across, it is absolutely crucial to check if all HVAC equipment is operating. Check grilles to see if air is being blown out or sucked in. Check roof equipment, can you hear the fans from the RTU, MUA, or EF units spinning? Have the manager record and communicate findings.

2. Check the Thermostats

Navigate to the wall mounted thermostats and ensure they have the proper set points. Often, a thermostat is installed and connected to the system and then left alone. When this occurs the thermostat is left at factory settings which is often set at a random temperature. Your staff can follow the directions on this thermostat to program it for the desired temperatures.  As well, check the thermostats for “Fan ON.”

Thermostat

3.  Check the Circuit Breakers

Check indoor and outdoor circuit breakers. Observe tripped or “Off” breakers. DO NOT flip the breaker on. If tripped or left off, there’s likely a reason for it and you don’t want to risk frying the electrical systems. We recommend calling an electrician for this type of deficiency.

 

Armed with your findings from these simple tests, you can save some money with a Do-It-Yourself fix.  It’s possible that the journey back to a healthy building ends here.  But if the problem persists, it’s time for the level of technical know-how. Call the mechanical contractor. With your observations to these preliminary steps above, you can approach your mechanical contractor with information that will help them to better understand your situation and get you closer to achieving a healthy building.

The #1 Air Balance Bummer: Negative Building Pressure

Posted on by Lindsey Burbee

What’s the first thing you experience when you arrive at a restaurant? You might say the delicious aromas, lighting, and possibly the smiling hostess asking how many are in your party. But the very first thing anyone experiences is the door. How many times have you found yourself struggling to open the darned restaurant door? You pull the handle, but it won’t budge. You try the other handle, to no avail. You think, “There’s no way this is locked, it’s the middle of the lunch rush and I can see people inside.” With all your strength, you finally crack it open and squeeze through. You might feel a large draft on your back and then, finally, slam! Woman pulling on door

 If this common door problem has happened to you, how many times do you think it has happened to customers entering one of your restaurants? While your first hypothesis may be that it is a door hinge problem, it is actually part of a larger problem: negative building pressure. And that is just one symptom of a sick building.

 Sick Building Syndrome is a serious situation restaurant facility managers and owners cannot afford to take lightly.

Check out these three must-know tips:

  1. Know what to look for. This simple illustration shows the most common problems related to HVAC air balance, which cause sick building syndrome.  Educate your teams as well.

Unbalanced HVAC system problem graphic

  1. Assign someone at each restaurant location – the store manager or maybe a shift leader – to watch for these sick building symptoms. Give them a process for reporting these problems so you have a record of the issues.  View our Sick Building Syndrome white paper and distribute to your teams for diagnosing comfort problems.
  1. Don’t just take it from us, read more on this important topic from expert Rob Falke, How to Measure Building Pressures, published on ContractingBusiness.com, an online industry publication.

Do Any of These 4 HVAC Issues Occur at Your Restaurant?

Posted on by Lindsey Burbee

Are you contracting out your preventative maintenance?  Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of restaurant managers be misled by their mechanical contractors into thinking their “building is balanced”, but still notice misreported or never- reported problems that are causing complaints from their guests.  For example, you’ve been told that air filters and screens used for the outside air intake are clean, or that belts are tight, when they are in fact loose or cracking and ready to break.  These facility problems would cost so much less if treated immediately.  For example, a $10 fan belt replacement, if not replaced by your facility management when needed can cause irreversible damage to the rooftop RTUs, along with the cost of uncomfortable guests.  These instances escalate in the summer and fall months, when outdoor weather threatens indoor comfort.

Be aware of these frequent summer sick building symptoms, so you can call out the indicators, if necessary:

  1. Humidity- Sits in the carpets or hardwood floors causing buckling, odor, and mold.  Often triggers allergies for guests.
  2. Too much exhaust and little or no fresh air-causing a negative building pressure, so anything in the outside air can come in, including bugs and pests.
  3. Condensation on windows and/or grills
  4. Entry doors hard to open- Leaving guests frustrated, or worse-assuming the restaurant is closed

All the above issues can cause a negative building pressure, allowing the outside air to infiltrate the building through every crack and crevice, causing damage that could shut a restaurant down from a health code standpoint. If you’re concerned that your building is uncomfortable or not running how it was designed to, you have the option of calling in a third party HVAC balance service who can give you an objective diagnosis of the issue, and fix it.

 

Top 5 Reasons we get called for an HVAC Test & Balance

Posted on by Lindsey Burbee

An “air balance” is a process for measuring the performance of an HVAC system, and for providing the occupants with a comfortably conditioned space according to design specifications. In other words, it is an overall health check for your HVAC systems to make sure the equipment is mechanically sound, that there is positive building pressure and that the thermostat and air flow are adjusted properly.  –Greg DuChane, Trane

A test and balance service serves the same purpose as changing the oil in a car to keep the engine running healthily.  Preventative maintenance for any vehicle or piece of equipment is understandably a best practice for avoiding high stress circumstances, such as a car break-down in the middle of a deserted road.  In the context of HVAC, a high stress circumstance could be losing your air conditioning on a hot August day and watching customers leave the building!  See our top 5 reasons we get from customers who call for us to come out and balance their stores:

To learn more and see pictures of many of these circumstances, read HVAC Test & Balance: Defined with Examples from the Field

EPA Recognizes Melink Intelli-Hood® with 2015 ENERGY STAR® Emerging Technology Award

Posted on by Lindsey Burbee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EPA Recognizes Melink Intelli-Hood® with 2015 ENERGY STAR® Emerging Technology Award

Cincinnati, OH- January 30, 2015- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Melink Corporation’s Intelli-Hood® Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) System with the 2015 ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award for its ability to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Intelli-Hood®’s accomplishments will be publically recognized at The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Show in Anaheim, CA on February 19-21, 2015.

This accomplishment marks another milestone for Intelli-Hood® since pioneering DCKV technology in 1989. After overcoming regulatory obstacles and winning the 2012 AHR Product of the Year, this award further propels the market acceptance of DCKV and its aim to further green the commercial kitchen. With over 10,000 systems installed worldwide and an estimated 650 million kWh/year saved, Intelli-Hood® contributes to energy conservation goals of the top commercial food service operations.

EPA ENERGY STAR Program Manager, Una Song, responded, “We extend  congratulations and applause to Melink Intelli-Hood® for the Emerging Technology Award accomplishment.  The Intelli Hood® System is a benchmark for DCKV technology that offers energy savings with financial value.”

Craig Davis, Vice President of Intelli-Hood®, commented on receiving the award, “Melink Corporation is fully committed to sustainability, and we are focused on the development of energy efficient products and services that support this commitment.  Not only are we honored to be recognized by the EPA for our Intelli-Hood® technology, we also applaud the EPA’s effort to bringing DCKV technology, such as Intelli-Hood®, to the forefront of energy efficiency”.

Steve Melink, President of the Melink Corporation, states the following as a response, “We are very grateful for this award.  As the pioneer of automatic variable-speed controls for commercial kitchen hoods over 25 years ago, this further validates our vision and passion for innovation.”

Technology Overview

Commercial kitchen ventilation removes the heat and effluent generated by the cooking process from the kitchen space, ensuring the comfort and safety of the cooking staff.  Commercial kitchen ventilation is typically composed of an exhaust hood suspended above the cooking appliances ducted to fans necessary to expel the heat and effluent outside.  To replace the air lost through this process, make-up air (MUA) must be provided by the building’s HVAC system or a dedicated MUA fan to the kitchen, which is composed of its own fan, ducts and potentially heating or cooling depending on the climate.

DCKV provides control over the ventilation system by modulating the speed depending on cooking activity.  Traditionally, commercial kitchen ventilation systems would operate at their maximum designed speed/volume throughout the duration of the kitchen’s operating hours.  In contrast, DCKV provides automatic, continuous control over fan speed in response to temperature or optical sensors that monitor cooking activity.

About Melink Corporation

Melink Corporation is a pioneer in energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for commercial and institutional facilities. The Cincinnati-based company has become an industry leader comprised of three businesses: Melink Test & Balance provides heating, ventilation and air conditioning commissioning services; Intelli-Hood® applies energy-saving controls to commercial kitchen ventilation systems; and Melink Solar supplies solar photovoltaic project development services for commercial building owners and utilities. Melink works with some of the largest and most successful organizations in the world, including Walmart, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Verizon Communications, U.S. military, Target, Whole Foods Market, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Honeywell, Siemens AG, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition, Melink operates in a LEED Platinum and Net Zero Energy office building, making it the greenest building in Ohio. For more information, please visit melinkcorp.com

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR® is the simple choice for energy efficiency. For more than 20 years, people across America have looked to EPA’s ENERGY STAR program for guidance on saving energy,
saving money, and protecting the environment. Behind each blue label is a product, building, or home that is independently certified to use less energy and cause fewer of the emissions that contribute to climate change. Join the millions already making a difference at energystar.gov.

Contact:

Lucinda Carl

Melink Corporation

Marketing and Sales Specialist

T: 513.965.7300

E: [email protected]