R410A system uses existing R22 pipework
A faulty motor bearing prompted the replacement of a aged R22 air-conditioning system serving a hospital server room with a new inverter split system from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Europe (MHIE) using the existing pipework. Unable to source a replacement for the aging bearing Air Conditioning Economics recommended that the Evington Centre in Leicester should take the opportunity to beat the ban on R22 and install a new R410A systems instead.
The Evington Centre is next to Leicester General Hospital and provides inpatient and day hospital services for the assessment and treatment of older people with mental-health problems. It was opened in 2001.
Alan Ball, operations manager for ACE explains that replacement was the sensible choice. ‘Spare parts for the old, non-inverter system were a problem, and the indoor fan-motor bearing was faulty. With the ban on virgin R22 for servicing from the start of 2010 and a total ban on R22 due to come into force at the end of 2014, the system’s days were already numbered.
ACE installed a heat-pump split system from MHIE’s Ecolution range. It used existing pipework, which was in good condition and met the required specification — saving costs for the client and enabling the installation to be completed with minimal disruption in the server room.
Alan Ball says, ‘The pipework would otherwise have been very difficult to replace. I would certainly recommend this solution again, provided it saves time and costs for the client.’
Before carrying out the installation, ACE engineers completed a free half-day training module for installing MHIE R410A equipment onto existing R22 pipelines.
