AHU Installation

Steps followed on site before installation of AHU

Do the necessary marking for the supports whether AHU is ceiling mounted or floor mounted. Do the pedestal work for placing the AHU. Do not lift unit by coil connections or headers. Do not remove protective caps from coil piping connections until ready to connect piping. Do not remove protective cover on grease from fan shaft until ready to install sheave When fan and motor drives are supplied from the factory, the pulleys are installed but the belts are supplied loose to avoid shipping damage. These belts should be tag and stored at a safe place until needed. This will help to minimize theft at job site. Do not remove the shipping brackets that are supplied to prevent the fan housing and motor base from moving during transit. These shipping brackets should only be removed after the air handling unit is positioned and just immediately after the fan motor and drive is installed. Do not remove the shipping wood block, unless the fan motor and drive is going to operate. Following steps are consist in the AHU Installation Lifting or Rigging the AHU to the Site Locate the AHU in the AHU Room Preparing unit for the Installation Assembling the Unit

Lifting or Rigging
Use spreader bars, to prevent damage to the unit cabinet. Avoid twisting or uneven lifting of the unit. The cable length from the bracket to the hook should always be longer than the distance between the outer lifting points. If the unit is stored at the construction site for an intermediate period, take these additional precautions 1. Support the unit well along the length of the base rail. 2. Level the unit (no twists or uneven ground surface). 3. Provide proper drainage around the unit to prevent flooding of the equipment. 4. Provide adequate protection from vandalism, mechanical contact, etc. 5. Securely close the doors. 6. If there are isolation dampers, make sure they are properly installed and fully closed to prevent the entry of animals and debris through the supply and return air openings. 7. Cover the supply and return air openings on units without isolation dampers.

Lifting Points To determine the required lifting cable lengths and whether four-or six-point lifting is required, Referring to the below Figure, note that dimension A is the distance between the outer lifting points. The four outer rigging cables must be equal to or longer than dimension A. Dimension B shows the minimum distance between the outer and the inner lifting points for six-point lifting. Use this to roughly determine the required length of the middle cables for six points lifting.

Locate the AHU in the AHU Room

Prior to locating the unit, authorities that have jurisdiction should be consulted before installations are made. The AHU unit must be LEVEL and located so that there is enough clearance for opening the access doors. In addition to allowing room for access door swing, NEC or others may require 42" or more of clearance in front of the electrical panel or vestibule. Refer to the submittal documents for airflow direction through the unit so that it may be positioned to accommodate necessary ductwork. Also note from the submittal where electrical and gas hookup points are located so that proper connections can be made. Remember to verify position and ability of support beams, pad, or curb to properly support the unit. At a minimum all AHU units are to be supported around the perimeter and across any shipping split. Verify that support structure dimensions coincide with the unit. Locate the unit so that air intakes are not to close to any exhaust fan outlets, gasoline storage, or other contaminants that could potentially cause dangerous situations. The use and storage of gasoline or other flammable vapors and liquids in open containers in the vicinity of this appliance is hazardous The AHU series may possibly on some applications be burning gas directly into the air stream being heated; therefore anything passing across the burner may be combusted. If the AHU series unit is used in an explosion proof environment verify that the potentially explosive materials cannot enter the unit intake(s).
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Preparing the AHU for installation

Be sure to look for shipping brackets or other packaging that should be removed prior to assembling the unit. It is the installers responsibility to remove protective coverings and shipping supports. All such items should be removed prior to unit startup.

Assembly of AHU
All sections not shipped attached to the basic unit must be field assembled at the job site using assembly hardware provided. The determination of the general arrangement of the assembly can be made by referencing the submittal drawings for the specific factory shop order number. The loose hardware will usually be found in the blower compartment or electrical vestibule. All sections must be gasketed with waterproof gasketing at the assembly joint. This gasketing must be placed directly onto the face of the joint to be bolted together in order to form a tightly sealed joint. Some of this gasketing material might squeeze out of the joint as it is pulled together. This excess should be trimmed off. The assembly joint may be trimmed with regular silicone caulk to improve appearance if required by the customer. Concepts and Design provides the gasketing as required. Caulk will also be supplied if required to provide proper sealing or if specifically requested for cosmetic purposes.

Some parts are assembled in the AHU Blower or fan section Coil section Damper section
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Filter section Mixing air chamber

Alignment of Fan motor in AHU

Verify both driving and driven shafts are in alignment and the shafts are parallel. The center line of the driving shaft must be in line with the ce1nter line of the driven shaft. Verify that all setscrews are torqued to the values are as per the standard before starting drive. Check setscrew torque and belt tension after 24 hours of service.

Drive Belt Adjustment

General Rules of Tensioning The ideal tension is the lowest tension at which the belt will not slip under peak load conditions. Check tension frequently during the first 24-48 hours of operation. Over tensioning shortens belt and bearing life.

Keep belts free from foreign material which may cause slippage. Make V-drive inspection on a periodic basis. Adjust tension if the belt is slipping. Do not apply belt dressing. This may damage the belt and cause early failure. Tension Measurement Procedure

Measure the belt span. Place belt tension checker squarely on one belt at the center of the belt span. Apply force to the checker, perpendicular to the belt span, until the belt deflection equals belt span distance divided by 64. Determine force applied while in this position. Compare this force to the values on the drive kit label found on the fan housing.

Steam pipe coil installation

Flex lines/connections should be installed at the coil connections. Vacuum breakers and air vents must be installed to ensure proper operation. Gravity return systems must have a vacuum breaker, open to atmosphere, immediately after the coil condensate connection. When installing the coils in banks, each coil must be individually vented and trapped. Steam and return mains must be fully supported with expansion joints and anchors independent of coils to prevent damage from strains due to expansion, contraction, and weight of piping. The supply main must be trapped immediately prior to the coil connection. Maintain piping sizes. Strainers must be installed ahead of coils, traps, and valves. Traps should be properly sized and located Return mains should be vented on return systems. A drip trap should be installed in the steam main before the coil to prevent condensate from entering the coil. Steam traps should be sized for at least three times the expected flow rate. The calculated load at the design conditions is based on the pressure differential across the trap, NOT the boiler pressure. Float and thermostatic or inverted bucket traps with air vents are recommended. In low-pressure steam systems (below 15 psig), install a 1/2 thermostatic air vent, venting to atmosphere. In high-pressure steam system (15 psig and above), install a 1/4 petcock in a riser off the condensate return ahead of the steam trap. The petcock should be opened slightly, continuously venting during coil operation.

Return condensate lines must be the same size as the condensate header. It is recommended that a drip leg be installed ahead of the steam trap. If a shut off valve, strainer, and steam trap are piped together, the valve and strainer can be the same size as the steam trap inlet connection. Strainers must be installed before steam traps to prevent dirt and sludge from affecting trap operation. Do not install risers in condensate lines unless approved by the steam trap manufacturer. A minimum 12 vertical drop in the condensate line is required immediately off the coil condensate connection to ensure adequate condensate removal from the coil.

Checkout
Warm up the pipe system for 30 minutes with valves just ahead of coils closed. This allows for all condensate to drain from mains. Open valves ahead of coils and allow coils to warm up for 15 to 30 minutes before starting fans. Check unit and piping installation for leaks. Steam must be turned OFF and unit allowed cooling before making any adjustments.

Be aware
Excessive amounts of water in a steam supply results in loss of heating capacity and severe coil damage due to water hammer. Excess water may also cause freezing or corrosion, which can destroy steam coils. If unit is to be out of service during freezing conditions, make sure all water is drained from coil to prevent freeze damage.

Cold /Hot water coil installation Install control valves as recommended by the engineer and in conjunction with valve manufacturers literature. Appropriate vent and drain valves are required. Do not confuse mixing valves with diverter control valves. They work in different ways and can cause system performance problems. When filling the system with water, open the vent lines to bleed air from the system. There is a drain pan under all cooling coils to collect condensate. The drain connection is accessible through the base member of the unit. Each drain line must be appropriately trapped to prevent air from entering the unit and to allow condensate to drain freely. Direct Expansion Coil Direct expansion coils cool and dehumidify air by circulating refrigerant through the coil circuits. The refrigerant absorbs heat in the evaporator coil and rejects it in the condenser coil. Use special caution to avoid kinks in distributor tubes. Kinks could starve a circuit or create a leak. Expansion coils are normally provided with a distributor and a suction header. The coil is factory sealed and contains a 2 to 5 psig nitrogen charge. (If coil is received without the nitrogen charge, contact the factory before proceeding with piping.) Line sizes and components are critical to a DX system operation. Line sizes and components specified by the engineer must be used. To install piping etc., first release the slight pressure from the coil by severing the factory charging nipple, then UN-braze the factory plugs from the distributor and suction sides of the coil. Take care not to overheat the distributor.
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Before brazing, clean all pipe joints. Remove all filings from pipe cuts, etc. When using flux, limit flux use. Too much flux can plug the distributor and thermostatic expansion valve. When brazing thermal expansion valves and other components purge the system with dry nitrogen and keep the components cool by wrapping with a wet cloth. Valve off portions of the system that might be damaged by high pressure. To check for leaks: pressurize the system to 200-300 psig with dry nitrogen and test joints with a soap solution or pressurize to 200-300 psig with a 90/10 dry nitrogen refrigerant mixture and test joints with a high quality refrigerant leak detector. Prior to charging, release the test gas, and evacuate the system to at least 500 microns or less and allow the vacuum to remain there for several hours. If water is suspected in the system it is preferable to continue the evacuation process overnight. If the vacuum cannot be maintained, there is a leak in the system. Charge with the designated refrigerant for proper performance. Check the system drawings for this information. On initial charging, charge the system with the defined amount of refrigerant. Operate the system and, if necessary, add enough refrigerant to eliminate bubbles from the sight glass. General considerations for all coils After the Coil is mounted and fixed in the coil section of the AHU, check for gaps between the coil and coil section panels. Such gaps should be blocked by firmly fixing suitable metal sheets. If this is not done, lot of air will by pass the coil, affecting the capacity of the coil and the conditions of the air leaving the coil.
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In case there are two more sections of the cooling coil in an AHU on the vertical panel, it is a good practice to insert a thin galvanized iron (GI) sheet between the coil sections. Without this separation plates the coil will have to flow through the bottom coil and this can increase the air way resistance of the bottom coil. Further the dust washed down by the condensate from the top coil will accumulate at the bottom coil will decrease the capacity.
Do not remove protective caps from coil piping connections until ready to connect piping. Do not lift unit by coil connections or headers.

Isolator Installation Remove lock bolt and washer. Position isolator under unit. Replace lock bolt and washer (finger tight). Turn adjusting bolt counterclockwise to raise and level. The adjusting process should be done gradually on all isolators. Tighten lock bolt.

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Condensate Drain Pipe The equipment should be solved as to ensure free flow of condensate water from the cooling coil tray to the fan tray and the drain points. The drain line being connected to the fan section tray is on the suction side of the fan and so the outside air gets sucked in through the drain pipe. In addition to carry the outside foul smell, the outside air being sucked through the drain pipe prevents the free flow of the condensate tray. This leads to a build up of condensate in the tray. To prevent this provide a U trap in the condensate drain line. The height of the U trap should be more than the static pressure of the fan. If condensate stagnates in the tray, it can be a source for algae formation and microbe growth. Therefore the tray should have sufficient slope with double break for free flow of condensate to the drain points and U trap. This aspect assumes greater importance in applications like clean room, hospitals etc... Insulate the full length of drain pipe Provide correct pipe size as per the standards

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