Case Histories (Real-World Solutions)
Better Filters for Energy Efficiency
By using Pall Water’s filters, the University of San Diego has solved an inconvenient, costly, and time-consuming problem for its maintenance team.
In 2014, the University of San Diego began experiencing HVAC issues in several buildings across campus, particularly in the Degheri Alumni Center, a 28,000-square-foot administrative building. Sediment buildup was causing cooling coils to clog, which prevented air conditioning units from operating properly.
As summertime approached, a rapid solution was needed to deliver comfortable temperatures to faculty, staff, and students. Pall Water’s 5-micron Polyfold filter bag was selected due to its strength and reliability. Immediately, the maintenance team noticed the positive impact of Pall Water’s solution, and could see the larger particles collected in the filters.
Previously, technicians had to manually back-flush coils on the roof of each affected building to remove the sediment and restore proper HVAC functionality, a process that took several hours and needed to occur every 4-14 days, impacting the maintenance teams’ time and resources. Now, technicians spend 10 minutes swapping out Pall Water’s filters every 1-2 months. Technicians can even determine when filters are nearing capacity via a gauge and daily measurements, enabling them to replace filters before the sediment buildup impacts building temperature.
“We called upon Pall Water to stop sediment buildup from clogging our HVAC systems and the University of San Diego got exactly what we asked for as Pall Water’s Polypropylene Microfiber bag filters solved our problem. The technicians absolutely love the filters as they no longer waste several hours cleaning out clogged coils on the roof and our building occupants are pleased that they no longer have to file work orders complaining about the lack of air conditioning in the Degheri Alumni Center,” says Steve Glover, facilities engineer, University of San Diego.
By using Pall Water’s filters, the University of San Diego has solved an inconvenient, costly, and time-consuming problem for its maintenance team.
www.pallwater.com
This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management March 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.