If you ask a Dallas business owner to name the most important concerns for his or her company, the most common answers would likely include such things as sales targets, maintaining a safe and supportive workplace, and customer relations. Not surprisingly, HVAC systems are rarely top-of-mind. Yet, while your ventilation system may not warrant the same constant attention as your profit margin, failing to properly maintain your commercial HVAC infrastructure can be extremely costly and can leave you without heating or cooling when you need it most.

Taking Care of Your Building’s “Lungs”

Just as we tend to take our own internal organs for granted until something goes wrong, it can be easy to forget about the hidden system that supplies a building with air, heating and cooling. But as with any other piece of machinery, HVAC systems require regular maintenance to run at optimal efficiency and avoid breaking down. This is especially true as equipment ages, but even newer systems need to be monitored carefully and serviced regularly, especially when buildings are located in more polluted environments.

To ensure the proper functioning of your HVAC system and to safeguard the health of your employees, we strongly recommend the following measures:

Replace air filters at least once a month.
If there is construction going on near your building, you may need to replace your filters more often.
Keep a close eye on air grilles. If there is any sign of dust or you detect a musty odor, it’s likely that your HVAC unit is in need of maintenance.
Pay attention to employees’ complaints and take them seriously.

Like Your Body, Your HVAC System Needs Proper Hydration

For many businesses, the single largest energy user is the chiller component of their HVAC systems. And, as with air filtration, comprehensive maintenance is critical to ensure reliability and efficient operation.

Large chillers can contain several miles of tubing in their heat exchangers, and keeping these clean is essential for high-efficiency performance. In addition to regular mechanical or chemical cleaning, proper water treatment is vital to help prevent the accumulation of mud, algae, sludge, scale and other contaminants. Water quality should be tested every three months to ensure that the chemical composition is correct for optimal evaporator and condenser-system operation.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

As any reputable Dallas mechanical contractor will tell you, regular maintenance of commercial HVAC systems not only saves you money on utility bills by promoting energy efficiency, but greatly increases the life of your system. In addition, serious problems can be identified early, allowing you to replace units before they break, a boon to both your financial planning and your employees’ happiness.

Every HVAC system requires a different maintenance regimen, depending on the age of the equipment, your building’s location, and other factors. NTD Mechanical will come to your location, assess your situation, and provide you with a customized HVAC maintenance plan. By carefully evaluating your particular circumstances, we’ll make sure that you don’t pay for unnecessary maintenance, but that you also won’t end up with a broken cooling unit on the hottest day of the summer.

And, should you have an emergency requiring an immediate response, NTD Mechanical’s HVAC maintenance and service crew are available 24/7. We’ll be there for you when you need us, and day and any time.

“NTD has remained a resource for our Preconstruction Department providing rough order of magnitude pricing and budgeting for conceptual estimates for multiple clients.”

Wade Wimbish, Cadence McShane Construction

“Their flexibility and tenacity to achieve results in the most difficult of environments and circumstances has led them being a first-choice partner of ours for every project we pursue.”

Sandra Bernard, Construction Zone of Texas LLC

“We refer NTD to our clients as a contractor that can be trusted to perform a superior installation of these complex systems.”

Michael Smith, MD Engineering (referring to VRF/VRV Systems)

“The level of expertise and experience they bring will ensure a successful project.”

Peter Sudbeck, Texas AirSystems

“This work was completed in a timely manner with professional consideration for this existing/active school campus as it related to Safety and school operations.”

Kenny Buyers, RJM Contractors, Inc.

“We truly feel like we have found a great company to work with.”

Rey Morales, Morales Construction Services

“Along with providing a great service, they were always very responsive to unforeseen needs and/or emergencies that seemed to pop up on every project.”

Mark Tucker, Imperial Construction

“Great care was taken to make sure the Client received adequate documentation of existing conditions and detailed descriptions of what needed to be done to remedy any situation.”

Randall G. Hubbard, MDI General Contractors

“Whether it was coordination with other trades or meeting required deadlines, NTD routinely stepped up and performed for the betterment of the project.”

John Fischer, SEDALCO Construction Services

“They do more than the required inspections and maintenance, they help to ensure our systems are running as efficiently as possible.”

Larry Wright, First United Methodist Church Allen

“They have been an excellent partner providing quality work and knowledgeable staff.”

Greg Obar, UNT System

“NTD understands the importance of working in an active learning environment and the need to keep school facilities open, operational and safe.”

Wm. Kelly Horn, Arlington Independent School District

“We believe so much in NTD that we selected them to build our VRF training lab and I trusted them with my own home as they installed a Daikin VRV system for me there.”

Scott McGinnis, Direct Expansion Solutions (DXS)

“A couple weeks ago in our OAC meeting for UNT SRB2 the NTD Trade Partner was specifically called out by the Owner & Engineers on how awesome they are performing in the field. The Engineers specifically mentioned that the design for all of the stainless steel piping had him very worried due to the limited amount of space and all of the intricate detail it was going to take to install successfully. The Engineer has made several site visits and every time he has been on site he has commented on how fantastic everything looks and that NTD has hit every mark that he laid out for the project. So please relay this message to your guys and let them know because of their performance out here we will be glad to work with them on our future projects.

The last time we spoke I had mentioned that the Trade Partners are the heart and soul of the projects, your group has reinsured this for me and has made a great point when I talk to newer PMs in our organization. A lot of times we get caught up in day to day office work and sometimes forget that the real ROCKSTARS of the projects are our tradesmen/tradeswomen, projects do not move without them. All of your field hands that I have meet so far have my respect for the pride/work ethic/knowledge they have for their craft. I also want to add on a side note that I am very impressed with your organization and definitely look forward to many more projects in the future. I will be speaking highly of your organization in our internal meetings so your group gets the opportunity to show everyone else with McGough what y’all are made of and what your group brings to the table.”

Zach Allen, McGough Construction