How to know the condition of your fan coil unit?
Fan coil units are important aspects of indoor environments directly responsible for climate control indoors in the forms of heating or cooling. This makes them critical components from an environmental and building efficiency perspective.
Fan Coil Units are found in two different variant models: two-pipe configuration and four-pipe configuration. The two-pipe configuration fan coil unit is a dual temperate system intended to supply one climate type at a time. Typically, this means that the complex will set the system to provide cooler air or warmer air subject to the climate. On the other hand, the four-pipe configuration has the capability to produce and distribute hot and cold air at all times, implying that the unit has full climate control consistently.
The fan coil unit lifespan is about 20 to 30 years. In these years, fan coil units can experience wear and tear, wherein components within the unit could degrade and lose effectiveness. As the unit ages, it can become less efficient and affect environmental air quality as well.
Insulation deterioration and mould are other considerations - insulation erodes with time. Mould can arise under favorable conditions. This can have adverse effects on health in the long term.
If the fan coil unit is past its life cycle, there are options for refurbishment:
1. Cleaning & insulation replacement: the internal fan coil unit insulation is removed; internal surfaces are properly disinfected and cleaned. Once dried and cleaned, the new mould resistant insulation is installed.
2. Refurbishment with energy efficient upgrade: This is to fully replace components within the fan coil unit displaying signs of deterioration, requiring repair or replacement. PCU motors are replaced with EC motors that extend expected service life of existing FCU’s, improving indoor air safety and quality.
3. Complete Fan coil unit replacement: This involves total fan coil replacement with a brand-new unit. When considering the estimated age of existing fan coil units in contrast to their expected life space, entire unit replacement makes sense. This provides benefits of energy efficient upgrades, in addition to elimination of concerns over indoor air quality associated with moulds and residues found within the original fan coil unit.
Trosten Industries Company LLC., located in Dubai, UAE provides Eurovent Certified Fan Coil Units with UL recognized motor components. EC / DC fan coil units (FCUs) are designed to deliver a SFP value of 0.2 – 0.3 w/lps as per Green Building Regulations. Custom built fan coil units are built with AHRI 410 certified cooling coils and performance tested in our psychrometric testing laboratory. Trosten is one of very few local Fan Coil Units manufacturers in the GCC region.
