Proactive HVAC Service Identifies VRV Issue Before Tenant Disruption

Overview 

Built in 1926, 1661 Crescent Place is a six-story, 118,000-square-foot cooperative residential building with 55 apartments in Washington, DC. A major renovation completed in 2021 included new Daikin Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) systems serving the building’s 53 residential units.

The cooperative has worked with Havtech for several years for quarterly inspections and maintenance. The building does not have an on-site building engineer, so the Board relies on Havtech when HVAC questions or concerns come up. To provide greater insight into equipment performance between scheduled maintenance visits, Havtech incorporated Cool Automation technology into its proactive service and maintenance approach. The Board wanted to supplement regular maintenance with greater insight into equipment performance between scheduled visits and identify developing issues earlier.

Cool Automation equipment was initially connected to three VRV systems with six outdoor units, covering approximately one-quarter of the building’s HVAC systems. During the trial, the platform generated alerts that led Havtech to investigate an abnormal operating condition before residents reported a comfort problem or the equipment went down.

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Challenge 

Quarterly preventive maintenance assesses equipment conditions, but technicians can only see what the system is doing while they are onsite. 

Intermittent problems may develop between scheduled visits and disappear before the next inspection. Without historical operating data, a technician may have no record of how the system was operating when the condition occurred. 

In the past, the cooperative had experienced compressor failures that were costly to its limited budget and inconvenient for residents who lost heating or cooling while equipment was replaced. Because the building does not have an on-site building engineer, the Board wanted a way to identify developing equipment issues between scheduled maintenance visits and reduce the risk of unexpected failures.

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The Approach 

A CoolMaster EDGE controller from Cool Automation was installed as the on-site hardware supporting the proactive service approach. Havtech developed more than twelve custom anomaly detection rules that flag operating conditions outside expected parameters and generate alerts for further review. 

Identifying an issue before a comfort complaint 

The connected system generated multiple alerts indicating an unusually high compressor suction temperature condition. The customer had not reported a comfort problem and was unaware that anything was wrong. 

After receiving the alerts, Havtech remotely reviewed the equipment and determined that further on-site investigation was needed. A service technician was dispatched within twenty-four hours. 

Turning system data into a targeted service response 

On-site, the technician traced the condition to an electronic expansion valve (EEV) in a branch selector box that was not closing completely. The technician power-cycled the branch selector box, restoring proper operation without replacing the component. 

From initial alert through remote review and field investigation, the response occurred within roughly one to two days. The cooperative experienced no downtime before Havtech intervened. 

If the condition had continued, it could have contributed to premature compressor wear or eventual compressor failure. Havtech estimated that replacing a compressor in this application could cost approximately $10,000 to $20,000 plus labor. 

Expanding service beyond the scheduled visit 

The proactive service approach also gives Havtech technicians more information when the customer reports an equipment concern.

Technicians can review current and historical operating data before determining the appropriate next step. In some cases, that additional information can help resolve a straightforward issue without an unnecessary service visit. When a technician does need to go to the site, the service team has more information about the equipment condition before arriving.

Without an onsite engineer, remote access provides another layer of technical support between scheduled maintenance visits.

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Outcome 

The 1661 Crescent Place project demonstrates how proactive service can complement traditional preventive maintenance.

In this instance, Havtech identified an abnormal operating condition before the customer reported a comfort problem, evaluated the system data, dispatched a technician when needed and corrected the issue before any downtime occurred. Following the initial installation, the customer elected to extend the technology to the remaining HVAC systems in the building as part of its new proactive service agreement.

For Havtech, the project demonstrates how historical operating data, Havtech-developed anomaly detection and technician expertise can help identify developing equipment issues earlier and support more informed service decisions.