Douglas Barnhart, PE

Cooling Tower Startup and Maintenance

Cooling towers are the most energy-efficient method available to reject heat from a building’s air conditioning system, but they are also the most maintenance-intensive option. Air conditioning is a way of life now; you rarely find commercial buildings without air conditioning in the mid-Atlantic region. We use it for human comfort, to preserve products, to … Read more

Compounding Pharmacy Design, Construction, and Operation: Pharmacy Certification Standards

Certification that the cleanroom is operating within the ranges set forth is the final step before occupancy and use of the pharmacy.  The goal of the HVAC systems design is so that the users have a functional system that meets their requirements which they have verified is safe for compounding. United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <797> … Read more

Compounding Pharmacy Design, Construction, and Operation: Pressure, Temperature, and Humidity

Compounding hazardous drugs is a chemically volatile process, which means that tight control of air pressure, temperature, and humidity is required. Thus, when designing compounding areas, it is critical to determine an acceptable time delay before alarming and when and how often to report these values when out of compliance. Most mechanical systems are not … Read more

Compounding Pharmacy Design, Construction, and Operation: Changes Coming Fall 2023

Compounding pharmacies require tight temperature, relative humidity, and pressurization control to operate in compliance with the current standards. Those standards are set to change in the coming months, and we’ve put together a series of articles to help navigate the new requirements. Balancing and actively controlling the airflow to achieve the correct pressure relationships in … Read more

Increase HVAC Efficiency by Directing Air to the Source of Heat Generation

Traditional air conditioning typically conditions an entire room or space, such as in an office space or classroom. Air is supplied from the ceiling and distributed throughout the space. This is a cost effective method but is not well suited for some applications due to the limitations in efficiency in cooling the entire space including … Read more

HVAC Made-To-Order

Is your food service facility serving the same old food? If not, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems serving the facility need to change with the times as well. With food service moving toward made-to-order service for students, even in cafeteria atmospheres, the HVAC system should and can follow suit. Below are some … Read more

Are You on Schedule?

More specifically is your heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) system on schedule?  Do your toilet room fans run at night when you are not there? Are you heating or cooling the entire building when no one is working? Changing temperature setpoints and scheduling HVAC equipment to turn off when the building is unoccupied is an easy way … Read more

Training Saves The Day!

At the end of most construction projects, there is a warranty period, but not all mechanical failures and problems occur within the warranty period. Sound familiar? One option is to get a service agreement from another company or local contractor; however this can be costly, especially if only minor repairs are required when the building … Read more

Heat Pumps Ideal for Swing Months

Spring is upon us and so is the unpredictable weather; a warm summer-like day next to a frigid, blustery cold day, sound familiar? As we get into spring and into those swing days before air conditioning systems are completely commissioned and operational from the winter shut-down, some systems are caught unprepared for the unseasonable temperatures … Read more