HVAC & building services
Plate heat exchangers for HVAC and building services
From high-rise pressure breaks to heat pump plant, plate heat exchangers keep commercial heating and cooling systems separated, efficient and serviceable.
Overview
The quiet workhorse in the plant room
In commercial buildings, plate heat exchangers separate one water circuit from another — isolating a tall building’s static pressure, keeping a condenser loop apart from a clean chilled-water system, or transferring heat from a central plant to individual floors.
These units often run for years without much attention until comfort complaints or a leak appear. By then fouling has usually built up and gaskets have aged. Planned inspection keeps them performing as designed.
Applications
Common heat-transfer applications
01
Pressure breaks
Separating high-rise circuits from the central plant.
02
Chilled water
Transferring cooling between primary and secondary loops.
03
Heating hot water
Heat transfer between boiler or heat pump circuits and the building.
04
Condenser water isolation
Keeping open cooling-tower water apart from closed circuits.
05
Free cooling
Using cooling towers to chill water directly when conditions allow.
06
Heat pumps and hot water
Brazed units on packaged heat pump and hot water plant.
Challenges
Operating challenges we plan for
- Fouling from open condenser and cooling-tower water
- Units installed in tight plant rooms
- Maintenance windows outside tenant hours
- Performance drop that shows up as comfort complaints
- Older units with no service history
Services
Relevant services
- On-site servicing — inspection in the plant room
- Cleaning & regasketing — cleaning and regasketing fouled units
- Maintenance programs — scheduled servicing across a building portfolio
- Rebuilds — refurbishing older units rather than replacing them
Products & parts
Suitable equipment and parts
Maintenance
Maintenance considerations
- Check pressure drop across condenser-water units regularly — it rises as fouling builds
- Plan servicing for low-load seasons or after hours
- Keep nameplate details for every unit in the building maintenance records
- Consider clean-in-place for units that are difficult to isolate
FAQ
Common questions
Can you service units in a working building?
Yes. We plan access and isolation with the facility manager and can schedule work around building occupancy.
Do you supply brazed units for heat pumps?
Yes — see our brazed plate heat exchanger page for selection and supply.
Get in touch
Tell us about your application
Share the duty, the media and the operating environment, and we’ll recommend a practical option.