Churches Archives

20 years….

That’s the average age of HVAC equipment in the 100+ churches in the DC Metro Area. In many cases, that equipment could be on its last leg. Once HVAC systems get to this age, their efficiency declines, and energy bills go up. Regular maintenance can extend a unit’s lifespan, but eventually, replacement is inevitable. The key is planning ahead so that you can upgrade your HVAC system in the smartest way possible.

A church client in Annandale took us up on an offer to plan their HVAC replacements ahead of time. We spread milestones out over several years to help the church with their capital budgeting and reduce the likelihood of expensive emergency repairs. It was a plan that any company could use, if they decided not to proceed with Trimark.

In the end, the client wanted to work with a team experienced with DC area faith organizations

One of the biggest, most complex replacements that we handled was a 25 ton air handling unit that serviced the school’s gym. The unit was tucked between piping in a mechanical closet and was close to its last leg. It was a priority to replace before a potential breakdown.

The first challenge we faced wasn’t a surprise: long lead times on equipment. The newer version of the unit, by the same manufacturer, would take eight months to arrive. That was risky, but what was the other option? We looked into alternatives from other manufacturers with the same exact specifications and ended up finding a match that would arrive in three months.

The new air handling unit arrived 5 months sooner… but there’s more

With good news, there’s always a catch, right? WRONG! By switching from York to Carrier, not only were we able to get the project underway months ahead, but we also saved the church 20% on the cost of the equipment. Talk about a win, win.

You’re going to put that… where??

Take a look at where the new unit would need to be installed:

Not a lot of wiggle room. Like many churches, the mechanical systems weren’t designed for easy access or replacement. The unit was 40” wide and the space to fit it in was 42” wide. Challenge accepted. We removed the old equipment, piece by piece, reconfigured the ductwork, wiring, and piping, and installed the new unit in a single day. Cue the mission impossible theme song.

Signed, sealed, delivered

Now, we didn’t exactly put a bow on it, but we did wrap up the project with our signature installation packet. This is a binder the Trimark team provides contains all of the details on the equipment, installation, servicing, warranties, etc all in one place.

If your HVAC is nearing the end of it’s useful life, let’s talk. If you’re not sure about the age or lifespan of your equipment, take a look at this useful chart. Trimark Mechanical offers no cost initial site visits to organizations that serve the community, such as churches, schools, daycares, hospitals, medical facilities, and elder care facilities. We can help you create a smart plan to keep your system running smoothly, and handle replacements before they turn into emergencies.

It happens more often than you can imagine; a client calls us to take a look at their equipment and they’ve been under the impression that maintenance is up to date.

Then, when our team arrives, there are obvious signs that equipment was only glanced over, at best!

Take a look at these photos…if any of these look a little too familiar, then that’s a red flag. Do a quick walk-through of your own equipment to see what may need the most help.

If your equipment resembles any of these pictures, contact us right away. Churches, schools, and organizations that serve the community qualify for a no charge initial visit.

When you call for heating and cooling help, it’s not uncommon to see your technician taking notes while merely looking at equipment. And yes, visual checks can be a starting point, but when it comes to ensuring the health of your HVAC system, it’s almost always necessary to go further. Here’s how a combustion analysis goes beyond the standard visual check to discover the true status of your heating system.

What is a Combustion Analysis?

A combustion analysis is a series of tests that are performed to measure the efficiency of your gas furnace; it can also bring important safety considerations to light. By measuring the Oxygen (O2), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) levels in your HVAC system, we can determine where there are deficiencies, let you know how you can lower utility costs, mitigate safety issues, and give you a road map for future maintenance.

Could It Be a Combustion Problem?

If you’ve got a persistent HVAC problem, it’s likely that this isn’t the first time you’ve had to make a service call. But it’s possible that a previous maintenance visit – or visits, for that matter – didn’t give you the answers that you needed. A combustion analysis goes in-depth to help diagnose the hairline cracks or leaks that are impacting the efficiency and safety of your system. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar to you?

The space isn’t heating properly. If locations from essential community spaces to classrooms don’t seem to be heating properly, whether that’s manifesting in uneven distribution of air or what feels like too much or too little of the desired conditions, it could be an issue with your O2/CO2 levels. A combustion analysis can give you more insight into why this is happening, and how urgent the issue at hand is.

It’s too drafty. If your building only seems to give you the chilly half of what you’d expect from a full-service HVAC system, and draws comments and concerns from occupants, then it could be time for a combustion analysis. An underlying issue with a gas furnace can be smoked out with a combustion analyzer that will take the internal temperature from the flue pipe, and make sure everything is within recommended limits.

Utility bills are too high. This means the gas furnace isn’t operating efficiently. This could be happening for a number of reasons and combustion analysis can help rule some of them out. Sometimes, it may even help us figure out that it’s not the system, but rather system controls that need to be reprogrammed.

How Can I Be Sure That My Building is Safe?

Once you complete the combustion analysis, you’ll know if there are any issues related to over-firing, under-firing, smoke spots, condensation and heightened risk for leaks. Your HVAC maintenance team will also take factors like ambient air temperature and stack temperature into consideration, and look for high flame temperatures and effective air-fuel mixing as signals of a healthy heating system.

Are you concerned that your service visits have resulted in visual checks with little to no proof of what work was done, and why conclusions were made? We’ve seen this happen all too often. Give us a call or contact us to see if you qualify for a no-cost site visit.

Most smart decisions come down to asking the right questions. Our newest church client in Falls Church did just this. While they had a firm that was handling routine maintenance, they decided to get more than one bid when a 20-ton unit in their gym went down. Before they chose who would handle this major replacement for them, they asked themselves three very smart questions:

Do they have experience with churches?

Their HVAC, like most churches, is much more complex than any residential unit, but not quite as large as a commercial facility. That being said, they wanted to find a service partner that had experience working with churches.

“Russ, why do you work almost exclusively with churches?”

People ask me this a lot, and it’s a great question. The answer is pretty simple: it’s where my heart is. I started Trimark Mechanical in 1996 when I saw that churches weren’t getting served well. They were either not getting their needs met by companies that were too small, or were being overcharged by larger firms. I’ve developed a team that specializes in the kind of HVAC systems that are common in churches.

Churches have limited resources, so we work to understand their specific challenges and provide options that safeguard the budget.

How We Help Our Churches

Every church has unique HVAC needs, different approval processes, and varying budgets. For example, what if your church has a pipe organ? Can you ensure that a company that doesn’t work extensively with churches will know how to help prevent damage to the instrument?

Are they thinking big picture?

It’s key that you have a partner that can craft a cost-effective plan with your entire system in mind, even when they may only be currently working on one component.

For the client we mentioned, our proposal included an option to also replace an outdated Reznor heater. The heater was working fine, and likely would for a few more years. With the deconstruction and rebuild that was happening for the failed unit though, it made more sense to replace both. Instead of paying twice to take apart the building infrastructure for separate replacements, they could kill two birds with one stone. That’s thinking ahead!

Where’s the proof?

Communication; some folks talk a big talk but you need earnest communication. At Trimark Mechanical, here’s what we do to keep clients in the loop.

Constant Communication: We beat you to the punch line by getting in touch with you about upcoming service visits or repairs before you have to reach out.
A Detailed Maintenance History: Through our cloud-storage solution, clients can access complete, detailed histories of all maintenance and repairs performed on their HVAC equipment.
Photographic Evidence of All Service Calls: Following every service call, we provide before/after photographs as well as specific measurements that prove the system is functioning properly.
Closeout Packages for Major Replacements: Following every large system replacement, we create a closeout package for clients, complete with everything they need to know about their new equipment including, workmanship and manufacturer warranties, building permits, maintenance manuals, contact information, and more.

You already have enough to manage in your day-to-day. Working with Trimark, you’ll never be chasing down the answers you need to keep your congregation, clergy, and staff comfortable.

Consider us a friend in the community

If you’re a church in the Washington-Metro area, your initial site visit is completely free. We’ll come and give you a better understanding of your HVAC system, backed by the expertise we’ve developed serving dozens of churches in the area. Contact us or call us at 703.891.4600.

When your cooling system isn’t keeping pace with summer heat, the first guess is that there’s an issue with your AC equipment. This assumption almost caused our newest church client in Lake Ridge, Virginia to make an expensive mistake. They were trying hard to decide how to handle the discomfort in their sanctuary and offices after getting conflicting opinions on which part of their HVAC was to blame. As a last-ditch effort, they went directly to the manufacturer and found out that it wasn’t the equipment that was the root of the issue. It was actually the automated controls designed to adjust temperatures based on how and when each space is used. So, what do you do when the “brain” of your HVAC system isn’t working properly?

What to consider when maintaining your automated system

Automated controls are an intelligent network of hardware and software designed to monitor, connect, and manage an HVAC system’s many components. They help organizations maximize both efficiency and comfort.

Settings for these systems need to be updated as your facility’s needs change. Your system likely has a useful life of 15-20 years, so it makes sense that room usage, occupancy, and other factors will evolve. Plus, you can’t simply rely on the original configuration or even assume that it was actually set correctly from the start. It’s more like what was originally there was written over, modified and adjusted. You always want to try to take the controls back to their baseline.

Additionally, not all technicians are fully trained on automated controls. The key is finding a mechanical services partner that invests in advanced training and can handle automated controls in a cost-effective way. Consider the following:

Certifications and licenses don’t prove skill: Training needs to be paired with hands-on experience to diagnose and solve real problems. Ask for details on similar cases to confirm a company has the experience to handle the job.

It shouldn’t be a one-man show: Some companies rely on a single technician to handle jobs with building automation technology. That puts you at risk.

Don’t turn a blind eye to alerts: Overriding codes that are designed to detect critical issues is an easy (and short-term) way to restore comfort. You need a partner that aims to troubleshoot all codes and will always search for the source of the error.

Have a pro review and adjust controls regularly: You’ll need a plan to check-in on your system’s controls and keep them in line with how you’re using your spaces.

When the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing…

By diving into the controls on our Lake Ridge client’s system computer we discovered that the boiler and chiller were fighting each other to be powered on. Specifically, the chiller would only automatically turn on once the boiler operated at maximum capacity. It was clear, the “brain” of the cooling system didn’t think it needed to be on. After reconfiguring the controls on the main computer, we went a step further to reset the controls on the boiler and chiller individually. This way, each component was truly in sync.

The previous companies who inspected the system before we arrived weren’t entirely off-base. It turned out there were mechanical issues that were preventing the HVAC equipment from providing maximum comfort. One of the main issues was that all the compressors in the chiller were not operating, holding it back from working at 100% capability – even with controls properly reconfigured.

Creating a forward-thinking plan

With controls properly set and all mechanical issues identified, we created a plan to keep things running smoothly in the future. Together, we mapped out a preventative maintenance plan and arranged annual status checks on their building automation control. Additionally, we helped the client understand which equipment would need to be replaced soon, such as the remaining compressors, so that they could better budget for future expenses.

When was the last time your controls were checked?

You don’t have to settle for discomfort. Especially when it may be as simple as having an expert check and adjust your controls on a regular basis. Reach out to us today to see how we can help. If it’s your first time working with us, know that the initial visit is no-cost, and our sole aim is to give you a better understanding of how to keep your spaces comfortable.

Troubleshooting heating and cooling issues can be difficult enough, but when combined with an unusual obstacle, such as not having access to bring in new parts, it’s going to be even harder. Fortunately, we’re no strangers to solving problems like this. We’re used to unique challenges that require unique solutions and this case isn’t any different. Read on to learn how Trimark Mechanical went to new heights, quite literally, to make sure our church client in Springfield could get their equipment fixed and restore comfortability in the Sanctuary and the Nave.

This isn’t your ordinary problem…

When we first met this church client in Springfield three years ago they had four large split systems at their facility that were going to need to be replaced. At the time, the four large split systems utilized R-22 refrigerant that needed to be replaced by equipment utilizing R-410A refrigerant, per government regulation. However, there was a pretty large obstacle in the way that made replacing the split systems an extremely difficult task to complete – it was the building itself. We’re not kidding! The air handling units (AHU’s) serving the Sanctuary and the Nave were installed before construction on the rest of the facility was complete. This meant that we couldn’t replace the existing AHU’s because the building’s structure restricted access to do so. We knew that we could upgrade the AHU’s by removing the R-22 refrigerant coils and replacing them with R410A coils but the building’s structure restricted access to even do this. The problem looked kind of something like this:

Now while you may be saying to yourself, “Who would even think to do that”, you should know this isn’t uncommon. In the past, we’ve seen other facilities where construction teams first set heating and cooling equipment and then built around it. But while this may simplify the initial construction process, it throws a huge wrench in ongoing HVAC maintenance and eventual replacement. Our client understood that better than anyone.

A brilliant idea strikes!

Upon our initial on-site visit, we understood that the key to replacing the old R-22 coils was to find a unique entry point to bring in the new parts. That’s when we got creative. During our brainstorming with the Facilities Manager, we noticed decorative louvers towards the roof of the space where the church’s HVAC was located and a light-bulb went off in our heads. If one of those louvers could be temporarily removed, we could hoist the new coils up the side of the building, slip them through hole where the louver was removed, and execute the replacement without needing to make any significant structural changes to the church. The biggest hurdle would be raising the R-410A coils 30 feet in the air, but that was still a better option than cutting a hole in the building. With the plan set, our team got to work.

We decided it’d be best to spread this project out over a few days to ensure all the necessary parts arrived on schedule and that we didn’t disrupt normal operations. We used a scissor lift to raise the large R-410A coils approximately 30 feet in the air and then slid each coil through the area where the louver was removed, bringing them inside the building. The new R-410A coils were stored in the room with the AHU’s until a day could be scheduled to conduct the replacement. Finally, we reinstalled the louver so it looked like it had never been removed.

This was one for the books

We must say, this is one of the more interesting AHU refurbishments we’ve performed. However, it certainly highlights that sometimes you must do whatever is necessary to keep people comfortable and happy.

At Trimark Mechanical, we have deep experience with church facilities and our expertise allows us to pinpoint the unique solutions to your unique challenges. No matter the obstacle. That’s what’s allowed us to be the trusted partner of this church and several others in the Washington DC Metro area for many years.

Do you have an out of the ordinary challenge you can’t seem to solve? Contact us today and we’ll figure out how we can help.

As Paul VI Catholic High School leadership unveils a brand new campus in Loudoun County, they make another important decision designed to keep their students, teachers, and staff comfortable and happy for years to come. The school has chosen Trimark Mechanical as its partner for preventative HVAC maintenance. At 68 acres, the new grounds in Chantilly take up nearly four times that of its previous facility.

The campus’s 60 state-of-the-art classrooms, 8 science labs, central Dining Commons and student chapel have been constructed after years of planning – a tremendous investment in a modern campus for future generations of students. The new campus doesn’t officially open to students until August 2020, but the building staff is already making plans for how to best serve within its new, larger footprint. With more sophisticated HVAC systems, the school’s internal staff decided to augment their capabilities with preventative maintenance through Trimark Mechanical.

As with all of our clients, Trimark sought to complement PVI’s existing capabilities. Trimark’s technicians will first catalog PVI’s equipment into a cloud-based tracking system so that PVI can ensure it’s being maintained properly, has instant access to maintenance history, and that requirements are being met to maintain all manufacturer warranties. With this system in place and preventative maintenance by Trimark Mechanical, PVI will be able to give its campus community the comfort and confidence that it needs to run smoothly.

By choosing a professional mechanical services firm like Trimark Mechanical, schools, churches and commercial building owners can feel confident that their building is in good hands.

Do you have questions about your own facility? Reach out to Trimark Mechanical to speak with one of our HVAC experts about how we can help. The first visit is on us, and our sole aim is to give you a better understanding of your HVAC equipment.

If you’re like many business owners and organization leaders, you know that preventative maintenance is necessary but may not be confident that maintenance is being performed properly. Since HVAC systems are complex, determining the credibility and thoroughness of one contract or service provider versus another can be challenging. This is why it’s essential that you have a clear idea of what legitimate preventive maintenance should look like. Read more to learn how you can ensure preventative maintenance improves and maintains the performance and longevity of your HVAC system.

What You Already Know About Regular Preventative Maintenance

Regular preventative maintenance is beneficial for several reasons. Perhaps the main advantage is that routine service checks find problems before they turn into expensive repairs. But there are other benefits, related to both comfort and cost when it comes to performing regular maintenance tasks. For example preventative maintenance:

Ensures Reliability – Your system ideally should be checked at least twice in the year. Once before the heating season and one more time before the cooling season begins. This will guarantee your system is in optimal condition before the peak usage months of the year.

Reduces Energy Costs – Your HVAC is probably one of your top energy expenses. When the system is thoroughly cleaned and maintained, energy costs will decrease while indoor comfort increases.

Improves Indoor Air Quality – HVAC systems impact our ability to breathe indoors. Preventative maintenance should include cleaning your equipment’s accumulated allergens like dust, dirt, and pollen for the cleanest and highest-quality indoor air possible.

Maintains Cost-Effectiveness. An HVAC system is a large expense and thorough preventative maintenance is critical to protect that investment. Investing in preventative maintenance is minimal compared to expensive repairs or replacements on systems that aren’t regularly maintained.

What You May Not Know: The Proof is in the Pudding

Not even sure what a good preventative maintenance visit should cover? Take a look at a recent preventative maintenance visit we completed for a long-time, happy customer.

Trimark Mechanical Preventative Maintenance Report

Comprehensive preventative maintenance is more than just a ‘tune-up’ or visual inspection. Simply looking at the quality of an HVAC system is far from enough to ensure it’s running well. There should never be guesswork involved when determining its health status.

You Need To Know About Potential Issues

You should always receive clear and simple communication to know where exactly you stand with your equipment’s condition and if to expect repairs or replacements. When potential issues are detected, they should be responded to and resolved immediately to avoid untimely system failure. Leading mechanical service providers will even go the extra mile by providing photographic evidence of individual system components to show their physical condition and wear from usage over time.

A Checklist Isn’t The Same As Proof

Most mechanical services first will have no problem providing a thorough task checklist. How do you know, though, that technicians are truly utilizing a task-by-task list during scheduled maintenance visits? Simply checking the box isn’t enough. That’s why Trimark Mechanical provides photos that show you before and after on equipment as well as any specific measurements that provide proof of a properly functioning HVAC system.

Here’s what should set off a red flag, if you see it in your maintenance report:

(Anyone can check a box! Also, your filters should be getting REPLACED twice a year.)

Here’s what you’ll see on our reports:

Seeing is believing!

Just to drive the point home, here’s another example. A standard report may have something like this merely handwritten in:

(Anyone can pencil in a number on a report!)

Here’s what will show up on a Trimark report:

Trimark Keeps You Comfortable and Happy Year After Year

Are you not sure if your service partner is providing you with quality information? At Trimark Mechanical, we strive to keep your equipment running efficiently and be your trusted partner for any critical issues or replacements. Our job is to provide photographic proof of what’s been completed during maintenance visits and we aim to uncover problems before they become emergencies.

Contact us today and ask about our comprehensive annual maintenance agreement.

To keep comfortable and ensure you’re prepared for any future issues, it’s important you know your HVAC system’s health status. But after one of our newest church clients in Fairfax faced the consequences of a system failing at the most critical time of the year, they found themselves asking: is all preventative maintenance equal?

Preventative Maintenance: Four Questions to Ask

In the dog days of summer, this church in Fairfax had experienced issues with their HVAC system. Though they had a trusted firm handling their maintenance, a serious issue popped up, seemingly without warning. The client was left wondering, could better quality preventative maintenance had uncovered the issue sooner?

Here’s what we do know: preventative maintenance involves regularly scheduled service visits to ensure your system is functioning properly and identify potential issues that need further evaluation. Any mechanical services firm can and should provide a detailed maintenance list. The question is, are they really doing what they should? And, how will you know? In the end, you should receive a detailed report with high-quality information. Ideally, preventative maintenance should aim to prevent big repairs or replacements from coming out of the blue.

When looking at the reports you’re getting out of your preventative maintenance agreement, here are four questions to ask:

Is this task list comprehensive? This is just the starting point, and most companies will provide a comprehensive maintenance task list.

Are there things specifically excluded as add-on services? Better to ask about this upfront.

How will I know things are completed? A simple checkbox or handwritten measurement isn’t enough. You need proof.

What is the process if any critical issues are identified? Make sure you’re informed in a timely manner about any potential issues found during maintenance.

Want to know more? Here’s another article on preventative maintenance and what red flags to look for.

What Preventative Maintenance Reports Should Look Like

We digress. Let’s Get Back to Our Client…

For this client, the chiller in their system failed amid the summer heat. Unfortunately, because they were in the height of summer, they found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was no other option but to temporarily fix the system – an unexpected cost of $6,000 – and then install a brand new system after the summer heat.

There’s no way to say with 100% certainty that there was a way to prevent spending money on a stop-gap solution. However, preventative maintenance is designed to give clients options while there’s still time. In general, not only does preventative maintenance keep your system running smoothly, but it also helps identify potential issues down the road, such as a piece of equipment that is nearing the end of its useful life.

Trimark Mechanical Steps in to Resolve the Issue

With the church discouraged from working with their old mechanical service provider, they called in Trimark Mechanical to head the installation of their new system. We recognized the client’s situation and wanted to help them get up and running as soon as possible. Realizing the importance of preventative maintenance, they also decided to switch to Trimark for their maintenance needs.

We Serve Those Who Serve the Community

Your HVAC system is among the largest expenses in your church and comprehensive preventative maintenance is critical to protect that investment. We want to be your trusted partner and take ownership of the performance and lifespan of your HVAC system.

Do you feel like your mechanical service provider isn’t providing you with proper preventative maintenance? At Trimark Mechanical, we’ll strive to improve the operation and lifespan of your equipment, even if we didn’t install it. The first visit is on us, and our sole aim is to give you a better understanding of your HVAC system. Let’s keep your congregation, clergy, and staff comfortable and happy. Contact us today!

When making big decisions, it’s important to remember that your first option isn’t always the best option. This sentiment is especially true for one of our clients who recently avoided a costly expense. A new client in Alexandria almost had to shell out some serious cash when another mechanical service provider incorrectly informed them that the A/C unit serving their classroom was dead and needed to be replaced – when, in fact, it just required a simple part repair. Read how Trimark Mechanical resolved the issue in a timely manner to keep our newest customer comfortable and happy while saving them money.

A Thorough Diagnosis is Always Essential

A client in Alexandria reached out to us because they believed the A/C unit serving their classroom was dead and needed to be replaced. As you can guess, the price for replacing the unit was going to be costly. To make matters worse they needed to rent temporary air conditioning while figuring out a solution to the problem. The recommendation to replace the unit came from a mechanical service firm who the client trusted and partnered with for many decades.

However, when Trimark Mechanical arrived to offer a second opinion, we diagnosed the issue very differently. Following our expert technician’s on-site inspection, it was concluded that the problem was actually the result of a restricted refrigeration line – a fixable issue. We had the refrigeration line repaired and the unit back up and running by 5:30 PM that same day.

Following the repair, we offered to inspect the rest of the site and found the client had a total of 60 pieces of equipment on site that were all old and neglected. After careful consideration, the client and our team created a plan to maintain the upkeep of the functional equipment. We were also able to help them develop a financing strategy to replace their older pieces of equipment. The plan will be presented to the client’s finance committee in the coming days to recommend a proactive game-plan for any other heating and cooling issues that may arise in the future.

Another Happy, Comfortable Client

At the end of the day, this case proves that cost-effective and thorough service requires a mechanical service partner who not only responds to your needs, but anticipates them. The client can now feel assured this repair is going to last for the foreseeable future. More importantly, they now have an action plan and finance strategy to resolve future equipment issues.

If your equipment is between 10-20 years old it may be time to start thinking about proactive repairs or replacement options. Trimark Mechanical will help you develop a plan with the right balance of speed, budget and comfort that won’t leave you ill-prepared in the event of a mechanical issue. Get in touch with us today at 703-891-4600 to schedule a no-cost site inspection.

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