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Which rooftop unit is next?
Two questions sort every unit on your roof: how old is it, and what shape is it in? The answers put each one in one of four boxes — and give you a replacement order you can budget.
Age across, condition up.
Below is an illustrative building with eight rooftop units. Your plan has your own units, with notes and photos for each.
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Newer · poor condition
Investigate
A young unit should not be struggling. Before replacing anything, find out why: undersized ductwork, a bad install, a unit that was never commissioned, hail.
- RTU-6
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Older · poor condition
Replace first
Past the middle of its expected life and showing it: cracked heat exchanger, failing compressor, rusted-through cabinet. These top the list, and we say so plainly.
- RTU-2
- RTU-7
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Newer · good condition
Maintain
Keep it clean, keep it serviced, write down what you find. Most of a healthy building lives here.
- RTU-1
- RTU-4
- RTU-8
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Older · good condition
Plan & budget
Still working well, but not forever. Put it in a future year's budget and keep servicing it — no need to replace a unit that is doing its job.
- RTU-3
- RTU-5
Illustrative example — the unit names and positions are made up to show how the plan reads. No prices or lifespans are implied.
What we look at on each unit.
- Heat exchanger
- On gas units, inspected for cracks and corrosion. A cracked heat exchanger is a safety issue, not a budgeting one.
- Compressor & refrigerant
- Running amps, pressures and signs of past leaks or repeated recharging.
- Coils
- Condenser fins flattened by hail or clogged with cottonwood; evaporator coil cleanliness.
- Cabinet & curb
- Rust, missing panels, water getting in, and whether the roof curb still seals.
- Controls & electrical
- Economizer operation, thermostats, contactors, capacitors and wiring.
- History
- Repair records, run hours and how often it has let you down.
Age is a starting point, not a verdict
We estimate where each unit is in its working life from its type, nameplate date, run hours and history. A well-kept older unit can outlast a neglected newer one.
One plan, three parts.
The unit list
Every rooftop unit with its tag, location on the roof, nameplate details and photos.
The four boxes
Each unit placed by age and condition, with a sentence on why it is there.
The order
A suggested replacement sequence by year, with the reasons — for you to budget, not a sales quote.
Hail, cottonwood and wind.
Longmont's rooftops take a beating. Summer hail flattens coil fins. Cottonwood fluff in late spring clogs condenser coils. Winter wind drives snow into poorly sealed cabinets. All three show up in the condition score — and all three are things maintenance can catch early.
After a hailstorm, we can walk the roof and document what we find, with photos, for your records or your insurer.
The same thinking, for one furnace.
A house has one or two systems rather than eight, but the question is the same. If your furnace or air conditioner is getting older, we will tell you honestly which box it is in — keep maintaining it, start budgeting, or replace it before winter.
Get your roof on one page.
Tell us the address and roughly how many units. We will arrange a roof visit.