But rooftop equipment gets all the abuse that no one in the building would ever consider — exposure to the sun, wind-driven debris, temperature extremes that would make a meteorologist flash, and the curious maintenance man from another industry who just can’t help but get too close to something they shouldn’t. Direct solutions to the exposure problem are found in the RTU screens, which provide a physical barrier against debris ingestion, unauthorized access, and provide the equipment a fighting chance against the environmental punishment that slowly works on it for years in the outside environment. While the idea is simple, the impact of the downstream challenges on the equipment lifetime, maintenance cycle and operational costs is a fascinating one that the screens alone can’t tell on the ground.
The evil that haunts the scene is debris. Frequently, unprotected units get leaves, plastic film, construction particulates and windblown material into the working areas of the coils and blocking airflow, thereby causing equipment to struggle more than it is designed to. The additional strain manifests itself in increased energy use, decreased component life, and in cycle cleaning the coils much more frequently than was originally planned. RTU screens prevent that cycle from even starting at the source, resulting in cleaner equipment, predictable production volumes, and maintenance cycles that are more consistent with the maintenance plan’s design.
Access control is a valuable added feature that is desperately needed by any facility manager who has an active roof. As the number of trades that use the roof of a building increases, so does the likelihood of exposure; this is not just an imaginary risk; exposure can occur through accidental contact with live equipment or damage to the refrigerant lines from careless movements of the person working on the roof, or interference with the operational unit while performing unrelated repair work. The screen provides you with a physical dividing line that decreases those incidents without that constant supervision, which could be important if you’re managing a large property, and can’t physically accompany each contractor to their workplace.
A code compliance does the last things to make the picture complete. There are many jurisdictions with specific rules or requirements in regard to mechanical equipment enclosures, and screens often meet requirements in the simplest manner possible — no elaborate additions, it doesn’t require a permit, and it provides equipment protection as a side benefit of compliance.