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It took a combination of creativity, cooperation and careful planning to replace the massive rooftop airconditioning units on four Kohl's Department Stores in the Chicago area without disrupting normal business activities at any of the locations. The chain decided to replace the equipment because, at 20-years plus, it was beginning to cause comfort problems. Energy conservation was another factor.
"The units used electric heat, which is very inefficient compared to gas heat," says Tim Smerz, vp, Air Comfort Corp. The Broadview, Ill.based maintenance contractor coordinated the replacement project.
Removing the existing units was a major undertaking due to their size and location. Each store had one 17,000-lb. air conditioner mounted in the center of the roof. Using a very large crane to remove the massive units would have interfered with store operations since the required setup time would have resulted in the crane being in the parking lot for at least a day. So the decision was made to use...