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Imagine how exciting it must be to embark on your college experience in the heart of one of the greatest cities in the world, New York, New York. You are walking to class in Midtown Manhattan. You glance over your left shoulder and see the top of the Empire State Building reaching into the sky. Turn your gaze to the right and there is the unmistakable art deco crown and spire that is the signature feature of the Chrysler Building.

Now imagine being responsible for ensuring the indoor comfort for the 1000 plus students and hundreds of faculty and administrative staff that work and study at the Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University’s Israel Henry Beren Campus. This is the year-round challenge faced by Anthony Rizzica, Senior Engineer and his staff at Yeshiva—to keep things cool during New York’s hot and humid summers and warm through its cold winters.

Yeshiva College was founded in 1928 and attained university status in 1946. Roughly 7000 students from the US and over 50 countries study at Yeshiva’s four campuses: the Wilf Campus, the Israel Henry Beren Campus, and the Brookdale Center in Manhattan, and the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Bronx. Yeshiva’s endowment is over 1 billion dollars and it is listed as being amongst the top 50 America’s Best Colleges by US News and World Report.

Perhaps one of the most critical tasks faced by Anthony Rizzica and his crew is keeping the heating and cooling systems operating at peak efficiency, and one of the biggest challenges facing them has traditionally been cooling and heating coil maintenance. A coil fouled with dirt and grime cannot supply proper heat transfer resulting in greater energy consumption. Equipment operating with dirty coils can use up to 37% more energy than it does with clean coils. Accumulated dirt on coils inhibits heat transfer and can reduce the system’s cooling capacity by as much as 30%; a condition that is most noticeable on the hottest days when cooling is needed the most.

Just how big a job is coil cleaning for Anthony and his crew? When asked how many coils he is responsible for taking  care of, he replied, “We have about 1000 fan coils, 120 air handlers and we have 20 or 25 condensers”. So you’re doing a lot of coil cleaning?” we asked Rizzica. “Oh, year round” was his reply.

Until recently, the maintenance staff at Stern College used pressure washers to clean coils, which presented some problems especially in the dormitories. “The rooms are so small” says Rizzica, “it’s almost impossible to move a pressure washer, plug it in, run a hose and do all that just to get a pressure washer going.” When asked to explain further, Anthony explained, “They put three or four girls in one room, so it’s three or four beds and dressers and three or four desks and we have to get to the fan coils. You have barely enough room to walk around— it’s like an obstacle course getting to the coils under the windows”. “And every dorm room has one?” we asked. “At least one if not two” was his reply.

Taking advantage of new technology
Early in 2005, Anthony became aware of a new product on the market called the CoilPro™ from Goodway Technologies Corporation. This machine, designed specifically for cleaning coils, is self contained, carrying its own water and chemical supply on board. The CoilPro™ can  run on AC current or its own rechargeable battery and is lightweight and portable, being mounted on a two-wheel dolly. A variety of spray nozzles and a flexible wand extension are stored right on the machine. Two other models are also available—an AC only unit that delivers higher pressure for thicker coils and a backpack model that is light weight and comfortable. Although he chose the dolly mounted model to evaluate, Anthony was aware of the other options. He said about the back-pack model, “We’re actually thinking about purchasing one, especially for the coils up in the ceilings”.

When asked about his impressions of the product, Rizzica told us, “It’s been a lifesaver for us. We have one dormitory with over 500 fan coils in it. The CoilPro™ is convenient. The operator is able to move from room to room at a quick pace and do a good job. The other thing that’s really nice about it is you have that connection that you can actually spray at an angle and we have to clean behind the coil, where the other pressure washers never really came with a flexible fitting that would enable you to get back there. We actually cleaned the coils so well that we gained almost 50 to 60 tons worth of cooling last summer.” Asked what that translates to in dollars, Anthony estimated “somewhere around $75,000.00 to $80,000.00 in savings. It was a huge savings. If I had to put a return on investment on it, I would say for every 25 to 50 coils that we clean, the machine pays for itself.”

What other savings does Anthony see using the CoilPro™? “Well man-hours are a saving—it only takes one man to operate. It’s convenient. What used to take us a week, we now do in two or three days.” When asked to compare the CoilPro™ to conventional pressure washers, Rizzica said, “It’s more portable, it’s definitely lighter in weight. I like the tanks that hold the chemical and water—there’s no hose involved. The battery pack is a great saver, too. We don’t have to worry about cords being plugged in, people tripping, hazards and all. Safety is always a concern around here.”

Having eleven older high-rise buildings spread over many city blocks presents Yeshiva’s maintenance staff with some unique challenges to consider when selecting equipment. Equipment must be moved from building to building making portability an important issue. The need to use elevators and negotiate narrow hallways filled with students and staff makes compactness extremely important. Sometimes equipment must be moved on stairways or located on the rooftops of buildings making weight a significant factor. Products like the CoilPro™ fit the bill on all three counts.

Coils, coils everywhere
The sheer variety of coil types and locations encountered at Yeshiva can give one pause. There are the condenser coils on the rooftops and on the grounds and fan coils located in the ceilings and walls so having a versatile tool is critical to success.

Is there any one type of coil that’s a major challenge to clean? “I would say condenser coils due to their remote locations outside. The availability of electricity and the availability of a water source is limited many times.” said Anthony.

Most of the fan coils are located in ceilings and walls in areas that must be kept as neat as possible and a fine balance between cleaning effectiveness and preventing water damage must be maintained. Luckily, the CoilPro™ uses just enough water and cleaning solution to thoroughly clean the coils without creating a water recovery dilemma. “In the classrooms, if we have a problem with a coil that got dirty or got missed, I can have it cleaned right before a class starts and not...make a mess.”

When asked if he thought he was getting the coils cleaner with the CoilPro™, Rizzica had this to say. “The power is outstanding. When we first got the CoilPro™, I was a little wary of the battery. [But] we plugged it in and tested the machine, and then we let the battery charge overnight. The next morning we came in and I said, ‘All right, let’s see what this thing can do.’ Well, I was taken aback—it was just like it was plugged in, and pretty much until the battery is drained it runs strong.”

By keeping up an aggressive coil cleaning regimen, Anthony and his staff are helping to keep the heating and cooling systems running at peak efficiency as well as extending the operating life of motors, fans and other vital equipment.

When asked to sum up his thoughts on the CoilPro™, Anthony stated, “The CoilPro™ has a lot of good features. I think it’s one of the best machines I’ve ever invested in. The minute I saw it I said, ‘I’ve got to have one.’ And it worked out so well, we bought two of them.”

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