Pennsylvania Air Make-Up Unit Replacement and Installation
Many Pennsylvania plants have air make-up units that have been on the roof for a long time. Burners get harder to light, controls get harder to find parts for and the booth they serve slowly loses balance. Double D Mechanical replaces aging AMUs and installs new ones for finishing systems in Pennsylvania plants.
Discuss your installationMake-Up Air for Expanding Electrical Plants
GE Vernova's breaker and switchgear expansion in Charleroi and Rostraver reflects growth in Pennsylvania electrical manufacturing. Adding booths, powder lines or blast rooms in that kind of expansion means adding exhaust, and the make-up air has to grow with it. Reusing an old AMU sized for a smaller system leaves the new equipment starved.
Replacing an Aging Unit
AMU replacement involves:
- Measuring existing exhaust and confirming required supply
- Checking curb, structure and duct connections for reuse
- Rigging old unit off and new unit on
- Reconnecting gas, electrical and controls
- Tuning burner and balancing airflow
When New Controls Beat a New Unit
New AMU controls can track booth modes, hold discharge temperature tightly and integrate with plant monitoring. Upgrading controls on an otherwise sound unit is sometimes a better first step than full replacement.
Retuning the Booth After AMU Work
A new make-up unit almost never delivers exactly what the old one did, even at the same rated airflow. Fan curves differ, duct connections change and the old booth dampers were set to compensate for a tired unit. After any AMU replacement we measure booth pressure in spray and cure modes, check airflow at the filters, and readjust supply and exhaust dampers so the booth contains overspray the way it should. Skipping that step is how a new unit ends up blamed for dirt in the finish.
Planning a booth or oven project in Pennsylvania
Crews mobilize from Houston; Pennsylvania is roughly 1,350 miles away, so equipment, panels and tooling are staged and shipped ahead of the install crew.
Manufacturing in Pennsylvania is concentrated around Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Allentown, and Erie. The sectors most likely to be specifying spray booths, blast rooms, powder systems and cure ovens there include steel and metals, heavy machinery, rail equipment, and defense.
Cold winters mean make-up air heaters are sized for sub-freezing intake, and booth or oven placement has to account for frost lines, snow loads on roof penetrations and winter slab work.
Frequently asked questions
Can we reuse our existing roof curb?
Sometimes, if the new unit matches the curb size and structure. Adapter curbs are an option when sizes differ.
Is it worth replacing just the burner?
If the unit's housing, fan and controls are sound, burner replacement can extend life. Otherwise full replacement may be better.
How do we know if our booth is balanced?
Booth pressure readings and airflow measurements show whether supply and exhaust are matched.
Can AMU work be done during a shutdown?
Yes. We plan rigging and tie-ins for planned shutdowns to limit downtime.