Equipment Rooms, Mechanical

A. Security/Identification: All mechanical equipment rooms that house equipment/systems for

which the O&M Division has responsibility shall be lockable/securable such that access is
limited to appropriate employees of the O&M Division. The door lock serving each room
shall be keyed to the standard mechanical room key. Therefore it will be necessary for the
O&M Locksmith Shop to provide keying. Any departmental equipment/systems that require
access by non-O&M personnel shall not be located within building mechanical equipment
rooms for security reasons. Each mechanical equipment room shall be labeled “Mechanical
Equipment”.

B. Equipment Room Access: Each mechanical equipment room shall be accessible from an
egress corridor and/or from the exterior of the building only. Access to equipment rooms
shall not be provided through other spaces such as restrooms, offices, etc. It shall not be
necessary to travel through a vulnerable finished area or a functioning occupied area in order
to reach an equipment room. Otherwise, finishes will become soiled and personnel will be
distracted. Mechanical equipment room doors shall open outward.

C. Equipment Room Size/Layout: Mechanical equipment rooms shall be adequate in size

and layout such that all mechanical equipment components such as heat transfer coils,
dampers, fans, fan motors and drives, heat exchanger tube bundles, pumps, pump motors,
chiller tubes, chiller compressors, boiler tubes, and sump pumps can be conveniently
accessed for inspection and/or maintenance and can be conveniently removed for repair or
replacement. Service platforms shall be provided as required to provide convenient access
to equipment that is not readily accessible from the floor level. Failure to provide adequately
sized equipment rooms has resulted in installation, operation/performance and maintenance
problems in many past projects. It is essential that this issue be given adequate priority.

D. A.H.U. / Ductwork Considerations: Each mechanical equipment room that houses air
handling units shall be adequate in size and layout to allow the outdoor air ductwork and
return air ductwork as well as the actual mixing area upstream of each air handling unit to be
configured so as to ensure that the air streams mix thoroughly prior to entering the unit. In
order to accomplish this, a significant amount of space is required. This prevents coil freeze-
up problems as well as nuisance trip-outs of freeze protection thermostats. This has been a
very serious repeated problem on campus in recent years. VAV air handling units are
especially susceptible to this problem. Each equipment room that houses ducted fans shall
be adequate in size and layout for the installation of properly configured fan inlet and
discharge ductwork. This results in proper air distribution system operation with maximum
efficiency and minimal noise. However, it also requires space, space that must be provided
when initially sizing and laying out the equipment room.

E. Provision for Equipment Removal: Mechanical equipment rooms shall be laid out
internally and provided with one or more exterior access openings that can accommodate the
removal of all equipment assemblies or major subassemblies from the building for repair or
replacement.

F. Evaporative Equipment: Air cooled heat rejection equipment devices such as cooling
towers, evaporative condensers, evaporative coolers, fluid coolers, condensing units and air-
cooled condensers shall be located outdoors in their entirety. An exception is smaller
evaporative heat rejection equipment that is dedicated to serving year-round process loads
such as cold rooms and constant temperature rooms. This equipment shall be located within
an upper floor mechanical equipment room and shall be installed such that it is supplied with
outdoor air and discharge heat and/or humidity outdoors indirectly through ductwork.

G. Lower Level vs. Upper Floor Equipment Rooms: Indoor equipment that is heavy and /or
noise and vibration generating and/or prone to leaking fluid such as air compressors, vacuum
 pumps, air conditioning/refrigeration compressors, chillers, boilers, pumps, condensate
handling equipment, water treatment equipment, and domestic water heating equipment shall
be housed within an equipment room that is located at the lowest level of the building.
Adequate provision shall be made to protect adjacent areas from the transmission of noise
and vibration. Exceptions to the above statement regarding equipment that is prone to
leaking fluid are air handling units that incorporate heat transfer coils as well as the small
evaporative heat rejection equipment mentioned above. This equipment may be located
within equipment rooms on upper floors. However, special provision shall be made to protect
the spaces below from damage caused by the leakage of fluid from these types of
equipment.

H. Leak Prevention: Special consideration shall be given to preventing leaks into adjacent
areas when leaks or spills occur within upper level equipment rooms. An adequate
number/distribution of floor drains shall be provided and floors shall be aggressively pitched
toward these drains. Proper pitching of floors toward drains is rarely achieved, resulting in
many unnecessary problems. A curbed, water-proof basin or secondary drain pan shall be
installed beneath any piece of equipment that is especially vulnerable to leaking and that is
located in an upper level equipment room.

I. Vibration Isolation: When vibration generating equipment (e.g. fans, pumps,

comressorized equipment, etc.) is located in an upper level equipment room, special
consideration shall be given to minimizing the transmission of vibration into the building
structure such that occupants or sensitive equipment within the building are disturbed. This
typically requires that vibration isolation measures be taken that are unnecessary in
equipment rooms that are located at the lowest level of the building (e.g. installation of inertia
bases, vibration isolators and flexible pipe connectors).

J. Adjacent Areas: Any space that is sensitive to noise and/or vibration shall not be located
adjacent to (including above and below) a mechanical equipment room that houses noise
and/or vibration generating equipment.

K. Ventilation: All mechanical equipment rooms shall be mechanically ventilated/cooled with

filtered outdoor air. Makeup air shall not be mechanically cooled but may be heated if winter
ventilation of the equipment room is required.

L. Overheating: Areas that house heat producing equipment such as boilers, steam
absorption chillers, steam PRV stations, condensate handling equipment, heat exchangers,
domestic water heaters, air compressors, and steam/condensate and/or hot water piping
systems shall be provided with sufficient ventilation and /or insulation to prevent overheating
of the equipment room itself as well as adjacent spaces, especially spaces located directly
above the heat producing equipment.

M. Equipment Pads: A concrete housekeeping pad shall be provided for each piece of floor
mounted mechanical equipment.

N. Safety: An approved eye wash and safety shower shall be installed at each location where
hazardous chemicals are stored or handled.