When the Marriott in West Philadelphia decided to do a major renovation of the rooms, lobby, and conference space, they needed to minimize revenue loss while under construction.
It was also time to update the aging HVAC system as hotel management had received numerous complaints of loud HVAC units. Hotel management knew they would lose too much time if they had to replace entire cabinets or systems because each room would be under construction for much longer with the replacement of drywall.
They decided that it would be best to leave the cabinets behind the walls in order to eliminate any drywall work. Marriott decision makers then had to decide which manufacturer’s chassis and internal components would benefit them the most.
The engineering staff at MSS Solutions wanted to find the quietest water-source heat pumps to replace the 20-year-old system. One model room used a Whalen Whisperline™ chassis and components inside the existing cabinet. The other room used existing manufacturer’s equipment. Engineers found that Whalen’s Whisperline unit was undoubtedly quieter in comparison to the competitor’s water-source heat pump. In particular, Whalen’s reversing valves and fan motors were noticeably quieter than the competition.
“The Whalen units were significantly quieter than the existing units and the competing manufacturers. This was obvious without even looking at the sound data,” said Rhys Farrow, project manager of Hardesty Inc., who represented the project’s mechanical contractors.
Installation of the Whisperline equipment was quick and easy. Phase one was completed in November 2015, with 96 units on the top five floors retrofitted with Whisperline chassis and components. On average, twenty rooms were retrofitted each week, which was integral to lose as little revenue as possible. Farrow said installing Whalen equipment and not having to remove drywall saved a lot of time and put them ahead of schedule.
“The process to change these out was fairly simple,” said Farrow. “This was probably the smoothest retrofit I have ever done. The simplistic and lightweight Whalen components made it very easy to install, and the hotel’s engineering staff was also impressed about the prospect of easy repairs and maintenance going forward.”
The next two phases are expected to proceed as quickly as the first, as it only takes a half day to replace each room’s old components in the existing cabinet. Phase two will began in the spring of 2017 and phase three is set to take place in the fall of 2017.
With Whalen’s innovative HVAC solutions, the future of this hotel is much more comfortable...and quiet.
For more information, visit: www.whalencompany.com.
Publication date: 5/8/2017
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