ATLANTA — As big cities across the U.S. continue to see a renaissance, The Whalen Co. is seeing tall rewards.

As a manufacturer of HVAC vertical stack riser heat-exchanger fan coil units and water-source heat pumps, Whalen usually gets business when construction goes vertical.

“We had a great year in 2018, and we are expecting more of the same in 2019,” said Tony Landers, vice president of sales and marketing, Whalen. “We are a little skeptical about the economy. But it looks to be OK.”

Whalen has seen success in the high-end condo market in cities such as New York and Seattle.

The company used the AHR Expo in Atlanta to launch its new Closetline® CAS Packaged heat pump. The heat pump capacities range from 0.5-ton to 5-ton, with 13.5 or 17 EER at WLHP conditions in a compact cabinet designed for ease of service. Horizontal units can be serviced through the unit bottoms to virtually eliminate removing ceiling units. With optional hot gas reheat for temperature and humidity control, as well as hybrid heating and cooling, the CAS Series has flexibility over a wide range of applications

“The introduction of our CAS Series packaged water-source heat pumps is an exciting chapter in the history of Whalen,” said Landers. “Having built vertical stack heat pumps since the early ’70s, it is a natural expansion of our product portfolio that will expand even further. We have made significant investments in our corporate structure to support this expansion with increased staffing levels and additional physical facilities.”

The CAS series utilizes R-410A refrigerant to reduce operating costs. These compact units are popular in a variety of building applications, where quiet operation in a compact footprint is a key requirement. The CAS is advantageous for new construction or renovation of apartments, condominiums, hotels, senior living facilities, dormitories, and office buildings.

“We have taken the Whalen heritage of quality and innovation and infused it into our CAS Series,” said Landers. “Most compact units are viewed as entry-level units. However, the CAS Series is far from entry level. We have spent a lot of effort to ensure the units are … service-friendly, with multiple access panels on the sides and bottom. Quiet, reliable operation for the end user meets the demands of everyone in the product lifecycle. With a long list of standard features and options on the CAS Series, low cost does not mean stripped down.”

The company also launched the Inteli-line® Vertical Stack fan coil. This fan coil includes a slide-out chassis, which Whalen believes differentiates the product.

“Slide-out chassis have been available for years in heat pumps,” said Landers. “Whalen has changed the way fan coils are serviced and installed by making the slide-out chassis available. When the Inteli-line® is opened, there are no additional fasteners to remove in order to slide the chassis out of the unit, making replacement effortless.”

By using a fan coil with a slide-out chassis, the time associated with maintenance and repair in occupied spaces is greatly minimized. Having the ability to slide out a chassis and not have to remove multiple fasteners and replace it with a spare allows maintenance personnel to get a unit up and running within minutes. The removed chassis is then repaired in the maintenance shop, where time is not critical.

During the construction phase, the chassis can be kept boxed and clean from construction dirt and debris. After construction is finished and the space is cleaned, the chassis easily slides into place and is connected to the risers. During maintenance, the chassis slides out of the unit for cleaning or is exchanged with another chassis if more extensive repair is required.

Other features and benefits of the Inteli-line are the reduced commissioning time, easier access to the drain pan and components, and ease of maintenance with minimal tenant disruption. With a small footprint and customization capabilities that include cabinet height, riser locations, handling and discharge arrangements, and sizes, these units can be installed and operating in a significantly short time.

Publication date: 2/18/2019

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