Split air conditioning for a refurbished retail unit, Hillingdon

The site and the brief

Climate Flow Limited carried out an air conditioning installation for a newly refurbished retail unit in Hillingdon, London. We fitted a Mitsubishi Electric wall-mounted split system to cool and heat the unit, and we worked around the refurbishment that was still going on. Climate Flow installs and services air conditioning for commercial and residential sites across London and surrounding areas.

A split system is air conditioning in two parts: an indoor unit in the room and an outdoor unit, linked by refrigerant pipework and electrical cabling. Mitsubishi Electric describes its wall-mounted split ranges as designed to cool or heat small to medium sized spaces, front and back of house.

Scope of work

1. Site survey. We surveyed the premises to choose the positions for the indoor and outdoor units.
2. Installation. We fitted the Mitsubishi Electric wall-mounted indoor unit and placed the outdoor condensing unit with its airflow in mind. The condensing unit is the outdoor part of the system.
3. Pipework and electrics. We routed the refrigerant lines and the electrical connections between the indoor and outdoor units.
4. Testing and commissioning. We tested and commissioned the system in both cooling and heating.

Equipment installed

• A Mitsubishi Electric wall-mounted split system
• A wall-mounted indoor unit in the retail unit
• An outdoor condensing unit on a secure mounting with anti-vibration blocks
• Refrigerant pipework and electrical connections between the two units

How did we work around the space and the refurbishment?

There was little room for the outdoor unit. We fixed the condenser on a secure mounting with anti-vibration blocks to protect it in the space available.

The refurbishment was still under way, so we scheduled the installation around it to keep disruption to the refurbishment down.

The result

The retail unit now has a Mitsubishi Electric wall-mounted split system. It was installed during the refurbishment, then tested and commissioned in cooling and heating before handover.

Who can work on the refrigerant side of a split system?

Air conditioning holds refrigerant, and the law controls who may work on it. GOV.UK states that you must have your own qualifications to work on equipment containing F gas, and it is against the law to work with F gas without the correct qualifications. Climate Flow is F-Gas certified.

The duty does not stop at the installer. GOV.UK sets out that responsibility for stopping F gas leaks is shared between the people who use the equipment and the technicians who work on it, and whether a system needs scheduled leak checks depends on the system.

More air conditioning projects

For another commercial job, see the cassette air conditioning installed for a restaurant on Orsman Road. Where outdoor units need careful placement, the outdoor unit installation with external trunking in Northwood shows how we handled it at a residential property. Every published job is listed on Our Projects.

If you are fitting out a shop or a retail unit in London and surrounding areas and want air conditioning installed, request a quote or call 020 3488 5452.

This guide is general information, not a survey or a quote for your site; every system is different, so an engineer needs to see yours before any work is priced.