Case Study: Large Pump Covers and Air Conditioning Pump Enclosures

After working in this industry for more than two decades, we've come to believe that most industrial enclosure applications, including large pump covers, should be treated as a custom project. Many sales reps, engineers, project managers and facility managers hesitate to do that because they think that custom means high price, long lead-time, and a big hassle. That's understandable, but it’s actually completely economical to customize a wide range of features on aluminum enclosures. Click here to find out how much our aluminum enclosures cost.

Recently we were lucky enough to sit down and have a conversation with a repeat customer on his experience with custom enclosures for air conditioning pump systems. He has worked with metal enclosures for large pump packages as well as smaller ones.

Enclosures for Pump Packages

As an air conditioning manufacture’s representative, this customer sells a number of air conditioning products. One of the components of these air conditioning systems is an outdoor pump package. Usually it's a small – somewhere between two and ten horsepower – dual pump package that gets mounted outdoors. These smaller systems typically have a footprint that's about 2ft x 3ft. These small pump systems are definitely the most common pump package. However, this manufacturer's representative says, "Occasionally, I do very large custom pump packages which are duplex and triplex with 20, 30, or 40, sometimes 50 horsepower." The big custom pump packages requires a large pump cover for both weather and sound.

The Two Key Features

The system components need to be protected from the elements and kept functioning through all seasons. Insulation and heaters keep equipment warm through the winter and louvers and fans maintain a cool temperature during the summer. The large pumps are relatively noisy pieces of equipment so sound dampening is one of the most important considerations. This customer chose to use insulated aluminum enclosures to satisfy both of those key requirements.

Custom Enclosure Options

Climate control and sound dampening are the two most important factors for his enclosure choice. Other options add icing to this cake. It's nice to have removable panels for access and maintenance. These large pump covers are very big, you may even liken them to the size of small garages. Workers sometimes need to be able to access them from multiple sides. Including removable or hinged doors and panels is helpful. Manufacturers with a modular design can more easily incorporate these types of panels into their enclosures. This customer says, "A modular enclosure allows for flexibility, better shipping, and job site flexibility." Imagine having to pay for the shipping of a small garage. To make things faster, simpler, and cheaper for the customer manufacturers may ship their large pump covers flat.

Other useful options include custom cutouts for piping penetrations and the ability to mount an enclosure on a skid. Custom pump enclosures can be built to most specifications. And of course, this user says, "they should be architecturally and aesthetically pleasing." Depending on the application, the standard mill finish may do the trick, but it's also easy to order a large pump cover in a variety of colors to match the buildings or landscaping.

Find The Right Enclosures for Your Equipment

Originally, this customer learned about Safe-T-Cover through a pump manufacturer that he deals with as a representative. So far, he has only used our aluminum enclosures for the larger pump packages. These days he's looking at using Safe-T-Cover standard sized aluminum covers for the smaller pumps as well. This customer's advice to those in the market for a pump enclosure is to, "Look for a company that is able to communicate verbally, follow up with design document that are complete and accurate, and look for general construction quality."

GETTING A CUSTOM ENCLOSURE IS SIMPLE

It starts with a call or email to one of our in house engineers who have worked on hundreds of custom enclosures. With the use of our extensive catalog of design details, we can quickly alter one to meet your exact specifications. Alternatively, we can create an entirely new design if necessary. Safe-T-Cover can provide a quote within half a day, and drawings and specifications within a full day. Our modular design makes it possible to provide an industrial enclosure in almost any size with a variety of options. A modular design means dimensions are fully customizable, along with aesthetic details like color. Custom penetrations can be easily incorporated for process piping. Climate control can be built in for most environments. Our custom aluminum enclosures are built to provide long term protection to your precious equipment. Remember, if it's worth protecting, it's worth protecting properly.