Pros & Cons of Rooftop-Situated HVAC Systems

As a commercial business owner who must have heating and cooling in your building, picking the proper HVAC system can be a little intimidating. Not only do you have to look at the system that will be the most efficient for your large space, but you will also have to consider where the best place for the system will be. If you pay careful attention to commercial buildings, you will notice that many of them have HVAC systems mounted on the roof, and it is for good reason. However, there are also some downfalls of a rooftop setup. Check out the pros and cons of having your building's HVAC system mounted on the roof. 

Pro: Rooftop systems do not take up valuable building or ground space. 

If you are working with limited space already on your property, placing a commercial HVAC unit either on the ground or in the building is probably not something that you want to do. These units are rather large and space-consuming, so if they are placed on the rooftop, you can avoid sacrificing space down below that you need for other purposes. 

Con: Rooftop systems tend to work best on flat commercial roofs. 

Rooftop HVAC units are more common on flat commercial roofs. They can be installed on roofs that have a slight slope, but this is rather uncommon because structures will have to be placed to level out the units. 

Pro: Rooftop systems will not cause noise in the building or on the ground. 

Commercial HVAC systems have gotten much quieter through the years with evolutions in design, but these large units can still be quite noisy. If your unit is positioned on the ground or inside the building, noise pollution can be an issue. Up on the rooftop, however, you will likely not hear the system at all except maybe the sound of forced air inside the building when the unit is running. 

Con: Rooftop systems can be a little more difficult to maintain. 

Because the system is mounted on the roof and not on the ground, it can be a little trickier to maintain. Of course, you will likely have an HVAC contractor do most of your maintenance, so the rooftop position may not matter a great deal. The only time this will be problematic is if you plan to do some maintenance on your own, such as changing filters or performing general upkeep.

Reach out to a commercial HVAC service for more information.