Althoff Industries, Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Commercial Services’ Category

Maintain Your Commercial Solar Energy System

Monday, April 18th, 2022

Solar energy systems are growing more popular now with businesses than ever before. Illinois has pursued an aggressive solar program with tax credits, leading many businesses to arrange to outfit their buildings with solar.

This rush to install solar energy has caused several difficulties, however, as many businesses owners who are new to using solar power are running into problems due to poor installation and lack of maintenance. We encourage you to look into solar as an option for your business, but we want you to understand the importance of professional service and regular maintenance—it’s the best way to see that you receive the full benefits of solar energy while keeping your facility safe.

Tags: Solar, Solar Maintenance, St. Charles
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Plan Ahead for Your Rooftop Unit Installations and Replacements

Monday, April 4th, 2022

Packaged rooftop HVAC units are the basis of most heating and cooling systems in commercial buildings, from small businesses to major high-rises. Handling the installation and replacement of rooftop units in Chicago, IL is a big part of what we do, and we want to make sure that our customers receive the best service possible.

However, there are ongoing disruptions in the global supply chain that have created difficulties for contractors to maintain current supplies of important equipment such as commercial/industrial rooftop units. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has waned in the US, it’s still prevalent in many other countries that are part of the supply chain. The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and the continuing war in Eastern Europe has further worsened the supply chain issue.

The upshot of all this is that we’re currently experiencing a delay with installations for rooftop units. The delay for installing these units can be from 12 to 30 weeks. We’ll do all we can to accommodate our customers, but we recommend that businesses plan ahead and assess their needs on a longer timeline.

Tags: Chicago, Rooftop HVAC Units
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Why Trust Us With Your Commercial Pipelining

Monday, March 21st, 2022

Pipelining—the plumbing term, not the computing term—is a way to repair or replace broken and aging pipes. Rather than removing damaged sections of a pipe, pipelining does the repairs from the inside of the pipe, creating a new pipe (the “lining”) within the older part and sealing along it to close off leaks and create a new, stronger pipe. Pipelining can repair small sections, or it can line the entire length of a pipe to effectively replace it with a new one.

When it comes to pipelining in Chicago, IL, you can find various commercial contractors who will do the job of fixing your commercial pipes. But at Althoff Industries, we have several advantages that make us a top-notch choice. For starters, we have more than 60 years of history serving businesses of all sizes and types in Chicagoland. We understand what businesses need when it comes to plumbing. We’re family-owned and operated and provide true 24-hour service. We aren’t here just to fix problems—we are here to offer solutions.

But it goes farther than that. We use the best available technology for all jobs. When it comes to pipelining, we use NuFlow technology.

Tags: Chicago, NuFlow, Pipelining
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How Long Will Your Commercial Heating Systems Last?

Monday, March 7th, 2022

The heating equipment for a business facility accounts for a significant amount of the annual budget, especially in a place like Chicago with its severe winters. If you own or operate a business in Chicagoland, you’ll want to get the longest possible service life from all the heating systems: replacement systems are costly.

So how many years can you expect from your commercial heating systems? We’ll look into this more below, as well as how you can help your company’s heating systems last as long as possible.

Tags: commercial heating installation, Commercial Heating Maintenance, St. Charles
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How Long Will Your Commercial Heating System Last?

Monday, February 21st, 2022

When you invest in heating systems for your commercial space, whether rooftop HVAC units, a commercial furnace, or a commercial boiler, you’ll want to get as many years as possible from them. But how many years can you realistically expect?

Although we can’t give you single definite answer about the service lives of your equipment in a blog post, we can offer guidelines and advice to ensure you get the best service from your vital HVAC equipment.

Tags: Chicago, Heating System Maintenance, Heating System Repair, Heating System Replacement
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Can Your Rooftop Units Manage Winter Snow?

Monday, December 13th, 2021

For many decades, the most common type of commercial heating system in Chicagoland has been the packaged rooftop unit. These HVAC systems provide both cooling and heating and have many advantages, such as freeing up space inside the building, easy access for technicians without disrupting the workspace, and keeping noisy equipment far away from employees, customers, etc.

But because Chicago receives snow during the winter, you might wonder if this is a serious problem for your business’ rooftop units. Althoff has a long history of working with commercial heating solutions for all types of commercial facilities, and we want to address concerns business owners like you may have about their rooftop units vs. the snow.

Tags: Chicago, Heating System Maintenance, Heating System Repair, Rooftop HVAC Units
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Ways to Tell Your Business Needs Lighting Upgrades

Monday, November 15th, 2021

Lighting is essential for any type of industrial or commercial facility, but it is also a part of these facilities that owners and managers can easily overlook when they are considering important upgrades and expansions. Quality lighting increases productivity, helps appeal to customers in retail spaces, lowers energy costs, and allows for more flexibility for business growth.

If you’re wondering whether your business needs to have new interior or exterior lighting, we’ve listed several ways to tell. When in doubt, you can consult with us about what changes you may need.

Tags: LED Lights, Lighting Retrofits
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Don’t Gamble With an Obsolete System: Ask Us About Niagara 4

Monday, October 4th, 2021

One of the most important services we offer to our Chicagoland commercial customers is the installation and maintenance of building automation systems (BAS). These controls give businesses an unprecedented amount of manipulation over multiple systems and devices—HVAC, lighting, security—providing a level of efficiency that was previously impossible.

Like any advanced technology, BAS has a life cycle. As technology advances, older building automation systems will become legacy platforms: outmoded and obsolete. A current point of concern for commercial facilities that use building automation is that the widespread AX versions of Niagara software, which is used in a variety of BAS including those from Lynxspring, Honeywell, and Johnson Controls, was listed as “End of Life” as of July 1, 2021. The last update was made back in Q1 2020, and now parts, licenses, and additional devices will no longer be available. We have a solution for customers who are using this legacy platform, which is a migration to the Niagara 4 platform from Tridium.

Tags: Building Automation Systems, Hillside, Niagara 4
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Top Reasons to Consider EV Charging Stations for Your Business

Monday, September 20th, 2021

The number of people who drive electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing with each year, with 39% of people surveyed in a recent Pew Research Poll saying they are very or somewhat likely to seriously consider buying an electric vehicle for their next purchase. Along with that increase comes a rising need for greater infrastructure at businesses to support the vehicles and their drivers. Just using an extension cord to hook up to a car won’t do the job if you have many employees, customers, and clients looking for an easy option to charge their EVs.

If you’re considering adding EV charging stations to your establishment, we encourage you to look further into the many benefits of this upgrade. We offer EV charging station installation throughout Chicagoland and can help your business with this new technology. Below we’ll look at the best incentive for installing EV charging stations.

Tags: EV Charging Stations, Hillside
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The Big Benefits of Building Automation Systems (BAS)

Monday, August 23rd, 2021

We stay at the cutting edge of technology for commercial buildings. It’s one of the ways we’re able to offer solutions for customers rather than just quick fixes. We help our customers take a proactive approach to their facilities. Few building upgrades can do more in this regard than building automation systems (BAS).

We install and service building automation and control systems in Hillside, IL, and throughout the Chicagoland area. We’ve seen how beneficial these automated controls can be for our customers. The proper BAS for your facility creates seamless operation between multiple systems, and our team understands how best to integrate and maximize building automation so you receive the biggest benefits.

Below we’re going to look at a few of the major benefits of BAS for a commercial facility.

Tags: Building Automation Systems, Hillside
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