Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church retrofits community center from evaporative coolers to VRF HVAC for an air comfort upgrade and utility cost reduction.
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RectorSeal, Panasonic and Contractor Donate VRF System, Accessories and Labor to Arizona Church

January 16, 2019

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church’s community center in the Tempe, Ariz. suburb of Guadalupe now has state-of-the-art HVAC thanks to variable refrigerant flow (VRF) equipment, accessories and installation labor donations from RectorSeal®, Houston; Panasonic Air Conditioning Group (a division of Panasonic Corp. of North America), Kennasaw, Ga.; and Woody’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Peoria, Ariz.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church retrofits community center from evaporative coolers to VRF HVAC for an air comfort upgrade and utility cost reduction.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church retrofits community center from evaporative coolers to VRF HVAC for an air comfort upgrade and utility cost reduction.

The 13,000-square-foot, slump block-style building, which is a popular meeting place for the small town’s 5,500 Native American and Hispanic residents, frequently exhibited 100°F interior temperatures and above. Even before the community center’s six 40-year-old evaporative (swamp) coolers became inoperable recently, they struggled to reduce indoor temperatures below 90°F when ambient temperatures climbed above 100°F. Now VRF technology maintains the majority of the facility at a comfortable 76°F set point, while simultaneously reducing utility costs. “This newfound air comfort will make the community center more inviting for weddings, celebrations and religious study,” said Rev. Louis Khoury, parochial vicar, who serves the church along with Rev. Alberto Villafan, pastor.

While an energy comparison has yet to be recorded, the Panasonic 6-ton ECOi Series condenser and four evaporator coils will reduce parish electric costs significantly and use one-quarter of the annual energy previously used by the facility’s four retired unit heaters, according to Malcolm Persaud, Panasonic’s national sales and product manager—USA Commercial VRF.

David Breecher, owner, Woody’s Heating and Air Conditioning, donated labor expertise for the project’s swamp cooler demolition and the VRF installation, with help from Khoury, Persaud and congregation volunteers. RectorSeal donated accessories from its VRF and mini-split installation and maintenance product line consisting of: 1) NoKink flexible, non-kinking lineset connectors for quick, easy, reliable evaporator coil/lineset connections; 2) Fortress aesthetic lineset protection duct/fittings; 3) Novent tamper-proof refrigerant access port locking caps to prevent refrigerant theft; and 4) a Desolv Coil Cleaning Kit that includes an overspray protection and debris collection bag, reservoir, and Desolv coil cleaner designed especially for sensitive parts of VRF/mini-split evaporators.

Besides donated project labor, Woody’s also provided linesets, copper fittings, and other necessities at a wholesale cost to the church. Panasonic also donated several PACi ducted split-systems for the 100-year-old nearby church’s restrooms and adjacent consolidation of manufactured home offices, which were inefficiently cooled by 11 window air conditioner units and an inoperable 3-ton ducted rooftop.

By not revamping or replacing the ailing swamp coolers, which consumed thousands of gallons of water annually, the church will also continue to conserve water in Guadalupe’s water-scarce desert environment.

The facility’s new air comfort is steadily increasing the community’s involvement in the church and its activities. “The idea behind this HVAC project was to help bring the community closer together and offer a comfortable environment for which to learn religious principles,” added Persaud.

About RectorSeal

RectorSeal LLC is a leading manufacturer of chemical and specialty products designed for professional tradesmen. Steady growth over the years has been maintained through a commitment to providing high quality products and services. With a diversified business strategy, RectorSeal aggressively pursues new and unique technologies to serve the plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical and construction industries. RectorSeal is devoted to providing innovative quality products supported by strong customer and technical service. For more information, visit www.rectorseal.com, email: marketing@rectorseal.com or call (800) 231-3345.

About Panasonic

Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning North America, a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, offers a wide range of versatile heating and cooling solutions including single-split systems, multi-split systems, ECOi VRF systems, controls and accessories. Panasonic has been developing innovative HVAC products since 1958 – notably in 1989 pioneering the development of the “World’s First” Heat Recovery Variable Refrigerant Flow System – giving the industry the ability to simultaneously heat and cool. For more information, visit us.panasonic.com/hvac, email: PanasonicHVAC@us.panasonic.com or call (800) 851-1235.