Our site team was recently called out to inspect an air handling unit that had failed at one of our hospital clients. This unit was tucked away from the main plant room and had only just failed when the call came in to us. We responded immediately and our team was on site within the hour. Upon inspection we could see that one of the bearings had catastrophically failed. With the motors still running and belted up, the shaft had been pulled to one side which had worn through the outer bearing casting and then through the main bearing spider arm support arrangement. The impeller had also scored a hole in the fan casing. This hospital air handling unit repair was not going to be a quick fix!
Our site team got to work immediately and fully dismantled the unit. They then brought the impeller, shaft and bearing support assembly back to our works. Our engineering team then manufactured a replacement drive shaft in double quick time and sourced a complete set of replacement support bearings, drive pulleys & belts. The main bearing support arms were bespoke so we fabricated a repair solution and welded this in place to ensure the arms were as strong as previous. All this was carefully set up and aligned to ensure that no twisting was introduced into the structure as this could adversely affect the bearing and shaft alignment.
The impeller was carefully cleaned and inspected for any damage that would affect its performance. Once cleared as fully serviceable it was set up on our CEMB Hofmann balancing machine and dynamically balanced.
Our team then returned to site and began to rebuild the unit. They fixed a plate in place to repair the scored scroll casing and refitted the shaft and impeller assembly. The new bearings were fitted along with the repaired support arms and the pulleys set up and laser aligned. Finally the belts were fitted and the unit was fully run tested.
Another example of the excellent engineering support services we provide at Webb-Elec. Whether it be a planetary gearmotor rebuild, a new pump installation or a hospital air handling unit repair, we’ve got you covered!