HVAC, Plumbing, & Electrical Blog Hillside, IL

Risers: What They Are, How to Know They Need Replacement

November 1st, 2021

At Althoff, we offer extensive commercial plumbing services to all types of buildings and facilities. You’ll find we offer plumbing services many other local contractors don’t—it’s why our motto is “Challenges accepted!”

One major challenge in commercial plumbing is handling multi-story buildings. Moving freshwater against gravity from one floor to another requires specialized plumbing devices and structures. One of the essential parts of the plumbing of multi-story structures is the risers. Plumbing in buildings simply can’t work without them. We offer riser replacement services for customers who need the best in office building plumbing in Chicago, IL.

The Benefits of Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization for Your Commercial Air Quality

October 18th, 2021

At Althoff Industries, Inc., we’re up to the challenge of helping commercial and industrial facilities with their indoor air quality troubles. And this is definitely a challenging job: many harmful particulates can find their way into a commercial space and create an environment that can range from unpleasant to unhealthy.

When it comes to commercial indoor air quality in Hillside, IL, we offer many different solutions, such as air filtration systems, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, and ventilation and exhaust upgrades and repairs. Today, we want to talk about one of the most powerful commercial indoor air quality devices—an air purifier that uses needlepoint bipolar ionization.

Don’t Gamble With an Obsolete System: Ask Us About Niagara 4

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.

Top Reasons to Consider EV Charging Stations for Your Business

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.

Commercial Heating Maintenance Is an Essential Fall Task

September 6th, 2021

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Welcome to September! We can look forward to cooler temperatures coming up (although we’ll still have some scorcher days left) as we move into the fall. But this milder weather is also an early warning that winter is not far behind. It’s time to consider the maintenance for your commercial heating system in Hillside, IL.

Commercial HVAC systems require extensive maintenance during the year, often on a special schedule depending on the type of facility, the HVAC equipment, and the frequency of use. But all commercial facilities will at least need fall maintenance for their heating systems. We’ll explain more below.

The Big Benefits of Building Automation Systems (BAS)

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.

Why Choose Us for Drain and Pipe Lining

August 9th, 2021

It’s our philosophy at Althoff to provide our customers with solutions to problems, not just simple fixes or by-the-book operations. We constantly upgrade our technology and methods to provide the best possible customer service experience on all jobs, and we have the confidence in the skill and professionalism of our employees to back up their work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

We could stop right there and say we’ve covered the best reasons for why you should work with us when you need drain or pipe lining in Hillside, IL or elsewhere in Chicagoland. But there’s much more—and it has to do with the specific techniques we use to handle these jobs.

We Can Balance Humidity in Commercial Facilities

July 26th, 2021

Your commercial HVAC system is not only designed to provide the right climate for your business, but also to help control humidity. High humidity levels are a frequent problem for buildings in Chicago, and finding the right balance (too dry creates as many problems as too humid) can require specialized service for your HVAC equipment from professionals like ours.

The humidity level you want to aim for inside a building is between 30% and 60% relative humidity. For many facilities, the ideal balance is around 45%, although this isn’t true for all businesses. When you work with us for dehumidification in Hillside, IL and the rest of Chicagoland, we’ll help you determine the ideal indoor relative humidity level and target it with our services.

Signs of Problems With Your Rooftop HVAC Units

July 12th, 2021

Most commercial buildings and facilities use rooftop HVAC units for climate control. These are packaged units, which means all the important components are housed inside the rooftop cabinet rather than split between indoor and outdoor units, which is common for homes. Putting all this equipment on the roof is convenient as it frees up space indoors, keeps the noise of the machines removed from the workspace, and makes it easy for technicians to access without interrupting operations.

There is one drawback to the rooftop location, which is that it can be tricky for people in the facility to notice the early signs of one of these units malfunctioning. However, there are several signs you can watch for that will warn you it’s time to call for commercial HVAC technicians to investigate the equipment and repair it if necessary.

Benefits of an LED Lighting Upgrade for Your Business

June 28th, 2021

If your business or facility still uses standard lighting (incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs), you may have considered making an upgrade with a full LED lighting retrofit. We encourage you to take the step to make this change: LED lighting offers enormous benefits for any building or facility, and our team can make the job straightforward with a successful outcome.