At present, organizations are increasingly considering the creation of a favorable microclimate at workplaces and in production facilities.

It has been established that such microclimate indicators as temperature in the working area, relative humidity, air movement speed, and the volume of incoming air to the workplace (working area) affect the effective productivity of an employee.

Climate control equipment includes household and industrial electrical appliances whose purpose is to optimize and improve climatic conditions at the workplace and indoors in general. Such devices, as a rule, include:

• air conditioners with air purification function;
• wall-ceiling split systems;
• multi-split systems, mobile air conditioners;
• duct air conditioners;
• chiller systems and much more.

Properly selected and installed climate control equipment is capable of creating working conditions indoors that are favorable for human health.

The main components of climate control equipment are:

• compressor;
• condenser;
• thermostatic expansion valve (TXV);
• evaporator.

The above-mentioned components make it possible to fully regulate microclimate parameters both in cooling mode and in air heating mode, while failure of any of them makes the operation of climate control equipment impossible.

Based on the expert practice of the Forensic expert kollegium, the following defects (malfunctions) are most commonly encountered in climate control equipment, arising for the following reasons:

• electrical circuit malfunction:
  • fuse failure;
  • electric motor starter failure;
  • control circuit open;
  • faulty electrical wiring;
• oil loss during compressor operation:
  • insufficient amount of refrigerant in the system;
  • clogged filter or thermostatic expansion valve;
• noise during equipment operation:
  • insufficient amount of oil in the system;
  • vibration in the pipeline;
  • excess oil in the system;
• low equipment performance:
  • freezing/contamination of the evaporator;
  • reduced pressure of the evaporator, filter, dryer;
• high/low discharge pressure:
  • incorrect amount of refrigerant in the system;
  • compressor valve malfunction;
  • contaminated condenser and much more.

All of the listed defects (malfunctions) in the operation of climate control equipment may arise due to spontaneous failure of one of the system components or as a result of violations of the rules for operation or installation of the equipment.

The following questions are submitted for independent expertise in the Forensic expert kollegium to determine the causes of defects and failures of climate control equipment:

• What is the cause of the equipment failure (presence of defect) (indicate type, manufacturer, model, serial number)?
• What is the cause of improper operation of the equipment (indicate type, manufacturer, model, serial number)?
• Do the technical characteristics of the equipment comply with the requirements of the technical regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Belarus regarding microclimate requirements in the working area?

When conducting expertise of climate control equipment in the Forensic expert kollegium, in order to resolve the above-mentioned issues, it is desirable to provide all available documentation:

• design, technological, and operational documentation;
• commissioning certificates, claims, defect reports, etc.

You may contact the Forensic expert kollegium for consultation regarding climate control equipment expertise at: Minsk, Zhukovskaga St., 11A, 4th floor

or by phone: +375 (17) 317 04 71; +375 (17) 317 04 72; +375 (17) 317 04 73; +375 (17) 317 04 74; +375 (17) 317 04 76; +375 (29) 109 60 11; +375 (44) 588 60 11.