FAQs About Chillers
United Rentals offers a large selection of air chillers for rent. We offer both air-cooled and water-cooled industrial chillers that have a wide range of cooling capacity from 10 tons to 500 tons. Our chiller rentals are perfect for keeping your warehouses, data centers, industrial spaces, concert spaces or construction sites cool and dry. Our temporary chillers can be rented for multiple days, weeks or months to supplement existing HVAC systems or temporarily replace existing HVAC systems when they are down for maintenance. Our inventory of water chiller rentals includes leading brands like Carrier, Trane and Thermal Care. To learn more about how air chillers work, check out our Project Uptime article The Difference Between an Air-Cooled Chiller and a Water-Cooled Chiller.
Learn more in our FAQ section below.
First, you need to determine the incoming water temperature, the water temperature you require and the flow rate. Then, follow these steps:
- Subtract the water temperature you require from the incoming water temperature (e.g., 72°F - 58°F = 14°F)
- Calculate BTU/hour by multiplying the total from the last step, the gallons per hour, 60 and 8.33 (e.g., 14°F x 10 x 60 x 8.33 = 69,972 BTU/hour)
- Calculate the tons of cooling capacity by dividing the BTU/hour by 12,000 (e.g., 69,972 ÷ 12,000 = 5.831 tons)
- Oversize the chiller by 20% by multiplying the tons by 1.2 (e.g., 5.831 x 1.2 = 6.9972)
- This is the ideal size for your chiller (e.g., 6.9972 = 7-ton chiller)
Need more help? Contact a United Rentals representative for help with your air chiller rental.
Air chillers are industrial refrigeration systems that use evaporators, chemical refrigerants, compressors, condensers and expansion units to collect heat and reject it through a transfer of energy to water or air. This process also pumps condensed cool air inside to maintain the preset temperature.
Air-cooled chillers are usually placed outside and require free-flowing air. They are easy to install and take up less space than water-cooled chillers. Water-cooled chillers are usually placed inside, and they require a constant water supply and a cooling tower system that sits outside. They are more power efficient and last longer than air-cooled chillers.