Summary
Suburban Community Hospital realized repeated HVAC coil failures, leading to downtime and costly repairs. By installing Cooney Freeze Block® coils, the hospital successfully prevented freeze-related damage, saving money and ensuring uninterrupted operations during winter conditions.
Challenge
Freezing temperatures swept through the East Coast in 2023, causing the chilled water coil inside a rooftop AHU to freeze and rupture. The freezing event highlighted the need for additional freeze protection. To prevent future incidents, the hospital replaced the damaged coil with a Cooney Freeze Block™ coil in July 2023.
Strategy / Solution
Extreme weather continued to test the system’s resilience when a polar vortex dropped temperatures into the low teens in January 2025. The AHU dampers remained stuck open due to rusted actuators, letting freezing air to reach coils.
In the same unit where the Freeze Block® coil had been installed in 2023, the standard chilled water coil froze and ruptured, while the Freeze Block technology successfully saved the coil. Additionally, three other standard coils in separate but identical units also froze and burst.
Initially, the hospital staff suspected that the Freeze Block coil had also failed. However, upon turning on the water supply, the Freeze Block valve functioned as designed, relieving a small amount of water before reseating itself and preventing damage. In contrast, when the hospital attempted to activate the standard coils, they sprayed water everywhere due to freeze splits in the return bends.
The Freeze Block had successfully protected the coil from freeze damage, while the standard coil failures resulted in costly replacements, labor and downtime.
Results
While the Freeze Block® coil was an additional upfront cost, this more than offset during a single freezing event by avoiding the expense of replacing a damaged coil. Further savings are realized when factoring in the reduction of labor costs, system downtime, and the potential for costly water damage repairs.
- The Freeze Block coil paid for itself in just one freeze event by preventing equipment replacement.
- The Hospital avoided additional labor and installation costs and downtime associated with emergency coil replacements.
Suburban Community Hospital’s experience highlights the effectiveness of Cooney Freeze Block coils in preventing HVAC coil failures due to freezing temperatures. By investing in this technology, the hospital has minimized maintenance costs, extended equipment lifespan, and ensured uninterrupted operation during extreme weather events.
“The Freeze Block® coil has proven its value to our hospital. In the past, I had a mix of mostly standard coils and a few Freeze Block coils. During a recent deep freeze, every standard coil in a pair of air handlers ruptured. The only one left standing was the coil we had converted to Freeze Block, it did not rupture. That moment showed us firsthand that this technology works. Not only did Freeze Block prevent costly damage and downtime, but it also gave us peace of mind. We are now transitioning all of our coils to Freeze Block™ technology.”
— Mike Morton, Suburban Community Hospital
- Zero freeze damage to the Freeze Block® coil during severe winter conditions
- Avoided emergency replacements and reduced labor costs
- Eliminated system downtime and ensured continuous hospital operations
- Peace of mind for the facility team with reliable freeze protection
- The Freeze Block coil paid for itself in one freeze event
Suburban Community Hospital is now replacing all standard chilled water coils with Freeze Block coils to ensure consistent protection and reduce long-term operational costs.