Rooftop Unit Replacement in DFW.
A rooftop unit at end-of-life bleeds money twice: rising energy consumption every month, and repair bills that keep arriving until someone makes the call. Phanton Mechanical replaces RTUs across the DFW Metroplex — sized from a real load calculation, craned and swapped with minimal downtime, and commissioned so the new unit actually delivers what its nameplate promises.
When Replacement Beats Another Repair
The signals are consistent: a unit past 15 years, compressor or heat-exchanger failures, refrigerant-side repairs on phased-out refrigerants, and energy bills creeping up at constant occupancy. The U.S. Department of Energy’s FEMP maintenance guidance is blunt about run-to-failure operation — it can cost 30–40% more than planned maintenance and replacement. We quote the repair and the replacement side by side, with the operating-cost difference in the same email.
Crane Day, Choreographed
The swap itself is logistics: crane scheduling, street or parking-lot access, curb adapters when the new unit’s footprint differs, disconnect and reconnect of power and controls, and a lift window that respects your business hours. We plan weekend and early-morning lifts routinely, and the goal is always the same — your tenants notice the quieter unit, not the outage.
Sized Right, Not Copied
Like-for-like replacement repeats the sizing errors of 1998. Building loads change — new glazing, different occupancy, added equipment — and an oversized RTU short-cycles its way to humidity problems while an undersized one never satisfies the space. We run the load calculation, check the distribution the unit feeds, and spec economizers and controls that current energy codes expect.
Common Questions.
Straight answers before you call.
How long does an RTU replacement take?
The crane swap itself is typically a single day per unit; total project time depends on curb work, controls, and inspection scheduling. We stage everything before the lift so the downtime window stays as short as the work allows.
Can you replace an RTU without closing my business?
Usually yes — weekend or early-morning crane windows plus pre-staging keep most replacements from touching business hours. We plan the lift around your operation, not ours.
Should I replace all my units at once or one at a time?
Depends on age spread and capital planning. A portfolio assessment tells you which units are urgent and which have years left — and mobilizing the crane once for multiple units usually costs less than three separate lift days.
Do you handle the controls and economizer requirements?
Yes — new units get their controls integrated and economizers configured to current code, and we commission the unit rather than just setting it and leaving. That last step is where most “new unit, old problems” complaints are born.
Aging rooftop units? Get the real math.
Related: Maintenance Contracts · All Commercial Services