Arlington sits within a data center and technology corridor that has grown steadily along the I-30 and I-20 interchange between Dallas and Fort Worth, and the precision cooling equipment inside those facilities eventually reaches the end of its service life just like any other piece of critical infrastructure. When a computer room air conditioner or computer room air handler is replaced, a data hall is decommissioned, or a facility is repurposed, the CRAC and CRAH units serving that space need to come out safely, in the right sequence, and without disrupting equipment that may still be operating nearby. USA Decom provides CRAC and CRAH removal services to facility operators, data center managers and general contractors throughout Arlington and the broader Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
This is a narrower and more technical undertaking than typical HVAC replacement work. CRAC and CRAH units are tied into refrigerant circuits, chilled-water piping, condensate drains, humidification systems, and building management or unit-level controls that must be identified, isolated and disconnected in a specific order. Many of these units also sit inside active data halls, on raised floors, or in tight mechanical rooms where a poorly sequenced removal can affect airflow to adjacent racks or trip alarms tied to environmental monitoring systems. Understanding these conditions before mobilizing equipment and personnel is what separates a controlled removal from a disruptive one.
Why CRAC and CRAH Removal Projects Come Up in Arlington
Arlington’s position between two major metropolitan cores has made it a location for data halls, colocation space, corporate back-office facilities, and mixed-use industrial and commercial development. As these facilities age, cooling infrastructure installed ten, fifteen or twenty years ago is often replaced with newer, more efficient units, or the space is reconfigured entirely as compute density and layout requirements change. A facility exiting a lease, consolidating operations, or converting white space to another use will typically need every perimeter and in-row cooling unit removed as part of turnover.
If you have a project coming up, use the form below to tell our team about the facility, equipment and schedule.
Common triggers for this type of project include a data center operator upgrading from older downflow CRAC units to higher-density in-row cooling, a corporate user vacating a leased data hall and needing the space returned to base building condition, or a facility replacing DX-based units with chilled-water CRAH systems to reduce compressor maintenance and improve efficiency. In each case, the existing cooling units need to be safely taken offline, disconnected and physically removed before the next phase of work can begin.
Arlington’s position within the Dallas-Fort Worth industrial base has also supported a mix of corporate campuses, logistics operations and technology tenants that rely on dedicated server rooms or small data halls rather than hyperscale facilities. Removal projects in this market can involve perimeter CRAC units that have been in continuous service for well over a decade, which affects how a removal is scoped and sequenced.
Precision Cooling Equipment We Typically Encounter
Precision cooling in data centers and other critical environments generally falls into a handful of categories, and the removal approach differs depending on the system type. Perimeter CRAC units are typically downflow or upflow designs positioned along the walls of a data hall, distributing conditioned air through a raised floor plenum or overhead ductwork. In-row and row-based cooling units sit directly within the server rack rows, shortening the airflow path and supporting higher-density loads. Chilled-water CRAH units rely on a building or campus chilled-water loop rather than an integral refrigerant circuit, which changes the disconnection sequence considerably compared to a DX unit.
This work commonly involves equipment such as Vertiv Liebert DS, DSE and CW series perimeter units, Liebert PDX and PCW systems, and Liebert CRV in-row units, along with legacy Liebert Deluxe and Deluxe 3 systems still running in older facilities. STULZ CyberAir units, including CyberAir 3, CyberAir CW and CyberAir DX platforms, along with CyberRow in-row systems, also show up in the region. Schneider Electric and APC-branded equipment, including Uniflair perimeter units, InRow RC and InRow RD systems, and NetworkAIR platforms, is common as well. Data Aire units appear in a smaller share of facilities but follow a similar removal logic.
Each of these platforms has its own service access points, refrigerant circuit configuration, and structural mounting details, and the manufacturer’s own technical documentation is often the most reliable source for identifying isolation valves, disconnect locations and unit weight before removal begins.
Shutdown Coordination and Refrigerant Handling
Before any CRAC or CRAH unit can be disconnected, the facility’s operations or engineering team needs to confirm that the unit can be safely taken offline without compromising cooling redundancy for equipment that remains in service. We coordinate this sequencing directly with facility staff, building engineers, or the contractor managing the broader project.
For DX-based units still charged with refrigerant, EPA regulations under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require that refrigerant be properly recovered before a unit is disposed of, scrapped, or dismantled, regardless of unit size or refrigerant quantity. Chilled-water units avoid this step for the cooling circuit itself but still require the chilled-water supply and return piping to be properly isolated, drained and capped, along with condensate and any glycol lines depending on the system configuration.
Electrical disconnection is coordinated separately and typically involves de-energizing the unit’s dedicated circuit, verifying lockout/tagout, and confirming that any building management system or unit-level monitoring points have been properly removed from active alarm and control sequences before physical demolition begins.
Rigging, Access and Physical Removal
Perimeter CRAC and CRAH units are substantial pieces of equipment, and the removal method depends heavily on where the unit sits and how it was originally installed. Units placed directly on a raised access floor require careful attention to floor tile capacity and cutout locations. In-row units, by contrast, are generally lighter and narrower but are often positioned in tight aisle spaces between active server racks, which limits maneuvering room.
Getting a unit safely out of a data hall or mechanical space typically involves disconnecting and, where necessary, partially disassembling the cabinet to reduce weight and footprint for transport through doorways, freight elevators or loading corridors. Unit sizing also affects the removal approach in practical terms: a smaller in-row unit or a perimeter CRAC in the 5- to 10-ton range can often be handled with a compact crew, while larger 20-, 30- or 40-ton perimeter units, and larger chilled-water CRAH systems, typically require more extensive rigging and closer coordination around building access points.
Floor and Space Restoration After Unit Removal
Once a unit is out, the space it occupied usually needs some level of restoration, particularly on projects tied to a lease turnover or a full reconfiguration of the data hall. Raised floor cutouts originally sized for refrigerant lines, chilled-water piping or power whips need to be patched or fitted with replacement tiles, and floor penetrations left behind by condensate drains or humidifier water lines need to be properly sealed to maintain underfloor air pressure for any cooling units that remain in service. Abandoned conduit, disconnected power whips and orphaned BMS wiring are typically traced back to their source and removed rather than left in place, since stray infrastructure can complicate future space planning or trip up the next contractor working under the floor. On projects where only part of a room’s cooling units are coming out, this restoration work has to be sequenced carefully so it doesn’t interfere with airflow to units that continue running.
Asset Recovery and Recycling Considerations
Not every CRAC or CRAH unit reaching the end of its assignment in a given facility has reached the end of its useful life. Depending on age, condition, capacity and completeness, some units have resale or reuse value in the secondary market, particularly newer in-row and chilled-water platforms that have been well maintained. Others are better suited for component recovery or scrap processing, with copper coils, compressors, control components and structural steel handled through appropriate recycling channels. Humidifier canisters, blower assemblies and control boards are typically evaluated separately from the cabinet itself, since these components can sometimes be sold individually even when the surrounding unit is scrapped. Identifying which disposition path applies to a given unit is part of scoping the project before removal begins, and it can affect the overall project economics.
Planning a CRAC Removal Project in an Active Facility
Working in occupied or partially occupied data centers requires a different level of coordination than a vacant facility, since cooling redundancy, airflow patterns and monitoring systems for equipment that stays in service all need to be accounted for during the work. Information that helps us evaluate a CRAC or CRAH removal project in Arlington includes the number and type of units involved, manufacturer and model where known, approximate tonnage, whether units are DX or chilled water, current operational status, floor and access conditions, and the target schedule for completion. Photos of the unit nameplates and the surrounding space are also useful for early planning.
Projects in Action
Our experience with precision cooling removal spans a range of facility types, from purpose-built data centers to converted office space carrying legacy CRAC units. On a recent project involving a mid-size data hall preparing for a cooling system upgrade, our team coordinated the sequenced shutdown and removal of several perimeter DX units while newer in-row cooling was staged for installation, with the older units evaluated separately for resale versus recycling before removal.
Serving Arlington and the Surrounding Metroplex
USA Decom provides CRAC and CRAH removal services throughout Arlington and the surrounding Dallas-Fort Worth region, including nearby communities such as Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Irving, Fort Worth, Euless, Bedford and Dallas.
Tell Us About Your Project
If your facility in Arlington or the surrounding area has CRAC or CRAH units coming out of service, use the form below to tell our team about the equipment, the space, and your timeline.