A Room Full of Old Air Handlers
One of the more common CRAC removal projects we see starts the same way: a facilities manager walks through a server room that has outgrown its cooling plan. Three legacy downflow CRAC units, each rated around 20 tons, are still cycling on the original perimeter layout even though half the room has already been converted to a hot-aisle/cold-aisle configuration with in-row units doing most of the real work. The old units aren’t broken. They’re simply obsolete, oversized for the current IT load, and occupying floor space the client needs for a new row of cabinets. The question isn’t whether to replace them. It’s who can safely disconnect chilled-water piping and low-voltage controls, recover the refrigerant where applicable, and get three 1,000-plus-pound cabinets out of a raised-floor room without disrupting the racks still running production loads a few feet away.
That kind of project is the core of what CRAC and CRAH removal work looks like in practice, and it’s the same type of scenario we’re prepared to handle for data center, telecom and enterprise server-room facilities throughout El Paso.
If you have a project coming up, use the form below to tell our team about the facility, equipment and schedule.
Why El Paso Facilities Remove Precision Cooling Equipment
El Paso sits within a border region that has seen continued industrial and infrastructure investment, including development near the international crossing and ongoing growth in energy and logistics infrastructure supporting the area. As colocation providers, enterprise IT teams and telecom carriers upgrade capacity, expand white space or reconfigure cooling architecture, the CRAC and CRAH units installed during an earlier build phase often become the equipment that has to come out first to make room for newer cooling approaches.
We also see this work triggered by more everyday circumstances that have nothing to do with new development down the road: a leased data hall being handed back to a landlord, a manufacturing facility retiring an on-site server room, a hospital or call center consolidating IT operations, or a telecom switch site being decommissioned as carrier equipment is centralized elsewhere. Whatever the trigger, the removal work itself follows a similar technical path, and getting that path right protects the schedule, the budget and the equipment still running in the room.
CRAC, CRAH and In-Row Systems We Commonly Encounter
Precision cooling equipment in El Paso server rooms and data halls spans a wide range of vintages and configurations. Perimeter DX units such as Liebert DS and Deluxe/Deluxe 3 systems remain common in older rooms, often alongside chilled-water CRAH platforms like the Liebert CW or PCW family. Newer or retrofitted spaces frequently include row-based units such as the Liebert CRV, which places cooling directly within the rack row rather than around the room perimeter. STULZ CyberAir units, in both DX and chilled-water (CyberAir CW) configurations, and Schneider Electric/APC Uniflair and InRow RC/RD systems also show up regularly, particularly in facilities that standardized on APC infrastructure during earlier build-outs. Data Aire units appear less frequently but are still part of the mix in some legacy rooms.
Each of these platforms presents a somewhat different removal challenge. A DX unit typically involves refrigerant lines and, depending on age and condition, refrigerant that must be recovered before the unit can be disconnected and moved. A chilled-water CRAH involves supply and return piping, often with isolation valves that need to be confirmed and closed before any cutting or disconnection begins. In-row units like the CRV are physically integrated into the rack row itself, which means removal sequencing has to account for the racks and cabling on either side, not just the cooling unit.
Refrigerant, Piping and Electrical Disconnection
Before any CRAC or CRAH unit is physically removed, the mechanical and electrical connections tying it to the building have to be addressed. For DX systems, that generally means refrigerant recovery consistent with applicable EPA requirements before line sets are cut and the unit is disconnected. For chilled-water systems, it means confirming isolation at the appropriate valves, draining the affected loop segment, and disconnecting piping without introducing air or contamination into a chilled-water system that may still be serving other units in the room. Electrical disconnection covers power feeds, along with the low-voltage building management and unit-level control wiring that ties each CRAC into the facility’s monitoring system. On rooms with multiple units feeding a shared BMS, this step has to be coordinated carefully so units staying in service aren’t accidentally interrupted.
Humidification lines, condensate drains and, in some configurations, glycol or antifreeze loops add additional disconnection points. On older systems, these connections aren’t always documented accurately, so field verification before cutting anything is standard practice rather than an optional step.
Rigging and Removal in Active Data Center Space
Precision cooling units are heavy, awkwardly shaped and frequently installed in locations that weren’t designed with future removal in mind. A 20-ton or 30-ton perimeter unit can weigh well over a thousand pounds, and it’s often positioned against a wall, wedged between racks, or set on a raised floor system that has its own weight and point-load limitations. Getting that unit out typically means disassembling it into smaller sections, using rigging and material-handling equipment appropriate for the floor conditions, and routing it through a data hall aisle, freight elevator or loading dock designed for IT equipment rather than mechanical systems.
Raised-floor removal adds another layer of complexity. Floor tiles have to be lifted and reset without damaging the understructure, and any underfloor cabling, chilled-water piping or fire suppression lines have to be identified and protected during the move. In rooms where cooling units remain active while others are removed, work zones need to be established so nearby racks stay within safe temperature and humidity ranges throughout the project, and personnel movements have to be planned so equipment carts and disassembled sections don’t create a hazard in aisles still supporting live IT loads.
Working Around Production Racks and Live Facility Operations
Most CRAC removal work doesn’t happen in an empty room. It happens in a data hall, server room or telecom facility where other equipment is still running, and where temperature, humidity and airflow have to be maintained for the racks that aren’t part of the project. That means sequencing matters. Removing one unit at a time, confirming that remaining cooling capacity can handle the current IT load, and monitoring room conditions throughout the project are standard parts of planning this kind of work. It also means coordinating closely with facility engineers, IT staff and, in colocation environments, tenant representatives who need visibility into what’s happening in a shared space.
Access conditions vary from site to site. Some facilities have generous freight access and dedicated equipment yards; older buildings converted into server rooms may have narrower corridors, tighter elevators or limited staging areas. Understanding those conditions before a crew arrives on site, rather than discovering them mid-project, keeps the schedule realistic and avoids costly delays.
Asset Recovery and Recycling Potential
Removed CRAC and CRAH units aren’t automatically scrap. Depending on manufacturer, model, age, condition and completeness, some units may retain resale or reuse value in the secondary market for facilities that need lower-cost precision cooling capacity for a non-critical application, a lab environment or a smaller server room. Units with functioning compressors, intact coils and complete control packages are generally more attractive candidates for resale than units that have been heavily cannibalized for parts, run well past a typical service life, or damaged during a prior attempt at removal.
Units that aren’t suitable for resale still carry recoverable value through material recycling. Copper coils and wiring, aluminum housings, and steel cabinet components are readily recyclable, and compressors themselves often carry scrap value even when the unit as a whole is no longer functional. Where multiple units of the same make and model are being removed from a single room, it’s also worth flagging usable components before disassembly begins, since parts such as blower assemblies, control boards or expansion valves can sometimes be pulled and retained by the facility or sold separately from the rest of the unit. Recoverable value from resale, parts or scrap doesn’t eliminate project cost, but it can meaningfully offset the overall expense of clearing precision cooling equipment out of a room.
What to Gather Before Requesting a Quote
A more accurate scope and schedule usually comes from a few basic details assembled ahead of time. It helps to know the number of CRAC or CRAH units involved, along with manufacturer and model where the nameplate is legible, and whether each unit is DX, chilled-water, or an in-row configuration. Knowing whether refrigerant is still charged, whether the chilled-water loop is isolated or shared with equipment remaining in service, and whether the room has a raised floor all affect how the work is sequenced. It’s also useful to describe access conditions such as elevator dimensions, loading dock availability, hallway widths and any floor-loading restrictions, along with whether the surrounding racks or systems need to stay operational during removal. Photographs of each unit, its nameplate, and the surrounding room are typically enough for an initial evaluation of scope and approach.
Serving El Paso and the Surrounding Border Region
Beyond El Paso proper, this type of work regularly extends into surrounding communities and nearby markets, including Horizon City, Socorro, Fort Bliss, Anthony, Canutillo, and across the state line into Sunland Park and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Facilities in this broader border region often share similar characteristics: a mix of older buildings retrofitted with server rooms, newer purpose-built data and telecom space, and industrial sites that have added IT infrastructure over time as operations expanded. Whether the project involves a single legacy CRAC unit in a small server closet or a full room of aging precision cooling equipment ahead of a larger buildout, the same disconnection, rigging and disposition considerations apply.
Tell Us About Your CRAC Removal Project
If your facility has CRAC, CRAH or in-row cooling units that need to come out as part of an upgrade, consolidation, lease turnover or equipment retirement, use the form below to tell our team about the project. Useful details include the facility type and location, the number and type of units involved, manufacturer and model information where available, whether refrigerant or chilled-water lines are still connected, current access conditions, and your target timeline. Photographs of the units and the room are helpful but not required to get started. Once we understand the scope, we can talk through sequencing, logistics and disposition options for the equipment coming out of your space.
