Demolition · Strip-out · Refurbishment
Air-conditioning and cooling plant decommissioning for pre-demolition projects, commercial strip-outs, retrofits and fit-outs. Refrigerant recovery, defined disconnections and an agreed handover — with plant removal where included in your scope.
London · Kent · South East
Project gallery · Redworx
CIRE carried out refrigerant recovery from existing Carrier chillers and Mitsubishi split systems ahead of a heat-pump replacement project for Redworx.
View the existing plant from this project. Select a photograph to enlarge it.
Before the building changes
Old cooling systems need a planned exit, whether you are clearing a whole building or refitting a single floor.
CIRE works with demolition contractors, principal contractors, fit-out companies, refurbishment teams, FM companies and building owners to decommission the identified air-conditioning and cooling plant.
We establish what is being removed, what must remain operational and how our works fit your programme. From refrigerant recovery to agreed mechanical dismantling, the scope and handover points are defined before work begins.
Built around your programme
Support for commercial buildings, hotels, offices, retail spaces, industrial properties and residential projects.
Identify cooling plant and refrigerant circuits ahead of demolition. Agree recovery, isolation interfaces and the equipment-specific handover required by the demolition team.
Decommission redundant air conditioning before a tenant fit-out, hotel refit or commercial strip-out, with removal responsibilities agreed between the trades.
Plan the retirement of existing systems as part of an upgrade or replacement. Establish any dependencies on new plant or temporary cooling before shutdown.
Choose the scope your project needs
Your quotation identifies the assets, circuit boundaries, tasks, removal limits and responsibilities. Each project is scoped around its actual services and access.
Cooling plant and associated systems
Equipment type, refrigerant, condition and circuit arrangement are confirmed before the method and price are agreed.
Refrigerant recovery and agreed decommissioning of chiller refrigeration circuits. Water-side drain-down, glycol handling, pumps and associated pipework are separately defined where required.
Recovery and retirement of identified outdoor units, indoor units, branch equipment and connected circuits, with any shared or retained systems established before works start.
Decommissioning of wall-mounted, cassette, ducted and other split-system installations for office strip-outs, property refurbishments and replacement projects.
Decommissioning of cooling serving comms rooms, server rooms, SER rooms and hub rooms, with shutdown approval and continuing IT cooling needs coordinated with the client.
Cooling-system decommissioning for hotel refits, retail redevelopment, office refurbishment and larger managed properties, planned around access and occupancy.
Agreed retirement of DX condensing systems and redundant refrigeration services, including defined disconnection points and pipework removal limits.
An organised sequence
Preparation matters as much as the work on the day. We coordinate with your project team so retained services, access and trade interfaces are understood.
Review equipment schedules, available drawings, site conditions and which systems stay live. Identify unknowns, access needs and required survey information.
Set out the work sequence, access, permits and isolation responsibilities. Electrical isolation and verification are coordinated with the appointed competent electrical contractor.
Undertake the agreed refrigerant recovery and checks through appropriately qualified personnel, followed by the specified disconnections and any authorised dismantling.
Record the assets attended, recovery information, disconnection status and remaining actions. Confirm the defined handover boundary with the receiving contractor.
Refrigerant recovery & project records
“Degassing” means recovering the refrigerant into suitable recovery equipment and containers, not releasing it into the atmosphere. Refrigerant recovery and the waste route are planned as part of the decommissioning scope.
Recovered waste refrigerant must be handled through the appropriate registered carrier and licensed facility. Recovery quantities and applicable waste documentation form part of the agreed project records.
Official guidance: GOV.UK — recovering, reclaiming and recycling F gas.
Before the strip-out starts
Yes. We can quote for recovery and the agreed decommissioning tasks, then provide a defined plant handover for your contractor. The receiving team must confirm all relevant isolations, releases and site requirements before dismantling.
Yes, agreed mechanical strip-out can be included. The proposal sets out equipment and pipework removal limits, lifting and access arrangements, waste responsibilities and any works by others.
This needs a system-specific review. Indoor units may share a refrigerant circuit with retained areas, so a local removal cannot be assumed to be independent. We agree a suitable method and any required shutdown or alteration before work proceeds.
The agreed scope may cover refrigerant recovery and refrigeration-side decommissioning, with water-side drain-down and physical removal added where required. Electrical work, lifting, glycol disposal and associated services are identified separately in the proposal.
We provide records for the identified cooling plant and the work completed. This is not a whole-building demolition clearance. The principal contractor must coordinate the wider surveys, service isolations and demolition controls.
Send the site address, programme, equipment list, photographs and available service drawings. Tell us what must remain live, whether you want physical removal, and who is arranging electrical isolation, access, lifting and waste handling.
Plan the first stage of your next project
Tell us what is coming out, what is staying and when the next trade needs access. We’ll help define a decommissioning scope that fits your programme.
Request a decommissioning quotationinfo@cire.ukBased in Chatham · London · Kent · South East