F&T Supports Cooling Capacity Upgrade at Dartmouth Health in Nashua, NH

Just in time for the hottest days of summer, the chilled water capacity upgrade at Dartmouth Health's campus in Nashua, New Hampshire is nearing completion.

Fitzemeyer & Tocci partnered closely with the Dartmouth Health facilities team to evaluate options for increasing both cooling capacity and system reliability. Following a comprehensive review, the project team selected a solution that included the addition of a new air-cooled chiller and the replacement of two existing chilled water pumps with three new pumps.

Photo of the rooftop chillers at Dartmouth Health, Nashua

This approach provided several key benefits. By expanding the rooftop chilled water plant with an additional chiller, the existing cooling system remained operational throughout construction, allowing the facility to continue serving patients and staff with minimal disruption. The new three-pump configuration also enhances system resilience by maintaining full design flow in the event of a pump failure while improving efficiency during shoulder seasons when lower chilled water flows are required.

Shot of the new water chilled pumps

Beyond providing engineering design and construction administration services, Fitzemeyer & Tocci supported the project through early equipment procurement efforts. Recognizing the long lead times associated with major cooling equipment, our team coordinated closely with Eckman Construction and key trade partners, Granite State Plumbing & Heating and Longchamps Electric, to secure the new chiller and keep the project on schedule for summer operation.

This proactive planning allowed critical piping, valving, and electrical infrastructure to be installed in advance of equipment delivery, enabling the chiller to be rigged into place and connected immediately upon arrival. The result is a seamless execution strategy that minimized schedule risk and positioned Dartmouth Health to meet peak cooling demands with greater capacity and redundancy.

The project demonstrates the value of early collaboration, strategic procurement, and thoughtful system design in delivering resilient infrastructure upgrades for healthcare facilities that must remain operational throughout construction.