Industrial HVAC, compressors and plant support equipment appraisals.
A plant support appraisal from Lukes & Lukes is an independent, USPAP-compliant opinion of value for the equipment that keeps the rest of the plant running: air compressors and dryers, chillers and cooling towers, boilers, generators and switchgear, tanks, pumps and dust collection. Compressors and generators trade on an active national resale market; installed boilers and cooling towers often return little beyond scrap at removal. We verify hours, capacity and code status before the number goes in the report. Built to withstand lender, SBA, IRS, audit and legal review.
What we appraise
The equipment behind the equipment.
Support equipment shows up in nearly every plant appraisal we write, and it is rarely itemized correctly on the books. We value it line by line, from a single rotary screw compressor to the full utility plant, with capacity and condition verified on site.
- Compressed air: rotary screw and reciprocating compressors, dryers, receivers and piping.
- Cooling: chillers, cooling towers and process cooling systems.
- Steam and heat: boilers, steam systems and industrial HVAC.
- Power: generators, switchgear and transformers.
- Process support: tanks and pressure vessels, pumps, dust collection and air filtration.
What drives the value
Hours, capacity, and what it costs to take out.
Support equipment is priced by capacity: kW for generators, HP and CFM for compressors, tons for chillers. Compressors and generators with documented hours and service history trade on an active national resale and rental-fleet market, so they hold value well. Installed infrastructure does not.
Boilers, cooling towers and the piping that connects them are expensive to buy, expensive to remove, and often return little beyond scrap once they leave the building. Code and compliance gate the buyer pool too: a boiler without current certification or a generator below the required emissions tier sells to far fewer buyers, at a discount we quantify rather than guess.
Which value applies
The right premise for the situation.
The same utility plant carries different numbers depending on why you need the appraisal. We determine and defend the premise your situation requires.
Common questions
Answers, up front.
What drives an air compressor's value?
HP, CFM, hours and service history, against an active national resale and rental-fleet market. Rotary screw units with documented maintenance hold value well; high-hour or poorly documented machines discount quickly. Dryers, receivers and controls are valued with the system they support.
Why do boilers and cooling towers return so little at sale?
Because they are installed infrastructure. Removal, rigging and freight consume most of what a buyer would pay, so a boiler or cooling tower that cost six figures installed often returns little beyond scrap once it leaves the building. In place and serving a going concern, the same equipment carries real value, which is why the premise matters.
How do code and emissions compliance affect value?
They gate the buyer pool. A boiler without current certification, a pressure vessel without a code stamp, or a generator below the emissions tier a jurisdiction requires can only sell to buyers who can use or recertify it. Fewer eligible buyers means a lower price, and we quantify that discount in the report.
Can a lender lend against plant support equipment?
Against some of it. Compressors, dryers and portable equipment carry a resale market. Boilers, cooling towers and installed distribution usually do not, once removal cost is counted. The report separates the two so a credit officer sees what is genuinely collateral. USPAP-compliant, signed by a CMEA.
How long does it take to appraise our compressors, boilers and generators?
Plant utilities are paced by nameplates and paperwork: ASME stamps and National Board numbers on boilers and receivers, PCB test results on older oil-filled transformers, and load bank and hour logs on generators. Rooftop units and equipment in mechanical rooms need access arranged with the facility.
What drives the cost of appraising plant support equipment?
The count of units and their spread across buildings, and the research: older transformers need PCB status, generators their emissions rating, and boilers their code paperwork before a buyer pool can be named. Separating installed utilities from real property is often the largest single task. On a loan the borrower pays; in a plant sale or sale-leaseback, the parties agree who pays.
Related specialties
Also under general machinery & equipment.
Material handling equipment appraisals →