COMPANY: Taco Inc., Cranston, R.I.

INSTALLATION: Taco 4900 Series Air & Dirt Separator

COMPLETION: Completed

CUSTOMER: Renaissance Providence Hotel, Providence, R.I.

OBJECTIVE: Remove the air and gunk in the fan coil single-pipe system without shutting down the hotel in the process.

DESCRIPTION: The Renaissance Providence Hotel had recently been renovated and reopened, but soon after, guests began complaining of temperature discomfort and increased humidity. The underlying problem was air in the hydronic piping system and the development of corrosive iron oxide. Draining system water in weekly cleanings, a high degree of sediment was found to be present.

Taco LoadMatch experts, led by Greg Cunniff, P.E., Taco’s applications engineering manager, were called in to further assess the situation. Taco donated two 4900-AD separators and helped install them in separate middle-of-the-night operations in the spring for the chilled side, and then again in the fall for the heating side. Once operational, the system water began to show improvement, and in four months the problem was gone.

“How the biologic agent got into the piping loops in the first place is a question that goes back to the construction phase and system commissioning.”
- Greg Cunniff, P.E., Taco’s applications engineering manager

Publication date: 03/01/2010