The University of Maine made a change giving students personal control of heating and cooling. Before that, despite the chilly temperatures, many students opened their dorm windows to let in cool air because it was the only option once their room overheated.
It's hardly news that America's school buildings are aging. In many areas of the country, school HVAC systems range from the inefficient to the decrepit. HVAC systems are now widely recognized as having a big impact on IAQ problems among students and faculty, and making smaller system changes is much preferred to building a new school.
One of the latest catchphrases in the school market is "high-performance school." From an HVAC perspective, you might expect this to be an energy-efficient room. You would only be partially correct.
Marvin Richer, owner of the Crystal Lake University Center, had to either repair or replace the facility's cooling tower. What Richer considered has become a new prescription for replacing ailing cooling towers or adding capacity: engineered molded plastic cooling towers.
There are horror stories about permanent HVAC equipment operated while the building was under construction, and the resulting damage. The question of whether a permanent system should be used at all during construction was pondered during a forum at the 2005 ASHRAE Annual Meeting.
Put into the hands of a foreman on the job or an estimator viewing a project before preparing a bid, a digital camera used in conjunction with e-mail can save a contractor time and money and increase productivity throughout the business day.
Some members of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) have taken a vow of practicality in their seminars, and two presentations on chiller maintenance lived up to that pledge.
There are horror stories about permanent HVAC equipment operated while the building was under construction, and the resulting damage. The question of whether a permanent system should be used at all during construction was pondered during a forum at the 2005 ASHRAE Annual Meeting.
The Champlain College director of physical plant challenged her staff to fast track an A/C installation in an existing dormitory to be ready for the 2004-05 academic year. Contractor Steve Hayden of Mountain Air Systems recommended she look at a ductless two-pipe system.
In our industry, technicians use many specialty tools to diagnose and repair system problems. However, there is a set of tools technicians should always use to help guide them in the right direction when troubleshooting: their senses.
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