Not Just Another Refrigerant Leak
My colleagues and I had replaced a 20-ton, single-circuit condensing unit as part of a retrofit of a dual-duct variable-air-volume system. The cooling...
Ice, Ice, Baby, Too Cold
On a recent project, an owner's engineer had decided a large supply duct running down a corridor did not need to be insulated. You don't need it, and...
No Room at the Inn
A new retail tenant had no room for his own boiler, so he asked if he could tie into the building's utility steam service, which heated the apartments upstairs. The landlord insisted that the tenant provide a submeter and reimburse the landlord for steam use. ...
Following the Instructions
A company hired me to conduct pump training on site for its engineers and maintenance personnel. About midway through the first session, I learned that...
Ice Knocks Sensor Off Its Game
A customer called to comment on a dehumidification unit located in an ice arena. The unit uses so much energy we had to turn it off, the customer said....
Finding the Right Equipment
I designed an HVAC system for a large electronics store in midtown Manhattan, a fast-track construction project that was supposed to be completed during...
Solving Problems Off the Clock
When I checked into my room in one of the largest hotels in Las Vegas, the room was too warm, but the vertical chilled-water fan-coil unit was running...
War Stories: Out With the Old
Converting a 1980s wood-framed office building to a private school was not going to be easy, but it could be done. Money was tight, but most of the building's existing mechanical and electrical systems could be reused. Keeping four main sets of toilet rooms intact also would save a lot of money. ...
Want to Get Paid? Check Your Work
To be sure the contractor would see a note in the specifications covering an addition to one of our plants, the following sentences were printed in capital letters: “When a contractor notifies the plant that his work has been completed, and before final payment is made, all of the work by the contractor will be surveyed to be sure it complies with the plans and specifications....
Trapped Gas
A sealed-combustion high-efficiency gas water heater connected to the outdoors by polyvinyl-chloride flue and combustion air-intake pipes running up through the roof provided domestic hot water and hot water for a heating coil in the air-conditioning unit. ...
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