|
|
|
|
ROSS Helps School Boiler Plant Make the Grade
Philadelphia, PA – The elementary school at Maternity B.V.M Church in Northeast Philadelphia was having significant problems with an aging heating system. Children and teachers in the school would either roast or freeze on any given day. Ross Mechanical Group provided a solution to create the perfect climate for the facility. The old heating system was comprised of two 1.2 Million Btu* Weil-McLain boilers which were becoming a repair nightmare. The Ross Mechanical Group (RMG) service department kept the older boilers running as well as possible. However, when the antiquated equipment did malfunction, the comfort systems in the building would remain inoperable until appropriate parts could be obtained. Specific parts were scarce due to the age of the equipment and a lot of time was spent retrofitting the components that were available. Most large atmospheric boilers like those at the church have two operating settings “off” or “on” with no means of temperature control. Besides creating comfort problems the systems were sending much need dollars up the chimney. Finally one of the aging boilers was damaged to the point that any repair
would be cost prohibitive, and there was no guarantee that it would extend
the life of the system. Instead of trying to repair the cracked section
of the boiler, RMG presented the church’s executive director with
a new idea, to replace the aging two-boiler system with a modular series
of smaller, Peerless Boilers brand atmospheric boilers
controlled by a Tekmar control system. This solution proved to be the
key to In the past, heating buildings of this size required one or two large boilers such as the old 1.2 million Btu system. RMG recommended that Maternity BVM use a modular system, up to six 399,000 Btu boilers stacked together. A modern modular boiler system has many advantages over standard large boilers: 1) Reliability. With the old system, if one boiler fails then the building could be without adequate heat for hours or even days. One boiler can not provide enough heat to keep the building comfortable until appropriate parts could be obtained and the boiler repaired. With a modular system, if one boiler fails there is enough redundancy from the other boilers to regulate climate control until repairs can be made. In addition, a well maintained new system will require fewer repairs, and modern parts are readily available. 2) Energy Efficiency. The heating needs of a building are easily met with a modular system which will only turn on the number of boilers required to control the climate based on the external temperature. In average situations one to three out of possibly six smaller boilers will be operating, while the entire system will only run at the most extreme temperatures and provide a return on investment in as little as two years. This conservative and efficient use of the equipment can reduce energy costs by up to 30%. Most building owners are able to receive a return on their investment in three years. 3) Controllable Comfort. The larger old boilers can
only produce one level of heat. They are either “on” or “off.”
Often this leads to an uncomfortable environment which is either excessively
hot or cold. A modular boiler system uses just the number of boilers that
are needed to correct the climate. In addition, each individual boiler
is controlled to produce heat in stages or different levels, which further
allows for precision in adjusting the building climate. Ross Mechanical recommends Peerless Boilers cast iron boilers, and provides installation and service of the equipment and control systems. The Peerless Heater Company, in Boyerstown, Pennsylvania, has been in business for over ninety years, and is the choice of RMG for their high level of quality and commitment to excellence.
*British thermal unit (Btu), the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water 1 degree |
| ROSS MECHANICAL GROUP, INC. 814 Welsh Road Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 Tel: (215) 914-0305 Fax: (215) 914-0309 Email: info@rossmechanicalgroup.com Website: www.rossmechanicalgroup.com Copyright © 2005 |
|
|
Ross
Mechanical Group Helped Improve the Comfort, Reliability, and Energy Efficiency
of a Church’s Elementary School Heating System
efficiently
and cost effectively controlling the comfort systems in the school and
provided a new system which was prepared to last for the long-term.
