As Old Man Winter begins to slowly fade away for the coming spring, temperatures begin to rise causing some discomfort.
Fort Jackson's Directorate of Public Works will begin transitioning some structures on post from heating to cooling the week of March 28 with a "no-heating, no-cooling" period.
This will give enough time for the water used to cool certain buildings to reach a point where it is safe to turn off the heat. Some buildings' temperatures are controlled by closed-loop water flowing from center energy points.
Half of the buildings served by the CEPs are "four-piped" systems that cool and heat year round, while the others are "two-piped" systems where water must chill before buildings can be cooled.
Ann Garner, acting DPW director said the CEPs use closed loop process water to supply "medium temp water" at 240 F and "chilled water" at a 40 F. To cool buildings with the two-piped system the water must sit for a few days to let the temperature drop before the cold water can be added. If cold water is added too quickly, "pipes would fracture," Garner added.
Air is blown over the water pipes containing hot water to heat a facility.
Garner explained, "The trick is you have to let that hot water sit and cool down and replace it with cooler water in order to blow air over the same pipe system" to cool that facility.
Contrary to some old wives' tales, and barrack gossip, there is no set time that dictates when the conversion will take place.
"It's an art and a science that goes into when to convert over," she said. "Like this week is warm and next week is projected to lower 60s, upper 50s. It is a hit or miss at when is the best time for conversion.
"You can't predict that so we just to have to make our best judgments based on extended forecasts."
Before calling in work orders about their air conditioning systems, Fort Jackson community members are advised to see if they are in a two- or four-piped system. "If they are in a four-pipe building put in a work order and we will come out and take a look at it," said Jeff Holman, an industrial electronic equipment mechanic with DPW.
Even when changing over from heat to cooling it can take some time because "there are so many buildings and we have so few workers to go turn the valves," Garner said. This causes DPW to prioritize first changing over sleeping quarters, then dining facilities and finally administrative buildings.
The newer "four-pipe" systems can be converted remotely from the energy management controls system office, while others require technicians to go to each building.
Technicians must go to each "two-pipe" building and physically turn valves to change a building's temperature.
Holman is one of the techs who monitor the heating and cooling of Fort Jackson's buildings.
Holman and other technicians can connect to all the buildings electronically, but not the "two-pipe" buildings. An antenna outside the control office is connects a computer system wirelessly to buildings on post. The system can be analyzed quickly to determine where any problems may be.
He said every time a two-pipe building on post is renovated it is changed to the four-pipe system.
The computers will automatically change the temperature if it meets a heating set point of 68 F, and a cooling set point of 76F give or take a few degrees.
While it may seem to take a long time for building cooling to kick in, technicians work hard to get them changed over as quickly as possible.
Holman said he and the other technicians can change the heat over in "probably no more than a week."
"I can't stand to see Soldiers sleeping in a hot barracks. I will do everything I can do to cool them off.
"It weighs on your conscience."
SIDEBAR:
Buildings on a 2-piped system:
1877
1889
1897
2250
2253
2255
2260
2265
2270
2275
2280
2285
2335
2601
2602
2603
2604
2605
2606
3200
3216
3220
3225
3250
3260
3270
3280
3285
3290
3295
3320
3360
3390
4200
4210
4215
4220
4230
4310
4350
4360
4380
Buildings on four pipe system:
2139
2360
2370
2601
2602
2603
2604
2605
2606
4205
4225
4235
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