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Baffled that Pseudo-Tech Babble Can Replace Real Engineering at Haldane
Dear Editor:
With regard to the Haldane school heating system, I remain baffled at the idea that today's fashionable pseudo tech babble can replace real engineering of yesterday. The original WPA school building is built like a brick you know. That includes the heating apparatus included in the original construction. From my observation, I believe that the newer buildings are using some of the heat supplied by the original installation. Restoring the original equipment would require superior intelligence and humility. Consider the features as noticed by me during parent teacher conferences:
1. Every room in the building is thermostatically controlled
2. The nerve system for these thermostats and some other functions is compressed air. It has always been an elegant control scheme used to this day in many public buildings.
3. it appears to me that the steam system is a vaccum system as some facilities are below the boiler water level. It could however be atmospheric with condensate return pumps.
4. In such system, a good practice requires the servicing of steam traps and thermostatic air valves after so many years.
5. The School has Barber Coleman valves and Sarco steam traps. Do not mix brands. All replacements require no pipe disturbance in most instances.
6. If the heat generator requires replacement, use multiple boilers for capacity control.
7. Air controls may be integrated with modern electric controls. For this installation, I would keep it simple.
8. All the equipment in the buildings is by no means obsolete. A school building usage pattern is well served by this design.
9. Repair door controls on classrooms do not block doors open. Reduce chimney effect in public halls with functioning doors. Replace entry doors with Stanley magic doors as doors fail. Use intermediate doors between floors. Use magic doors with timers to hold them open during class changes.
I could go on, but basically stop studying and start doing. I have in most case instances an allergic reaction to consultants and studies. Check out Walmart. They have the best energy saving schemes on the market, too numerous to list here.
Joe Altmann
Cold Spring
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