Lochinvar Helps Rescue Cleveland from HVAC Nightmare

Press

by Lochinvar | 06/20/2008

When maintenance vehicles go on the blink in Cleveland, Ohio, they are sent to the Cuyahoga County bridge street garage. Standing at the foot of the Detroit Superior Bridge just outside of downtown Cleveland, the aging garage is a city relic. All sorts of vehicles -- from snowplows to dump trucks -- call this garage home, at least until they are repaired and ready to ride the roads again. And thanks to Lochinvar Corporation and CEC Consultants Inc., the garage is now home to a new hydronic heating system. The garage's previous heating system was built around a thirty-year-old, cast-iron steam boiler. The hulking boiler and its ancient distribution system had sucked up too many tax dollars for too long. So the county asked CEC Consultants Inc., a Cleveland consulting-engineer firm, to analyze the system and make some recommendations. The old heating system was extremely maintenance intensive, as personnel had to constantly repair steam traps. And the old steam boiler had to be tweaked daily to function at even a minimally efficient rate. CEC explored several options and found one that would be a long-term win for the county. They recommended Cuyahoga county convert to a hydronic hot water system. The new system is built around a 1,440,000 BTU Lochinvar Copper-Fin II boiler. First, the old cast-iron sectional boiler, condensate receiver, and blowout separator were removed. Next, the boiler piping was reworked into a primary and secondary loop with new pumps. Finally, the building steam supply piping, fan coils, and cast-iron radiators were reworked and reused, however, the condensate return piping was replaced with new piping. According to Dave Kuzma, CEC Consultants' project manager, with this new system, what was once an HVAC nightmare has now turned into a dream come true for the county. "Built around the Lochinvar boiler, the new hydronic system can just about run itself," said Kuzma. The advanced control system of the Lochinvar boiler allows the unit to provide a measured response to demand -- as much or as little as needed -- while always keeping the gas ratio in perfect proportion. This means very little maintenance and sharply decreased operating costs. "The gas costs for running the system have dropped 19%," said Kuzma. "That saves the county about $12,000 in annual operating and maintenance costs. The difference between the old system and the new system is night and day, and the Lochinvar boiler is really the key." Lochinvar Corporation is a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency water heaters and boilers, ranging in capacity from small residential units to three-million-plus BTU models. Based in Nashville, Tenn., with facilities in Detroit, Mich., Tampa, Fla. and Dallas, Tex., Lochinvar stocks equipment at all locations. ###