Barber Colman HVAC Valve Nightmare

What is a "stationary engineer"????

One that looks good on paper?

certified Boiler Operator

My guess is the stationary engineers probably shouldn't have been allowed access after being fired

I agree with you completely.

You would think that a manager entrusted with employee termination, in the world's biggest "Hire 'n Fire" Nation (the USA) would know how to go about this correctly........

I would assume that legal action is being taken and the people responsible must pay, so why worry, get a firm in to "repair" the situation fully.....or tell the perpetrators to do it at their own cost!!!! And in a set time scale......with a guarantee......

Regardless of labor issues, I'd be worried about fire.

My ADVICE is you get your Commercial Insurance Agent there to shut the building down till it is safe.

I do not know enough to give you a bid for command of the situation.

For a scout and plan from where I am in NC, 20 grand would get me out of the house and back.

Otherwise figure 4 million 2 hundred and 87 dollars and 57 cents as my initial bid, knowing nothing.

Found this online, a comment made back in 2007...

"This "hotel" is a complete disgrace. The thermostate is an illusion. The only thing you really have control over is the fan. They control the AC and Heat from the desk. I went to bed running the AC and woke up at 2:30am in a pool of my own sweat, had to be something like 95 degees in the room. I guess the night staff was a little chilly down stairs. They claim there is just one pipe of either hot or cold air. Aside from that, some other posts claim there is a lot of history at this hotel..... I agree, the furnishings should have been in a landfill 30 years ago."

Will fixing the actuators fix your problems? Judging by this and other comments made online about this hotel, not likely. Why did the "stationary engineers" quit? Likely because of impossible conditions in a hotel in sad shape, desparately requiring major HVAC, plumbing, fire and other upgrades. How old are the systems? Probably over 30 years and more likely 40 to 50 years old, right? Likely the building is rife with code violations, and any work will trigger a whole slew of required life-safety upgrades, not to mention proper guest comfort.

That comment about only one "pipe" for either heating or cooling really concerns me. Such a system could not function properly, nor meet the expectations of the modern traveller/guest. Also, likely very energy inefficient.

My bid for a complete HVAC retro-fit would be in the neighbourhood of $15,000 per room for 106 rooms, not including facilities and amenities such as restaurants, pool rooms, mechanical rooms, etc. Using a dull pencil, I would say you are looking at about $2 to 3 million for a total mechanical renovation.

tell the owners of the hotel to sell and solve their problem of yours

crm

Dear Duane,

You are undercutting me!

(Though I feel it would be good to add another 5 grand to not stay at the place for a scout.)

How about some more info Like model numbers, voltage, feedback type...

What temperature controller are being used, brand, model#, voltage, feedback...

The barber coleman actuators I'm familiar with are fairly straightforward, the operation has much more to do with the controller than the actuator.

With all due respect to the "on-line" bidders, you need to have a mechanical contractor perform a walk through of the building and submit a "real numbers" quote. In the mean time, your catastrophe can be temporarily mitigated by re-installing a new actuator on each valve with a local controller & temperature sensor to modulate your heating water in each room. I also can show you a way ro re-set your central plant heating water to control the water temperature based on the calculated heat loss of your building.

Without performing an equipment audit, true costs cannot be determined. Here are my material costs for your consideration:

Each Room with one valve, one fan coil, one sensor and local controller:

Valve actuator: 3/4-inch = $250 - $500

Local Controller: PLC w/HMI & relays, sensors = $1000

Central Plant Control: PLC w/HMI will control Boilers, Pumps, Mixing Valves with boiler optimization stratedgies = $20,000

All labor is additional. Wiring may be able to be installed using "surface mounted" wiring if acceptable to your local jurisdiction. This would reduce your install costs.

Please contact me for any additional questions or help with consultation.

John Castoro

Innovative Logical Controls, LLC

www.innovativelogicalcontrols.com

800-208-5461

The unspoken issue is that management has probably tossed out a union.

The original poster [OP] is just trying to figure out how to keep from having to dash from room to room...

OP knows he's working for the devil, which isn't the end of the world, just part of the overall package.

jcchiefeng Has a good plan, if mgt. is willing to actually spend real money, which is doubtful.

Advertise the Hotel as "adventure for back-packers", release some rats and make the guests sign a disclaimer when registering.

No, seriously, get the manual for that controller and for that actuator, read and understand the "basic configuration" or "basic application" example, including schematics.

Hopefully all rooms are controlled in the same fashion, so it will be a repetitive task after fixing the first one. It will take a bunch of courage and no fear of getting dirty though.

Good luck to you and your crew.

Yahlasit

Tell me more about your central plant. Boilers chillers and all?

The OP came here for some help, not to be the brunt some of your jokes. I've had to clean up after vandalism, it's not at all fun nor funny. Seems like some of you guys have nothing better to do than sit in front of your computers and try to think...., instead of trying to a guy out. If I can help the OP, he/she can contact at dj95401@gmail.com

I think I did say that it sounded like a dangerous situation.

Us veterans use humor when horrified.

If the OP would have included more details, the chance of meaningful advice would increase greatly.

The circumstances are bound to generate lots of speculation & some digging into the back story...

The OP has all of 1 post & will probably never be heard from again

DJ you really shouldn't post your email unless you like spam

At least he registered