21st Century Upgrades for a Historic Boiler System in Alexandria, MN
Challenge
The 700 Cedar Building in Alexandria, MN has been around for over 80 years and has gone through many changes through the years. It was once a hospital but today serves as an office building. The original coal fired boiler is long gone, replaced with a more modern boiler but many of the older components lived on. The heating system consisted of three hot water loops serving the three floors of the building. Each loop has its own circulating pump to move hot water through wall radiators. Above the pumps are three 40 gallon compression tanks to keep the boiler pressure constant. The system was limping along with one pump deceased and another soon to fail. Two of the three compression tanks were leaking and there were constant air issues throughout the building, resulting in gurgling wall radiators that ran cold. To add to the owner's concern, it was February and a solution was needed quickly that would not inconvenience the many business tenants.
The Goal
The responsibility to solve these issues fell on the Building Manager Steph Tvrdik. Steph knew she needed someone with old heating system experience, so Koegel Plumbing & Heating Solutions, LLC was called in. Kurt of Koegel Plumbing & Heating Solutions with decades of experience came up with a plan to make the heating system reliable, efficient and provide the comfort the business tenants expected.
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Project Overview
New super-efficient pumps were installed, reducing the electrical use by 300%. New compression tanks were installed with proper tank fittings to capture any air in the system. Old leaking radiator vents were replaced with new units throughout the building to aid in venting trapped air in the heating water. All work was completed in a single Saturday thanks to careful measurement and planning. Much of the piping was pre-fabricated at Koegel Plumbing & Heating Solution's shop to speed the installation. Now the 700
Cedar Building has a heating system from last century with 21st century upgrades that save money, eases the mind of the owner and keeps all the tenants happy. Call Kurt at Koegel Plumbing & Heating Solutions today to solve all your hot water heating problems.
