HVAC team ensures heat effeciency, builds portable boiler system

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tyrell Hall
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  

The 366th Civil Engineer Squadron's Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning team is improving heating conditions throughout the base with their new and improved water boiler trailer that is specifically designed to be the quick and efficient portable solution.

 As described by the 366th CES HVAC foreman Todd Ladley, the boiler weighs about 7,500 pounds and holds 120 gallons of water.

A team of eight helped refine and build the boiler that has been helping to fix facility heating issues for the past 3 years.

"It was a team effort for sure," said CES HVAC mechanic Chris Stenson. "But we had to do a lot of planning to determine where and how to put together all the pipe. You don't want to throw everything together and end up with pipes crossing the wrong way, so it was mostly planning and placement.

These design adjustments allow the boiler to team to transport a more durable boiler, anytime and anywhere with less difficulty.

"We have about 100 plus boilers in 100 buildings on base" Ladley said. "The boiler can go to any one of those buildings at any time. This includes places like the gym and the base club where they use more hot water for various things.

The connections located on the outside of the trailer make it easy for the boiler to connect to the buildings systems inside. Thanks to this, Airmen are able to have their heating restored in a timely fashion.

 "There's no down time, meaning no interrupted heat," said Stenson. "Normally you'd have work with other shops wait 1-2 weeks to get new parts in. Then you have to make sure everything is correct, level, straight, and everything looks good before you do anything. With this boiler we can restore heat to a building within two hours."

The primary goal for this team is to restore and supply Airmen with hot water and heating as soon as possible. Thusly, they react to problems as soon as they're assistance is required. 

 "We try to fix the problem before the customers even knows there's a problem," he said. "That's how we like to work. It saves occupants from having to go somewhere else because it's too cold."             

Not only is restoring heat important to the comfort and functionality of base facilities, it is also important to the HVAC team to resolve issues before other problems arise such as decreases in water pressure, water leaks and fire suppression system failure.

The mechanics at the 366th CES HVAC have a very important job and thanks to their innovation in building the new boiler trailer they are able to support the mission.