Impromptu HVAC updates…

“‘Twas the week before Christmas and…” and a bearing assembly on the school’s boiler creates a shower of hot water in the basement. That’s certainly not the way that story usually goes, but it was only the first of several heating challenges St. John’s leaders faced in the past month.

We were blessed with several church members who located the necessary parts and had them replaced in a matter of days for hundreds of dollars (instead of many thousands).

The next day, the furnace that helps heat the chapel was “red tagged” when our HVAC contractor discovered numerous cracks in the heat exchanger (this could let dangerous levels of CO2 into the ductwork). They turned the unit off and provided a quote for replacement in excess of $10,000.

The same group of volunteers identified the parts necessary and installed them by the end of the week. Total cost: $1,000 (instead of $10,000).

Since that time attention has turned to numerous smaller problems with the heat for the school’s gymnasium and other “zone” heaters connected to the boiler. While parts for the repairs will cost less than $1,000, the labor costs would have easily exceeded $4,000 if not for our volunteers. Slowly, but surely, each of the problems are getting identified and resolved.