Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 10:11 am

Workers install new HVAC systems over the summer as part of a school-wide maintenance initiative, which has been ongoing. The school system has proposed $16.6 million to cover future fix-ups.

During last summers school-wide maintenance project, the school system addressed several issues including roof leaks, broken lockers and old HVAC units. However, at the Dec. 10 meeting Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations David Myers said there is still some work to do that was not taken care of this summer.

Were going to replace what we have to and continue to repair, Myers said.

Maintenance staff went around and patched up a number of roof leaks at schools including Patrick Henry High School and Elmont Elementary School. Currently there is not enough money budgeted for full roof replacements, he added.

Mold has been another common issue in several schools. Myers said it is common for old schools to have mold problems when its hot and moisture gets into the buildings. His staff addressed issues at Patrick Henry High School where they sucked out the infected air and filled the entire facility with fresh air. They also disinfected every part of the school this summer.

Myers

We are very aggressive with attacking this, Myers said.

When the next summer rolls around, Myers said he and his staff will go to Lee-Davis High School and perform the same procedure, because in the past the school has had moisture problems. At the moment, they cannot tell whether it has mold or not because it is too cold out and cant be detected.

Myers said the proposed total cost of maintenance for all schools is $16.6 million.

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Schools addressing maintenance needs

I live in St. louis, MO in a 2 story atrium home with the atrium windows on the north side of the home.

Due to a lighting strike earlier in the year I need to replace my two 14 year old York furnaces.

My installer installed two new Lennox AC units in 2012.

My installer is not as sold on Lennox furnaces these days so he is recommending two Amana furnaces as replacements. Specifically, he has given me bids for the higher end Amana models; i.e. Model AMVC950905DX or Model AMVM960805CX.

Can you offer any information on the quality and sound levels of these Amana models versus say the Carrier Infinity line? I know Carrier markets their Infinity line as the quietest on the market. I have read complaints about Amana being too noisy, but I don't know if those complaints were for all of Amana models or just their lower end models. I am looking for a quality system that is quiet. Also, are these Amana models true variable speed like the Carrier infinity Line and Greenspeed models?

Thank you for your help.

Due to a lighting strike earlier in the year I need to replace my two 14 year old York furnaces.

My installer installed two new Lennox AC units in 2012.

My installer is not as sold on Lennox furnaces these days so he is recommending two Amana furnaces as replacements. Specifically, he has given me bids for the higher end Amana models; i.e. Model AMVC950905DX or Model AMVM960805CX.

Can you offer any information on the quality and sound levels of these Amana models versus say the Carrier Infinity line? I know Carrier markets their Infinity line as the quietest on the market. I have read complaints about Amana being too noisy, but I don't know if those complaints were for all of Amana models or just their lower end models. I am looking for a quality system that is quiet. Also, are these Amana models true variable speed like the Carrier infinity Line and Greenspeed models?

Originally posted here:
Furnace replacement Amana vs. Carrier

Childrens Garden

At its Dec. 9 meeting, the Cape Elizabeth Town Council accepted a $529,735 plan to construct a childrens garden at Fort Williams Park as part of the Fort Williams Foundations ongoing arboretum project.

The site, designed by Mitchell & Associates Landscape Architects of Portland, is scheduled to be built behind the tennis courts on Farnsworth Road in 2015, using private donations. In addition to a pond and stream, the site will include a stone seating circle for presentations, a meadow maze, a birch tree fort and a fairy house building.

Foundation calculations show the garden will require almost $20,000 in annual maintenance costs. Town Council Chairman Jessica Sullivan said the council will take up the garden plans in a workshop session to be scheduled in February.

Canopy grant

With the 50th anniversary of Fort Williams Park on tap for 2014, the Cape Elizabeth Town Council has applied for a $32,759 Project Canopy grant from the USDA Forest Service.

If awarded, the money will be used to clear invasive species and plant some 240 native trees and shrubs at the entrance to the Cliff Walk, a shorefront area cleared in 2012 thanks to $324,000 in private fundraising, $113,000 in in-kind donations, and hundreds of hours of volunteer labor and part of an ongoing arboretum project. If funded, the work will take place through the spring and summer of 2014.

Rules change

The Cape Elizabeth Town Council has amended its rules to allow for some voting when in a workshop setting. Ordinarily, a public body is barred from casting votes when operating in a workshop setting. However, the new rules assert the councils right to conduct some procedural votes, such as whether or not to recuse a member from debate, or to enter executive session.

The need for the change arose during a September workshop on the Spurwink Rod & Gun Club, at which the council was temporarily stymied on how it might vote to recuse Councilor Jamie Wagner, an attorney who represented a Cross Hill resident in a dispute with the club prior to his tenure on the council. Although a vote on recusal did take place, there was considerable debate at the time over whether the workshop would have to be scuttled until a recusal vote could be made at a regular council meeting.

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Cape Elizabeth Notes

Bardi Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is a family-owned Atlanta heating, air conditioning and plumbing company that has been serving clients since 1989. Originally known for superior commercial HVAC, Bardi expanded to includeresidential HVAC services, plumbing services, and over two decades later, home automation and control systems. Bardi's HVAC technicians and master plumbers are available for residential and commercial services in Gwinnett County, where the company is based, as well as throughout metro Atlanta, including Cobb, Dekalb, Forsyth and Fulton counties. Bardi's vision, mission and values encompass providing exceptional services at fair prices, possessing honesty and integrity at all times, and most importantly,always, always, always doing the right thing.Learn More About Alex Bardi on Google+

Bardi was a recipient of the 2013 Gwinnett ChamberBusiness of the Year Pinnacle Award,which recognizes businesses that illustrate significant growth in profitability, community contributions, employees, and more. Bardi's efforts resulted in an overall 112% growth for the 2012 year. Bardi has an A rating by the Better Business Bureau and previously won the Torch awards for best customer service and best community service, and was a 2013 runner-up of the Torch awards for best community service. In addition, co-founder Alex Bardi was selected as one of Gwinnett Magazine's"People to Know" in the 2013 publication.

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Atlanta Heating and Air Conditioning Repair | Bardi HVAC ...

Berkeys knows you want the best when choosing an air conditioner, and unlike other AC companies, we give you options. Thats why we are happy to offer American Standard Air Conditioning and Goodman Air Conditioning equipment within our air conditioning replacement services.

Both brands have been selected for their outstanding reliability and efficiency. Well have an offering that fits your budget, increases home energy savings, and keeps you cool during the hottest summer days.

A new, high-efficiency air conditioning system can help you save 40% on cooling costs.

10 SEER units (standard in homes built through 2005) can operate at 6 to 8 SEER or less. To improve efficiency, a homeowner can opt for an air conditioning tune-up, if the unit is sound.

If you prefer another brand, we can provide those; however, we recommend American Standard and Goodman for their reliability and quality. Whatever your requirements, we provide the most sophisticated and advanced air conditioning products available today.

Contact us for an air conditioning replacement.

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Grapevine Air Conditioning Lewisville TX | AC Companies in ...

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Aram Khayatpour

Aram Khayatpour is a young writer based in Los Angeles, California. He has spent the last several months writing for websites such as Bleacher Report. Khayatpour holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Air conditioning units have become almost a necessity for many people around the world. A broken or underpowered unit will be unable to keep a home or office cool, and may need to be replaced. Most units come in two forms, split systems and package systems. Split systems can be extremely difficult and costly to replace on your own. The appropriate tools to replace such a unit, such as a refrigerant recovery machine, can often times be more costly than professional installation.

Shut off all power to the house. Also shut off the gas line outside of the unit.

Disconnect any wiring and gas lines connected to the unit.

Remove the old unit and replace it with the new one. The unit might be bolted into place, in which case remove the bolts first. Bigger units may require a professional tool to lift off the ground, while most units can simple be picked up by a two to three people.

Reconnect the gas lines and the wiring.

Turn the power and the gas back on.

Shut off all power to the house.

Go here to read the rest:
How to Replace Central Air Conditioning | eHow

GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Area Public School District opened the doors to the two middle schools listed on its $20 million spring referendum Tuesday.

The proposal includes renovations to Franklin and Washington middle schools, as well as four elementary schools: Tank, Nicolet, Fort Howard, and Chappell.

In Mr. Huisheere's math class at Franklin, things can run hot or cold.

It's very cold in the morning until about 7:30. By the time the kids roll in, it's ok, he said, in between an algebra lesson. In the fall and early spring it can get up to 80 or 90 unbearable degrees with no air conditioning. It's stifling.

The school district facility manager says that's because this boiler system is the original one from 1957.

It's a top priority on the referendum, along with HVAC systems at Washington Middle School, and four elementary schools.

The typical life of a mechanical system is 25 to 30 years, so we're well past the length almost double the life, said Mike Stangel, the director of facilities for the district.

The district says the time has come to fix other things that are literally falling apart--or just inefficient, like windows.

Beyond heating and air conditioning systems at Washington Middle School, they're also looking at renovating this lobby. It's currently in the back of the building. But the office is in the front and they need to update security.

We've had all these buildings on a list for several years, Stangel explained. We try to take as much as we can at a time and not raise taxes.

Read the original here:
Inside look at GB schools referendum

Hillsborough and Manville schools will each get more than $1 million in state funds to help pay for construction projects.

Hillsborough submitted applications for partial roof replacements at the high, middle, intermediate and Hillsborough Elementary schools.

We are developing schedules for these projects now that approvals have been received, school architect Gregory J. Somjen.

We expect some or all to be undertaken during the summer of 2014, depending on a variety of factors, he said.

Hillsborough schools have been discussing other projects, like HVAC systems and other energy-related projects. Those have not been submitted to the Department of Education, Mr. Somjen said, and are being clearly identified as we speak. Again some of these may also start next summer based on a variety of factors but will take longer to execute based on the scope.

Fifteen Somerset County districts will receive a total of $21.1 million to support 74 projects with a total of $49 million in construction.

The DOE categorizes applications into three tiers, with Level 1 being the highest priority based on critical building upgrades, roof and window repairs, code issues, ADA upgrades, security systems and hazardous material abatement. The announced funding provides 40 percent of the cost of all Level 1 needs for all school districts in the state that submitted projects.

Between state and local contributions, the total project costs of the 1,538 eligible statewide projects are estimated to exceed $1.1 billion. The $507.7 million in grants are contingent on local approval of the remaining cost to school districts.

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MANVILLE: Schools to get $1 million in state aid for roof, boiler projects

Last week, Orange County Supervisors got a glimpse of the $4.3 million in capital improvement plan requests by department heads and constitutional officers for the upcoming fiscal year.

Approximately $700,000 of the requests is funded from federal and state airport aid, while $3.6 million would be funded through transfers from the general fund.

The $3.6 million in requests, which are just that and havent yet been considered for funding by the county administrator much less supervisors, include a new generator and driveway/parking lot improvements at the animal shelter ($82,983); a building inspector vehicle ($19,500); buildings and grounds projects including vehicles ($18,000), HVAC controls for the first floor of the Sedwick building ($40,000) and a government space study ($100,000); funds for the 2016 reassessment ($148,500); E-911 projects including a relocation of the E-911, EOC and Orange County Sheriffs Office Communication Department ($260,000); Rt. 3 initiative consulting ($40,000); fire station generators ($50,000); ambulance replacements ($500,000); county server replacement ($90,000); $360,000 for expanding the landfills second cell and $163,636 in funds towards closing five reserve cells; $417,000 in level funding for the school division (not including any funds for the master plan); and sheriffs office vehicle replacements ($297,000).

These are preliminary requests from department heads, Orange County Finance Director Glenda Bradley said.

Bradley said funding all $3.6 million in general fund requests for the upcoming fiscal year isnt likely.

District 2 Supervisor Jim White asked if the list could be boiled down to a list of items that could be kicked down the road if necessary.

County administrator Julie Summs said the requests represent a needs list. She said the process of narrowing down the list to determine immediate needs has started.

For example, our system wont exist if we dont do some of the information technology things, she said, addressing the need for replacement of the countys server.

She said some items, including the police car and ambulance replacements, fall into the world of hurt list along with setting aside funds for the 2016 reassessment. She said the $3.6 million in requests could be cut in half if the E-911 relocation is placed into a different fiscal year.

At some point we cant push [these things] off, she said. [Well] fall apart if we do.

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BOS gets look at first-draft CIP

Our control board replacement guide will help you to diagnose and replace (when necessary) your furnace control. There are basically two types of gas furnace control boards.

The first type are simple ignition controls which control the gas valve, the ignitor (either a spark generator or hot surface ignitor), and a flame sensing circuit. These controls are more common on older less efficient units.

The other type is usually referred to as an integrated furnace control. These controls perform the same functions as the ignition control but also control the furnace blower in both the air conditioning and heating modes as well as providing onboard diagnostics.

**NOTE** ONLY YOU CAN ASSESS YOUR ABILITY TO PERFORM THIS TASK. THIS GUIDE CANNOT COVER EVERY POSSIBLE SITUATION.

The integrated furnace control is the heart of the furnace. Most of them have the same basic sequence of operations that they control. It is critical to know what the control is supposed to do so that you can tell that it is operating properly.

**NOTE** ONLY YOU CAN ASSESS YOUR ABILITY TO PERFORM THIS TASK. THIS GUIDE CANNOT COVER EVERY POSSIBLE SITUATION.

The integrated furnace control is the heart of the furnace. Most of them have the same basic sequence of operations that they control. It is critical to know what the control is supposed to do so that you can tell that it is operating properly.

On a call for heat, they first start the induced draft motor (if the furnace has one). Then, the inducer causes a pressure switch to close. The control then either ignites the pilot, starts the direct spark ignitor, or starts the warmup of the hot surface ignitor.

After the pilot is lit and verified or the hot surface ignitor is warmed up (glowing bright yellow), the gas valve is energized. At the same time a timer begins to ensure that the burners were lit. In most cases a separate flame sensor proves that the burners are lit.

After the burners are lit, a timer starts and energizes the furnace blower after the set delay.

See the original post here:
Furnace Control Board Replacement, A Homeowner's Guide