QUICK FACTS

5 INSTALLED OVER THE SUMMER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Temperature control is imperative for performers and audiences alike, so when the Excelsior Springs High School (ESHS) Performing Arts Center started noticing humidity and temperature issues about three years ago, Schneider Electric called P1 in to help with a large HVAC replacement initiative.

ROOF-TOP UNITS

2 AIR HANDLING UNITS

2 WATER SOURCE HEAT PUMPS

4 PUMPS INSTALLED DURING SCHOOL YEAR

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P1 Service Project Manager Andrew Noone explains that when the facility started allowing outside air, the rooftop units were no longer the right size to function properly.

“In the gymnasium, they had a ground source condenser water loop, which goes to a water source heat pump, which feeds chilled and hot water to an air handler,” Andrew said.

“Adding the outside air changed the size of the equipment considerably. This led to some challenges, but the team got it all figured out and finished, even in a tight time frame,” he added.

Andrew says the development of this project actually started in 2020, when Schneider invited P1 to take a look at ESHS needs. At the time, they just wanted a budget.

“P1 provided a very comprehensive budget,” Andrew said.

That budget was so detailed and well done, when the school was ready to move forward in 2021, they decided not to go out to competitive bid, but instead moved forward with P1.

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Even though the project was being sketched out as far back as 2020, typical supply chain equipment delays pushed part of the project out, forcing some of the installation to go from summer installation to fall.

“This is never as ideal because school is in session and the team has to work around student and staff activity,” Andrew said.

“We got a jump start on rough-ins over the summer, but we couldn’t do much without the actual equipment.”

When the delays continued, the project wasn’t remobilized until early 2023. The P1 team was given a five-week period to work in the day time, and the high school shifted activity out of the gym to accommodate. That time frame was down from the original 12-week installation plan. As usual, the P1 team worked through the challenges and got the project delivered on time, also assisting with test & balance and controls. 

PROJECT TEAM:

ANDREW NOONE, PROJECT MANAGER

DOUG SINCLAIR, PROJECT MANAGER

BRIAN HEINEN, FOREMAN

DEREK WOODS, FOREMAN

MICHAEL SANDIDGE, FOREMAN

WES YOUNG, FOREMAN

When a mouse most likely made a 5kV chiller starter its home at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE), chaos ensued. Fortunately, due to the quick thinking of Field Service Technician Garrett Whited, the P1 Electrical Preventative Maintenance (EPM) Team was called in to help.

“We wanted to get in the door at Sire EnergySIRE,” Garrett said. "During a visit with Proactive Solutions Sales Manager Tom Argubright, we learned SIRE’s chiller starter had experienced a damaging ARC Flash event.”

EPM Breaker Shop Rescues Damaged Chiller Starter

Garrett says he immediately thought of the P1 EPM division and breaker repair shop, and that’s when Electrical Preventative Maintenance Project Engineer Wade Buck and his team got involved.

“Garrett has played a crucial part in introducing our team to regional ethanol plants, and has really helped spread the word on P1 and the services we offer,” Wade said.

This is a unique opportunity for the breaker shop, as it is the first time the shop has redone a complete starter for one of these chillers in-house, although they have often serviced this type of equipment on-site.

“We were able to hone in on the skills of two of our electrical testing technicians,” Wade noted.

“Rich Breeze has a lot of experience with the vacuum contactors in this unit and he’s utilizing his breaker rebuilding expertise on this larger scale project. Allen Hulett’s skills shine with the wiring, controls, and sequence of operations on this starter,” Wade said.

The breaker shop is bringing in more and more projects, working on things like fuse disconnect switches, low and medium voltage breakers, and generator accessory compartments, to name a few.

“A centrally located breaker repair shop is proving more and more advantageous for P1 EPM,” Wade said. “The leads from the ethanol industry have helped us grow across the country.”

He says they are seeing business from coast to coast, including breakers shipped in from Minnesota, New York, and on-site work scheduled in Washington State.

“If we find deficiencies during an on-site job, we can ship the equipment to our breaker shop, which gives us a good balance of manpower during the week," Wade said. "The central location adds the advantage of better turnaround time and shipping convenience for the customer." 

Laying the Foundation for Success in Ankeny, IA

You may just be hearing about a new P1 Service office in Ankeny, IA, but a small team of P1 experts has been working in the area for nearly 10 years.

According to Field Technician Garrett Whited, the team of Randy Wallace, Doug Cypher, and Gary Kessel started working in Iowa ethanol plants, specifically on centrifugal and water cooled screw chillers, in 2014.

They retired in 2018, and Garrett took over this work. “I cover Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, parts of the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and Illinois,” he explained.

Randy Wallace, who is once again employed with P1 as a field consultant, has returned to the Ankeny area.

With all of the work that has continued to build with ethanol plants in the area, Garrett said it made sense to re-open the office started by the original group back in 2014.

Interviews are underway for a general manager and other staff, and Garrett says the office should be up and running over the next couple months.

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