Cold Feedback Identifies Issues with Control System

  • by Karen K Dang

Those that work and study in the rooms across campus often get to know the fluctuations in their room's temperature. We are informed on these trends through their TherMOOstat comments, and this is how we find equipment that isn't functioning as it should.

Art Building

 

"The temperature seems to have dropped precipitously in the last 2 weeks."

Intro

A comment in September, prompted our team to look into the temperature of room 51 of the Art Building more closely. Due to their TherMOOstat feedback, we found an issue in the controls system. 

In this particular case, the hot and chilled water valves were both open completely. Since it was hot outside, no hot water was flowing through the system, only chilled water was being served to the room. Because the chilled water valve was open, water flowed through the pipe and cooled the space.

 

Hypothesis

Our hypothesis was a potential loss in power could have caused the Art Building’s chilled water valve to open all the way, or in other words, it returned to its previous programming before the power went out. This allowed chilled water into the system and cooled the space continuously.

 

Resolution

When we remotely reset the controls on the hot and chilled water valves the temperature normalized in the space and became comfortable again. 

 

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