Fulfilling a Need - Jah-Jireh HVAC Projects
Jah-Jireh Retirement Homes was established to provide care for elderly Jehovah’s Witnesses and we love caring for these faithful ones. There are many aspects to providing this care and we wanted to show you glimpses of what is involved.
One aspect is the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system
The HVAC system at Jah-Jireh
A vital mechanical component of any retirement home complex is the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system. Jah-Jireh’s HVAC has been a work in progress ever since the facility was built many decades ago. Due to the building layout, and additions to it over time, there are in effect two separate systems operating, each providing heating and cooling to different parts of the building.
Half of the residents’ rooms have hot water and hot water heating supplied by a boiler located in the basement Boiler Room whereas the other half (the two-storey part) has forced air heating supplied by a furnace located in another room of the basement.
Late last September, just as the cooler weather was setting in, we experienced some serious hot water supply issues and decided the best solution was an upgrade to a more efficient boiler and related components.
What’s Been Done
We hired a contractor to remove the existing 50 plus-year-old cast-iron boiler and two rented water tanks which were at the end of their life cycle and replaced them with two smaller 95% efficient boilers and two hot water holding tanks for periods of high demand.
The upgrade included removing the spider web of old piping in the Boiler Room along with numerous seized up shut-off valves that created all kinds of problems when doing plumbing repairs in the building. The old boiler was full of sediment (quite common) and therefore only about 45% efficient, meaning most of the natural gas used to heat it was simply being wasted.
It was a big and somewhat unexpected expense for the home, but we were happy that this large project was completed before winter set in. We anticipate that over time our more efficient system will help us to save money on heating and hot water costs for that part of the building and will provide us with the peace of mind that comes from having a reliable system.
After the upgrade:
What Needs To Be Done
Recently, we have had to call technicians repeatedly to service the furnace in the other half of the building. After replacing numerous switches, relays, and other components of the 30 plus-year-old furnace, they recommended we consider replacing it along with the outside air conditioning unit as they have all reached the end of their life cycle.
Immediately, we began the process of seeking quotes from various HVAC companies. Based on expert advice our plan is to replace the old furnace and AC units with two smaller high efficiency furnaces and two new high efficiency cooling units. We hope to complete this project within the next few months.
It is very important to the management and staff at Jah-Jireh that our residents enjoy a comfortable living environment. Sometimes this involves repairing or replacing mechanical things such as HVAC components that may not be seen but are definitely felt. The donations made to the home truly help with these expenses.
Jah-Jireh would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the many ways you support our home and the projects that help maintain it.