If this were YOUR building that you just inherited from your cousin, what would you do?
Situation:
You have all been so helpful - thank you for your insights here as well.
Joe
Situation:
- I-Line II busway feeding from the MDP up 8 floors to mechanical gear on the upper floor
- The busway has no drop-offs to other floors (only feeds the mechanical gear and nothing else)
- Circa 1970s installation
- The busway has 3 hot spots radiating around three busway splices
- The hot spots have been present since the late 1980's with no appreciable increase in temperature
- from last year to this year, temps have decreased, likely for energy upgrades.
- The busway is designed by the manufacturer to operate at a constant temperature of up to 203 degrees F
- The busway is now measured twice a day with temps typically 120 & up to 146 degrees F
- Infrared reports over the past years show temps of up to 147 degrees F
- Historic temps recorded sample: 1999 -140 degrees F; 1997 - 125 degrees F; 1994 - 119 degrees F;
- 4 years ago, ALL bolts were torqued to manufacturers spec which caused no change in the readings. One of the hot spots was also re-torqued in the 80's with no change in the temps.
- 3,000 Amp busway. The busway is not overloaded. Most of the busway reads normal temps.
- The reason for the overheating is likely blasting next door in the 80s.
- Additional considerations
- I originally wanted to maybe just replace on of the splices and see if the temp goes down
- The splice is obsolete and I would have to buy aftermarket or used
- The duct could be pitted from the heat making installing new improper or impossible
- leaving the whole office building with no HVAC - until I get a whole new busway... could be weeks or longer...
- Used or reconditioned busway could have been sitting in a dirty warehouse, flooded, or anything else. who knows...
- Replace the hot spot ducts areas only with new, non-obsolete, busway
- I cannot just replace the current busway with new busway because the new has different dimensions. This would require the manufacturer to be onsite custom forming parts as needed during the installation as well as moving existing panels on different floors because of the new busway dimensions. Not cheap.
- This is not a class "A" fully occupied building with lots of money. Many floors are empty and they do not have lots of choices in this economy.
- The busway has never been disconnected and megged to ensure that the insulation integrity has not diminished over time from transient high temps that may have occurred between testing causing insulation degradation
- I originally wanted to maybe just replace on of the splices and see if the temp goes down
You have all been so helpful - thank you for your insights here as well.
Joe