Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New Vents Solve Old Problems

  • 01/01/15
Spirovents

Spirovents helped solve many of the heating problems experienced by Carman Hall, the “problem child” of facilities at Eastern Illinois University.

After having tried numerous other methods, the first Spirovent was installed in Carman Hall at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) in Charleston, to deal with a long history of no heat calls and clogging valves. The very next season resulted in almost no calls or valve issues in this two-pipe high-rise residence hall. Since then, almost all residence halls have Spirovents installed as well as academic buildings and the central loop.

Carman Hall was considered the “problem child” by the campus maintenance staff. The students residing in the 30-year-old twin-tower high rise in the far southeast corner of the campus averaged two to three calls per day complaining about the lack of heat. The record, though, was more than 25 calls in one weekend. Carman Hall is heated using a two-pipe system that takes steam from the central plant and converts it to hot water.

The Spirovent, made by Spirotherm, Inc. employs the patented Spirotube® coalescing/barrier medium to scrub air and dirt from hot and chilled water systems with unprecedented efficiency. The air is released from the top of the unit via a patented air release mechanism, while the dirt falls to the bottom and collects in the dirt chamber where it can be blown down through a manual or automatic blow-down valve.

Because Spirovent units are so simple to install, there was no reason to hire a contractor, and the maintenance staff did the installation. EIU states that there has been a definite improvement in system performance since the Spirovent was installed.

The valve clogging problems have been virtually eliminated and the no-heat calls have all but disappeared. Rick Bagwell, the environmental control foreman at the time, remarks, “I’m very happy with the Spirovents and what they can do. I was skeptical at first because we’ve tried many things and none of them worked. Spirovents are the first that did.”

www.spirotherm.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • Missouri Child Development Center Completes $2.3M Expansion

    The Urban Sprouts Child Development Center in St. Louis, Mo., recently announced the completion of a $2.3-million expansion and adaptive reuse project, according to a news release. The new space includes a retail café, outdoor learning space, and a support office building.

  • TCU Marks Campus Expansion Milestone

    Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a topping-out ceremony to mark progress on a major campus expansion effort including four new residential facilities and a five-story parking garage, according to a news release.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.