Engineered Air Balance was honored to partner with Clear Creek Independent School District in the new construction of Florence Campbell Elementary School. The campus was not only built to address the overcrowding in the western part of League City, but the new building also provided a space for Galveston-Brazoria Cooperative for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
In preparation to welcome 600 new students by the start of the school year, our team performed the testing and balancing of the HVAC systems and facilitated the building commissioning process for the HVAC, lighting controls, and electrical systems.
Our TAB team provided Testing and Balancing of the state-of-the-art air and hydronic systems, control point and sensor calibration verification and control sequence verification within a 5-month time frame.
Our commissioning team reviewed the start-up documentation, developed, and performed the system verification checklist. We also performed point and sensor calibration verification of all BAS points and sensors from the field to the operator’s graphical interface. Our team also developed and performed the Functional Performance Testing procedures for the HVAC and lighting systems.
During the final phase of the project, after all systems were operational and final finishes were in place, we noticed water dripping from the exposed ductwork in the library. Our team quickly investigated to find the cause of the leaking. We determined that the building was a “negative pressure” to the outside by design, therefore any cracks or openings would draw unwanted, hot, and humid air into the building. We decided to go on the roof and see if any of the window frames could be leaking, allowing unconditioned air into the library since the windows were at the same height as the ductwork. We found several areas where the window frame was not caulked, and our smoke demonstration showed all parties the cause of the first issue. Our team helped determine that the outside air dampers were not fully closing when the equipment was commanded off. We also noted that exhaust fans throughout the building were remaining energized. These two issues combined to allow untreated outside air to leak into the building. After discussing our discovery with the team, we were able to assist the mechanical engineer in changing the control sequence to maintain a slightly positive building, and the gaps in the window frames were caulked by the contractor. Our team verified full closure of the outside air dampers and assisted to change the sequencing on the exhaust fans so that they remained de-energized during unoccupied mode. The solution resulted in the library maintaining a comfortable space without having condensation dripping from above. With passionate integrity, our team was able to quickly solve condensation issues while demonstrating our ability to work with all trades to solve a critical issue.
Our technical knowledge and expertise in testing and balancing, and building commissioning really made Clear Creek ISD feel the difference on this project. Our team’s commitment to our core values of integrity, quality, consistency and teamwork ensured that an optimum operating facility was delivered.
“Our ability to communicate with the owner, general contractor, designer and TAB teams allowed us to be effective in moving the project forward. Along the way, our unmatched thoroughness, and technical knowledge equipped us to catch issues and find solutions. Our job is to ensure comfort, and our team is very proud of the optimum operating facility we delivered to the staff and students of Florence Campbell Elementary.” – Gabe Benitez, EAB Commissioning Specialist