The Challenge
We were approached by Collegiate School’s head of maintenance, who has been with the school since 1997. During a gas inspection a fan unit located above the school kitchens powered down, which in turn cut the gas supply and forced the closure of the kitchen. With the new term beginning in just two weeks, Collegiate needed the issue resolved urgently. Without a functioning kitchen, the school faced the prospect of expensive contingency measures, including hiring external caterers and service disruption.
Upon visiting the site within 24 hours of the first call, our engineers quickly identified a complex problem. The fan unit was situated on a rooftop area with a fragile plexiglass floor, which made safe access difficult. After an initial inspection, it was discovered that the lead in the terminal junction box had broken down and crystallised due to a localised loose connection. After this was repaired on-site, an electrical test was carried out, and the fan failed the surge test. All the windings were blown due to water penetrating the unit.
The Solution
Once the quotation was agreed on we immediately initiated the project due to the time sensitive factor of our client. The whole unit had to be removed because, due to its location, it was too hazardous to try and take out just the motor. The fan was electrically disconnected and locked off. A contracted lifting company with a telehandler (a big hydraulic arm on a lorry) was used in order to transport the unit to our workshop.
Once in our workshop:
- The motor was replaced
- A new custom made junction box was made and wired
- Full overhaul of the whole unit was carried out including new cables, new glands, new waterproofing, and new insulation for the noise and vibration pannels
- We balanced the impeller on the unit to decrease the vibration and noise and increase longevity
The Results
Thanks to fast turnaround, the refurbished fan unit was delivered and reinstalled within six days – a day earlier than promised. After it was installed, tested and turned back on, the gas inspection was completed, and everything was ready for the start of the new school year.
0 days of disruption and £0 spent on catering. The maintenance manager was very pleased:
“It was unbelievable how everything happened. Everything went very smoothly, even too smoothly, considering the emergency situation. From the initial chat over the phone with your workshop manager, the execution and through to the invoicing, it was like magic. If anything similar happens again I would come back to you, a fair job for a fair price.”
Rob Clark
Head of Maintenance for Collegiate School
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