Combination system becomes a favorite tenant in large apartment complex
When the 22-story Lincoln Towers apartment complex opened in 1990, five 1.76 MBtuh hot water heaters and three 1.76 MBtuh boilers sat atop each of its twin towers to supply its 720 apartments with heat and hot water. However, Arlington, VA's winters ravaged the rooftop installation. Ice continually developed on the boilers and water heaters at night and then melted in the warmer afternoon hours, causing the heating and hot water plants to break down regularly.
In 2002, Lincoln Towers hired a team of engineers from Consolidated Engineering Services, Inc., an Arlington-based firm, in conjunction with Holman Boiler Repair of Springfield, to remedy the problem by relocating the hot water and heating plants to the complex's underground parking garage. The arrangement presented two large hurdles. Only five parking spots (600 sq ft) had been set aside in which to build the new heating plant. The location was not only small, it was also underground and more than 150 ft away from one of the apartment towers.