PROGRESS ON THE INSTALLATION OF THE CHURCH’S NEW AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM – First Church of Christ, Scientist, St. Louis

Last updated 21 April 2020.

We are updating the church’s air conditioning system, which has served us well for over 60 years. This is a large project, costing over $200,000. Most of the work is complete, and we have just received an invoice covering the portion just completed for over $100,000. If you would like to contribute to this project, please note “Air Conditioning Fund” on your check. Or click the Donate button below to donate online. Your support will be much appreciated.

The following photos show the progress that has been made so far. We hope you all will continue to support this project.

Old A/C ice tank — We don’t have any good photos of what the old air conditioning tank looked like, but this one from 2014 shows the ice tank off to the left covered in its blue foam insulation and the chilled water circulation pipes covered in their asbestos insulation from the 1950s.

Asbestos abatement — Oct. 22, 2019: The asbestos abatement team is removing sections of chilled water pipe covered in asbestos insulation. The blue foam insulation has been removed from the old ice tank.

Old ice tank — Oct. 25, 2019: The asbestos abatement has been completed, and the old ice tank is ready for demolition and removal.

Interior of old ice tank — Oct. 25, 2019: The interior of the old ice tank shows the Dole plates hanging vertically in the tank with the piping that circulates the refrigerant through the plates, causing ice to form in the tank. Everything is rusty.

New concrete pad — Jan. 22, 2020: The old ice tank has been removed, along with a layer of old cork insulation between the old tank and the floor. The installers found that the floor was not level and built a concrete leveling pad for the base of the new tank.

Covering the stairs — Feb. 12, 2020: Old parts were removed and new parts brought in through the subbasement and its outside entrance on the southwest corner of the church building. Plywood was placed on the concrete stairs to facilitate the movement of the large steel plates up the stairs.

New ice tank bottom — Feb. 12, 2020: The bottom of the new ice tank has been welded together from multiple plates. It is set up on blocks to keep the welding heat off the concrete pad and to allow new foam insulation to later be inserted under the completed tank.

New ice tank half built — Feb. 16, 2020: The bottom half of the new ice tank has been assembled. The new tank is situated a little farther away from the south wall than the old one. The wooden cross braces between two of the support posts (the ones wrapped in yellow on the far side of the tank) had to be moved to clear the top of the new tank. The wrapping on the posts is there to keep any sparks from the welding gear from igniting the old wood posts and causing a fire.

New ice tank full height — Feb. 19, 2020: The upper half of the new ice tank has been assembled. The old tank was carbon steel which was subject to rusting and had to be scraped and painted inside with a new protective coating every twenty years. Although the rust-resistant stainless steel of the new tank was more expensive than carbon steel, it does not have to be coated, and so it was actually less expensive than the cost of a new carbon steel tank plus the cost of the first protective coating. And it should never need to be scraped and coated periodically like the old tank.

Ports for pipes — Feb. 19, 2020: The ports for the connections for the recirculating chilled water are installed on the far side of the new ice tank.

Leak testing — Feb. 21, 2020: The new ice tank was completely filled with water to test its integrity. Even after more than a week, there were no leaks. New foam insulation has been installed under the new tank, and the wooden blocks have been removed.

Refrigerant piping assembly — Mar. 20, 2020: Installers begin to assemble the piping that will circulate the refrigerant on the inside of the new ice tank.

Recirculating pipe assembly — Mar. 20, 2020: Installers work on the piping that will circulate the chilled water from the new ice tank to the air circulation system.

Copper and brass fittings — Mar. 20, 2020: A work table contains the numerous copper and brass fittings needed to assemble the piping systems.

New compressor — Mar. 22, 2020: Some of the chilled water piping is completed, and the new compressor is installed on a stand instead of on the floor, for easier servicing.

Mar. 23, 2020: The new Dole plates rest on a slab of blue foam insulation, awaiting installation.

Chilled water recirculation piping — Mar. 25, 2020: The remainder of the chilled water circulation piping is completed, connecting the pipes from the tank to the existing pipes leading to the air circulation system.

New pump — Mar. 25, 2020: The new red water recirculating pump is installed with the new chilled water circulation piping.

Dole plates installed — Apr. 1, 2020: The new Dole plates and much of their associated piping structures are installed inside the new ice tank.

Compressor piped and wired — Apr. 1, 2020: The new compressor has been connected to the exterior cooling tower, and electrical wiring in metal conduit connecting the pumps and compressor to the controls on the control panel are installed.

Refrigerant piping installed — Apr. 4, 2020: More of the refrigerant piping inside the ice tank has been completed.

Chilled water piping — Apr. 4, 2020: Special unions are installed where the new copper chilled water circulation pipe meets the existing iron pipe to prevent corrosion due to dissimilar metals.

Apr. 8, 2020: In May 2019, the exterior cooling tower for the air conditioning system was refurbished. Here, the deteriorating timber base that was formerly supporting the tower has been replaced by a concrete pad.

Apr. 12, 2020: A new foam plastic board lid has been fitted to insulate the top of the ice tank.

Apr. 12, 2020: More piping has been added to the chilled water recirculating system.

Apr. 12, 2020: This board contains the controls for the automatic chemical treatment system which will prevent scaling from hard water in the cooling tower and pipes.

Apr. 12, 2020: Pressure testing gear is attached to the compressor to ensure correct operation of the refrigeration components.

April 15, 2020: All the piping has been reattached to the exterior cooling tower.

April 15, 2020: While the other air conditioning system work was being done, we had the fan motor replaced on the exterior cooling tower. For several seasons now, the motor has been noisy, indicating failing bearings. Here, the old motor and fan have been removed, awaiting installation of a new unit. The grille for the opening is in the background resting against the foundation.

April 15, 2020: The foam insulation lid on the ice tank is complete, but the insulation has not yet been applied to the sides of the tank.

April 15, 2020: Most of the electrical controls for the new air conditioning system are installed on the mounting board.

Apr. 19, 2020: The chilled water recirculation pipes have been insulated with non-asbestos plastic foam and a white protective covering.

Apr. 19, 2020: The controls for the automatic chemical treatment system, which will prevent scaling from hard water in the cooling tower and pipes, have been completed, and the system is activated, as shown by the lit LED screen in the upper left hand corner of the board.

Apr. 19, 2020: The electrical controls for the new air conditioning system are nearly complete.

Apr. 20, 2020: An installer explains how the plastic foam insulation sheets have been installed on the sides of the new ice tank. The black rubber sheet on the lid will be used to seal off the lid around the edges.

Apr. 20, 2020: The new fan motor has been installed on the exterior cooling tower, reusing the existing fan blades.

Apr. 22, 2020: The foam lid has been sealed around the edges.

Apr. 24, 2020: The Albert Arno project manager reports that the system is now operating and making ice. They will continue testing the following week.