UNDER THE CONCRETE FLOOR of a storage closet that houses our sanctuary building’s electric meters, under the shed roof between the building and the play yard, is an opening to a vertical shaft.
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| Raised platform on floor of storage closet (marked by dotted red lines) |
Below the jump, this post describes the shaft’s configuration, how it connects to the basement, its purpose, and its history—according to inferences drawn from my exploration of it this week.…
UNDER OUR ARCHITECT’S direction, our mechanical engineering consultant has specified the ventilation equipment for our expanded main-floor restrooms. This will allow the City to verify that our plans will meet the state building code, and it will enable the contractor to procure the proper materials and install them correctly.
THIS YEAR, with the incidence of Covid-19 infections at a moderate level and a predicted high temp of 78° for Rosh Hashanah, we implemented a particular plan to provide reasonably healthful air for attendees at our High Holy Day services.
JUST IN TIME for the High Holy Day crowds, a pair of air purifiers was installed yesterday in our historic sanctuary’s HVAC system—one for each blower. These devices use needlepoint bipolar ionization (NBPI) technology, as described HERE—from when we were preparing to install one in our school building.
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| One of the new ion generators, mounted inside the forced-air unit (FAU) |
These ion generators are designed for a system that is up to 2.4 times as large as ours. That’s good, because our retrofitted system is only about half the size needed when the sanctuary is full of people. In other words, our air purifiers are properly sized for the space.
For links to evidence that the ions produced by this device are indeed effective at neutralizing airborne pathogens directly, see HERE.
ALTHOUGH SELDOM NOTICED, a plenum (shaft) runs from floor to ceiling through the lobby-level “Ladies Lounge.” (It continues through the mezzanine, too.) It’s behind the wall that is straight across from the door to the lounge from the lobby. What is it doing there?
Below the jump, this post discloses what’s inside that plenum—and why.
IN FEBRUARY 2023, I described the sanctuary’s HVAC system in this post. Just recently, I have revised three aspects of my earlier understanding. The newer picture looks like this:
Below the jump, this post describes and documents the salient results of what I learned from my recent explorations.…
OUR PROSPECTIVE CONSULTANT, a mechanical engineer, has observed that our restrooms have exhaust fans yet no clear way to replace the exhausted air. He believes that in order to approve our permit for expansion restrooms, the City might well require a dedicated source for intake air. (HVAC people call it make-up air, presumably because it “makes up” for the lost air that the exhaust fan is removing from the room.)
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| A typical restroom exhaust fan |
This raises the question: What is the best way to supply make-up air to our restrooms?
This question will eventually apply also to the basement restrooms, since they are likewise slated for eventual expansion. So let’s think about a comprehensive solution that will work for them, as well.
Below the jump, I offer a couple of cautions about one option that the architect has mentioned as being fairly normal. Then I outline a custom alternative that takes advantage of our building’s unique configuration [revised 9/10].…
AN EXPERIENCED H.V.A.C. CONTRACTOR submitted today a proposal for a two-stage HVAC system for the Social Hall. The installed cost of a ventilation system would be $28,000. Later, we could add heating and A/C for another $21,600, plus the cost of electrical work. Subtotal: roughly $50K.
I asked for this bid because the Ad-Hoc Committee on Capital Priorities recently named such ventilation one of its top five items:
“The Social Hall should once again become an integral part of Mishkon’s life. [It] needs new ventilation and heating.”
Below the jump, I describe the elements of the vendor’s proposal and discuss them, including related options.…
THE ST. JOSEPH CENTER recently donated several air purifiers to Mishkon.
WHAT IS ABOVE the exhaust grilles in the ceiling of our kitchen? The answer is important, as we move toward the necessary improvements to meet the current mechanical code for exhausting air from the room.
Below the jump, this post documents the existing exhaust system, with 7 photos (some with circles and arrows) and a diagram.…
I AM PLEASED to report that the air purification device described HERE was installed today.
Below the jump, I give links to evidence that the ions produced by this device are indeed effective at neutralizing airborne pathogens directly, quite apart from whether the resulting agglomeration is ever trapped by the system’s air filter.…
WE HAVE SELECTED the most appropriate air purification device for our school/office building. It is a NuShield-R, which is a compact unit—smaller than a cigar box. It uses needlepoint bipolar ionization (NBPI) technology.
It appears that we can count on the impending air scrubber to significantly reduce the airborne transmission of disease inside our school building — as long as the hallway doors are kept ajar, so that the air can keep circulating throughout the building.
Below the jump, this post explains this unit’s benefits and features.
ACCORDING TO OUR JANUARY 2019 Property Condition Assessment (PCA), our school building’s HVAC units (= furnace, A/C fan coil, and rooftop A/C condenser) were likely to need replacement by 2024. So for more than a year, I have been bracing for an equipment failure any day now.
Below the jump, I recount the ironic tale of how I learned this past week that we can expect many more years of life from our HVAC equipment in that school building.…
YESTERDAY I HEARD a suggestion that venting skylights be installed in the sanctuary. This idea has great potential, so I have been mulling it over.
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| For illustration purposes only |
Timing is critical. Because the roof membrane (surface) is slated to be re-covered relatively soon—summer 2025—this idea warrants immediate attention. If it were to be implemented at all, the skylights would need to be installed as the new membrane is applied.
To make that happen timely, someone would need to jump on this project right away.
Below the jump, this post briefly explores the venting skylight idea.…
OUR RABBI MAY WELL be the biggest beneficiary of the security windows that were installed in December. I’m not talking about protection from potential attacks. I mean on a more tangible, everyday basis!
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Below the jump, this post explains why I say so.…
RECENTLY WE RECEIVED an insurance settlement to cover repairs to the basement spaces that were damaged by water from a defective fire sprinkler. Given that we not only want to fix the torn-up walls but also create a space that we can readily use (and even rent out), what steps should we now take toward reviving the Social Hall, and in what order?
Below the jump, I sketch out an integrated approach—which represents my opinion alone. I am not speaking for Mishkon as a synagogue.…
MISHKON REPORTEDLY OWNS a huge kitchen vent hood that is presently sitting upstairs in the Powerhouse building. Hopefully, we may soon be striving to get rid of it, as part of concluding the sale of that building.
This is a long shot, but that hood might have some trade-in value (at a restaurant supply outfit) for the hoods that we ourselves need to procure. We need at least one of them — arguably two — as part of reviving our Social Hall as a space that we can productively use and perhaps even rent out.
This post briefly our hood-related needs, as they were outlined in the 2003 Historic Structure Report.
THIS POST is the 4th and last in a series of excerpts from our application last week for consideration for a grant award from the National Fund for Sacred Places, a non-profit organization.
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| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this post describes the time line of the grant program, our proposed scope of work under this grant, and the main components of our total fundraising goal.
A DEMO has now been installed in the school building, to show and test one way to improve ventilation and thermal comfort. It relies upon a simple hook-and-eye latch.
Below the jump, this post illustrates the demo and discusses its intended use.
IN THE WINTER, it’s a challenge to protect our worshipers from airborne illness while also keeping them warm enough, and while minimizing water damage to our facilities from rainfall. Fortunately, given the relatively temperate climate in Venice, we face this challenge only a few months of the year. Yet during those months, the situation requires active management.
The HVAC control interface via the internet
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)
Each week during cold weather, the trade-offs need to be weighed. Factors include predictions for the outdoor temperature, the wind velocity and direction, the amount of rainfall — and how prevalent and how severe the covid-19, flu, and RSV infections are locally.
Below the jump, this post discusses the challenges and trade-offs. It suggests some management guidelines, based on my experience last winter.
