As our campus winds down for the summer term, Energy & Water Services’ Mechanical Utilities Trades team, composed of Utilities Plumbers and Utilities Steamfitters has been busy ensuring safety and smooth operations during the University Endowment Lands (UEL) 16th Avenue water feed shutdown and District Energy System (DES) shutdowns on the UBC Vancouver campus.
University Endowment Lands (UEL) 16th Avenue water feed shutdown
Last week, University Endowment Lands (UEL) conducted regular maintenance on the 16th Avenue water main that supplies water to the UBC Vancouver campus. As a precaution, the Utilities Plumbers isolated this pipe and rerouted our water supply to minimize any potential disruptions.
A shout out to the Utilities Plumbers for seamless execution of the water feed shutdown. Their efforts ensured minimal issues while UEL and Metro Vancouver worked on the upstream 16th Ave feed. We are happy to report that not a single water quality complaint was received throughout the shutdown, which is truly commendable!
Major District Energy System (DES) shutdowns completed
Kudos to the Utilities Steamfitters who successfully completed three DES distribution shutdowns in under 14 days.
Completing a single shutdown in a month is no small feat, but completing three within two weeks is truly remarkable! The Energy & Water team started with a DES vent repair on Main Mall and Agronomy, followed by DES Valve replacements at The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, and lastly a DES valve removal at the Fred Kaiser Building.
They had to isolate multiple sections, safely depressurize and drain kilometers of DES supply and return piping, and carry out excavations for repairs, all while ensuring a smooth reactivation of the lines afterward.
Special thanks to Utilities Plumbing team: Roger Cerny, Bhupinderpal (Vic) Jammu, David Holbrook, Esteban Arratia, Jaspal Thiara & Roozbeh Kianpour; and Utilities Steamfitting Team: Michael Carroll, Steven Blackett, John (Tyler) Cudmore, Brett Harris & Norman Esplana. And last but not least, a big thank you to Kevin Phelan, District Energy System Process Specialist for coordinating all three DES shutdowns. Your commitment to maintaining the safety and efficiency of our campus is appreciated!