The new air circulation system in Fraser Village is now fully operational.
Coastpro Contracting Ltd. (The General Contractor) fulfilled all its obligations under their contract with The Fraser Village Housing Society and received a certificate of completion in March 2012.
The certificate of completion means BC Housing and the engineering company responsible for the engineering aspect of the job go through a list of specifications and ensure everything is done properly.
Coastpro Contracting Ltd. explained the job was outsourced to them, a firm based in Vancouver, as BC Housing released a tender for the job, which Coastpro bid for and, ultimately, acquired.
Norma Malic wrote a letter highlighting the issues affecting tenants at Fraser Village after installation of the system didn’t go as planned.
“We received a grant, which was used to install a new heating and cooling system,” Malic explained.
The system, which was installed per the engineer’s specifications, was designed to be too powerful, which caused the engine to malfunction.
“When we turned the system on, it sounded like a plane taking off,” Coastpro Contracting said.
“It was misdesigned.”
The tenants, who had been asked to remove personal air conditioning units from their suites, were now left with scorching temperatures as the system was waiting to be fixed.
As the new system was being installed, the contractors cut the bottom of the tenants’ doors to improve the air circulation when the system would be completed.
Unfortunately, since the system was misdesigned, Malic showed concern for the colder months.
If the system wasn’t functional by then, she said, the gaps at the bottom of the doors would allow heat to escape the suites and potentially leave the suites too cold.
The heating and cooling system also lacked a control inside the buildings, so any adjustments had to be made by going up on the roof.
During the repairs to the system, thermostats were installed inside the buildings to make adjustments easier.
The engineering firm was contacted to be informed on the malfunction of the system, at which point they decided to make good.
The system has since been fixed with a smaller engine, more suitable for Fraser Village.
