If you have ever walked past High Rise or taken a drive down Granny White, you might notice a booming building with large smokestacks, constantly pouring steam into the sky.
Have you ever wondered what goes on inside?
The Steam Plant, one of campus’ primary HVAC facilities, serves as an important part of our community.
Dave Sutton, the HVAC supervisor on campus, gave me a look inside the Steam Plant, offering some insight into his job and the services offered by the large facility.
Sutton, going on eight years as the HVAC supervisor, oversees the Steam Plant, as well as other heat and ventilation facilities on campus. Sutton offered insight on what really goes on inside the Steam Plant.
“The main function for serving campus is just to provide heat and domestic hot water during the winter time,” Sutton said.
The Steam Plant is made up of different boilers, pumps, tanks and other machines. A water treatment facility also finds its home in the Steam Plant.
Modern advances in technology have allowed for automatic controls to monitor the boilers. Previously, a coal fire boiler was used to carry out the functions the current boilers perform.
“[The boilers] used to have to be manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now, we just do controls. We only have to check [the controls] twice a shift,” Sutton said.
Sutton must remain vigilant with his job in case of any on-campus emergencies regarding utilities.
“I’m pretty much on call 24/7, so I’ve been called in here numerous times in the middle of the night. When a boiler goes down or a pump goes out, I or one of our four other crew members take care of it.”
The Lipscomb University Crisis Management Guideline Summary features the Steam Plant as a point of contact in case of any problems concerning utilities.
In the event of a major utility failure occurring during regular working hours (8 a.m. through 5 p.m. Monday-Friday), immediately notify Facilities at ext. 1820 if phone communication is still available.
If there is potential danger to building occupants or if the utility failure occurs after hours, weekends, or holidays, notify Campus Safety at ext. 7600 and the Steam Plant at extension 1826.
If an emergency exists activate the building alarm.