In 2015, a midwestern chemical manufacturer approached their local Superior Boiler representative, Energy Conservation, in their search for boiler room equipment for their manufacturing plant. After collaboration between the manufacturer and the representative, they decided a 750 HP Super Seminole boiler with a 300-psig design pressure was the right fit for them. The customer added a 2-stage condensing economizer and a flash recovery unit for optimal efficiency. They also chose to use Superior Boiler for their feedwater equipment, including a 1,230-gallon spray deaerator and a blowdown separator.

Energy Conservation worked with the manufacturer to get the boiler, the deaerator, and the blowdown separator installed. From there, the customer had steam flowing without any challenges.

Fast forward to mid-2022, the manufacturer, experiencing growth, sought to increase capacity. Since the company hadn’t run into any issues with the original boiler and they trusted Superior equipment, they returned to Energy Conservation for another reliable unit. In 2022, they chose an 800 HP Super Seminole to add to their facility, this unit also featuring a 300-psig design pressure.

By February 2023, the new boiler was installed next to the existing equipment, providing increased capacity and operational redundancy. The 2015 equipment remained in excellent condition, attesting to Superior Boiler’s reliability. The equipment will remain a reliable source of steam for the company for years to come.

Elevating Exhibit Preservation: The Cosmosphere’s Journey with Superior Boiler

Superior Boiler’s partnership with The Cosmosphere, a world-leading Space Museum, goes beyond traditional heating and cooling solutions. The museum, boasting the largest collection of Soviet artifacts outside Moscow, relies on Superior hot water boilers to meet diverse needs, from heating during winters to artifact transportation.

Responsive Collaboration

Superior Boiler’s exceptional responsiveness and in-depth product knowledge have made them a preferred choice for The Cosmosphere. The museum values this partnership not only for heating and cooling but also for other critical aspects of their operations.

Multi-Faceted Impact

The Superior hot water boilers serve as the backbone of The Cosmosphere’s operations, supplying hot water throughout the facility and ensuring comfortable heating during colder months.

Remarkably, Superior Boiler played a pivotal role in transporting the historic Liberty Bell 7, with a Superior Boiler-made container being a crucial element in bringing the artifact back to Kansas. Because it was sitting at 16,000 feet below sea level for 38 years, there was a risk of the space craft deteriorating while traveling from the Atlantic to the Cosmosphere. Superior Boiler, the Cosmosphere, and the Discovery Channel worked together to create a custom container that would prevent any additional deterioration to the aircraft. Today, the artifact is sitting at the Cosmosphere, restored and preserved for visitors from around the world to see.

Exceptional Longevity

The durability of Superior’s boilers is exemplified by the fact that the units installed in 1992 and 1996 are still in excellent condition. With an anticipated life expectancy of 25 years, these boilers have surpassed expectations, requiring minimal maintenance and providing unwavering reliability.

Reliable Support

The Cosmosphere emphasizes the invaluable support received from Superior Boiler’s parts department. When faced with questions or needs, the knowledgeable and friendly aftermarket team at Superior Boiler ensures prompt assistance, contributing to a worry-free experience for the Cosmosphere.

Superior Boiler’s enduring quality, reliability, and versatile applications have elevated the Cosmosphere’s capabilities. Beyond conventional heating, Superior Boiler equipment has played a crucial role in artifact preservation and transportation, showcasing the profound impact of a trusted partnership.

Though most boilers are housed indoors in a boiler room, not all boilers are. This could be due to a variety of reasons, such as space constraints, ventilation requirements, noise considerations, or several other factors. A Virginia-based gas plant approached our Superior Problem Solvers with this problem; they needed a boiler, and the units needed to be robust enough to be housed outdoors and withstand the elements.

Our Superior Problem Solvers got to work right away, trying to find the best solution for the customer. The Superior Boiler rep approached our sales team with this question. Together with the customer, the representative, and two Superior Boiler sales employees, the team started working together to come up with a way to overcome the obstacle. That’s when the team thought of a doghouse, designed to be a shelter for animals to protect them from elements. They wondered if the idea could be applied to keep the burners protected during harsh weather changes. The idea was then passed to the Superior Boiler engineering department, who designed an enclosure that kept the burner protected but allowed for start-up and repairs and included a heat release to prevent the system from overheating. For the boilers, the team decided the right fit for their facility and operations would be two hot water Apache units, each featuring a 400 HP capacity and offering the customer optimal efficiency.

The first crucial piece of designing these Apache boilers was to include stainless-steel insulation. This helps the boilers be more weather resistant and creates a jacket that will last longer when constantly exposed to the elements.

The next step in the design process was to create a structure to house the burners, manways, and blend pumps. Our engineers worked tirelessly to create a doghouse-like structure that would help protect all necessary equipment, making sure it was protected through rain, shine, or snow.

The final step to designing before it was sent to the manufacturing floor involved deciding on a configuration for the stainless-steel manway covers. These covers would prevent snow and water from pooling around each manway, providing the customer and their team access through all weather.

Once the design was complete and blueprints finished, it was time for our team to execute the plan. Though there were additional hurdles due to the unique nature of the project, our team took them in stride, working together to overcome any obstacle that came their way. Once complete, the Apache boilers headed to Virginia, where the local representative worked with the gas plant to get the equipment up and running. With the additional features to bolster the equipment’s strength and the doghouses to protect the burners, this Superior Boiler will be a reliable source of hot water for the gas plant for many years to come.

In the heart of Philadelphia, the aging heating infrastructure of the Philadelphia Housing Authority faced a critical juncture. Three outdated Kewanee boilers, the original units from the 1960s, were reaching the end of their operational life. One unit had been stripped to be used as spare parts, the second struggled to maintain functionality, barely limping along, and the third teetered on the brink of failure. The customer realized that they were long overdue for new equipment. Recognizing the urgency, All Trades Mechanical, the local contractor hired by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, knew a reliable and efficient replacement was imperative before the next winter hit.

The challenge existed not just in updating the outdated equipment but also in the extremely limited footprint of the existing boiler room. It was a tight squeeze, even for the old boilers, and there was no room for expansion. This is where Combustion Services & Equipment (CS&E), the Superior Boiler representative for the Philadelphia area, entered the picture.

Together, the team faced the dilemma head-on. Because the Kewanee boilers featured compact combustion chambers, replacing them while filling the same area posed a dimensional challenge. No standard boiler currently on the market would fit in the limited space. This included Superior Boiler’s Apache boilers which are known for their efficiency and feature a larger combustion chamber. The team needed to find a way to make the Apache boilers integrate seamlessly into the confined space without compromising performance.

Collaboration became key. CS&E worked hand in hand with Superior Boiler’s engineering team to craft a tailored solution. The Apache boilers were meticulously configured to have a compact footprint, ensuring they could slide into the limited space of the boiler room. To make sure the boilers fit through the door, the burners were shipped separately, and the skid was crafted to not exceed 122 inches. This made it the perfect fit for the entryway’s spatial constraints.

The installation process unfolded smoothly. The Superior Apache boilers were fired up upon installation, marking the beginning of a new era for the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s heating infrastructure. The winter months, often the most demanding for any heating system, became a testament to the efficiency and reliability of the newly installed boilers.

The collaborative efforts of All Trades Mechanical, CS&E, and Superior Boiler transformed a potential crisis into an opportunity for improvement. The Philadelphia Housing Authority now enjoys the benefits of a modern, reliable, and energy-efficient heating system, ensuring warmth and comfort for its residents.

This case study showcases the transformative power of innovative engineering solutions and collaborative partnerships. In overcoming spatial challenges and breathing new life into an aging heating infrastructure, Superior Apache boilers have become a beacon of reliability for the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

A steam separator, sometimes called a moisture separator or a steam drier, is a device used to separate the moisture from the steam in a watertube boiler steam drum. Without the steam separators, ‘wet’ steam would be released from the watertube boiler and create a multitude of problems during boiler operation and the following equipment, including decreased productivity and efficiency and increased erosion and corrosion rates. Because of this, steam separators are critical to a watertube boiler’s proper operation.

The primary steam separator, which includes panels, sometimes called baffles, located at the bottom and sides of the steam drum, works to separate the water by a mechanical separation process, before recycling the water back into the boiler as a part of the natural circulation process.

Typically, a watertube boiler, like those manufactured by Superior Boiler, has both a primary and secondary steam separator, working together to achieve 99.9% steam quality in the boiler, depending on the requirements set forth by a customer’s needs and process. Generally, the primary and secondary steam separators with the internal piping are all housed in the steam drum, a very confined space in the boiler with limited room to work and install internal equipment.

Why is a Steam Separator Necessary?

Steam separators are a vital part of steam watertube boilers to increase steam quality to the requirements dictated by the customer’s process. The steam quality produced by the boiler affects thermal efficiency and increases the likelihood of erosion in a production process. Decreased thermal efficiency creates the need for increased heat to maintain the required steam output. This increases the energy and operating costs required to run the boiler according to the facilities’ needs.

Wet steam also exposes a customer’s piping, steam valves, and other downstream equipment to increased risk of corrosion and erosion, leading to costly repairs and downtime. For superheated units that include the superheater integrated into the boiler, steam dryness is required to prevent internal corrosion and intercept solids before they carry over into the superheater, which can reduce heat transfer and cause tube failures. Any moisture content in the steam that passes through the superheater leads to rapid corrosion of the steam coils inside the equipment, decreasing the lifespan of the superheater and creating additional costly repairs to get the system back up and running.

The water particles found within the steam can also house dissolved solids, which can cause many issues in the following process. The dissolved solids carried in the steam may contaminate the process that follows, including but not limited to processes ranging from food manufacturing to brewing and distilling to the sterilization of equipment in hospitals and research facilities. The solid particles also cause steam pitting on steam turbine blades in electrical generation applications.

Though the steam separator is a key part of the watertube boiler’s ability to meet customers’ steam quality requirements, it can cause its own problems. During a typical installation, the panels are welded using a series of clips inside the drum at select locations and are aligned to holes on the panel. These are then fastened with bolts and nuts. Due to the space constraints of the steam drum, the process of securing the panels in and of itself is challenging and time-consuming, increasing production time and costs.

During regular operations, the fasteners used to secure the panels to the drum are submerged in water and prone to becoming fused together. This becomes an issue when drum internals have to be disassembled to provide access to the steam drum tubes, such as during yearly inspections and routine maintenance. Each year during inspections, the fused fasteners will have to be cut apart and then replaced upon completion of the inspection, increasing the time and costs required for the boiler’s planned downtime.

The design of the drum internals themselves is also critical to allow access for inspections due to the limited space of the boiler manways. Each panel must be able to fit through the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standard 12-by-16- inch manway while maintaining a size and weight that is manageable by a boiler maker in a confined access area, creating additional hurdles for innovations to the critically important steam separators. Most steam separators consist of one or two large panels that are welded to the boiler, creating extreme difficulties for a single boilermaker to remove and inspect the boilers.

New Design Addresses Previous Steam Separator Challenges

Superior Boiler’s new patented design for the primary steam separator maneuvers around the fastener and inspection obstacles. The improved steam separator design works to address fabrication and maintenance challenges by introducing a slide-on clip arrangement with the panels in lieu of the bolts, nuts and weld clips that were previously required. It takes advantage of gravity, drum geometry, and the weight of the panels to secure the panels to the steam drum. By using this design, no bolts or hole alignments are needed, and the amount of welding required inside the drum is significantly reduced. Superior’s patented design allows the use of smaller panels that, in combination with the slide-on clip arrangement, are easier to remove for inspection and maintenance. The innovative slide-on clip arrangement also reduces the shop installation and the field removal and installation time for the drum internals, which will save an end user time and money.

The DFW technology is the latest advancement in furnace design.

Superior Boiler has a long-standing tradition of being a problem solver in steam-generating solutions. Since its inception in 1917, Superior has moved the package boiler industry forward, first with its firetube boiler designs, then with its patented watertube boiler styles and, more recently, with its DFW patented heat transfer arrangement.

For decades, package boiler technology has remained unchanged, with the majority of advancements focusing on the burner and control components. Superior Boiler listened to the marketplace and, based on what it heard, designed a revolutionary package boiler design concept with its DFW design, announced earlier this year.

From tradition to technology

The combustion chamber/ furnace, which provides an envelope for fire from fuel combustion, is considered the critical component of a boiler. Traditionally, boiler furnaces were lined with firing bricks/refractory, which would require gradual heating and cooling to prevent cracking. These components also added significant weight to the boiler.

Advancements in furnace design were made to incorporate water-cooled tubes with minimal refractory lining. The tubes were arranged inline tangentially to create the combustion chamber walls. Less refractory significantly reduced the boiler startup time and weight.

The tangent tube design also aided with reducing the NOx emission due to greater heat absorption. However, it introduced a new issue of flue gas leaks into the convection section of the boiler due to tube expansion, causing gaps between the tubes after years of operation.

Further improvements were made to the water-cooled furnace design with the use of membrane tubes, the current industry standard for watertube boilers; a metal strip generally 1 inch wide is welded to either side of the tube, which is then joined to the next membrane tube, thus creating a gas-tight water-cooled furnace wall.

The furnace size of the boiler is dependent on the total steam desired, the type of fuel and the emission requirements. Lower emissions typically require generous furnace sizes to promote more heat absorption in the furnace, but also add to the cost of boiler materials and manufacturing.

The DFW technology is the latest advancement in furnace design. It was developed to address these challenges, with the added benefit of lowering the boiler’s operational costs. The DFW design incorporates a secondary, water-cooled heating surface in the furnace, resulting in increased heat absorption within the standard furnace volume. Table 1 shows the comparison between a standard boiler design and a boiler with DFW technology.

Table 1: Comparison between standard boiler and DFW technology boiler

The DFW technology can be applied to all Package boiler types, “A” frames, “O” frames, “D” frames, and even Superior Boiler’s “DS” frame design.

DFW technology delivers advantages to end users, including:

Overall, the patented DFW design creates significant advantages boiler footprint, weight, and costs. It takes a large step in the improvement of Superior Boiler’s watertube design. “This technology is a real game changer,” said Don Whitman, Superior Boiler’s vice president and general manager – watertube division. “We believe the DFW design, coupled with Superior’s long history of delivering quality boiler equipment, will only enhance the offerings available from our portfolio of products to end customers. We continuously strive to improve our processes, and being granted this patent is a visible reward for our team on this particular objective.”

Sundeep Bodapati is vice president of engineering at Superior Boiler. 

On November 15, 1954, Superior Boiler & Supply Co. (now Superior Boiler) of Hutchinson, Kansas, shipped its first registered National Board boiler. Over 60 years and thousands of vessels later, Superior Boiler is now preparing to ship its 20,000^th National Board-registered boiler.

History of the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors

The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, also known as NBBI, began in 1919. The National Board was created to “formulate uniform qualification and examination requirements for boiler inspectors to be used by all states.” Its goal was to regulate safety and quality standards used for boilers and pressure vessels and to standardize them across state lines.

The first National Board law passed in Kansas in 1953, the initial step toward starting the state’s own pressure vessel program. On May 16, 1954, H.E. Sangwin, Kansas’ chief boiler inspector, was approved as the state’s first National Board member. The National Board law was repealed in 1975, then reinstated in 1977. Superior continued to report to NBBI during that time.

Superior Boiler’s National Board #1 Boiler

In May 1954, Superior Boiler & Supply Co. began manufacturing a C-1 model boiler for Tomlinson Cleaners in Stafford, Kansas. On October 7, 1954, the 2-pass steam boiler was issued a National Board #1 registration number. Though this wasn’t the first boiler Superior had built, it was the first required to be registered to the National Board following the passage of the law in Kansas.

This 10-horsepower boiler had a small capacity compared to many boilers now but was an average-sized unit at the time. The boiler was welded, painted and tested, then shipped in November 1954, six months from the receipt of the order. Lead times have drastically improved since then, from six months down to 16 to 18 weeks for Superior’s Scotch Marine boilers.

The unit remained in operation for more than 40 years and was still in working order at the time Tomlinson Cleaners closed in the early 2000s. Following the company’s closure, the unit was returned home to Superior Boiler in Hutchinson, where it has remained as a key piece of Superior’s history.

Superior Boiler Issues National Board #20,000

More than 68 years later, Superior Boiler operations are still in full swing. The company has seen large growth, improvements and continuous investment in research and development. On December 6, 2022, Superior Boiler issued National Board #20,000 to a Wichita steam boiler. At over 13 feet tall, 25 feet long and 8 feet wide, the unit is large enough to fit the National Board #1 boiler inside its furnace.

The 2-pass wetback boiler features a 2,000-horsepower capacity and a design pressure of 200 psi steam. Sold by Mechanical Sales, one of Superior’s representatives, it will be heading to a Midwest soybean processing facility. “A repeat customer came to us with a project that required a significant amount of process steam,” said Luke Miller, Sales Engineer at Mechanical Sales. “The project required a solution that could be built in a brief period of time, be a well-built solution that would last many years, and be built with quality components that exceeded industry standards.  From engineering to manufacturing, the team at Superior Boiler can be trusted to overdeliver on those expectations by fabricating a solution made in the heartland.” The customer will use the equipment to create process steam as they create domestic, renewable energy for the biodiesel industry. The National Board #20,000 Wichita boiler will be paired with a twin boiler, a 3,300-gallon spray deaerator and a blowdown separator to complete the customer’s boiler room.

“We are honored to commemorate this major milestone in our company’s more than 100-year history,” said Superior’s President & CEO Doug Wright. “It’s a testament to the exceptional team members who have worked at Superior Boiler since the company was founded in 1917. The same principles exist today as then of delivering boilers with the highest-quality craftsmanship and providing exceptional customer service and support.”

Superior Boiler commemorated this milestone event with a company celebration beside the National Board #1 and #20,000 boilers. Employees took pictures, ate snacks and signed a poster as a tribute to this company achievement.

What started out as the perfect job, suddenly morphed into a perfect storm.

Anybody can look good when things are going well, but trust and respect are earned – and reputations validated – through rapid service response at critical times.

W. C. Rouse & Son, a boiler room equipment and service provider based in North Carolina, was awarded a contract to replace three aging water tube boilers at Presbyterian Hospital in uptown Charlotte. The hospital selected high efficiency Superior Boiler 750 HP Super Seminole High Pressure Scotch Marine boilers. The first two boilers were successfully installed and performed per specifications, and a third boiler was planned for future installation.

At this point, it was blue skies and vapor trails. Then came an approaching perfect storm which would be joined by an occurrence never seen before.

On Friday, December 18, 2009, a weather system with below-freezing temperatures and snow began to move into the Charlotte area. A painter working in the central energy plant of the hospital draped plastic sheeting over one of the newly operating boilers. The plastic sheeting was sucked into the fan causing the boiler to backfire. Human error. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the boiler maintained steam pressure, but there was significant damage to the gas train and trim.

This incident left the hospital dependent on only one functional boiler to fire the entire hospital with 18-20° temperatures forecasted for that night and throughout the weekend.

After consulting with W. C. Rouse & Son’s branch manager, a decision was made to not immediately repair the compromised boiler, but to ensure safety with a quicker solution – doing an emergency replacement with the third Superior boiler that was on the property awaiting installation.

The W. C. Rouse & Son service team immediately jumped into action by coordinating needed resources and an expert service team from their Charlotte, Greensboro and Columbia offices. They manned the job continuously from Friday to Monday morning – 72 hours straight, and they had fire in the third boiler on Sunday.

Result – the first Superior boiler fired at 100% continuously through the whole weekend, and patients, staff and visitors throughout Presbyterian Hospital were able to weather the storm without experiencing any disruption.

Scripps Mercy Hospital with campuses in San Diego and Chula Vista is known for providing outstanding care. They are now in the midst of a major expansion, which includes a complete new central steam plant that must meet the NEW strict Seismic regulations.

The initial plan called for the existing older style 350 HP dryback firetube boilers to be relocated from the old facility to the new central steam plant.

The hospital compared the cost of moving the older boiler with new Ultra Low NOx Controls against providing a new Superior Super Seminole boiler with factory packaged Ultra Low NOx Burners.

The higher efficiency provided by a new Superior wetback design and advanced controls allowed the hospital to qualify for generous rebates helping to offset the cost of the new equipment.

After a thorough economic evaluation, the hospital selected the new 350 HP Superior boiler with Ultra Low NOx Burners. In 2010, the boilers were emission tested by the local Air District.

As quoted from the installing contractor; “The boilers passed with flying colors, the NOx emission was less than 6 ppm through the tested firing range. There was virtually no CO in the exhaust as well.”

The North Little Rock, Arkansas Veteran’s Administration (VA) hospital underwent a major renovation and upgrade of their boiler room in late 2010. The existing boiler room was old and in need of upgrades to bring it up to the standards needed for future operations. Superior Boiler was consulted regarding what equipment would help modernize the facility and improve operating efficiencies to maximize energy savings. SBW’s engineering team proposed a complete system that included Boilers with Condensing Economizers, a Deaerator, and a Surge Tank.

Working closely with our area Representative, Energy Conservation Supply based out of Joplin, MO, the boiler and ancillary equipment chosen included the following:

• 3 – 750 BoHP Mohican, 4-pass wetback boilers designed to 200 psig steam
• 3 –Condensing Stainless Steel Economizers
• 1 – 51,750 lb/hr Spray-Type Deaerator with a tank capacity of 1,230 gallons
• 1 – 51,750 lb/hr Surge Tank with a tank capacity of 1,230 gallons

The Mohican boilers with the wetback design provide maximum operating efficiency and reduced maintenance costs over the life of the boilers thus reducing total life cycle cost considerably when compared to dryback boilers that use refractory material. The boilers packaged with the Webster Engineering burners offer optimum efficiency for their particular requirements. With the addition of the condensing economizers the boilers are equipped to operate at a higher efficiency than without them and provide for substantial future energy savings.

The boiler room at the North Little Rock VA is now a show piece and model for other hospital facilities. The boiler room is now in operation and will provide many, many years of optimum performance for the VA.

The Puck Building, built between 1885 and 1893, has been the center of SoHo even before there was a SoHo. It has been around for almost 130 years but defies its age. Taking up a block bounded by Mulberry and Houston Streets, it was designed in a Romanesque Revival style by architect Albert Wagner and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is well-known by its two statues of Shakespeare’s mischievous Puck on the exterior, a New York City landmark.

Originally, the building housed offices of the famous Puck Magazine which began publishing in 1877 and was owned by William Randolph Hearst. The building contains both residential and office space as well as ballrooms for large events on both the top and ground floors and a new high-end restaurant. The finishes at the Puck Building are incredibly impressive.

The entire building was updated recently by its owner the Kushner Companies, run by Jared Kushner. Along with his wife Ivanka Trump, Mr. Kushner personally handled the entire project. Among the changes were six new and refurbished penthouse apartments. The first penthouse was sold in 2014 for $28 million, or $4,500 per square foot. The largest of the six penthouses is a four- bedroom, 71⁄2-bathroom duplex with 7,241 square feet of interior space and 5,158 square feet of outdoor space that is expected to sell for $60 million. Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Bon Jovi have each checked out the units.

On the ground floor is a new high-end restaurant called The Chef’s Club, with 120 seats, where well-known out-of-town chefs regularly rotate through and contribute dishes to the menu. The concept was started last year in Aspen, CO., with the best new chefs selected by Food & Wine magazine. The Chef’s Club was designed as an open space dominated by a giant kitchen, with communal tables in marble and wood.

It is in this new restaurant, Superior Boiler has four Triad Series 1600 Low Pressure Steam boilers with gas-fired burners providing heating for the entire facility. The modular set up of four boilers is very efficient – during the spring and fall, it is expected that a minimal number of boilers, as few as one, will keep the space warm. This is much more cost effective than having to keep one large boiler firing.

Of the more than 150 buildings owned by Kushner Companies, Mr. Kushner considers the Puck as his favorite. “It’s a gorgeous building,” Mr. Kushner said, “I wanted to take an icon and not just preserve it but improve it.” Mr. Kushner anticipates that he and Ivanka Trump will move from Trump Park Avenue to a penthouse at the Puck sometime in 2015.

The Varsity in Atlanta, GA started in 1928 selling affordable meals to students at Georgia Tech and quickly grew into a fast-food institution. The world’s largest drive-in since the 1950’s, The Varsity’s menu has changed little since Frank Gordy opened its doors near downtown Atlanta. It has continually set records for its vast quantities of hot dogs, hamburgers, and onion rings served daily. The Varsity is where the term “carhop” was first used because servers hopped on the running boards to get orders quickly. In 1950 the restaurant had 100 car hops taking orders from customers in their cars.

Frank Gordy, who originally opened The Varsity, was a man with a $2000 nest egg and “million-dollar taste buds.” Through his dedication to superior quality, he gained a reputation that is known worldwide. The Varsity has hosted well known people from the entertainment industry, the sports industry, the Governor’s mansion, the White House, as well as visitors from all over the globe. Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all eaten there. Clark Gable ate their while waiting for the opening of Gone with the Wind. Even Elvis Presley dined there.

Today, the original Varsity has grown into a two-story restaurant with 8 sister locations and has truly become an Atlanta institution that still caters heavily to Georgia Tech students. On weekends when their football team is playing a home game, literally tens of thousands of people visit The Varsity. Each day two miles of hot dogs, a ton of onions, 2500 pounds of potatoes, 5000 fried pies and 300 gallons of chili are made from scratch.

The Downtown Atlanta location, which is situated on more than two acres and can accommodate 600 cars and over 800 people inside, had a very old boiler that was critical to their business. The old steam boiler was used for virtually everything, from steaming the buns, to cooking the hot dogs, to heating the chili, etc. It was decided that a new steam boiler was required, and that the way to go was with a small footprint Series 900 Steam Boiler from Triad, fired with a modulating burner.

This was a very compact boiler that easily fit into a tight location yet was simple and easy to install. There was no interruption to business, and The Varsity continued to march on.

Moriah Central School District is in northeast New York in the city of Port Henry. The district is composed of the Moriah Elementary School and the Moriah Central School which is a combined middle school and high school covering grades 7 through 12 with approximately 350 students. The school has been in existence since the mid 1970’s and the board decided to undergo a needed multi-project reconstruction.

After much analysis and deliberation, the School District ultimately chose a local engineering firm to provide services for a multi-project reconstruction. Synthesis is a multi-disciplined design firm providing architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, site and environmental planning, LEED Certification services, interior design, and graphic design services for civic, medical, municipal, educational, commercial, corporate, retail, institutional and residential projects.

Like their other projects, the engineering firm incorporated as many sustainable and energy conscious design features as possible. This focus on sustainability was important to both Synthesis and the Moriah School District.

Working closely with a building committee made up of the district administration, Board of Education members and members of the community, Synthesis thoroughly scoped the entire facility and provided long term solutions that reduced maintenance and increased durability. The scope included much needed renovations, including boiler replacement, ventilation improvements, complete auditorium upgrades, pool reconstruction, office reconfiguration, traffic safety & parking improvements, and more.

As part of this large project, Superior Boiler’s Triads were chosen for the boiler replacement. The heating plant ended up comprising seven Triad 2000 boilers; four units were just Space Heating Hot Water boilers while three units were Combination boilers which provide both Space Heating and Domestic Hot Water from each vessel.

Triad boilers are extremely rugged and utilize heat exchanger with a firetube design. Each Series 2000 Combination unit also has a very large 92 footlong copper coil, 1.5 inches diameter that is immersed in the boiler water. This is an indirectly fired “tankless” coil used to provide domestic hot water. Due to its large diameter and indirect firing, it is quite difficult to damage the coil. It can provide a large amount of hot water for applications such as kitchens, bathrooms and showers. The coil can also be used for swimming pool heating.

The burners were dual fuel units firing at 2,200,000 BTU to handle natural gas or no. 2 oil, depending on the need of the school. The entire system provided total output of 12,780,000 BTU.

The Moriah School now has a rugged system that is designed to last at least 30 years, while providing maximum efficiency due to the modular set up, especially during fall and spring.

It began with one of the many boiler seminars put on in Pittsburgh, PA. In the audience was Dan Judy, Facility Manager for Alderson-Broaddus College located in Philippi, WV.

Alderson-Broaddus was formed from a merger of Broaddus College, founded in 1871, and Alderson Academy, founded in 1901. It has been providing liberal arts education to students for over 130 years and has a well-deserved reputation as a first-class health-related and professional educational institution.

The school was suffering from the inefficiency and high maintenance costs of its old cast iron sectional boilers. They were also sooting badly, requiring frequent cleanings. Because several of the buildings had only one boiler that was at risk of going down, each building was in danger of losing heat and requiring that the students be moved to a new location.

The seminar explained the principals and advantages of a primary-secondary system as offered by Superior Boiler’s Triads. After the training concluded, Mr. Judy requested more detail about how this system could help solve his energy and maintenance problems. After talking to and visiting owners of several other Triad installations in the area, he decided to install a few Triad boilers in one building.

According to Mr. Judy, “The results were better than expected. The fuel savings were astonishing, and we went from mandatory monthly cleanings to boilers that did their job with barely any attention at all. I especially like the fact that with Triads there are no proprietary parts, and because they are modular boilers, the non-firing vessels provide back-up, so we never have to worry about going off-line”.

The installation list to date is impressive: Four 900’s in one residence hall beginning in 1995 followed up by six 900’s in the coliseum, four in another residence hall, and twenty-seven more 300’s installed throughout the rest of the campus in 2001, resulting in a total of 41!

Because many buildings were involved, the college was able to install the boilers gradually over time, or when funding was available. Installation was very simple because the boilers came with all the controls and the circulating pump mounted and fully wired.

There was no need to put cast iron sections together, which also means that pressure testing each boiler onsite was unnecessary, because all Triad boilers are pressure tested at the factory.

In 2005, eleven schools in Kanawha County, West Virginia were named Exemplary Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. While teachers and students were raising their academics, our representative in Pittsburgh, PA has been working with the head of the school system’s in-house facilities organization and the chief installer in lowering the school system’s fuel costs. This on-going project began in 1996. By 2005, forty Triad boilers have been installed in eleven county school buildings, including in the State Capital of Charleston.

At first, the department was reluctant to switch from the old hydronic and low-pressure steam heating cast iron boilers. Part of the hesitation was fostered by the school district’s knowledge of how expensive new equipment can be, knowledge gained by maintaining and installing all its own equipment. However, they also wanted to minimize on-going maintenance and reduce fuel costs. In looking for new equipment, their primary goal was to lower fuel costs while increasing the reliability of their heating systems. To ease the reluctance, life-cycle cost comparisons were worked up for each project by an independent consulting firm using design of experiments (DOE) software. The comparisons demonstrated the life-cycle cost advantage of Triad Boilers compared to the existing cast iron boilers.

After the first Triad installation was up and running, the district was sold on the real benefits and value. The new Triad boilers produced and delivered steam to the buildings much quicker than the old cast iron boilers, while demonstrating improved control of the temperatures, which resulted in the promised fuel savings.

Each of the projects presented individual engineering challenges met by our team and representative.

Several of the schools presented their own unique challenges. One building featured a very old Columbus warm air furnace that was large enough to walk in and required a conversion from forced air to hydronic. Working with Johnson Controls, the furnaces were left in place but disabled. Hot water coils were installed on the discharge for each unit producing a saving in heating costs of approximately 30%.

A different building required a steam to water heat exchanger for a new wing of the school. While yet another building’s needs used Triad steam boilers for one wing and hot water boilers for another.

The head of the school system’s in-house facilities organization commented; “The boilers are quite affordable, heat fast, and are very efficient. And I like the whole modular system…even if one boiler goes down, we always have heat because of the redundancy.” He also applauded the service he got from his representative.

The chief installer also commended the products, saying, “The boilers take less work to install than cast iron. We can finish quickly and get on to the next project. We are always shorthanded, so this time savings means a great deal. The Triad boilers have been problem-free since their installation.

Update: In 2012 the district underwent a large Phase II and added 33 more boilers to fifteen schools. This installation featured a wide variety of Triad boilers, featuring boilers ranging from small Series 300 Hot Water units to large Series 1600 Steam and Series 2000 Hot Water units, for elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. Kanawha County Schools now has over 73 Triad Boilers.

Merillat Industries, Inc. has been manufacturing quality cabinetry since 1946, and with manufacturing plants located throughout the United States and over 4,200 employees, the Company has grown to become one of the nation’s largest cabinet manufacturers and the number one builder-preferred cabinet.

Merillat Industries recently extended its production line. As part of this expansion, they ordered a very unusual Italian drying oven for a new facility but needed a way to heat it with hot water instead of steam. The Italian oven was needed as a finishing/drying operation for a certain line of Merillat’s cabinetry.

This presented a challenge for the company because this was the first time this type of drying oven was ever used in North America. Because of this, obtaining technical information was sometimes difficult. The oven was manufactured by a large European manufacturer, but, at the time, there were few detailed drawings or operating & maintenance manuals available to the North American installation team to allow for planning prior to the arrival of the oven.

Our representative in North Carolina was tasked with designing the entire heating system, including system drawings using two Triad 800-SH-HEP hot water boilers. These are extremely rugged, small-footprint boilers, each with an input of 800 MBH, fired by two gas burners. Boilers from Triad were the logical choice given their rugged and reliable design. The owners felt as if they were getting the design of a large industrial horizontal boiler, but in a very small package. Because this was an industrial application, Triad’s ruggedness was an important factor in the decision–very thick steel and 12-gauge firetubes.

Another benefit was that each boiler is only 22 inches in diameter. This allowed the units to be installed in an unobtrusive place in the facility, saving on valuable manufacturing space.

According to the representative, the first U.S. installation of the oven was a complete success. It is operating at 100% capacity, with the temperature regulating valve open approximately 33%, and the Triad boilers operating beautifully.

The oven manufacturer was so pleased that they installed another oven with Triad boilers at their Virginia plant and are planning to use Triad Boilers in future installations in their nationwide plants.

Modern Bakeries Company was established in 1997 to provide premium quality breads and baked goods produced to stringent international standards, which had not previously been available to the Egyptian consumer.

A market study on the quality of Egyptian bread showed a gap that Modern Bakeries filled by using state-of-the-art, fully automated, computer-controlled equipment. This is compared to the traditional methods where bread passed through many human hands prior to reaching the customer. The technology revolutionized the way bread was made and consumed in the country.

Today, Modern Bakeries, under the Rich Bake brand, provides thousands of Egyptian families with a wide range of bakery products available on shelves nationwide every day. Because its products are now so popular, Rich Bake has steadily expanded and has chosen to use Triad Boilers for production.

In 2008 Rich Bake approached Triad to purchase one steam boiler for their baking process. Steam is generally used to provide a glossy surface for crust, but also helps avoid cracking during baking. Ultimately the company chose the Series 1600 Steam boiler with a gas-fired burner. Rich Bake was pleased with it and, just two years later, another 1600 Steam boiler was ordered.

Modern Bakeries (Rich Bake) acquired Al-Faisal Bakeries, one of the main players in the croissant market, in 2013. With this acquisition, two more Series 1600’s were ordered. The company now has four Triad boilers assisting with their baking process.

Rich Bake is planning to extend its product range to include a wide variety of European products that will be new to the Egyptian market in addition to their traditional Middle Eastern baked goods.

Rich Bake has become the leader in the Egyptian bakery market by offering the highest quality, broadest range of product available – a much appreciated breakthrough for the consumer.

The Seaview is a phenomenal historic seaside resort located on 670 wooded acres along Reed’s Bayon the Jersey Shore. Situated just eight miles from Atlantic City and only 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, this elegant, turn-of-the century resort is easily accessible from several major metropolitan areas, yet provides a pristine, retreat-like setting. Seaview is southern New Jersey’s only golf and spare sort offering 36 holes of championship golf on two world-renowned historic courses; the links styled Bay Course or the challenging forest lined Pines Course.

The resort was founded in 1914 as a country club, hosting PGA events, presidents, and other prominent public figures.

Although steeped in history, Seaview boasts a tremendous array of modern amenities. The resort includes an elegant lobby, 270 well-appointed guest rooms, and 34,500 square feet of meeting and event space, including 21 meeting facilities. Also located on site are a health club, tennis courts, mini basketball courts, jogging trails, a fitness center, and a spa.

When the resort needed to replace its old heating plant, it turned to a nearby representative to come up with a steam alternative that would fit into a very small boiler room. The boilers were to provide space heating and heating for one of the pools.

Ultimately, four Series 1600 steam boilers were chosen which resulted in total output of 5644 MBH or 157HP.

Moving the equipment into the boiler room presented a unique challenge. Each boiler weighed 1700 lb and had to go down the old stairs to reach their designated space. To overcome this, the representative built a cart that carried each vessel which had to be tipped onto its back and lowered on to the cart. The cart was then slid down a temporary track overlaid on the stairs. The old stairs also had to have additional temporary support added beneath them. It was a very creative, interesting solution, and the boilers ended up fitting perfectly into the limited space.

The Hotel Mela is a modern boutique hotel with 230 guestrooms and suites centrally located right in New York City’s Times Square near the Theatre District. This sophisticated building was designed with a nod to both Italian and New York cultures. Guestrooms and suites offer all the comforts of home as well as state-of-the-art technology.

Throughout the hotel are references to the history of New York City. Artwork depicting some of the more famous landmarks adorn the hotel walls, such as Grand Central Station, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park. The hotel also has an exercise facility, an executive boardroom for meetings, and several large penthouse suites.

The Hotel Mela needed a new steam heating plant for some time and wanted something that was cost-effective, rugged, fit in a limited space, and was as efficient as possible. When they became interested in the modular concept, Triad’s steam boilers were introduced as an excellent fit. They chose to install six Series 900 Steam Boilers controlled by a Heat-Timer panel. Each boiler was fired by a dual fuel burner firing at 900 MBH.

Triad’s modular vertical configuration was the perfect fit for the rather small boiler room. The Triad Steamers replaced a large, very old boiler, and were easy to move into place, with all the controls wired and mounted. The dual fuel burners were mounted on the boilers after they were installed in place. Thus, the boilers did not have to be moved with the burners mounted. Rigging costs and onsite installation labor costs were kept at a minimum. Because the modular boilers are sequenced by a Heat-Timer control panel, only the minimum boilers are fired (based on outdoor reset). This has allowed the hotel to realize meaningful energy savings. No energy is wasted warming up one large, old, inefficient boiler, especially noticeable during fall and spring.

UPDATE: The boilers have been operating for six winters now and the hotel is quite pleased with the results. The Triad system has heated the facility well, while minimizing fuel costs.

The Triad is no stranger to great New York City buildings. A recent application was an elegant pre-war building designed and built in 1909 by architects George and Edward Blum.

The architectural partnership of the brothers George Blum (1879–1928) and Edward Blum (1876–1944) provided designs for some of the finest apartment buildings built in New York City in the early twentieth century. In the twenty years following the establishment of their partnership in 1909, at least 120 apartment houses were built according to their designs. Of these, The Rockfall Apartments at 545 West 111th street is one of the top five most notable buildings. It is highly regarded among both the historical and architectural communities of New York.

Located on the northeast corner of Broadway and 111th Street, it was recently meticulously renovated. It has a magnificently lobby, a newly constructed gym and a wonderful planted roof deck with views of the Hudson River and the historic Cathedral of St. John the Divine and is located in an incredibly vibrant neighborhood near gourmet grocery stores, great restaurants, schools and public transportation. This co-op building has 10 floors and 131 units. This is an incredibly nice building, with three-bedroom 1600 ft. apartments going for about $1,450,000.

As part of the renovation, the mechanical equipment was in desperate need of replacement. The owner and the engineer chose to go with four Series 2000 steam boilers with Low/High/Low burners firing at 1,600,000 BTU. These boilers are extremely compact and rugged, so they fit well into the tight boiler room. The owners were intrigued by the modular concept, the reliability of steel, and the fully assembled, “packaged” nature of the Triad boilers that came ready to fit into the very tight space, with no sections to put together.

Due to their modular design, these Triad Boilers will be very efficient for the owners, especially during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall where only a minimal number of boilers will be needed. This is vastly better than having to fire up a larger old-fashioned boiler during those less cold days. Also, when quotes for other products were reviewed it became clear that when all costs (including labor) were factored in, the Triad boilers were less expensive.

Back when Arizona was a territory and vigilantes ruled, John W. Weatherford arrived by horse and buggy with a grand vision for the West. Around the turn of the century, Weatherford threw open the doors of his grand hotel, doors that would welcome presidents and gunslingers alike to a civilized oasis in the dusty West.

Nearly 100 years ago, the local newspaper, The Coconino Sun, claimed the Weatherford to be “first class in every aspect”, a tradition and standard the owners continue to uphold. Since then, this fabulous building has housed Flagstaff’s first telephone exchange company, several restaurants, a theater, and a billiard hall. It has survived fire, harsh weather, two world wars and a planned demolition. In 1978, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The owner, Henry Taylor, a third-generation Arizona hotelier, has worked to restore, preserve, and maintain the historic Weatherford Hotel for almost 40 years. After many years of work, he is pleased that the Weatherford is authentically restored back to its pioneer beginnings.

President Theodore Roosevelt, publisher William Randolf Hearst, and lawman Wyatt Earp were among the hotel’s guests. Thomas Moran spent many nights there completing sketches of the western landscape in the early 1900’s. His depictions of the wilderness moved Congress to preserve such places as the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks.

Cowboy author Zane Grey, a frequent visitor, wrote Call of the Canyon while staying at the Weatherford. His early descriptions of the hotel lead the owner, Henry Taylor, to discover original fireplaces that had been covered with plaster and hidden in the walls.

The owners opted for Series 1600 Triad Steam Boilers due to their modular setup, the reliability of steel, and the fully assembled, “packaged” nature that came ready to fit into the very tight space, with no sections to put together. Because it is in the National Register of Historic Places, the owners needed to be careful that no damage was done to the building while installing the equipment. This meant that a compact size was very important.

Henry Taylor stated that “It has become something of our life’s work, this hotel. We enjoy sharing what we’ve managed with travelers and neighbors. But in the end it’s the history — the history of the place — that keeps us involved. We enjoy our position as caretakers of this grand old hotel, preserving it for the community, for Flagstaff, for the future.

It was a normal phone call until Logan Craig, the facility engineer for Parkway Towers, told our team about the boilers he had onsite. Mr. Craig had a simple question about his control panel, but soon revealed that he oversaw a twin 12-story complex in Chicago, built between 1963-1965, that still used the original system, consisting of 59 Triad boilers! They were housed in a penthouse atop each tower and provided heating and domestic hot water to the 281 apartments and offices, snow melt for the sidewalks, and 85° heating to the swimming pool. This amazed our team, as only 2 boilers were out of commission. All the others were operating perfectly after all these years!

The installation was in remarkable condition. Craig commented, “I inherited these boilers, and they never were babied when it came to maintenance. In fact, I think I gave them their first waterside cleaning in what must have been 10 to 20 years.”

Contributing to the longevity is the unusual ruggedness of Triad’s construction materials. Despite their small size, these vessels have 12-gauge firetubes rolled into 3/8” thick tube sheets, with a wall thickness of 1/4”. Any boiler replacement will be as simple as it was 40 years ago – using a hand truck, into the elevator, up to the penthouse, and through the 30” doorways.

“These boilers are like iron horses, very easy to maintain while still responding rapidly to changes in outdoor temperatures.” said Craig, “For me they are like Ron Popeil used to say, ‘You can set them and forget them!’”

These Triad Series 300 boilers are equipped with atmospheric burners firing at 300MBH connected via a primary / secondary piping system. Each boiler has its own circulator pushing water through the boiler, flowing back through the secondary supply piping and into the primary main to blend with the cooler return water. This single pipe system is elegantly simple, isolating each boiler from the primary loop and the return water, minimizing the effects of thermal shock, and negating the need for mixing valves that are commonly used in two-pipe systems. This system virtually eliminates standby and flue losses because the individual check valves prevent circulation of hot water through any unfired boilers.

Nine of the boilers are domestic hot water units each producing 270 gallons per hour at 100° rise. Similar to the comfort heating boilers, once demand exceeds 270 GPH, the next domestic hot water boiler is brought online. This sequencing of boilers contributed to their longevity, allowing for the modules to share the heat load over time. This results in a higher seasonal efficiency, since on mild days, only a few boilers are firing. In contrast, a single large boiler would have much higher standby losses because it would have to be kept warm.

Longevity is just part of this story. Looking back through its archives, Triad found that in 1965 this installation was the focus of a full-page industry ad touting “Triad Primary-Secondary System Will Return More Than $92,000 over 20 Years”. It is rare when a manufacturer gets to see if the claims it has made hold true 40 years later.

At the time of the print-ad conventional direct-fired units were installed in one tower to heat domestic hot water, while the other tower had the Triad system in place. Clock meters were installed on four boilers and a master meter recorded total hours of the test, and other meters recorded time of burner operation as each unit cycled. During the 120-day test the Triad System showed incredible standby savings of 175,220,000 BTU over the direct fired system.

In 1965, those BTU added up to $2,000 a year for heating and $650 a year for domestic water. The ad went on to say if the owners took those savings and invested them for 20 years at 5% interest, they would end up with $92,000.

Little did they know that natural gas prices would have increased by a factor of twelve and that those boilers would still be operating in 2005!

Our team estimates that over this 40-year period, Parkway’s actual fuel savings have been more than $450,000.

Sometimes it takes a while to get a great application, but this perfect Triad job was well worth the three-year wait. The Jackson-Gore Resort, in Ludlow, VT, is a new 250,000 square foot full-service condo/hotel that includes 117 residential units, a 390-seat cafeteria, a 280-seat lounge, and a 210-seat restaurant built to accommodate skiers both day and night. The development also includes a conference center, childcare/learning center, a ski rental and repair shop, a fitness center with an indoor/outdoor pool, sauna, steam room and locker rooms, and a 113-car underground parking facility.

But most importantly, Triad boilers are behind all this quiet comfort.

This resort is a wonderful addition to the area. The original vision of the architect was to mirror the warmth and grandeur of the old classic resorts that were built nearby during America’s golden age – only with all the amenities available today. The exterior clapboard and stone facade feature balconies and rooflines that give Jackson-Gore an elegant presence within the mountain setting.

This is one job where Triad boilers were used for every application—comfort heat via a closed loop heat pump system, domestic hot water, high temp water, snowmelt, and swimming pool heat. The engineers, architects and owners were impressed by the breadth of duty provided by the Triad units.

Phase One used fourteen Series 900 Triad boilers, with Phase Two of five more expansions already on the table. On final completion, Jackson Gore will include 16 trails, 4 lifts and a gondola, a 30% increase in ski able terrain, and a complete base facility and services, heated by additional Triad boilers.

This job had been in the planning stages for years, with bids constantly going over budget, until our team brought together everyone’s concerns—for cost, quiet and dependability—by using the Triad boilers.

The Watermark at 3030 Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut is an incredible Retirement Community located on a 14-acre campus in Fairfield County. With a new $47M state of the art health center, a large modern dining facility, and an active wellness center, this campus redefines senior living. The beautiful facility of The Watermark at 3030 Park is one of the most sought-after retirement communities in the area.

The Watermark at 3030 Park is part of a larger company, Watermark Retirement Communities, that was founded twenty-eight years ago in Tucson, AZ and now includes thirty-three facilities nationwide. As industry leaders, the company has received numerous peer awards and has pioneered exciting initiatives and services that are revolutionizing elder living.

The Watermark was in desperate need of a new heating plant, so a local contractor company was hired to execute a turnkey project to remove the old boilers and design & install new boilers.

The facility currently contained three old, large horizontal firetube steam boilers. Each was gas-fired with an input of 14,215 MBH for a total of 42,645 MBH. Two of the boilers were removed, with the third left in place during the new installation for domestic hot water purposes via an indirect heat exchanger. This third boiler has since been taken offline and will be removed later.

The new heating plant consists of eight Triad Series 1600 Low Pressure Steam boilers firing natural gas at 1,700 MBH. The Triads are being controlled by a heat timer, which has proven to be a very efficient solution.

Two of the eight 1600 steam Triad boilers are being used for domestic hot water through the heat exchanger. This means that one or two 1,700 MBH boilers will handle domestic hot water, depending on the need, versus previously where one large 14,215 MBH boiler was required. They also had to remove one of the two 1,000-gallon tanks due to leaking. The contractor calculated that only one was required to carry the load—which has proven. For domestic hot water, the load is being carried with a total of 3400 MBH with one 1000-gallon tank that formerly used 14,200 MBH with two tanks totaling 2000 gallons.

Shortly after the boilers were installed in 2013, and before the heating season was in full swing, the Watermark’s gas bill for domestic hot water usage was down 50%.

Madison Lutheran Hospital, located in Madison, MN, was originally known as Ebenezer Hospital, established in 1902 under the auspices of the Norwegian Lutheran Church. Until 1914, it was the only hospital available between Minneapolis and Watertown, South Dakota.

By 1948, the name was changed to Madison Hospital but continued to operate as an independent, private, not-for-profit hospital relying solely on fees for services and donations to sustain it. This hospital and nursing home has been serving the community for 60 years. In 1990, after two years of planning and legal work, the Madison Hospital became part of the Madison Lutheran Home.

The Madison Hospital offers medical, surgical, obstetrics, nursery, coronary, and emergency services around the clock. In addition, in-patient and outpatient services are offered in the areas of Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy, laboratory and x-ray, and pharmacy.

The Madison Lutheran Home has seen many changes. Once a 176-bed nursing home, Madison Lutheran Home witnessed a declining population in the Madison area. With the change in demographics, newer residents also had higher expectations of nicer, private rooms and a more home-like environment in which to live. Because of this, in 2004, the Madison Lutheran Home embarked on a major capital improvement plan, which included transforming many of the double and semi-private rooms into private rooms.

Certain rooms were removed to create more space for activities and for restorative care. Many cosmetic updates were made to the interior by providing more modern eating and lounge areas. With all the remodeling and the vision to turn the once, institutional looking nursing home into a modern home for the elderly, Madison Lutheran Home is now licensed for 87 beds.

As part of the updates, the boiler system required replacement. The facility opted for Triad’s modular system of dual fuel boilers. Hospitals are required to have access to two fuels, so Triad was a perfect choice. What was finally selected were five Series 1600 Hot Water Space Heat boilers complete with dual fuel burners. Each of these boilers can handle an input of 1,700,000 BTU for a total system input of 8,500,000 BTU. Because these are modular boilers, they are very efficient during the fall and spring, when fewer vessels will be firing. The modular design heats the entire facility while allowing maximum efficiency to allow the use of the minimum number of vessels needed to maintain the temperature.

Mayo Clinic developed gradually from the medical practice of a pioneer doctor, Dr. William Worrall Mayo, who settled in Rochester, MN, in 1863. His dedication to medicine became a family tradition when his sons later joined him. That teamwork in medicine is carried out today by more than 55,000 doctors, nurses, scientists, students and allied health staff at Mayo Clinic locations in the Midwest, Arizona, and Florida. The Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated not-for-profit medical practice in the world, employing more than 3,800 physicians and scientists and 50,900 allied health staff and spends over $500 million a year on research.

The Mayo Clinic Health System in Springfield, MN was established in 1958 and became a part of the Mayo Clinic Health System in January 1998. Springfield is a small town located in Southern Minnesota. This clinic is very vital to the small community.

It was clear that the clinic needed an upgrade, considering its long history. Quality critical access hospitals that attract and retain skilled health care professionals are vital to the quality of life in smaller towns such as this one. This multi-phase project transformed a 1950s hospital into a modern medical center. The architect devised a critical access hospital concept designed for efficiency, flexibility, and patient-centered care. This included seamless integration of new construction with the existing facility and was accomplished as funding became available.

The clinic still had the original boiler from the 1950’s that was too large and very inefficient. Fuel costs were high, and maintenance a headache.

The project required replacing a single large boiler, but they wanted to incorporate a modular concept to increase their efficiency while maintaining dual fuel capabilities. Triad was chosen for the project because it filled all these requirements.

Ultimately, three Series 1600 Hot Water Boilers were installed with a total input of 4,800,000 BTU firing on natural gas. The burners used had the option of low/high/low firing. The entire system was controlled by a control panel utilizing outdoor reset and careful monitoring the building loop. This modular system is set to realize very strong efficiencies in the fall and spring.

Lea Regional Medical Center is in Hobbs, New Mexico, just three miles east of the Texas Panhandle.

The 201-bed facility serves Southeastern New Mexico and the West Texas Region. Lea Regional Medical center provides services including Inpatient and Outpatient Surgery, Diagnostic Services, Labor & Delivery, Pediatrics, Physical Therapy, and so much more.

The experienced medical staff of nearly 500 nurses and support staff and more than 75 primary and specialty care physicians offers an array of medical specialties and surgical options and is dedicated to delivering quality healthcare.

The facility also has a beautifully remodeled women’s services and maternity unit, and the area’s only 30-minute emergency room pledge. In addition, Lea Regional operates PROS, a physical, occupational and speech therapy clinic, and the Center for Industrial Medicine, an occupational medicine and urgent care clinic.

As part of a remodeling effort, the Medical Center hired a nearby contractor to manage the process. Part of the project was a large boiler replacement, so the contractor chose Triad because they wanted to incorporate a modular concept for efficiency reasons but also needed dual fuel capabilities, a requirement for this hospital application.

The fact that the contractor had worked with Triad directly in the past on projects in other parts of the country was an important factor in the selection process.

Ultimately, four Series 2000 Hot Water Boilers were installed with a total input of 8,000,000 BTU firing on either gas or #2 oil. The burners used were dual fuel with modulating firing. The entire system was controlled by a control panel utilizing outdoor reset and careful monitoring the building loop. This modular system is set to realize very strong efficiencies in the fall and spring.

Sports Authority is one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the United States, operating more than 460 stores in 45 states under the Sports Authority name. In downtown Chicago, there is a store right in the primary tourist area, just a short walk from the Magnificent Mile, the best shopping in the Midwest. The store has eight floors of sporting goods, but more interesting, it has a Chicago sports Wall of Fame that include handprints of some very famous athletes, including Michael Jordan and Walter Payton. The handprints make this store a tourist attraction unto itself.

The building, which is more than 100 years old, was retrofitted with three Series 1600 Low Pressure Steam Boilers firing gas at 1600 MBH with modulating burners.

Triad’s modular vertical configuration was the perfect fit for this very compact basement boiler room. They replaced a large, very old boiler, and were easy to move into place, with virtually all the controls wired and mounted. The burners were then very simple to mount on the boilers. Rigging costs were kept at a minimum.

The building has realized savings because the modular boilers are sequenced by a control panel which fires only the minimum boilers based on outdoor temperature. No energy is wasted warming up one large, old boiler. This is expected to really make a difference during the fall and spring. Additionally, even though the Triads are smaller boilers, their construction is very similar to the larger firetube boilers that were being replaced.

In other words, the Triads are extremely rugged and can be expected to last many more years than other types of small modular boilers.

The store manager loves the boilers due to their simple operation, ease of maintenance, and lower gas bills.

When it was time for the John C. Stennis Space Center to replace all its absorption chillers during the 1990’s, the need for a more efficient, economical system became apparent. It was also clear that the cost to maintain and operate the existing boiler plants for these chillers exceeded the cost of complete chiller replacement.

The Stennis Space Center, built in the 1960’s, is NASA’s second largest, occupying 13,480 acres on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Its principal mission is to support the Space Shuttle’s main engine development and flight certification engine firing test program. Because of the critical nature of the center’s missions, precise instrumentation and comfortable personnel environments had to be constantly maintained. When the site was built nearly 30 years ago, two main boiler plants were installed, one in the base area, and the second in the test area. These boilers generated high-pressure water used for heating, reheating and absorption cooling. When the chillers were replaced, the need for the high-pressure, high temperature water dropped substantially, and the underground piping network was beginning to deteriorate.

The solution was to decentralize the boiler system by installing Triad modular gas-fired boilers throughout the site. These modular boilers could easily be installed in phases over several years, provided inherent redundancy, and eliminated the need for the high maintenance underground piping system.

The danger of open flame boilers in combination with the potentially explosive liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fuels in the engine testing area was an area of concern. A previous engineering study had identified an existing water well that could produce large amounts of warm water. This warm water was the perfect candidate for use as source water in a geothermal heat pump application for the challenging test area.

The successful compatibility of Triad modular boilers working in league with geothermal heat pumps satisfied the requirements of providing precise, dependable temperature control for this vital facility, including the delicate conditions of the engine test area. Another measurement of the success of the project was the amount of energy saved. In the test area alone, heating costs were reduced from $122,200 to $30,700 with a 78% total BTU usage reduction for the entire facility. This equated to an estimated savings of $3.0 million over the 20-year life expectancy of the equipment.

The Meadowlawn Plaza Apartment Complex in Mitchell, South Dakota was constructed in 1972 as a HUD (Housing and Urban Development) project providing 118 apartments for low-income elderly independent living. In the 1960s and 1970s, HUD helped spark the production of millions of units of privately-owned apartments for elderly, handicapped and lower income Americans. In the 1970s, when soaring inflation and energy costs threatened the survival of thousands of private apartment buildings and limited the development of new ones, HUD was the moving force behind housing projects in almost every small, medium, and large city in the United States.

The Meadowlawn Plaza Apartments project, like many others, had original specifications calling for twelve Triad Series 300 space heat hot water heating boilers and four Triad Series 300 combination heating and domestic hot water boilers to be evenly distributed in two separate boiler rooms. These boilers were chosen because they save space while providing comfort with heating and domestic hot water from one vessel.

In keeping with the Triad boilers’ well-known longevity, this system provided heat and domestic hot water to the facility for 24 years, until 1996, when a single small leak developed in the internal heat exchanger of one of the original domestic hot water boilers.

A nearby contractor had been involved with this facility since 1995 and continued to provide service for the facility under an annual contract. The solution to the leaking boiler was simple–as the original sixteen boilers were still in place, but with their original atmospheric burners, it was decided to replace all of them with the new model Triad Series 300 with space heat and combination space heat and domestic hot water capabilities with more efficient power burners.

Since the piping arrangement on these boilers had remained the same over the past 25 years, the installation was very simple and cost effective. Each boiler room also had a lead-lag sequence panel installed to control the sequencing of the boilers based on outdoor and return-water temperatures.

The dependability of the original systems combined with the simplicity of replacing “like for like” equipment was an easy sell to the mechanical engineer and owner. Both had been very happy with the performance of the original Triads and impressed with their uniquely rugged construction. The 12-gauge firetubes and 3/8” thick tube sheets held up well for all those years.

The Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company is an insurance company that operates in 12 states throughout the Midwest, reinsuring nearly 300 mutual insurance companies with a 53% market share. It provides reinsurance to the farming, residential, and business communities, and it also insures cars, homes, and recreational vehicles. It was founded in 1909 with roots that can be traced back to the mid-1800s. The company is still based in Grinnell, IA in a 180,000 sq. ft. facility with over 700 employees.

The company has been in the same building since 1961. The heating plant consisted of 10 old, hot water boilers firing # 2 oil. Grinnell Mutual contacted the local rep in the fall of 2007 to look at the project and provide a quote to replace the system. The representative suggested the installation of 10 new Triad Boilers, consisting of five Series 300 space heat boilers firing at 399MBH and five Series 900 space heat boilers firing at 900MBH. Replacing the old boilers was a good opportunity for Grinnell to get rid of the hassles of firing with oil, and instead switch to cleaner burning natural gas.

Installation of the equipment started in the spring of 2008. Due to the compact nature of these boilers, the entire process was simple. With the boilers ready in plenty of time, initial startup of the boilers was completed in fall of 2008.

John Guthrie, the Chief Engineer for Grinnell Mutual, was very happy with the new Triad boilers due to their simplicity of operation and extremely rugged design. An independent energy company stated that the Triad boilers were more efficient than advertised, calculating the energy savings for installing the units at nearly 432 MBTU per year.

Grinnell Insurance is pleased because due to the efficiency of the boilers they received a rebate of $6,965 from their utility, Alliant Energy.

The Candler Building, located at 119 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia, was built in 1906 and personally developed by the wealthy businessman and philanthropist, Asa Candler, who founded Coca-Cola in 1888. This building has set the standard for downtown Atlanta for over 100 years.

The 17-story, 220,000 sq. ft. building was Atlanta’s first major architectural mark in the 20th century and was the city’s tallest and best-equipped office building for more than 20 years. The building still functions as office space for some of Atlanta’s most prominent law and real estate firms.

This Neo-Renaissance building has rare details consisting of brass, marble, Tiffany glass, and mahogany accents. It has an elaborately carved facade and stunning lobby with marble busts, ornamental friezes, and hand-carved mahogany elevator cabs.

In 1977, it was placed on the National Register of Historical Places and designated a Landmark Building by the City of Atlanta, meaning that it is “of exceptional importance to the city” and that its “demolition would represent an irreparable loss to the city.”

After a more recent renovation program, The Candler Building once again provides a prestigious location with state-of-the-art building systems inside historic architecture.

Triad Boilers were part of this upgrade. Six Series 900 space heat boilers with gas-fired burners with input of 900,000 BTU are used to heat the building. The total input of the Triad heating plant is 5,500,000 BTU. The boilers are monitored and controlled by a control panel with outdoor reset to maximize the efficiency of these modular boilers.

Undoubtedly one of the finest high-rise structures in the Central Business District of Atlanta, the Candler Building is an outstanding example of early twentieth century architecture. This building is not only a work of art, but also a testament to Asa Candler, who wanted it to “last for centuries”.

The Hyde Park National Bank Building was built in 1928 as a community bank to serve the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago, IL. When opened for business in 1929, this 10-story structure was the largest bank building in Chicago outside of the downtown loop. The building was designed in a classical revival style with art deco ornamentation.

The Hyde Park Bank was built to be a pillar of its Chicago neighborhood. Like other banks built before the Great Depression, Hyde Park Bank was designed to serve as a multi-purpose facility, with the building’s frontage rented out to retail stores, public space occupying the interior of the first floor and all the second floor, and other offices set aside for professionals such as physicians and lawyers.

Originally constructed for $2 million, the bank opened six months before the 1929 Crash. This caused it to fail in 1932. Another bank soon occupied the space, and to this day, the structure is still used for banking. The building has since been designated a Chicago Landmark by the mayor and the Chicago city council.

Hyde Park Bank underwent a major renovation in 2005 that reestablished it as the Southside’s premier office location and adapted the historic hall as a viable space for banking services.

On the interior, the lobby, grand stair, and the second-floor main banking hall were renovated. The old space was vast, impersonal, and dark, but the new space combined modern materials with existing ornate surfaces. On the exterior, stone facades, bronze screens, and storefronts were restored.

In 2013, the Bank’s heating plant was in serious need of replacement. The plant consisted of two very old steam boilers totaling 14,000,000 BTU that were past their prime and quite inefficient. A local rep along with the installing contractor determined the best solution was five Series 2000 Steam Triad boilers. Each boiler was fired with a modulating gas burner, each with an input of 2,000,000 BTU for a total of 10,000,000 BTU.

This modular setup is controlled with a control panel and expansion board designed to bring the boilers on in parallel to allow them to modulate up to a desired pressure. Then, individual units are dropped off when steam pressure is satisfied, resulting in the fewest number of boilers maintaining steam pressure.

This results in a much more efficient system than heating two large boilers and allows for redundancy, allowing individual vessels to be taken offline for maintenance or repair.

The boilers performed very well in their first season. During a record Chicago cold spell during the winter of 2014, when the temperature hit negative 15°F, with wind chill of negative 45°F, only four of the five boilers, on low fire, were needed to keep the building warm. Management is very pleased with the results here.

Michelin North America, with revenues of $7.25 billion, manufactures and sells tires for airplanes, automobiles, farm equipment, heavy duty trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and space shuttles. The company has been a part of the North American tire industry since 1907. To consolidate its headquarters, operations, and manufacturing, Michelin relocated to Greenville, SC in 1988 from New York where it had been since 1950.

Its headquarters building is an incredible 150,000 sq. ft. facility on a 14-acre site. Over the years, it has become somewhat of a landmark in Greenville. A year after the move, Michelin purchased the Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire Company, making it the largest tire company in the world. The headquarters also act as the company’s training center for the company sales force and dealer sales personnel from around the country. Nearby are other Michelin facilities for R&D and manufacturing.

In North America alone, Michelin now operates 18 plants and employs 22,270. Tires are manufactured in Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and South Carolina, plus three plants in Canada and one in Mexico.

At Michelin’s headquarters, Triad has eight Series 900 combination space heat and domestic hot water boilers firing natural gas that are working for the entire facility. Each boiler has an input of 900 MBH, with a total heating plant capacity of 6300 MBH.

These combination boilers perform two functions from one vessel. The boiler water is used for comfort heating of the workspace environment, and a large 1.5” diameter, 95” long copper coil is immersed in the boiler water to generate domestic hot water. These indirectly fired coils provide potable hot water for the bathroom sinks. These rugged, simple yet versatile boilers are controlled by a control panel to maximize fuel efficiency.

In 2012, Volkswagen/Audi held a grand opening celebration of two new flagship dealerships in New York City. The $135 million financing was Volkswagen’s largest investment in a dealership real estate project and is part of the company’s continued growth strategy for the United States.

Strategically located on 11th Avenue, the ultra-modern dealership is comprised of two fully integrated buildings, spanning 265,000 square feet. Each dealership consists of a main floor showroom with 17 Volkswagen and 35 Audi service bays. The Volkswagen showroom features its White Frame design concept which provides a visual framework that highlights the brand’s identity. Audi’s Terminal design showroom features performance, luxury, and environmental themes.

As part of this new project, heating plants were needed for each building. The original 1930s structure was heated with steam, and the new building was to be heated with hot water. The New York engineering firm chose the Triad boilers due to the compact design of the steam and hot water boilers allow for the maximum amount of floor space in the showroom and service bays and require minimal space for the boiler room. The local rep completed the sale. The original building now has four Series 1600 steam Triad boilers (1600 MBH) each fired with a modulating gas burner. The new building utilized two Series 2000 Hot Water Triad boilers (2000 MBH) each fired with modulating gas burner, and one Series 1600 Hot Water Triad boiler. Each bank of boilers was controlled by a control panel.

Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, of Volkswagen Group of America, and Scott Keogh, President of Audi America, both visited the new Volkswagen flagship and stated that “this stunning Manhattan flagship location is yet another step toward Audi’s goal of becoming the number one luxury automaker in the U.S.”

The history of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, a Victorian Conservatory in South Park, Buffalo, NY, spans over 100 years. When built, this historic landmark was the third largest public greenhouse in the United States and the ninth largest in the world. It was the product of three visionaries: landscaping architect Fredrick Olmsted, architect firm Lord & Burnham, and botanist John F. Cowell. Today, this tri-domed façade, holding fifteen different rooms, still sparkles like a diamond on a green velvet cushion and draws an estimated 150,000 visitors annually. Today, there are less than a dozen Victorian conservatories remaining in America, and this is one of only two with the tri-dome design.

What was not originally envisioned were the fuel costs associated with heating this “Crystal Palace of Plants.” When natural gas and oil costs rose to record levels in 2005, Erie County officials turned to Siemens Building Technologies to perform an energy audit and make recommendations to improve efficiencies. Working with a local design engineer, a mechanical contractor, and the representative in the area, the group proposed replacing three large 1950’s firetube boilers with thirteen Triad Series 900 Hot Water Boilers with gas/oil power burners.

Controlled by new efficient infrastructure provided by Siemens Building Technologies, hot water is sent to each zone from its individual boiler on demand. The boilers are cross circuited to provide redundancy, and any boiler can be taken offline for maintenance without affecting the responsiveness of the system.

Most importantly for the county, savings began on day one. The Triad boilers’ modular vertical configuration was the perfect fit for the old mechanical room that had little space for equipment. The boilers were installed easily without the need for expensive rigging or demolition. The double-digit fuel percentage savings that began at start-up can be relied upon to last well into this building’s long future.

The local representative commented, “These boilers went in easy, started up quickly, and worked like a charm.”

The original architect would be proud to see their masterpiece still providing efficient comfort and exquisite beauty to its visitors during the coldest of Buffalo winters.

Superior boilers are no stranger to great New York City buildings. A recent application was at 11 West 19th Street. This impressive 11-story commercial office building is one of the most handsome side-street commercial properties in the Chelsea-Flatiron district. Built in 1902 and containing 280,000 square feet, it has an elegant, rustic facade with arched windows on the second, ninth and eleventh floors, three string courses and a robust cornice.

This building was recently acquired then immediately renovated. When the former owner initially conceived of selling the property, it anticipated that the highest price would come from investors wanting to convert it into a residential space. This was especially a possibility since the property was more than 40% vacant and even more leases were due to expire within the near term.

However, the ultimate buyer recognized that the surrounding commercial office market was strengthening faster than the residential market and planned on upgrading the property and reintroducing it as a higher quality office space.

The building underwent a major renovation, including a new lobby with 20-foot ceilings, new elevators, and new mechanical equipment. This included four Series 1600 Low Pressure steam boilers with dual fuel burners firing at 1,600,000 BTU with fresh air intake adapters for makeup air.

The modular set-up of four boilers will be very efficient for the building. During the seasons of spring and fall, it is expected that a minimal number of boilers, as few as one, will keep the building warm. This is much more cost effective than having to keep one large boiler firing.

With large full floors of 26,000 square feet and entrances on both 19th and 20th Streets, this beautiful building offers convenient access to many restaurants, shops, and modes of transportation. The building’s prestigious tenant roster includes Time Warner, Nautica, Epsilon Interactive, and Tory Burch.

This purchase, renovation, and upgrade is expected to generate a nice return for the owners, and Triad was pleased to be a part of this.

St. Adalbert’s Basilica is a beautiful turn of the century cathedral located in Grand Rapids, MI. Construction of this incredible structure began in 1907, when the cornerstone was laid. It was completed in late spring of 1913 for a total cost of about $150,000.

St. Adalbert’s parish originated with a small group of Poles who settled in St. Paul in 1870 and formed the St. Adalbert Aid Society in 1872. At that time the purpose was to assist new immigrants in settling in the area, finding housing, and employment. In 1879 the parish bought the wood frame Church of St. Louis from its French speaking congregation to have a meeting structure. After construction of this Basilica was completed in 1913 the original wood structure was moved on horse-drawn wagons to Belmont, Michigan to become the parish church there.

Basilica comes from the Greek meaning “royal” or “house fit for a king.” A basilica church is usually of Romanesque style, with the altar set before a rounded wall called the Apse. Over the altar is a raised Baldachino, or canopy, resting on four pillars. To obtain the title of “Minor Basilica,” the parish church must have played a significant role in the furthering of the Faith of a particular area. St. Adalbert Basilica is the only church of this rank in the State of Michigan, and one of the very few in the United States.

Superior Boiler was pleased to have two Series 1600 Steam Triad boilers heating the facility. The space for the boiler was very small, so the small-footprint Triad’s were the perfect choice.

Each boiler was fired with a burner firing natural gas. The boiler that was replaced was leaking and operating well below standard efficiency. The church was also intrigued by the modular concept, the reliability of steel, and the fully assembled, “packaged” nature of the Triad boilers that came ready to install, with no sections to put together.

The First Baptist Church in Providence, RI is the nation’s oldest Baptist Church. It was founded by Roger Williams in 1638, making it the oldest private institution of any kind in Rhode Island. From its tiny beginnings, this 368-year-old church grew to become one of the largest and most influential Baptist churches in the nation. The church had no meeting house until 1700. In that year a tiny 20’ x 20’ building was erected. In 1774, the present meetinghouse was built, making it the largest construction project in New England. It seated 1,200 people, equal to one third of Providence’s population at the time.

Construction was greatly aided by the fact that the British had closed the port of Boston as punishment for the Boston Tea Party. Many shipwrights and carpenters were thrown out of work and came to Providence for this project. The structure was dedicated in May 1775, and the 185-foot steeple was added shortly thereafter. (The first steeple ever on a Baptist church in New England). Today, this amazing structure is a National Historic Landmark.

The building’s existing steam heating plant, two cast iron 40 HP boilers, were nearly 40 years old and experienced leaks in several areas and operated well below their original efficiency. The church had a contractor that had been servicing this equipment and recommended a system upgrade to modernize the boiler room, increase efficiency and improve reliability.

A church wing added 20 years ago was heated using a hot water loop off of the same steam system that heated the main portion of the building. This resulted in that wing constantly being overheated. Compounding these issues was the fact that because of the extreme age and design of the building, there was very limited access to the boiler room.

The contractor presented a new complete boiler room package to the First Baptist Church Board of Directors. The church was initially planning to replace the Smith boilers with new Smith cast iron boilers. However, they were intrigued by the modular concept, the reliability of steel, and the fully assembled, “packaged” nature of the Triad boilers that came ready to fit into the very tight space with no sections to put together. Further, in the summer, the church would be able to shut the steam boilers down and only fire the hot water boiler for domestic service water. Previously, the large Smith boilers had to be fired all summer. The board realized the potential for tremendous fuel savings.

The church obtained quotes from two other contractors offering Smith, yet when all costs (including labor) were factored in, the Triad boilers were less expensive. Two Series 900 Triad Steam Boilers, firing at 1000MBH, and one Series 600 combination space heat and domestic hot water boiler, firing at 600MBH, solved the building’s problems.

The two modular Triad steam boilers are sequenced with a control that stages and lead-lags the two boilers. The control panel also monitors outdoor air and operates two three-way valves – one for hot water heating and one for domestic hot water.

This historic church is very pleased with this project and is realizing significant energy cost savings.

The Knights of Columbus Museum is a 77,000 square-foot modern facility dedicated to presenting the 118-year history of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic family service organization that now has 1.6-million members. Founded by Father Michael McGivney in New Haven, CT in 1882, he originated the idea of creating a Catholic organization to protect Irish immigrant families from financial disaster if the breadwinner were to die. Today, the organization has more than $49 billion of life insurance in force for its members.

The Knights opened a museum in New Haven during their 100th anniversary in 1982. It grew over the years and is now housed in this incredible building. The organization’s history is now showcased in a beautiful setting and features galleries and exhibits of fine art, artifacts, and archival material from its founding to the present day. This collection includes a rare book collection on Christopher Columbus and an extensive photo collection. It also contains material on the Catholic Church and secular history in America.

Certain exhibits are on loan from The Vatican which means no other museum in America has these. For example, immediately off the lobby visitors pass under a massive 400-year-old copper cross that was a gift from Pope John Paul II that used to stand on top of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Other items are from art museums in Italy, Austria, and Switzerland.

Some items are from the 16th century, including some very old paintings, and, incredibly, some items in the Columbus exhibit from 1493. This museum is very impressive and is quite a surprise for many visitors since it is in New Haven, CT rather than a major city like New York or Chicago.

The mechanical setup is unique because the building was designed with four quadrants, each requiring both steam and hot water. In each of the four small boiler rooms, there is one Triad Series 900 Steam boiler with a burner firing at 1000 MBH and one Series 900 Hot Water boiler with a burner firing at 900 MBH. All together, the Museum has a total of eight Triad’s in place.

These boilers are extremely compact and rugged, fitting well into the tight boiler rooms. The Knights chose the Triad boilers because of the good experience they had with several larger Triad units that are used in their 23-story headquarters building that were installed a few years prior. The Triads’ modular concept, the reliability of steel, and the fully assembled, “packaged” nature of the boilers has served the facility well.

Due to their modular design these Triad boilers will be very efficient for the owners, especially during the spring and fall where only a minimal number of boilers will be needed.

Located on West 134th Street in New York City, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church is a New York Designated Landmark that is included in the National and State Registers of Historic Places. This incredible building, located a few blocks from Columbia University, has a fascinating history. The church building was designed in Neo-Gothic style under the direction of the first African-American licensed as an architect in New York. Unlike many of the churches built in New York during the early decades of the 20th century, which have interiors finished in the painted plaster, the interior of St. Philip’s is finished in exposed tan Roman brick, stone pillars, and stone Gothic arches. The aisles and chancel floors are terrazzo with marble trim. The walnut pews in the nave comfortably hold over 750 people. The congregation of St. Philip’s has roots that reach back to 1704 when Elias Neau, a Frenchman who had himself been a slave, began teaching New York slaves to read the Bible at Trinity Church on Wall Street, itself a famous church to this day. Unfortunately, Trinity Church was segregated. As the black worshipers grew frustrated with Trinity Church’s refusal to condemn slavery or end the segregation, they formed the Free African Church of St. Philip. In 1818, a small wood church was built that grew to become one of the largest black congregations in New York, despite fires, racist attacks, and riots.

As New York grew and blacks moved north, the church moved to a few locations, finally ending where it is today on 134th Street when, in 1910, the current cathedral was built. It is the fifth home of the parish. By the 1950s, St. Philip’s was the largest Christian congregation in the United States. As the neighborhood began to change, the parish ministry increasingly reached out to the wider community. When the church needed to replace its old heating plant, it turned to the New York representative to come up with a steam alternative that would fit into a very small space. Ultimately, seven Series 900 steam boilers with oil-fired burners were chosen, firing at 900 MBH providing a total output of 6300 MBH. The Triad boilers’ modular vertical configuration was the perfect fit for this very compact boiler room and was a very efficient choice compared to the large, very old boiler steam boiler. Rigging costs were kept at a minimum due to the extremely small size of the boilers, making them easy to move into place with virtually all the controls factory wired and mounted. The boilers are sequenced with a control panel based on outdoor reset. This panel further improves the inherent efficiency of the modular boilers.

Opened in 2007, Uncle Billy’s Brew and Que is located right in the heart of Austin, Texas’ coolest restaurant row on Barton Springs Road. Named for “Uncle Billy” William Barton, whose 1830′s tract of land included the renowned Barton Springs, Uncle Billy’s offers the perfect combination of award-winning, hand-crafted beers and delicious, slow-smoked barbeque. Uncle Billy’s is as original as Austin itself.

At Uncle Billy’s, they brew all their signature beers from scratch, using the finest malted barley and aromatic hops. These beers include Moose Dunkel, a Munich Dunkel style lager, an Irish Oatmeal Stout, and the popular Hell in Keller Pilsner, Hop Zombie, East Brown & Down, and Back 40 Blonde.

Superior Boiler is pleased to have a Series 300 low pressure steam Triad boiler helping with brewing. Steam boilers have various uses in the brew cycle; to heat the brewing water (known as ‘hot liquor’), to heat/steam/sanitize the keg line, and to boil the mash during the brewing process. Sometimes a large amount of steam is required, other times very little is needed.

The compact footprint allows the boiler to fit into a very tight space and the rugged design and quick steaming of this boiler works well in this environment.