Laura/Mark

 

Our system has steam canisters that have to be replaced every 500-1000 hours at a cost of $250 plus labor.  Sometimes they just are heavily covered in lime, other times it looks like they burned on the inside.  Our supply lines and float on the condensate pump get mucked up and have caused flooding, too.  The hvac contractor thought we could save some $ by going to the pan system.

 

Susan

 

P.S.   Our unit is not actually in the gallery, but provides hvac for a gallery.  It is located in the lower level mechanical area

 

. 

 

 

Mark/Susan-
We, too, have a Liebert system serving our archives. All in all, it has been a huge and very expensive disappointment. Ours has the pan and, yes, there are 3 or 4 high intensity light tubes that heat the water in the pan to create steam, providing the humidity. Our water here is quite alkaline, so even filters on the supply line clog quickly, the lime builds up in the pan and on the float rendering the latter inoperable and causing flooding. Our maintenance folks hate the thing because it is so labor intensive and designed such that even minor adjustments entail major disassembly to enable access. I have provided enough donuts now that they kindly come by and check on it once a week. On the really bright side, I now have a lovely wet-vac parked right next to it at all times...
Best of luck to us all,
Laura

Laura Nightengale
Head of Collections
Texas Archeological Research Laboratory
The University of Texas at Austin


At 10:27 AM 3/4/2005, you wrote:

Susan,

Our vault system is exactly the same kind of system. It replaced a pan
system years ago, because the pan system started leaking. I was not here
for that, but my understanding is that a pan system involves the air
blowing over standing water insted of injection of steam into the air
stream, as in the Liebert unit. I personally do not like the idea of
standing water anywhere near my art, but I guess it would depend on where
the unit is in relation to the objects. We too have to replace the filter
periodically, but I would wonder if that is outweighed by the maintenance
required for the pan system. Are your people suggesting that there will be
a significant reduction in maintenance cost/time involved?

Mark Janzen
Registrar/Collections Manager
Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art
Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection
Wichita State University
(316)978-5850


                                                                          
             Susan English                                                
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                                       Liebert Units                      
                                                                          
             03/04/2005 10:19                                             
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                                                                Does any one on the list have experience with Liebert hvac units?  We have
a unit that provides heating, air conditioning and humidity to one of our
galleries.  We have the steam canister type.  Since we run our unit
continuously, the steam canisters get mucked up with lime deposits from the
hard water and need to be replaced every 500-1000 hours.  Our hvac
contractor is recommending we replace the canister system with a pan
system, which would require maintenance but not replacement.

Any body out there have experience with Lieberts?

Thanks.

Susan English
Executive Director
Joliet Area Historical Museum