A Dynamic Duo: Carrol Joiner and Bob Gereaux
Carrol Joiner came to the Medical School 20 years ago, while Bob Gereaux joined the Medical School 11 years ago. Carrol started out as a building HVAC maintenance mechanic/technician. Bob ended up working for the in-house HVAC systems and controls group as a recommissioning technician. About 2½ years ago, Carrol joined Bob in the in-house group, and they’ve been a team ever since. As a team, and as individuals, Carrol and Bob are driven by a solid work ethic, a strong sense of curiosity, and a passion to do things the right way. If an HVAC system isn’t working well, they want to know why? If an HVAC system is working satisfactorily, they want to know what can be done to make it work even better.
In their relatively brief time together, Bob and Carrol have been involved in a number of key HVAC investigations that have yielded significant energy savings, while at the same time improving occupant comfort. One example of this dual positive is identifying HVAC coils that have dirt hidden within their interior. This trapped dirt results in fans consuming more energy to push or pull air through the coils and poor heat transfer between the air and the coil. By taking measurements using specialized instrumentation, Bob and Carroll were able to find the compromised coils, and have them reconditioned or replaced
Another example is the discovery of a problem with a large aging central ductwork system in one of the older research buildings. Once revealed, the problem was corrected, and the ductwork returned to its previous normal operating condition. Similar to the coils described above, this corrective work on the ductwork system reduced the consumption of fan energy and improved human health and comfort.
With equal success, Bob and Carrol have extended their investigative techniques used for large central building HVAC systems to small room-level HVAC systems. What a team!