As funding begins to come in for the second phase of Ball State’s geothermal project, the current cooling system has required some repairs.
On Saturday, the cooling system for Burkhardt Building, L.A. Pittenger Student Center and North Quad were shut down as crews worked to fix a leak in the chilled water piping.
Jim Lowe, director of engineering and construction operations, said the leak was fixed by 1 p.m.
He said rust on the pipes caused the leak, since many pipes around campus were installed 40 years ago when the standard piping was a carbon steel pipe.
Most pipes will be replaced in the next few years, Lowe said, as the university begins installing the second half of the geothermal project.
He said the university is on schedule to finish the new geothermal system by December 2015. The next bid package is expected to arrive Wednesday to begin converting the old chill plant on the south side of campus.
The Heat and Chill Plant that caught on fire July 26 also will be shut off until the spring, Lowe said, as cooler weather permits.
The fire caused three of the five chillers in that location to be out of service, leaving some buildings around campus to go without cool air during record breaking high temperatures.
Lowe said the missing coolers will be replaced by the spring.
