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County staff to seek larger replacement or relocation for undersized jail cooling unit
Summary
Maintenance and commissioners discussed options — cleaning, replacing, or relocating a temporary 25-ton cooling unit serving the county jail — and asked staff to request price estimates for a 30-ton unit and for structural work to elevate it.
County maintenance staff and commissioners discussed persistent overheating problems in the Okanogan County Jail and agreed to investigate buying a larger unit or relocating the temporary cooling unit out of a heat-trapping pit.
"That unit so it's what I'd like to what I'd like to investigate with these folks is is that a 20 ton is that a 20 ton or a 25 ton unit? 25 ton," said a commissioner during discussion about the jail cooling plant. Maintenance staff described the current approach: staff have been spraying water on coils to reduce head pressure because the unit is retaining heat and tripping out. "If we can't get those coils clean enough to operate," maintenance said, "what about a new unit?"
Maintenance (Tim) said there is a recorded one-month refund from the vendor in April 2024 and that charge/credit history needs review before finalizing a rental-versus-purchase decision. He asked contractors for cost estimates for both a 30-ton replacement and the structural work to raise the unit above the pit and add a catwalk for service access.
The group discussed technical fixes such as changing duct elbows to straighter sections, upgrading flex piping, and elevating the unit onto steel beams or the roof to reduce heat soak and permit gentler duct bends. Staff also noted the unit originally worked well in the first year but performance degraded due to mineral buildup on coils.
Commissioners directed staff to get cost estimates and to consult Tim and facility engineers before taking procurement steps. Maintenance will also confirm whether the current unit is 25 tons and report back with quotes for replacement and for raising/rigging the unit on a support structure.
