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Pipestone County to get pricing on highway shop heating after aging radiant system fails inspections
Summary
Services Director Kyle Evans reported several radiant tube heaters at the county shop are near end-of-life; commissioners directed staff to inspect units and obtain pricing for both replacement tube heads and forced-air heater options and to report back at the next meeting.
Pipestone County Services Director Kyle Evans told commissioners on Jan. 6 that several radiant tube heater heads at the highway shop are rusted or not repairable and that suppliers have expressed reluctance to replace heads rather than the full tubing system. Evans presented two estimates for boxed forced-air (Reznor) heaters as a lower-cost stopgap to prevent freezing if the existing tube heat fails.
Commissioners asked whether the tube heads could be replaced and sought price comparisons for repairing the radiant tube system versus installing forced-air heaters. Evans said some heads are already rusted and at least three units were not repairable; he agreed to get a full inspection and more detailed pricing on replacement heads and on the cost of replacing tube infrastructure if required.
Discussion covered the operational differences between radiant tube heat (which heats objects and is generally preferred for workability) and forced-air heat (which heats the air and would maintain a nonfreezing baseline but might not provide comfortable working temperatures). Commissioners and staff raised reuse value for the forced-air units if the building were replaced in the future and asked about interim monitoring (IT temperature sensors suggested).
Action taken: Commissioners directed staff to obtain detailed pricing and inspection results and return with recommendations by the next meeting. No purchase was authorized at the Jan. 6 meeting.
