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District warns chiller plant overheating could threaten $2–2.5M of KHS equipment; staff cite utility voltage fluctuations
Summary
Staff told the board that the KHS chiller plant has reached internal temperatures of 105–110°F, putting equipment (estimated at $2–2.5 million) and warranties at risk; they recommended installing an air handler and cited voltage fluctuation issues with CenterPoint that may also be contributing to equipment alarms.
District facilities staff told trustees that the chiller plant serving the high school is overheating and placing expensive equipment at risk. "We have over $2,000,000 worth of equipment in this chiller plant right now," the presenter said, adding that internal temperatures had reached about 105–110°F last year.
Staff recommended installing an air‑handler unit inside the chiller plant to keep temperatures below roughly 85°F, where comparable schools keep their chiller rooms. Facilities staff warned that excessive heat and humidity can void warranty coverage if manufacturers determine failures were caused by environmental conditions.
In addition to ambient heat, staff said incoming electrical supply from CenterPoint showed repeated fluctuations that triggered alarms; the presenter said the equipment saw 10–15 kV excursions above allowed levels in multiple instances. CenterPoint has conducted a study and told the district it is maintaining power levels; the district is also exploring local hardware fixes such as line reactors to stabilize voltage at sensitive drives.
Trustees asked whether the district had previously seen similar failures; staff said some chillers were replaced or modified in recent years and that the district is choosing air‑cooled chillers on new campuses where appropriate. No formal spending authorization or vote on the proposed air handler was recorded in the transcript; staff requested further study and coordination with CenterPoint and vendors.
The board moved on to other agenda items after discussion.
