County staff pause blower reinstallation after gas leak found in reconditioned unit

Winnebago County recycling operations staff reported problems with recently reconditioned landfill gas blowers that were delivered from Lone Star, Texas, and paused reinstallation while they investigate and secure repairs.

Recycling superintendent Krentisla told the board that a Perennial technician replaced bearings on blower skid No. 1 on Feb. 5, completed realignment and authorized limited operation with county mechanical staff present. The operations team ran skid No. 1 intermittently to test the repairs.

Staff then reported that blowers reconditioned in Texas were delivered and reinstallation began, but an afternoon inspection found a gas leak on one reconditioned blower (referred to in the record as blower 301) and a snapped bolt in a coupling on blower 302. Krentisla said the reconditioned unit had passed Lone Star’s bubble test in Houston, so finding a leak and a missing bolt after reinstallation was surprising. Krentisla said staff notified Perennial and asked Perennial to notify Lone Star and requested the contractor resolve the defects.

"Blower 301 started showing a gas leak," Krentisla said, and staff planned a quantification test to measure how much gas was passing through carbon filters versus other filters to determine whether the leak is unusually large. The board heard that the operation has some small, manufacturer-expected leakage from oil-lubricated blowers when they are not running; staff’s engineered fix is to add scavenge lines to continuously pull gas away from areas prone to seepage.

Because of the observed leak and the damaged coupling hardware, staff paused reinstallation and alignment work. They also reported a vapor-lock concern in a condensate line on skid No. 2 and said Perennial and county engineers opened a scavenge line to alleviate the issue as a temporary measure. Staff said they will schedule reinstallation and re-alignment after contractor repairs and parts replacement, likely seeking to complete the work before the end of the week if issues are resolved.

Board members asked technical questions about whether a snapped bolt indicated earlier handling or an installation issue; Krentisla said that was speculative and that staff are pursuing factual follow-up with Perennial and Lone Star. The superintendent said staff may bring further contractor discussions or legal questions to closed session next month if necessary.