Mayes County Commissioners may address a heat problem with the

courthouse’s geothermal climate system.

Maintenance Supervisor John Littlefield and Wes Smith of BKL Inc. explained that the system’s underground field temperature is hotter than it should be.

The underground well field for the geothermal system is retaining heat from the winter months. Smith said it is already too hot outside for the field temperature to be lowered.

The county is under contract with Trane for the

heating and air system’s controls and heat pumps. Trane operates the heating and air system with their own

program, Tracer Summit. Littlefield can only control the system up to a certain level.

Smith, who designed the heating and air for the Mayes County Courthouse, said Trane is not using the system correctly. Smith said he feels the company has not taken advantage of ways to dissipate the heat in the system.

“We’ve been putting a lot more energy in that field than we’ve been taking out,” said Smith.

The well field for the courthouse is under the east parking lot. There are 140 wells, all of them 400 feet underground.

The underground temperature at the wells was 93 degrees Tuesday morning. At the beginning of the summer months, the temperature should be between 65 and 70 degrees.

For three years, the water chiller has been running through the winter months. By running the chiller, the system kept the field warm all winter long, instead of letting it cool naturally.

Littlefield said the county could save a lot by using fresh air through the winter. The fresh air would keep the system cool while the system would keep the building warm during the cold months.

“The problem right now is, we’ve got heat in both places,” said Littlefield. “The system’s working against itself.”

Littlefield explained the system must run chilled water through the summer to keep the courthouse cool. Because the water chiller has to run all summer, Littlefield said the field cannot be cooled down until September

or October, when the

air temperature begins

dropping.

Littlefield said he does not know why Trane has kept the water chiller running in wintertime.

Smith said the only thing to do this summer is hook in a domestic water line. If the field temperature becomes extreme, the water line could be used to keep the system cool. Littlefield said the water line would only be used as a backup if the heat pumps get overheated.

The water is pushed through the system by

20-horsepower electric circulator pumps.

Littlefield said “we’re not trying to make Trane look bad,” but he wants to get the problem resolved.

The county is under contract with Trane until October. Littlefield said the county has a five-year full coverage warranty on the heat pumps, but for three years they have been overused.

Littlefield said if the heat pumps go out, the system will shut down. He said there would be no way to cool or heat the building because the heat pumps operate both heat and air.

“The worse thing is if the compressors go down,” said Littlefield.

Littlefield said Trane’s setup is making the equipment work a lot harder than it should be. The courthouse has a total of 20 compressors and three are down. John said he anticipates having more problems later on.

Smith said the cooling system will have head pressure problems if the field temperature reaches 105 to 115 degrees.

Smith said Trane’s setup makes the system keep the indoor temperatures as comfortable as possible. He said Trane did not take advantage of the system’s design features for a more energy efficient system.

Littlefield said the county chose a geothermal system because it is more efficient and saves money in the long run. All equipment is underground on a geothermal system, which allows needed space for parking at the courthouse.

Smith suggested asking another company to do a report on the system and equipment. He said he does not want to cut off Trane, but he feels the county needs another opinion on the system.

Smith said the county needs Trane’s program knowledge for the controls of the heating and air

system.

Littlefield said the problem can be resolved “if we can get Trane to work with us.” Littlefield said Smith has offered to do everything he can to help.

“They’ve got to work with Wes,” said Littlefield, adding that Smith is the one who knows how the system is supposed to operate.

Commissioners agreed the county needs an outside company to give a report on the equipment and investigate the temperature and flow of the system. Trane’s quote for the report on the system is $3,635.

Disney Fire Chief Pete Bona requested a re-bid on a new tank for Disney Fire Department.

Commissioners opened bids two weeks ago on the new tank and its installation. The county received two bids on the tank from Safety Materials Installation For Law Enforcement Services (SMILES) and Deep South Fire Trucks, Inc. SMILES offered the tank with installation for $48,647.80. Deep South bid $97,260 on a plastic tank and $82,780 on a mild steel tank.

Bona said he wants more time to look at the SMILES equipment. Commissioners agreed to go out for bids on the tank a second time.

Mayes County Sheriff Frank Cantey reported 122 inmates were held in the Mayes County Jail Monday morning.

Commissioners approved other issues in their Monday meeting:

• a juvenile detention agreement with Community Works for $19.81 a day per youth.

• road maintenance agreements with the Neely Addition in District 3 and Paradise View in District 2.

• renewal of property and liability insurance for the county.