DeLong Elementary Heating System Upgrade

FSi assessed a chronic corrosion problem in the heating systems at several schools in Tacoma School District, including DeLong Elementary.

Built in the 1950s and remodeled in the 1980s, this 450 student, 25 classroom elementary school served as the prototype for correcting the corrosion problem. FSi determined that the vented underground storage tank created a system that was open to the atmosphere, which had dramatically increased corrosion over the last two decades. The corrosion was halted by bypassing the tank to create a closed piping loop. FSi’s simple test solution was implemented by the school district staff, avoiding the cost of outside contractors. FSi anticipates that DeLong will receive a permanent fix and other upgrades in Phase 2 of the work, and that other schools will also receive the same correction.