Congressional Towers Apartments
Rockville, MD
ACI mobilized to quickly restore service to boilers rendered inoperative by unprecedented flooding in a 500-unit apartment building.
Challenge: Restore Heating and Hot Water to Residents After a Storm
Congressional Towers Apartments, located in Rockville, Maryland, is a two-tower, high-rise, 500-unit apartment building in the Washington, DC area. The complex’s heat and hot water are served from a central boiler plant.
During an unprecedented rainstorm, a creek behind the Congressional Towers apartment building overflowed due to the excessive stormwater runoff. The water runoff flooded the boiler room in the facility, rendering the units inoperative. The building sought immediate assistance, and a team of experts from ACI was mobilized to respond to the situation.
Analysis
The boilers responsible for supplying heat and hot water to over 500 apartment units were rendered inoperable, potentially causing a significant disruption to the residents. This was a serious issue, given that the storm happened just before the cold seasons in Washington, DC, and the equipment was damaged beyond repair. The submerged boilers had to be replaced, and immediate action was required to restore heating and hot water services to the residents.
Solution
ACI immediately mobilized their emergency response team and brought emergency pumps to remove water from the boiler room, generators to supply electricity to the building, and mobile boiler units to supply the building with heat and hot water. ACI removed the damaged equipment that was underwater, reconfigured the piping system, and replaced the boilers that supply heat and hot water. The project involved all new insulation, all-new electricals, and an integrated control system to ensure efficient and reliable functioning of the equipment.
Results
The ACI team brought our full suite of solutions to get the building back online and mitigate the impact of the incident under extreme weather circumstances. The first priority was to implement a temporary solution to minimize any disruption to the tenants, and subsequently, the team repaired damaged infrastructure and replaced the inoperable boilers. The challenges of restoring the heating and hot water systems were complex, but through their concerted efforts and expertise, ACI replaced the equipment, and the systems were reinstated, ensuring the uninterrupted provision of services to the tenants.
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