Shop Spotlight: Refrigerant Leftovers Save Money

On campus, if you have an air conditioner or anything with refrigerant in it, F&S refrigeration mechanics recover it by separating it, weighing it, and testing it for purity. And as of recently, they sell it. Kody Egolf, refrigeration mechanic foreperson, attended an ASHRAE convention–the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers–and learned about a buy-back program where companies will pay to take canisters … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Refrigerant Leftovers Save Money

Shop Spotlight: Roofers’ Safety in the Sun

When you’re serious about safety, you’ll find solutions for everything. Including the sun. Roofers spend their working hours in the open, on top of a building rather than in it. So, when the F&S roofers shop was tasked with tearing off the old and laying the new, foreperson Shane Carr knew he’d have to address sun and heat safety. After all, the roof is 28,600 … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Roofers’ Safety in the Sun

Shop Spotlight: Cement Finishers, Laborers One Bucket at a Time

Cement finishers used their collective thinking cap to finish a summer job at Fred H. Turner Student Services Building, along with plenty of help from F&S construction laborers. The goal: get cement into the basement through an underground entrance. Mission very possible. Picture a Cement Truck Picture a cement truck. It has that giant spout to spread the viscous compound directly where there’s a street … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Cement Finishers, Laborers One Bucket at a Time

Tool room

Shop Spotlight: Tool Room

How does the F&S Tool Room operate? Andy Harpst, Tool Room supervisor: In the Tool Room, I recommend, determine, and procure tools, technical equipment and safety/personal protective equipment needed to satisfy the job requirements of journeymen in all crafts and trades within F&S. I also recommend modifications to equipment and tools.  These decisions on tools and equipment are procurement-based on intensive research and knowledge involving the … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Tool Room

Shop Spotlight: Insulators

When it’s cold out, we all need a blanket to stay warm. Mechanical systems are just as receptive to that extra layer, and in fact, insulation accomplishes many things that make campus more sustainable. The F&S Building Heat & Frost Insulators, called shop 52 at F&S, provide insulation fabrication for systems in buildings all across campus – often in tight spaces, basements, and attics alike. … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Insulators

high voltage electricians

Shop Spotlight: High Voltage Electricians

When plugging in those string lights, winter holiday decorative trees, and other displays, a wire connects to the outlet. Those plugs send out 120 volts of electricity, keeping lights shining bright throughout the night. One team at F&S regularly deals with and considers lines with a voltage of that times 100. F&S utility distribution electricians, also called high voltage electricians, monitor and repair power lines … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: High Voltage Electricians

Shop Spotlight: Operating Engineers with heavy machinery in transportation bay.

Shop Spotlight: Operator Engineers

Who doesn’t want to play in the dirt?? Stephanie Amabeli, F&S Operator Engineer F&S operating engineers learn and use machinery to aid in construction, renovation, and other labor across campus. Small machines plow snow from paths. Backhoes move earth to access underground networks. Cranes and other extending arm implements take work to the skies. An operator’s very purpose is to support other crafts and trades … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Operator Engineers

Shop Spotlight: Plumbers

Pipes surround us! Inside the hundreds of buildings and acres of land encompassing the Urbana campus, F&S plumbers have a lot of responsibilities to keep liquid moving. They are in charge of all fixtures you’d regularly find in any building, including faucets, toilets, urinals, sinks, drinking fountains, sanitary and storm pump systems, and hot water heat exchangers. The plumbers also repair, maintain, and install more … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Plumbers

Shop Spotlight: Elevator Mechanics

F&S elevator mechanics ensure safe operation, maintain each component, and make repairs when necessary. Plus, of course, they are dispatched when an elevator is stuck with passengers aboard in any of 184 buildings with elevators on campus. Two primary styles of elevator populate campus, one the “hydraulic,” the other called “traction.” Essentially, the hydraulic style, uses a piston from below the elevator car to push … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Elevator Mechanics