Heat plant leak repaired

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Matthew Hubby
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Two leaks in the Dover Air Force Base heat plant system underwent repairs April 5 after they were located by a Delaware State Police helicopter using thermal imaging March 31.

The leaks, which were releasing 13,000 gallons of water a day for two weeks, were unearthed April 5 after the heat plant was shut down to allow for repairs. After the first leak was repaired it was discovered that there was a second leak, which was quickly located and repaired as well.

"It's rough going, but it was worth it," said Patrick McCoy, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron maintenance mechanic. "We had to dig through some hard packed dirt to get to the leak, but after that it was just a matter of sealing the pipes to keep the high pressure water from leaking out again."

The heat plant is currently undergoing decentralization, which is slated to be finished around 2012. The plant heats the majority of the installation's buildings through pipelines that run the 250 to 300 degree water at a pressure of 200 pounds per square inch.

"Normally we produce our own water for this," said Mr. McCoy. "But right now our water system is down and won't be back up until some time in October. We've contracted our water out now, so this leak was costing money."

The base currently pays about $6.67 for every 1,000 gallons of water pumped into the base, leaving a total cost of the leak to the base approximately $1,200 for the two week duration.

"We were really glad to have the DSPD help us locate the leak," said Mr. McCoy. "We had one of our personnel standing on top of the leak when the DSPD helicopter spotted it on their thermal, so it didn't take us much time to mark it off and start digging. We hope to continue this team effort in the future."