Orlando Health announces planned venting of steam utility system
Organization to alert neighbors, law enforcement and hospital staff of resulting record-setting decibel levels
Orlando, FL (December 13, 2018) – Orlando Health has updated the schedule for venting new sections of its steam utility piping system. The new schedule is as follows:
Saturday, January 5
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, January 6
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 12
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 19
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The volume of sound produced during the venting process is expected to peak at 150 decibels, which is equivalent to the noise level one would experience standing on an aircraft carrier as a jet takes off.
Orlando Health’s residential and commercial neighbors have been notified of the work, as has the Orlando Police Department. Orlando Health team members, physicians and patients who are on campus when the work is performed, are being notified prior to each event and team members working on the project are wearing protective hearing devices.
In addition to the sound, the venting procedure will expel hot vapor 40 to 50 feet out of the pipes and sand-sized particulate matter approximately 30 feet, at a velocity of 1,250 feet per minute. To ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians, blockades have been erected in specific areas each weekend to prevent people and vehicles from getting too near the work.
The next piping sections, which include 1417 Kuhl Ave., will be vented January 5 – 6. The final section to be vented January 12 is located near ORMC’s southern loading dock. ORMC’s emergency department will remain accessible during these venting sessions.
Steam utility systems, like the one at Orlando Health, are the most efficient types of heat exchange for large facilities. They are critical to hospital operations. The steam utility system is the source of all hot water in the hospitals, from cafeteria steam tables to sterile processing. The steam piping works in conjunction with cold water piping to serve as hospital thermostats. The pipes that were replaced were originally installed around 1980. Technological advances will enable the newly installed piping system to be functional for up to 75 years.
About Orlando Health
Orlando Health is a $3.4 billion not-for-profit healthcare organization and a community-based network of hospitals, physician practices and outpatient care centers across Central Florida. The organization is home to the area’s only Level One Trauma Centers for adults and pediatrics, and is a statutory teaching hospital system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. More than 2,900 physicians have privileges across the system, which is also one of the area’s largest employers with more than 20,000 employees who serve more than 112,000 inpatients, more than 2.4 million outpatients, and more than 10,000 international patients each year. Additionally, Orlando Health provides more than $450 million in total value to the community in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more. Additional information can be found at www.orlandohealth.com.
