July 17, 2025

Facilities 17th July - Electrical and Mechanical Discussion

Attendees

• Jaipal Chauhan
• Aaron Grindstaff
• Andy Tannahill
• Dean Day
• Christian Kindel
• Preston Warden
• James Lancaster
• Rustin Atkeisson
• Gretchen Koch
• Beth Shook

State of the Makerspace

• Current Power
  • Peak Power usage: 43kVa (July 2024)
  • Last month (June 2025): 41kVa
  • Max the transformer can handle 75kva
  • Already have report of how much power is being used when since moving into the building
  • Might work on an API for a visual display of how much power is being used
  • Have started the process of finding bids

• To keep moving forward with trying to get bids, the following is needed:
  • Dimensioned plan of space (there is one on the drive)
  • photographs of attic space as well as the model and serial numbers of the furnace units in the attic
  • highly desired to get pictures of plenums (current flexible ducts are not very efficient at moving cold air)
  • this information is needed by Jai

Steps to Making the MakerSpace Cooler (thermally)

• Mechanical (HVAC) is needed to figure out size of electrical components
  • Jai is reaching out to Mechanical companies to determine electrical needs
  • Ask members to reach out to him if they want to help and not to reach out to companies without talking to Jai FIRST
  • Will reach out to electrical contractors after electrical needs are established
  • Do have a couple of members that work for electrical companies that could help, but again, ask that they coordinate directly with Jai

• Order of implementation (probably can’t afford to do everything at the same time)
  • What would get implemented?
  • Priority goes first to what we HAVE, then NEED, then WANT

• Will most likely take a major change to existing electrical infrastructure
  • Current switching panel limited to 400a
  • Evergy would take responsibility for replacing the transformer based on our need (not just because we want a new one)
  • Have considered putting in a new main 1200a switch and gotten a couple bids (all would daisy chain the existing panel off of it)
  • Other option is a Big exterior panel that feeds other sub panel

What flexibility needs to be considered before implementation?

• Only areas that could move in the future (take little for electrical changes)
  • Textiles
  • Electronics
  • Visual Arts/Stained glass (would want to add plumbing, might need a lift pump for waste water)
  • Screen Printing (would want to add plumbing, might need a lift pump for waste water)

• All areas that need to stay in fire rated areas:
  • Wood Shop
  • Metal shop
  • Jewelry

• Questionable fire rating needs?
  • CNC machines for metalshop (could they be moved to a non-fire rated area?)

What needs to happen to add more power?

• How to expand?
  • switching equipment upsizing (currently setup for 400a)
  • adding a separate switch for the classroom hall

• What about the transformer?
  • not our responsibility to replace
  • is replaced by Evergy based on what our contractor provides
  • requires that the pad under the new unit is level, free of voids, not cracked (ours is cracked)

• Would everything be done at once?
  • Possible do each wing separately (might cost more overall, but would make it possible to get something done sooner)
  • Can likely do one wing without swapping the transformer
  • Would most likely need to take out a loan to incorporate

• A/C Units
  • For classroom wing, could add a pair of 5 ton A/C units instead of more individual window units
    • Already have 1 A/C unit for the hall
    • Would run the coolant lines through the chase between the bathrooms to the attic units
    • Need about 22tons of cooling for hall, so the window units may still be needed as supplemental units (the J-calcs have been run multiple times by multiple members)
  • Possibly add a pair of 5 ton AC units to the other wing as well
  • Adding window A/Cs are time consuming for members and may not be the best use of funds or effort
  • Would need to pour a pad and put up a fence around the 5 ton units

• Other cooling considerations
  • Consider adding motion sensors to run exhaust in bathrooms (currently run by a switch in the chase)
  • Potentially utilize exhaust fans in the attic?
    • Concept works in residential due to surface areas of attics
    • Not sure how effective that would be with how small the attic space is
    • There is an existing axial fan on the west end that we could run a power cord to and test the effectiveness

If we can't afford to cool the entire building, how should we cool the building?

• Should we have an away temp and then an occupancy temp?
  • Didn’t seem like anyone was opposed to having an away temp around 78 or 80 F
  • Would still like to conserve energy if there are areas not being used constantly
  • James is working on tying the current smart units to the calendar as well as possibly creating a scannable QR code where someone could turn the AC on for a set amount of time

• What can members do now?
  • Anyone is welcome to a knock out a scope of expandability
  • Jai likes the idea of an electrical sub committee and requests that he be the one that contacts and works with Evergy
  • Could use some help digging into business reimbursements through Evergy and other entitities for improving the efficiency of our a/c system

How will this be funded?

• We most likely won’t have enough funds free to pay for everything outright
  • Would like to avoid taking out a loan
  • Aaron is working on getting grants and funding
  • Current grants often require the recipient to already have invested in a project and tends to turn into a function of what has been spent
  • Rustin and Preston are running some other avenues for funding
  • Please contact Aaron Grindstaff if you want to help find funding for this project

What other changes to infrastructure are being considered?

• Suggested smaller electrical changes that could be done in the mean time
  • add more 220v service for hot shop (30a for green air compressor, 3phase for green oven)
  • add circuit for dust collector in woodshop
  • add circuit in room 2 for another AC unit and PCs
  • add circuit in lounge for AC
  • remove Deckel copy mill
  • swap AC in fablab for the new one sitting in maintenance
  • Future Greenhouse – might need something for a ventilation fan and lighting (potential to go solar)
  • add a designated built in Cooling unit for the server room

Next Meeting

• TBD (Not officially set)

• When will the next electrical/mechanical meeting be?:
  • after Jai gets bids on mechanical
  • might be a couple weeks