Preparation for football season starts well before two teams take the field on Friday nights. It starts during spring practice and summer workouts. For Parry McCluer High School in Buena Vista, Virginia, those practices were brutal both on the gridiron and in their athletic fieldhouse.
Temperatures inside the facility were hot and muggy. Some days, temperatures inside the fieldhouse would reach into the 80s and 90s. Because of the uncomfortable conditions, the facility was being underutilized with many players simply placing their equipment in the facility and immediately leaving.
brockenbrough's goal
Parry McCluer head football coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough tried various solutions to remedy the problem, including keeping the doors and breezeways open and using commercial-grade fans to create circulation. Neither provided the efficiency or cooling needs necessary to create better indoor conditions for the fieldhouse, much less a permanent fix.
Neither fed the efficiency or cooling needs needed to make better indoor needs for the fieldhouse
Brockenbrough and the leadership team at Parry McCluer High School needed a solution that was easy to install and provided the necessary features that minimized humidity while also bringing in the appropriate amount of ventilation required in the facility. By having a solution that met these standards, Brockenbrough’s goal was to maximize the use of the fieldhouse.
The Solution
As part of the process, Brockenbrough reached out to Brent Secrist at Modine in Buena Vista for advice on a unit that could bring in fresh air and dehumidify the space without cooling, which is common with an inadequate solution. Secrist reached out to the Modine IAQ team and, in collaboration with Terry Bateman of Southern Air, presented the Airedale ClassMate® DX Cooling and Heat Pump unit.
The ClassMate® is a single-packaged ventilation unit that provides heating, cooling, dehumidification, and air conditioning. Most importantly, the ClassMate® can maintain a consistent relative humidity between 40% and 60% while also maintaining a temperature of 72 degrees–even when temperatures reach triple digits.
Features of ClassMate®
The ClassMate® is also the quietest single-packaged product of its type on the market
Constructed in accordance with UL & CSA standards, the unit is easy to install and requires no ductwork or additional work to the structure of a facility. The unit is easy to service thanks to front access to all the components.
The ClassMate® is also the quietest single-packaged product of its type on the market. In addition, its modulating economizer damper provides 100% free cooling and minimum fresh air requirements. Engineered for efficiency, noise reduction, and a small footprint, the unit has various features including:
- Patented two-row microchannel technology for maximum efficiency and performance
- Advanced blower and compressor technologies for decreased sound and power output
- DX, Hot Gas Reheat, and Hot Water/Electric Heat coils fit inside a standard unit, reducing installation time and the need for optional equipment
- Up to MERV-13 filtration
- Two-inch radial pleated disposable cotton and synthetic blend filter (up to MERV 13 filtration)
- Less refrigerant, lower energy costs
- BACnet or LonWorks compatible with the Modine Controls System.
The Results
Brockenbrough and Parry McCluer High School decided the best course of action was to install two ClassMate® units in the fieldhouse. The unit’s ability to maintain excellent relative humidity and a consistent temperature of 72 degrees helped alleviate miserable conditions inside the fieldhouse. Following installation, the conditions of the facility improved so much that the students began utilizing the fieldhouse to its full extent.
“It’s been a game-changer,” said Brockenbrough. “The fieldhouse used to be a deserted area. Now, I have to keep a coach present at all times because the players enjoy being there. It actually feels like a locker room. We greatly appreciate everything Modine has done for us. It was a long process, but at the end of the day, the results were exactly what we expected. It’s been really great having the two Airedale units. I think it’s helped our season progress forward.”
