With the cherry blossoms popping and temps topping 90+ degrees, it was one of the hottest days to start the spring in the DC area. And you know what that means? From the moment he picked me up for the ride along, Dan Foley’s phone was ringing off the hook, blowing up with service calls. In addition to his normal daily routine, this day became extremely pressure packed: calls were flooding in with AC unit service calls; routine new construction site inspections; and directing one employee trying to find the right customer’s home. This was all in a matter of the first 15 minutes of the day.
Dan Foley, Foley Mechanical Inc., and his employee Nelvis, coordinate the duct layout at new residential construction site.
The intention for the day was to take my butt around to different jobsites, which we did, but the experience was magnified due to the extenuating circumstances. But this is all in a day’s work for Foley. Along with what he calls the “persuader,” his trusty Mag-Lite full size flashlight, there is no task too tall.
Foley’s lead tech, Brian Golden, installs a radiant heating system.
The first stop was a jobsite that I had visited in the past. A routine maintenance check-up had us visiting the Rosslyn Heights East Apartments, which features two PB Heat/Peerless Brand PureFire stainless steel modulating condensing gas boilers, with Taco 1600 Series in-line pumps for heating.
Quick notes: The PureFire control system will modulate and stage the boilers as necessary to maintain the comfort level in the building, as well as to rotate the lead boiler for even wear.
The boiler control will also handle the DHW priority load and direct the hot water to indirect tank. When the indirect tank calls, the boilers ramp up to high fire and run up to 180ºF supply water temperature to quickly handle the load.
The heating system consumed 47,017 cubic feet of gas with the previous system and 28,729 cubic feet of gas after the upgrade for a total savings of 40%.
Mr. PEX stainless steel manifold.
The second stop on the day was to visit Foley’s lead tech, Brian Golden, who was installing a radiant system in a North Arlington residence. The system, fueled by a Peerless MI series cast iron boiler, features Mr. PEX tubing and stainless steel manifolds, and an NTI stainless steel indirect water heater to supply domestic hot water supplied by the boiler.
Taco 1600 Series in-line pumps for heating at the Rosslyn Heights East Apartments.
An NTI stainless steel indirect water heater to supply domestic hot water at the North Arlington job.
Foley’s employee, Dragon (l), preps the boiler piping.
The last stop was a routine site inspection and a brief talk with the owner of an approximately 7,000-sq.-ft. new construction home in northwest DC., in the Kalorama neighborhood. The visit comprised of coordinating where the ducting, boiler venting and radiant system were to be located and how it was to be installed. Mechanical products: Hydronic system will be powered by an NTI Trinity condensing boiler. Domestic hot water will provided by an NTI indirect storage tank. The radiant system will feature Mr. PEX tubing and manifolds.
Foley considers jobsite meetings and planning critical to the success of any project. He makes the effort to visit every jobsite. “It’s easy to make design changes and modifications while the jobsite is wide open rather than after the other trades have taken up valuable space,” says Foley.
Foley Mechanical provides custom-designed and fully integrated radiant heat, steam, hydronic, and mechanical systems. Based in Greater Washington, D.C., the company has designed and installed hundreds of residential and commercial systems for architecturally and historically significant homes and commercial spaces.
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