It’s Getting Hot in Here (Literally): What We Learned from Installing Furnaces

Last week, we turned on the furnaces in the Knox Hotel for the first time in 50 years! Hallelujah! And on a bitterly cold day like today, it gives us much to be thankful for!

Renovating the Knox is a daunting task. For us, it’s all about small steps forward. Over time, little achievements build towards our goal. Installing a new HVAC system was no small step; it is a HUGE leap.

We have never installed a new furnace system before, especially in a historic building. We learned a lot along the way, and wanted to take some time to share the experience with our followers.

Planning for New Utilities

When we purchased the hotel, there were no utilities on the upper floors, besides old inactive wiring and big, heavy cast iron pipes. In other words, nothing that could be used.

We knew early on that one of our big first hurdles would be an HVAC system. Historically, the Knox relied on coal burning furnaces in each room for heat, and open windows for cooling. Although we want our hotel to be a historic experience, we don’t want it to be that historic. For us, modern amenities are a must, including effective furnaces and air conditioners.

On paper, it all sounded really easy: we just needed a couple mechanical rooms for the furnaces, and the ductwork would run from there. Looking back, there were a lot of decisions to make along the way.

Fortunately, we chose to work with A&J Complete Service. We are so happy with the work they did and how they helped guide us through the process!

The First Challenges

Keep in mind, the Knox was built before utilities really existed. When it opened, it would have had many chimneys to vent out the coal furnaces in each room, and maybe some very rudimentary plumbing system. And that’s it.

That means the building never had space dedicated to utilities. Each room was built right up against the next, with no chases or dropped ceilings or anything to hide all of the systems that go into buildings today.

So our first challenge was to figure out how to run all of the ductwork without it being seen. If we dropped the ceilings, we could run the ducts wherever we wanted. But… we didn’t want to drop the ceilings. We love the grand, tall walls and having the option to hang chandeliers in each room.

With dropped ceilings off the table, the only other option was to run the ducts up between the floor joists between the second and third floors. That’s what we ended up doing. Between the ductwork and return vents, it took almost every joist bay to get it all in place.

Feeding the Ducts

Running the ducts wasn’t the only challenge. For one thing, we had to find a way to connect the ducts in the joists to the furnace. The only option was to send the furnace trunks across the building, tucked up in the corner, and build a soffit around it.

Ultimately, we ended up having to build soffits one way or another in each of our first rooms to hide some of the ductwork. We definitely did not anticipate having to cut into our ceiling space as much as we did… Not the most eye appealing, but we can live with it.

Controlling the System

Finally, we also had to have a way to control airflow to each of the rooms. It would be waaaayyyy too much to run individual arms from the furnace to each room. Even with dropped ceilings, there probably would not have been enough room.

Instead, A&J suggested using dampers for each room. Here’s how it works: the furnace sends air down one big trunk line, which splits off into smaller ducts going to each room. If a room needs heating/cooling, the damper opens to that duct, so the air can flow through. What an amazing idea and saved so much space!

What’s Next?

Our challenges with the HVAC system are far from over. We still have to install the AC units in the spring, and will eventually need to run another system in the back half of the building for the ballroom and back rooms on the third floor.

We know a lot more now about what to expect and what to plan around. Just knowing how much space it will take up will make such a big difference going forward!

This is a big check on our Phase 1 list, and we are so excited to check it off! Now, on to wrapping up the plumbing and finishing the rooms!