cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/13056300
I’m in the tunnels. About a 15 minute walk. Old hospital that was shut down a few decades ago that is now another business that some may be familiar with. I do maintenance for two, soon to be three sites and I basically babysit a building. Ancient 1800s bullshit that has been decommissioned for god knows how fucking long. Some of those are steam pipes for steam heating and power, now long dead.
Babysit some boilers, swap out a controller or board from a limited supply of domestic parts from businesses that vaporized in the 80s. Babysit RTUs, replace some pump seals every few months because they don’t have water softeners which is a project in itself. Not that iron pipes help anyways
Pretty sure there’s an ammonia system down at the other building that made my fucking eyes bug out. I have no idea what the fuck they’re doing with it or if it gets maintained. Not fuckin touching that.
cooling tower shut off and sensor housing
I have no fucking idea what this room was. Completely abandoned at this point.
sometimes i work in this building from the early 1900s, i think. its basement is connected to some other civic infrastructure via this steam heating set of huge pipes. i don’t really get it, but its got this crazy awt if huge pipes in the basement.
it’s a whole big deal when that heating system is turned on. like part of the first floor of the building shakes as this big conduit expands with being warmed.
i was there when it happened last time and i thought somebody was wailing on a support bean with a 25 lb sledge, but it just kept getting louder and it was like a metronome. thought some shit was about to blow the fuck up, but then it just stopped.
Oh and the ammonia system scares me, I gotta get photos for that but I have no idea if the shit is still active or anything. If a leak ever occurs, I have to somehow crawl out six inches from the ground as all the air is displaced down to the floor.
Yup. Some of the building is 1920s, the pictures I had are parts from the 1890s.
Air trapped inside somewhere; could blow up one day. Is there a bleed valve on the top floor connected to the handlers for it?? Also need to know if it’s water system, combo, or steam. Steam can make some funny noises and that shit lasted for 100 years so.
Pretty much how this place is too, we have multiple side-rooms that are just 1900s rusting iron beams supporting part of the sidewalk for major walkways in the city. City knows, they shrug, another day.
It’s a huuuuge building, more than eight stories connected to multiple storefronts; including an abandoned 50s department store; across the block with the “catacombs” underneath it that I was taking pictures of. Most of this pipe shit supplied old steam power and heat to those buildings. Now it all sits and rots.
Also figured you might like these photos; when you post about work I usually like it because it’s the same shit I do.