Pressure

As mentioned in my last post, one of the final projects to wrap up while we were there was to install a medical air compressor. A medical air compressor is an important part of hospital infrastructure. It's used to power anesthesia equipment, ventilators for patients, as well as nebulizers. This compressor was part of a donation that came down on the last container shipment. It had been unloaded but hadn't yet been moved into its place in the hospital mechanical room.

The move was going to be pretty straight forward, there were only a few key spots of concern. The first was that with the entry door to the mechanical room removed, the compressor was about an inch narrower than the door frame. More clearance is always better, but clearance is clearance right? The second issue was the machine foundation was a raised concrete pad about 2 inches higher than the floor. So depending on how we got the machine into the room we likely wouldn't be able to just scoot the machine into its place without lifting it up to get it onto the pad. This led to the third issue in that the machine didn't have any lift points (spots designated by the manufacture to attach lifting straps or cables) and the only spot in the building to attach a chain winch was an I-beam that wasn't centered over the pad. None of these concerns were deal breakers, and the easiest solution in these scenarios is to just ask for help. Something that isn't always so easy for me. Thankfully, four guys from maintenance were able to lend a hand through this process.

After taking some measurements we found the machine footprint width to nicely match that of a pallet jack. Pallet jacks are handy for lifting big heavy things, usually pallets, but pretty much if a pallet jack can fit under it, someone has tried to use a pallet jack to lift it. They're also fun to ride around on when supervisors aren't watching. So with all of that setup in place lets get to it!

Step one was to fire up the trusty Ford and pick the unit up off its pallet.

Off to the bottom right of the picture is the compressor skid and Egyptian method of moving it out into the drive.

From there we set it down onto the pallet jack. As mentioned earlier the width was perfect but the compressor was longer than the pallet jack. So using some boards from a recently cut down Eucalyptus tree we were able to get the length we needed to fully support the machine.

Jeff and Clinton getting the straps in place. Behind them is the door way we had to get the compressor through.

Strapped down and ready to roll!

During the busy parts of the move I wasn't able to get pictures, but at this point four guys from maintenance came over and we slowly pushed the machine through the doorway. Then proceeded to park next to the pad. At this point we decided we could hang the chain hoist from the beam, hook the other end to the machine and use it to take on most of the weight of the machine. Then all of us together would slowly scoot the machine sideways onto the pad. Since this was probably the most difficult part of the move i wasn't able to get any pictures.

Jeff wrapping a chain around the beam to attach the chain hoist (not shown) to lift the machine.

I am happy to report that the whole process of sliding it from the pallet jack to the pad actually went pretty smoothly. Something about many hands and light work. Unfortunately, the electrical supplies needed to wire up the machine did not arrive in time so the compressor will have to sit until Christy and I are able to return.

"It looks as if it has always been there!" - Kathia (biomed engineer)

Keep after it!