Spring brings new challenges to 3rd CES

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Morgan Sneed
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Spring in Alaska for most people means two things: fishing season and construction.
For the members of the 3rd Civil Engineer Squadron it means making the transition from road clearing and building winterization, to road repair and building maintenance. 

Squadron members are gearing up to make the transition from road clearing to road repair. All the melting snow and ice uncovers plenty of potholes to be fixed. 

Not only is the 3rd CES keeping our roads safe to drive on, but they're keeping our aging facilities up and running. 

The utilities shop keeps building facilities functional during the long Alaskan winter. 

Responsible for facility plumbing and sewage systems, the drinking water system and the facility fire systems, and with 815 buildings to winterize and maintain, they are never short of work. 

According to Bill Farabaugh, 3rd CES utilities shop foreman, they adapt the toilets with fittings to keep water flowing to prevent the pipes from freezing. 

In the event that a pipe does burst, like a recent water main break in January, these are the guys that go out and get it fixed. 

"The challenge is digging through the frost," said Mr. Farabaugh. "Even now, the frost line is down to seven feet and that ground is as hard as concrete." 

With the majority of the sewage and water pipes being around seven to nine feet deep, this presents a real problem when one bursts. Mr. Farabaugh said they have to use special equipment to "bust up" the ground, much like you would break up concrete. 

Not only does the snow and ice cause trouble for the crews, old and antiquated buildings make it more difficult to fix problems. 

"Every facility constructed prior to 1980 has asbestos in the pipe insulation," said Mr. Farabaugh. The asbestos insulation must be removed before craftsmen can work on the building's pipes.
Not only does the asbestos cause the workmen headaches, the fact that many of the buildings built in the 1950's and 60's have fixtures and pipe fittings that don't match to current repair parts. Those buildings must have the entire plumbing systems retrofitted with new parts. 

According to Mr. Farabaugh, when a pipe bursts in a building they usually have to break into the ceiling or walls to find the break. With all that flowing water the sheetrock on the wall must be replaced and carpets must be cleaned. 

Bursting pipes aren't a problem in newer facilities, because they are constructed to more modern standards of pipe insulation. 

"This reduces our freeze and break calls and allows me to assign my craftsmen to carry out quality of life improvements in dorms and office buildings," says Mr. Farabaugh. "Newer facilities piping systems are much less prone to clogging, reducing our inoperative toilet calls and no hot water calls."