Mr. Slim^® Cools Military Training Site

Encompassing 134,820 acres, Camp Shelby Training Site (CSTS), is located 12 miles south of Hattiesburg, Miss. in portions of Perry and Forrest Counties. Established during World War I, it is the largest state-owned and operated field training site in the U.S. and has served continuously since then as a training site for reserve and active components of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. Following the deployment of troops to Iraq in March 2003, Camp Shelby was designated one of two independent mobilization stations for the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM).

Basic Training for Mr. Slim Systems
In spring 2002, Alex Weddington, vice president, General Supply & Machine Co., Inc., Meridian, Miss., acquainted Colonel Larry Joe Daughtry, Camp Shelby’s chief engineer and facility manager, with the quiet and powerful Mr. Slim split-ductless cooling and heating systems from Mitsubishi Electric HVAC.

Weddington demonstrated an actual MSZ 1:1 ratio heat pump system, delivering 9,000 Btu/h cooling and heating capacity with a then- remarkable 13-SEER rating to show its innovative INVERTER technology. Daughtry could see an immediate application. To discover how well this technology worked in a typical 45- year-old, 5,000-square-foot, poorly ventilated, concrete block barrack, he asked Weddington to install Mr. Slim systems that would do the job.

In the semi-tropical Hattiesburg area, it is common for the heat index to hit 115 degrees. The summer of 2002 was no exception. When the Mr. Slim test units were started, the outdoor heat was soaring over 100 degrees. In less than one hour, the indoor temperature dropped dramatically to a cool, dry, comfortable 68 degrees. “We were amazed and impressed with the success and effectiveness of this test,” Daughtry said.

100 Barracks in 30 Days
The March 2003 U.S. mission to Iraq suddenly placed a new set of priorities before Daughtry’s team of engineers. Camp Shelby was designated one of two mobilization stations for FORSCOM. Daughtry was given urgent orders to design, order, implement and install air conditioning in 100 barracks by the end of May.

Mission Impossible Defined
Because of the success of the Mr. Slim system test run, the urgency and near-unattainable installation timing demands, Daughtry contacted Weddington to see if he could implement the job.

Weddington located the units and provided an extraordinary, local HVAC contractor with a track record of producing past miracles. For a problematic installation of the indoor air handlers, Daughtry designed a 4- foot wide by 18-inch deep prototype header to hang from the ceiling. Then, for the first 100 barracks he had his staff detach and cap the natural gas lines, seal up the 25-year-old heating systems and disconnect the existing power lines and ventilation fans.

Life-Savers
Built in the 1960s, these poorly ventilated concrete barracks with wood frame roofs were originally designed with no cooling or heating system whatsoever—only a large fan for ventilation. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that air ducts and propane heating systems were installed. Daughtry said it was impractical and far too expensive to try and modify the existing horizontal systems. “Mr. Slim’s split-ductless systems were life-savers! They also saved us a ton of money because the existing 2-pole electrical service supplied to each building was adequate to run the units to be installed.”

Mission Impossible Accomplished
On May 1, 2003, George Curry and three crews from Hub Mechanical, Inc., Hattiesburg, Miss. arrived to begin the fast-track installation. “After the first or second building, the Hub crews were able to establish an amazing rhythm,” Daughtry said. “Installing 20 systems (five barracks) each day, the Hub Mechanical crews enabled me to successfully achieve my commanding officer’s challenging 30-day turn-around time period.” The outdoor units were placed on concrete pads supplied by Weddington. A 3- inch hole was punched into a side wall to accommodate the refrigeration and power lines.

Mitsubishi Electric’s Line-Hide^™ systems concealed the pipes and lines running into each barracks. The indoor units were hung on the special headers and the electrical lines were attached.

Past is Prologue
The base commander was extremely pleased with the success of the equipment and fast-track installation. Because two more battalions of soldiers were due to arrive soon from Indiana, the decision was made by the 1st Army to move quickly and purchase the needed Mr. Slim systems for the next 200 barracks. The same fast-track method was requested: the next 200 barracks were to be made dry and comfortable for the troops in 60 days, by the end of July. Once again, Weddington and Curry stepped up to the plate and delivered.

No Competition, Greatest Integrity
“From the experience of many successful installations at this base over the past three years, I know of no other competitor in this industry who has the reputation, technology, equipment and ease of installation that even comes close to Mitsubishi Electric HVAC,” Daughtry said. “No other equipment performs with greater integrity. No competitor could have accomplished the feat demonstrated by the Mr. Slim systems in our first 300 barracks.”

Daughtry likes the fact that the equipment meets the very latest SEER requirements, is easy to maintain and the filters are easy to wash. “It’s notable too that these units require no alternative heat source, essential even in Mississippi when the average temperature often falls below 30 degrees from November through March.”