Temple Baptist Church
Temple Baptist Church, in Ruston, Louisiana, invested in renovations to their building which included a new steeple, renovations to the main sanctuary, updating the library, and improving their HVAC system.
Equipment:
- One (1) Daikin Vision Air Handler
- State-of-the-art KMC Building Automation & Temperature Control System
- Upgrades to Existing Air Handlers with:
- Q-Pac Fan Arrays
- Modine Coils
- UV Resources UV Lights
- Danfoss VFDs
LOCATION
Ruston, LA
BUILDING OWNER
Temple Baptist Church
Manufacturer Representative
Mechanical Concepts LLC | Shreveport, LA
General Contractor
Lincoln Builders | Ruston, LA
Mechanical Contractor
Byrnes Mechanical | West Monroe, LA
Consulting Engineer
EMA Engineering and Consulting | Shreveport, LA
Challenge
Temple Baptist Church, built in the 1990s, has successfully maintained their original HVAC equipment for 30 years with very few issues. When given the opportunity to make renovations and upgrades to the building, Temple Baptist Church chose to invest some of their budget into improving the dated system. The church needed to repair, improve, or replace the numerous air handlers that serve the building to prolong the lifespan of their HVAC system in an affordable manner.
Solution
Mechanical Concepts provided equipment to replace, repair, and update the air handlers with different modern solutions. Mechanical Concepts also provided a brand-new controls system for the church to efficiently monitor and control their HVAC system. This, along with many other fixes performed by Byrnes Mechanical, will give the church another 30 years of operation with the proper maintenance.
In 2024, Temple Baptist Church in Ruston, Louisiana began a major facility renovation. The project included exterior upgrades, enhancements to the main sanctuary, and a complete remodel of the library. Alongside these updates, the church made a critical investment in its HVAC system—a system that had been in place since the building was constructed. While the original chilled water and hot water HVAC system had provided reliable comfort for more than 30 years, several components had deteriorated from continuous use. The renovation focused heavily on revitalizing the building’s air handlers, a core part of its commercial HVAC infrastructure.
Replacement of Aging Air Handlers in a Commercial HVAC System
One of the air handlers required full replacement. Because older units were built with fewer size restrictions, fitting a new system into the existing footprint created a design challenge. Fortunately, Mechanical Concepts provided a solution through Daikin Applied Vision Air Handlers, which offered the ideal combination of compact design and high performance. The new unit not only matched the space but also delivered improved reliability with a redundant Q-PAC fan array, a major upgrade for long-term performance and system resilience. This modern technology aligns with today’s best practices in energy-efficient HVAC equipment and commercial air handling solutions.
Optimizing Existing Commercial Air Handler Units
The remaining air handlers were structurally sound and suitable for reuse. Mechanical Concepts replaced all existing coils, ensuring the units could perform at their highest capacity and extend the system’s overall lifespan. New UV lights were installed on the cooling coils to eliminate algae buildup—an important improvement that supports better indoor air quality, enhances cooling efficiency, and prevents premature coil degradation.
Q-PAC Fan Array Upgrade for Improved Reliability
Many of the original fans had begun to deteriorate. Traditional belt-driven blower wheels, while once the standard, no longer provide the reliability or efficiency expected in modern commercial HVAC systems. Where the existing fans could not be reused, Mechanical Concepts installed Q-PAC fan arrays, a customizable, full airstream solution ideal for commercial HVAC retrofits. These direct-drive fan arrays provide redundancy, higher efficiency, quieter operation, and eliminate the ongoing maintenance associated with belts and pulleys.
For air handlers where the belt-driven fans were still in good condition, Mechanical Concepts improved performance by replacing and realigning pulleys and bearings. Additionally, Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) were installed to enhance motor control, reduce energy consumption, and protect the equipment—an economical way to modernize older mechanical HVAC systems.
Upgrading Building Automation & HVAC Controls
To complete the upgrade, Mechanical Concepts installed a new KMC temperature controls system, giving Temple Baptist Church full, modernized visibility and control over its HVAC equipment. This state-of-the-art building automation system provides improved scheduling, monitoring, and diagnostics, resulting in significant energy savings, more consistent comfort, and reduced wear on mechanical components.
