This slideshow explains the gas project in Penn South Building 8 occurring in the winter of 2015-2016. This presentation was shown at the Town Hall Meeting for shareholders in that building on February 17, 2016.

1. Building 8 Gas Project

2. Issues with the
old gas main
• In 2015, while performing HVAC
work, we discovered that the gas
main on the ground floor of
Building 8 required repair.
• We immediately called in experts
who made necessary repairs.
• The experts recommended a total
replacement of the ground floor
gas piping.

3. Gas Main (Ground Floor):
Why replace the gas main instead of repairing it?
Management takes a proactive approach:
• A repair of the horizontal gas main would require:
• A total building gas shutdown while joints are repaired.
• The project would take many months to complete.
• Replacing the gas main involves:
• No interruption of gas service (old line remains active).
• The larger gas pipes (3 or more inches) are welded, not
threaded (new code).

4. Building 8 Gas Project
Divided into 3 Phases:
Phase I: Install new horizontal gas main on the
ground floor (completed).
Phase II: Pre-testing the gas risers.
Phase III: DOB tests/signs-off work; risers are
connected to the new gas main.

5. Our Expert Team:
Engineering:
Lawless & Mangione, Architects & Engineers, LLP
Plumbing:
F.W. Sims / Botto Mechanical Corp.

6. Phase I:
Installing the
New Gas Main on
the Ground Floor
In early December, our
plumbing contractor began
installing a new gas main
parallel to the active
existing one.

7. Phase I:
Installing the new gas main
• The new gas main must be inspected
and signed off by the DOB.
• The DOB must witness a pressure test
on every gas riser before connecting
them to the new gas main.
• Our plumbers will pre-test each gas
riser—this is Phase II.

8. Phase II:
Gas Riser Pre-testing

9. Phase II:
Reasons for pre-testing the risers
• Typically, doing gas work on a building this large
(378 apartments) would mean no gas service for six
months to 1 year.
• Our goal in pre-testing the gas riser lines and
making repairs now is so that they pass the
pressure tests when the DOB inspectors come. This
will avoid a prolonged interruption of gas service.

10. Phase II:
Pre-Testing Duration
• Workdays begin at 8am and end approximately at
5pm.
• Our plumbing contractor, JMBotto, and Penn South
employees need access to an entire line of
apartments for the duration of the pre-testing and
repair phase. This is expected to last 8 to 10
business days per riser line.

11. Phase II:
Access to Apartments
• Access to your apartment is a MUST.
• Maintenance and Security are conducting a
survey door-to-door. Please confirm how you
will provide access.
• As with the HVAC project, we can enter your
apartment using the bottom lock. Leave your
top lock unlocked.

12. Phase II:
Don’t Lock Your Top Lock!

13. Phase II:
Tasks Involved in Pre-Testing
• First, our plumbing contractor will turn off gas
service to the riser line.
• Beginning at 8am, Penn South Security and
Maintenance crews will knock on doors,
disconnect stoves, and move them away from
the area of the wall by the gas riser line.

14. Phase II:
Moving the Stove
• Let us know where you want
us to move your stove.
• It will stay there until pre-
testing is completed (8-10
business days).

15. Phase II:
Penn South work
crews will also set up
work tents around the
work area

16. Phase II
The plumbers will
replace old gas
valves with new
valves.

17. Phase II:
Air Pressure Testing
• Air (not gas) is pumped through pipes
at levels twelve times higher than is
required for normal gas service.
• This can stress the joints and create
leaks at the threaded couplings that
were not leaking prior.
• Leaks must be repaired before gas
service can be restored.

18. Phase II:
Air-Pressure Testing
While air is being pumped
through the pipes, plumbers
will spray the pipes with a
foaming detergent on all
fittings to determine integrity.
If air is leaking, the foaming
agent will bubble.

19. Phase II:
Repairing Leaks
• We cannot predict the location of leaks.
• To speed up leak-detection, we will open
the wall around the tee connection
approximately one-foot by one-foot for
proper visual inspection.

20. Phase II:
Wall Opening
Exposing Tee
Connection

21. Phase II:
Riser Repairs
If the pipe connection
within an apartment
is leaking, we will
open the wall large
enough to perform a
pipe replacement.

22. “Dust Mizer” cutting machine

23. Dust Mitigation
Before creating or enlarging
holes, tents will be
constructed around the
work area (on both sides of
the wall) to mitigate dust
traveling through the
apartment - similar to the
HVAC project.

24. Dust Mitigation
Our protection is very effective.
However, it’s not possible to
prevent all dust from escaping
the work area.

25. Dust
Mitigation

26. Phase II:
How Long Will Pre-
Testing Last?
Until we perform tests, we
cannot know how much work
will be required on a particular
riser line. In the A-line and B-
line risers, work took between
8 to 10 business days per riser.

27. Phase II:
What’s Involved in Pre-Testing
Once the riser holds the required pressure of
three pounds for an entire hour, we will be ready
for Phase III.

28. Communication:
Appointment Notices
Earlier today, a notice was
distributed with a description of
tasks involved in Phase II.
When we are ready to work on
the next set of riser lines, we will
notify the shareholders in those
apartments.

29. Communication:
How will you know which line is next?
• This is not a construction project; it’s a test-and-repair
project. The schedule will be dictated by the number of
leaks, and their locations.
• We can’t provide the specific appointment dates with
advance notice, as we could with the HVAC project.
• The sequence of pretesting risers is chosen by
Management and our plumbing contractor in an effort to
expedite the work.

30. Communication:
Status Reports to Cooperators
• At the end of each workday, if further work is
required we will hand out notices or tape them to
apt doors indicating that work will continue and
access will be needed the next day.
• In addition, a Cooperator Liaison staff member will
be stationed in the lobby to answer questions and
provide updates on a daily basis.

31. How to contact the Gas Project
Cooperator Liaison
By e-mail: Building8GasProject@pennsouth.coop
In-person: Lobby of Building 8
8am – noon, 1pm – 5pm
Mr. Bayo Boboye

32. Phase II:
Clean-up
• The hole will be covered with a plastic board called
Corex at the end of each day, until the entire gas
project is completed.
• Permanent wall repairs will be the last task (in case
further tests or inspections require access to pipes).

33. Phase II:
Plastic Board of
Corex Installed
Do Not Lean Anything
Against This
Temporary Covering!

34. Phase III:
Connecting the New Gas Main

35. Phase III:
What’s Required to Connect the Risers
to the New Gas Main?
• Gas service to certain risers will be turned off and tested.
If they pass the pressure tests, they will be connected to
the new gas main and gas service will be permanently
activated. Stoves will be reconnected.
• Our licensed plumber will schedule the DOB inspectors
and perform tests as required.

36. What’s Required to Hook Up the
New Gas Main
• The Department of Buildings (DOB) must witness a pressure
test on each riser.
• The tests may involve DOB inspectors accessing individual
apartments if they require.
• Once the risers pass the tests, the plumbing contractor will
contact Con Edison to request authorization to restore gas
service to each riser line.

37. Phase III:
What We Don’t Know
• The method of connecting the new gas main
to the riser will be dictated by the DOB.
• Phase III requires agency oversight. The
process will not be entirely under our control.
That is why management has taken the
proactive step of pretesting the risers to
minimize the interruption of gas service.

38. Phase III:
What We Do Know:
• The DOB must witness pressure testing of
the risers.
• If risers don’t pass tests, the plumber will
need to search for a leak once again and
repair it until the DOB is satisfied that the
system is sealed tight.

39. Full Cooperation Is Required
• Our success requires full participation.
• Any delay in getting access to apartments
could lead to a longer interruption of gas
service, and a higher cost.
• We are making every effort not to not
interrupt gas service to your building for a
prolonged period.

40. Questions?