The global headquarters of major media outlet CNBC is a 24/7 operation where up-to-the-minute news is constantly transmitted via television, radio and the Internet. Binsky & Snyder Service maintains and operates all HVAC and plumbing at this facility with a staff of seven stationary engineers. They had built redundancy into its backup generators, pumps, chillers and other systems. Read more about our Physical Plant Management for CNBC.

The challenge arose when a severe summer storm shut down the local water company and CNBC was notified that domestic water supply would be out of service for approximately 24 hours. Since the cooling towers mounted on the roof, which supply condenser water to the chiller plant, use between 24,000 to 40,000 gallons of water a day, they would quickly run dry and force a shutdown of operations.

Immediate Solution
Binsky Service knew the show must go on. The on-site team organized delivery of water tankers for an immediate, although temporary, solution.  Our engineers connected and pumped water to the cooling towers through fire hoses until water service was restored.

Immediate Result
Due to some quick thinkers on site, the cooling towers did not run dry and CNBC news was able to stay on the air.

Permanent Solution
When this same situation occurred again several months later, CNBC decided that a more permanent plan needed to be implemented. An emergency water storage solution was designed and Binsky Service installed the extensive system.

An elaborate concrete pad was formed to handle the weight of five 5,000 gallon polyethylene resin storage tanks installed by Binsky team members. A heated enclosure was created for the duplex pump system and all piping and tanks were supplied with electric heaters to prevent freeze-ups in winter. Alarm systems were added to alert the stationary engineers in the event of potential low water temperatures.

Permanent Result
In the event that water service is lost again to the building, CNBC will be able to draw water from the storage tanks with a 25,000 gallon reserve and pump it directly to the cooling towers. Should service be lost for an extended period of time, water tankers can connect directly to the storage tanks and extend the self-sufficiency of our client.