Despite two recent floods in campus buildings, St. Edward’s University will not be taking extra precautions to stop future flooding.

On Sept. 21, a fire sprinkler valve broke in the Main Building, flooding offices on the fourth floor.

Just one week later, on Sept. 28, the Ragsdale Center was flooded and significantly damaged when the chiller pipe connected to the air-conditioning unit leaked.

And these weren’t the first cases of flooding due to failed pipes on campus. Andre Hall also flooded on multiple occasions in 2008, due to similar causes.

“A leak in the galvanized piping for the chilled water system also caused flooding in Andre,” said Michael Peterson, the director of the Physical Plant.

Galvanized piping is an older type of piping that connects the chiller system to the air-conditioning. Andre’s pipes had been installed in 1957 and were replaced after the building flooded, Peterson said.

“Andre is the only case that can be attributed to age,” he said. ‘The piping in Ragsdale was installed in 1997.”

Maintenance plans for the university are generated through an online software program called Maintenance Connection. This software can track work orders, suggest preventive maintenance, provide maintenance scheduling and assist with other maintenance related issues, according to the Maintenance Connection Web site.

Peterson said it is an enormous undertaking to inspect all of the pipelines in university facilities.

“There are literally millions of connections that have the potential for leaks in gas lines, chilled water lines, plumbing lines, drain pans, sewer lines and irrigation lines,” said Peterson.

Depending on the piece of equipment, the Maintenance Connection software will generate a preventive maintenance inspection plan, said Peterson. The equipment will then be inspected in periodic cycles, which range from daily to annually.

“However, everything cannot be prevented,” said Peterson. “Unexpected problems still arise.”

The recent floods in the Ragsdale Center and the Main Building have caused major damage, but the repair costs have not yet been determined, said Peterson.

“Damages include anything from drying things out with dehumidifiers to the replacement of some heating and cooling duct insulation and wall insulation,” said Peterson.

The flooding in Ragsdale Center forced Texenza to work outside the building.

Stephen Cox, a sophomore, said at times, it seemed like a “ghetto operation.”

“The coffee tasted a little old and stale, but given the circumstances, it was fine,” Cox said.

And in order to keep the Ragsdale coffee shop running, Texenza employees from the Doyle Hall cafe had to help out.

“I was lugging ice and milk in a cart from Doyle to Rags,” said sophomore Katie O’Neill, a Texenza employee.

Although Meadows Coffee House is up and running again, other spaces in Ragsdale are not. All the classes, including the Freshman Studies courses, as well as campus events, in Jones auditorium have been moved to the Maloney Room in the Main Building, said Peterson.

Another cost will be new carpet in Jones. Based on the cost of replacing the carpet last summer, the university could be looking at $10,000 of new carpet.

In the Main Building, there are still remnants of the flood, said Kate Dickey, an advanced placement assistant.

“For over a week after the flooding, we had fans and dehumidifiers everywhere,” Dickey said. “We had to work in makeshift stations where it was dry. Our cabinets, which used to be against the wall, still haven’t been put back.”

The Physical Plant had to take out parts of the baseboards and wall in order to repaint them after the flood.

Still, professors that experienced the flooding in Andre are happy with the repairs made to the building last year.

“I did get flooded twice in the spring of 2008 before they fixed the pipes,” said Richard Bautch, assistant dean of Humanities. “But, since the fix, all seems better.”