How many engineers does it take to replace a light bulb? Before you attempt to answer
that ancient philosophical question, there is another question we want you to ponder:
How many building and construction experts does it take to place a series of 20-ton
bottle jacks under a sinking Roof Top Unit?

That’s exactly what we were confronted with on a site in Braintree, Massachusetts. GSS
Corp. was doing a routine test of the existing anchors on an RTU at a large building
there, and somehow an extremely unusual event occurred. Our PE knew something
wasn’t right and after investigating, he determined that the RTU moved from its vertical
supports and was now sinking down into to the roof structure.

Uh-oh is right.

We know that these units weigh tons, and when in proper position, they’re anchored to
steel beams that distribute the weight evenly. Regular supports that hold up the roof
can certainly hold the weight of snow and people, but aren’t strong enough to hold
these types of units without that additional support. Anchors should never have been
placed on this RTU in the first place. Our industry standard load testing caused the unit
to shift.

The monumental challenge we now faced was to figure out how to lift this gigantic,
collapsed unit back up so we could get underneath it and add the necessary steel to
support it once again. Unfortunately, neither Superman nor the Incredible Hulk were
available to take this on.

So GSS, Wessling Architects, McNamara & Salvia Structural Engineers, and Titan Roofing
all joined forces – and brain power – and made it happen. We crawled under the unit to
open the roof system and down to the structural steel. There we strategically placed a
series of 20-ton bottle jacks to raise the unit up, making it possible to attach new steel
to the existing roof structure. Once completed, we carefully lowered the RTU back into
place. It was an amazing group effort and a terrific solution to a difficult and potentially
dangerous problem.

So, how many engineers does it take to replace a light bulb?
Four. One decides which way the bulb should to turn, one calculates the force required,
one designs the perfect ergonomic hand tool to turn the bulb, and one actually removes the bulb.