When cold weather arrives, customers a grateful for any warmth they can find. But on-demand shelter heaters are frequently vandalized, taking them out of service until they can be repaired.
A new metal guard beginning to appear at some busy boarding locations could help prevent future damage and keep customers from waiting in the cold.
The guards were designed by Licensed Journeyman Electrician Jim Davis, above, who sought an alternative to making persistent repairs. Davis and fellow electricians installed the new guards along the Marq2 corridor earlier this year, and began putting them in at select light rail stations this fall. The guards could be used more broadly going forward. Metro Transit maintains about 1,500 heaters systemwide.
The custom stainless steel guards are being made by Metro Transit technicians.
The new guards have performed well, and Davis said he's hopeful they’ll continue to be successful. "If this isn’t the answer than it’s pretty darn close,” he said this week.
Remember: Shelter heaters only work when temperatures are below 40 degrees. To report a broken heater, please contact Customer Relations.