Sustainable Schools

Sustainable schools: Achieving efficient and environmentallyfriendly HVAC, plumbing and mechanical systems with grooved piping systems

BY TIM MEADOWS

Sustainable school plants require more than just ideal site orientation and energy-saving construction techniques. What actually goes into a building as infrastructure is equally important. Well-planned HVAC, plumbing and other mechanical engineering systems are essential to making a building sustainable during installation and throughout its life cycle.

GROOVED MECHANICAL PIPING SYSTEMS ARE ROOTED IN SUSTAINABILITY

The sustainability of a system starts with the products themselves. Grooved piping is a method of joining pipe that was invented by Victaulic more than 80 years ago as an alternative to methods such as welding, flanging or threading of pipes. The technology was used during World War I to rapidly deploy essential resources like fuel and water to the Allies. Over the years, grooved piping systems have become widely used on HVAC, plumbing and fire protection applications, including potable water distribution, equipment connections on pumps, water softeners, filters, and drain, waste and vent piping.

Using a simple two-bolt coupling design, pipe fitters can make rugged, secure joints quickly and easily using only basic hand tools. With a union at every joint, contractors have maximum field flexibility for on-site decision making. Couplings are sealed with a durable elastomeric gasket designed to withstand years of sustained high compressive and cyclical loads.

Over time, versatile grooved piping systems have proven to be the most effective way of piping water systems. Since no welding is required, engineers can specify lighter wall steel pipe that can provide up to 10 per cent more cross-sectional flow than welded pipe. In addition, pipe couplings and fittings are designed to minimize frictional factors, improving throughput and reducing power requirements at the pump head, all direct sustainable benefits.

And there’s more: Victaulic products are made of 90 per cent recycled steel using lean, responsible manufacturing processes. Products are painted using a dip coating application which, unlike spray painting, does not atomize the paint to form harmful emissions. Dip coating also eliminates the need for volatile solvents that are used to thin paints in the spray painting process. Additionally, manufacturers like Victaulic that have a sand reclamation program can eliminate as much as 3,640 tons of sand from landfills annually through recycling efforts.

SUSTAINABLE JOBSITES

Compared to other piping methods, mechanical grooved piping systems also reduce waste, emissions and noise pollution on the jobsite, providing a safer and healthier work environment.

Reducing the need for welding, soldering or brazing means better air quality, less particulate matter released into the atmosphere and decreased fire risk. There also is less material waste, reducing site impact. And indoor and outdoor air quality is preserved because there are no fumes to endanger workers or the environment.

In 2007 alone, the use of Victaulic grooved mechanical couplings in lieu of welding on HVAC piping systems throughout North America reduced airborne weld emissions by 145 metric tons of particulate matter – the equivalent to eliminating the airborne pollution of one million cars on the road for a month.

Moreover, a grooved mechanical pipe joint installed using a wrench does not require the use of electricity during installation. This reduces the Grooved products make for sustainable draw on burdened power installations by reducing or eliminating the emissions and waste that weldin resources. Pipes that are and similar methods produce. joined by welding or soldering require significant amounts of electricity, consuming up to 4,000 watts of energy per hour to weld an 8-inch joint.

The installation of a grooved mechanical joint is cleaner than soldered joints, reducing on-site job waste. Unlike soldering and brazing methods, grooved mechanical joints do not require flux to seal the joint, which must be flushed and cleaned from the system prior to operation. Additionally, soldered systems often require as much as 35 per cent re-work for failures discovered while pressurizing and testing the completed system, which requires additional resources. Grooved mechanical pipe joints can be visually inspected for proper installation so re-work is minimal, saving energy, resources and time on the job.

Grooved couplings, valves, and fittings join a geothermal hot water heating system at a technology campus in British Columbia. Grooved connections allow for easy access to systems in the mechanical room with less deferred maintenance and increased energy efficiency.

SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE LIFE OF THE BUILDING

A study at the Energy Systems Lab at Texas A&M University demonstrated that energy use in buildings can be reduced by as much as 40 per cent simply by improving operational strategies in buildings, including maintenance strategies. In a plumbing system, for example, booster pumps and strainers need routine maintenance to operate efficiently, and less deferred maintenance means a higher level of energy efficiency. a n f r a f r f n With weld, soldered and brazed piping systems, accessing valves, strainers, pumps and water softeners can be timeconsuming and inconvenient. Sche duled and unscheduled maintenance means shutting down plants for lengthy periods just to access piping systems or series to re-weld joints. But for access to a grooved piping system, a maintenance person simply loosens the two coupling bolts and removes the coupling. Wet or dry maintenance is possible, and grooved systems present no fire hazard during maintenance – a big plus in facilities where open flames could create a hazard for occupants. For retrofit projects, a grooved system is easily updated because every joint functions as a union. Operating efficiency can be maintained, and systems can remain live because properly placed butterfly valves provide “dead-end” shutoff service for isolation. Owners do πr 2 not have to vacate the space because mechanical grooved piping re-work does not negatively affect indoor air quality or introduce a fire hazard. Given the busy agendas and budget constraints affecting all school plant officials, it is easy to see that grooved systems have both immediate and Blue Imp offers a new formula for fun combined with a proven formula for easy installation, low maintenance and high durability. future economic and sustainability returns. U-play brings together new-fangled fun with old-fashioned quality. About the Author: Tim Meadows is vice president of sales for Victaulic Company in Canada. Tim has 22 years of industry and pipe joining expertise with Victaulic, and is actively involved in various industry associations including MCAC, CIPH, CASA, and CIM. ❏