GPC/General Pipe
“
Flexi-Rooter’s ClogChopper rips open a hole for the chain knocker to work. It’s a great product.”
Flexi-Rooter ® featuring ClogChopper ®
Flexi-Rooter uses ClogChopper six-bladed cutters along with carbide and non-carbide-tipped chain cutters to break through the toughest clogs, scale and roots. The cutters then grind up the stubborn stoppages and scour the pipe walls clean.
The rotating shaft is 10 times faster than traditional shafts, yet easy to handle. It’s extremely exible for clearing 2" lines, yet strong enough to cut roots in 4" lines up to 75 feet long. Plus, the foot pedal leaves both hands free to guide it into the drain.
To learn more, visit www.drainbrain.com/Flexi-Rooter, or call the Drain Brains ® at 800-245-6200.
Visit us at CMPX Booth #1702
30HEAT PUMPS
Keeping GSHP systems properly maintained through preventive maintenance will minimize overall operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements, improve system performance, and protect the asset.
Tim Yoder
Going back to reusing building parts and components
26BUILDING TRENDS
This practice is an environmental alternative to the simple demolition of buildings.
Jonathon Harp
The correct way to size and select CONTROL VALVES Part II
50HYDRONICS
A step-by-step guide to make the process less daunting.
Rick Mohammed162HVAC
93SHOW PREVIEW
MB’s preview includes everything visitors to the show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (South Building) need to know. Maximize your visit by checking out the exhibitor list, educational session schedule and floorplan.
Distinguishing between a pump problem and a system problem often requires a good bit of information gathering.
Darren McPherson
RD17AZ Side Discharge Heat Pump
Friedrich Breeze™ Ducted Mini Split Side Discharge
IBC HPX™ High-Efficiency Monobloc Heat Pump
R962V Endeavor™ Line Classic Plus Series
With many more products on show.
38ROAD WARRIOR:
MEGAN WESTON-JESSO
A passion for helping people
Carolyn Cooper
46REFRIGERATION
The power of digital integration
Heather Wilkinson
64HEALTH & SAFETY
Mitigating workplace hazards
Rick Davies
70JOBSITE JARGON
74PLUMBING
How to break your drain cleaning equipment
Dave Dunbar
82MANAGEMENT
Why should technicians wear uniforms?
Nick Warrick
88ELECTRICAL
Understanding basic abbreviations
Jason Tables
90EMBRACING THE PAST
Water showcase highlights a mundane but essential function
Kerry Turner
78HEAT EMITTERS
When working on steam systems you have to consider the entire system.
Ray Wohlfarth
22PLUMBING
Installing a heat pump water heater is essentially the same as installing an electric resistance water heater with consideration for clearance and positioning, condensate, operational modes and other factors.
117TRADE SHOW IN PRINT
The eighth edition of the Mechanical Business Product Showcase features offerings from leading suppliers to the mechanical industry in Canada. New and legacy products and services are presented with the specifications and features you need to know.
The NPF Advantage: The NPF heats water by burning the gas in a sealed combustion heat exchanger, completely isolated from the airstream. The heated water is then pumped through a hydronic heat exchanger that gently transfers the heat into the air.
The fully enclosed Ultra-Low NOx premix burner provides extremely quiet operation, high efficiency of 97% AFUE, and allows for an industry-leading variable capacity that can modulate down to 15% for a next-level comfort experience.
Explore the new NPF at Navieninc.com.
NPF Horizontal
NPF Upflow
NAVIEN
159
Canada ranks number two for LEED in 2023
Deisy Verdinez
160
Online tool offers Saskatoon homeowners energy retrofit information
Carolyn Cooper
166PLUMBING
System protection: Neutralizing condensate waste
Phil Warren
170
FYI, you need to work on your DEI Sue Sodek
176
Stephen Clark
18 HYDRONICS
Are electric systems in your future?
Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr
There are so many things to think about these days with energy costs, as well as product offerings. Start learning the pros and cons of electric options so you can knowledgeably present options to customers.
42 PLUMBING
Reinventing the 2020 Plumbing Code
Fred Bretzke
Simple pipe line basic code illustrations from appendix need a big refresh.
58 MARKETING
Harnessing the digital landscape: A must-read for mechanical industry mavericks
Paul Bies
Why your business needs to shine on online directories.
66 REFRIGERATION
CO2 natural refrigerant trans-critical operation
Mike Squires
R-744 has experienced a resurgence as the industry strives to use environmentally friendly and non-toxic refrigerants.
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March/April 2024 Issue
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Injust a few weeks many industry professionals will be gathering in Toronto, ON for the CMPX show. It promises to be a different experience as the event has moved to the South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, plus there are myriad technical and business sessions on offer. Significantly, the products available at the show will highlight the nationwide move to decarbonization.
At the Mechanical Business booth (19, 21) you will find the team waiting to say hello, and as a special offer, visitors on March 20 and 21 can step up to the photo booth and be a cover personality. Sponsored by General Pipe Cleaners, this popular attraction is not to be missed.
For those of you who can’t get to the show consider this issue of Mechanical Business your show in print. Over 150 products are featured with detailed specifications and photos, starting on page 117. No need to ask, these products are all available through Canadian suppliers. We are looking forward to seeing you. If you haven’t already registered, do so on us using promo code MECHBIZ!
It saddened us to learn that RSES Honorary Member Garth Denison, CMS, passed away in January. Garth was committed to education and promoting the refrigeration trade. In fact, Garth was referred to by many as the “grandfather of refrigeration.”
He was a friend to us when we started in the industry and helped us to understand the complexities of refrigeration. But more than that, he had a great sense of humour, and a very clever approach to sharing the very technical side of equipment and systems. One approach was Cold War (Whether it’s Air Conditioning or Refrigeration), a series of short and to the point articles he conceived on topics of interest in the HVAC/R industry. For the curious, some of these articles are still available online.
Garth retired from his position of senior technical consultant, fluoroproducts division with DuPont Canada in 2002, and later joined Sporlan Canada as senior application engineer. He was active in RSES, and served as a former International President.
Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
The federal government announced February 5, 2024 that it will launch the next phase of the Canada Greener Homes Initiative, which will focus on energy and housing affordability. The new phase will be a key part of the forthcoming Canada Green Buildings Strategy, and will offer supports that are more accessible to Canadian households with low to median incomes. The next phase of the initiative will complement federal funding programs, including the Canada Greener Homes Loan and the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA) program. The government is expected to share more details on the next phase of the Canada Greener Homes Initiative in the coming weeks.
natural-resources.canada.ca
The Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) is collaborating with the Alberta Electrical Alliance (AEA) and the BC Electrical Association (BCEA) to present CIPHEX + Electrical Learning Expo West.
The tradeshow takes place on November 5 and 6, 2025 at the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE Vancouver, in Vancouver, BC. The event will be Western Canada’s largest trade event highlighting innovations in plumbing, HVAC/R, electrical, hydronic, renewable energy, lighting, and water quality solutions for the residential, commercial and industrial markets. Exhibit sales for the 2025 show will begin in fall 2024. More than 250 exhibitors are expected to showcase their products. The 2027 show will take place November 3 and 4 at the BMO Centre in Calgary, AB.
albertaelectricalalliance.com bcea.bc.ca ciph.com
The 2024 ASHRAE Winter Conference and AHR Expo took place January 20 to 24, 2024 in Chicago, IL, bringing together more than 50,000 HVAC/R industry professionals. The Winter Conference, which had nearly 3,800 registered attendees, offered 458 committee meetings and 125 technical sessions, as well as networking opportunities. Sessions focused on topics such as strategies for decarbonization, electrification, district energy systems, artificial intelligence, climate change and more. Approximately 50,000 people visited the AHR Expo, which showcased more than 1,860 exhibitors highlighting innovations in HVAC/R technology, products and services.
ashrae.org ahrexpo.com
The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is partnering with WomanACT and the Society for Canadian Women in Science & Technology (SCWIST) to launch the Safe STEM Workplaces project, a series of micro-lessons designed to tackle gender-based and sexual harassment in the workplace. The online self-paced and interactive lessons enhance prevention and response measures to harassment, with the goal of reducing stress, improving productivity, and retaining women in STEM industries. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion. The initiative is funded by the Department of Justice, and supported by industry employers including Chandos Construction, Tandem Launch and EllisDon. It is available free through CCA partner associations
cca-acc.com scwist.ca womanact.ca
Construction has started on the CHEO Integrated Treatment Centre in Ottawa, ON, a $371.37-million expansion project that will add 220,000 sq. ft. to the hospital. CHEO specializes in complex pediatric care, research and education. With funding from Infrastructure Ontario, the new six-storey CHEO Integrated Treatment Centre, also known as 1Door4Care, will merge seven care locations across Ottawa to create a single, state-of-the-art facility. The contract was awarded to EllisDon Infrastructure OCH Inc. to design, build and finance the project. The contract includes applicant lead and construction team EllisDon Corporation; design team Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc., Vertechs Design Inc., WalterFedy, Mulvey & Banani International Inc., H. H. Angus and Associates Limited, and Entuitive Corporation; and financial advisor EllisDon Capital Inc. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2027 or early 2028.
cheo.on.ca infrastructureontario.ca
The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAFFCA) has introduced the National Mentor Development Program for Women in the Skilled Trades. The initiative will offer free online programming to develop and enhance mentorship skills for women and gender diverse individuals in the trades. The four-month program will feature industry experts and tradeswomen coaches from the construction and manufacturing industry. In CAF-FCA’s Road Map to Supporting Women in the Trades, tradeswomen identified mentorship as one of their top priorities, and recommend “mentoring programs for women in the trades where experienced tradeswomen mentor and guide those just starting out.” The organization is asking those interested in applying to be a participant or a coach to apply at leadership.caf-fca.org.
caf-fca.org
The City of Vancouver, BC has changed its permitting process for fire sprinklers. As of January 23, 2024, permits are no longer required for simple sprinkler repairs or for sprinkler head or valve replacements. While all other sprinkler system installations will still need a permit, depending on the type of work certain sprinkler permits may be issued within 24 hours under a Fast Track process. vancouver.ca
■ Upgrade to one of 13 special QuickTrim® finishes in minutes (including Matte Black, Brushed Gold and Champagne Bronze)
■ Installs over existing bathtub drain
■ No need to remove tub drain and risk cross-threading
■ Includes stopper and high-flow Innovator® overflow faceplate
Rough-in with chrome…
…trim with special finish
Burlington, ON-based CIMCO Refrigeration has opened its first U.S. production facility in Duncan, SC. The 42,000-sq. ft. facility will focus on manufacturing natural refrigerant, industrial refrigeration components, and packages for the food and beverage, and ice rink industries. CIMCO, a part of Concord, ON’s Toromont Industries Ltd., provides thermal solutions for industrial, recreational and commercial markets.
cimcorefrigeration.com
Duravit has entered into a agreement with Hy-Line Sales Ltd. to support the brand’s growth in BC. Coquitlam, BC-based Hy-Line Sales will distribute Duravit’s complete range of premium bathroom solutions. The company services the residential, commercial, industrial and architectural markets of the construction industry.
duravit.us hylinesales.com
Duluth, GA-based Duravit USA, Inc. offers designer bathroom products, including sanitary ceramics, bathtubs and shower bases, showertoilets, faucets and more.
Sudbury, ON’s Noraqua is expanding its distribution agreement with House of Rohl to include the Barrie, ON area. The company already represents House of Rohl brands in Northern Ontario, including Riobel, ROHL, Perrin & Rowe, Shaws and Victoria + Albert. Noraqua is a plumbing manufacturer’s representative serving Northeastern Ontario. noraqua.ca houseofrohl.ca
Philippe Jolicoeur and Patrick Péladeau have announced the opening of Prospect Manufacturing Agent, a plumbing manufacturer’s representative covering Quebec and Eastern Ontario. The company offers tailored solutions for wholesale partners. According to Péladeau, Prospect Manufacturing Agent is also a new representative of Bélanger. prospect-agent.com
Vaughan, ON-based NEXT Plumbing and Hydronics Supply has opened a branch at 401 Parkdale Ave. in Hamilton, ON. Michael Merifield, who joined NEXT Supply in November 2023, is the branch manager. NEXT is a wholesale supplier of plumbing and hydronic products, and has 12 locations in Southern Ontario. nextsupply.ca
Carrier Global Corporation and Montana Technologies LLC are partnering to commercialize Montana’s AirJoule dehumidification and cooling technology. As part of the deal Carrier is investing $10 million in growth equity in Montana. Ronan, MT-based Montana Technologies is an atmospheric thermal energy and water harvesting technology company. Last year the company merged with Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. to help commercialize the AirJoule. corporate.carrier.com mt.energy
When you need to make a repair with a fitting you can trust, reach for SharkBite Max.
RWC/Sharkbite
Andrew Ferguson has joined the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute (HRAI) of Canada as workforce development manager. He will be focusing on developing strategic programs, training initiatives, and educational resources within the HVAC/R industry.
Rheem Canada Ltd. welcomes Aaron Gibson as national technical trainer, based in Calgary, AB.
Michel Beaulieu has retired as vice president of sales, Canada, for Roth North America, and is now a freelance instructor. He is currently working on the CSA B139 code for oil heating systems for the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (CMMTQ).
EMCO Corporation announces two staff promotions: Braden Bourque (1) is now business development manager –redistribution and showroom at EMCO Toronto Shorncliffe; and in Langley, BC, Erica Critchley (2) is now profit centre manager.
Mississauga, ON-based dahl Valve Ltd. has promoted Kurt Redhead to director of operations.
Derek Kirkpatrick is now vice president of sales, North America, for Woodridge, IL-based Gerber Plumbing Fixtures LLC.
David Belcher has been appointed senior area manager – Ontario plumbing at Noble Corporation.
NIBCO Inc. has promoted three employees: Lisa Lyon (1) is now general manager of NIBCO’s Webstone division; Rudy Smith (2) is vice president, valve manufacturing; and Allen Stanley (3) is vice president, fittings manufacturing and distribution.
Boucherville, QC-based The Master Group has announced four appointments: Cory Holm (1) is now refrigeration director – Western Canada; Henry Tighe (2) is now regional sales director – business solutions for the applied business unit in BC; Todd Wiggins (3) is now outside sales representative, business solutions hydronics; and Jarrid Teabo (4) is now inside sales supervisor based in Dartmouth, NS.
Cal Gogal joins Delta T Components as territory manager, Western Canada, based in Winnipeg, MB.
Gastite has hired Vishnu Nauth as Canadian national sales manager.
Carlsbad, CA-based Halo Water Systems, LLC has appointed Paul Ethier national sales manager (Canada).
William Sidora has been named sales specialist at NEXT Plumbing and Hydronics Supply.
Brampton, ON-based LynCar Waterline has appointed Paul Feltrin as Atlantic sales manager.
Andrew Stride has been named director of operations for Stoney Creek, ON-based A-Gas Canada. Stride has been with A-Gas since November 2021 as engineering manager.
When converting existing gas heating systems to allelectric heat pump systems, upgrading the electrical system to 230V is often necessary and costly. However, the new Daikin 115V indoor air handler, engineered specifically for the Daikin FIT system, is an all-electric solution that can replace a gas furnace without upgrading the electrical breaker to a 230V circuit.
The inverter-tuned variable-speed motor delivers quality, comfort, and energy-saving performance.
When paired with the Daikin FIT heat pump or air conditioner, the new 115V air handler o ers more flexibility and convenience than traditional non-inverter cube-style units.
ENGINEERED FOR COMPATIBILITY WITH DAIKIN FIT.
Before purchasing this appliance, read important information about its estimated annual energy consumption, yearly operating cost, or energy e ciency rating that is available from your retailer.
Iamnot convinced anyone on the planet knows how this electrification movement will shake out. Some well-meaning but not well-informed desk jockeys have put a stake in the ground. My opinion is deadlines to go 100 per cent electric will continue to be pushed out, or modified.
In the meantime, however, it presents an opportunity for hydronic pros to learn new methods and products.
Electric boilers are not new. Both hot water and steam boilers have been and are available. On a smallerscale, electric steamers for the shower are basically a mini-steam boiler, of sorts. Electric point of use DHW heaters, while not ASME listed, could be considered electric hydronic “boilers.”
With the possible exception of a kettle over a campfire, electric boilers are perhaps the simplest technology to heat water. Consider the well-known electric tank type water heater. It incorporates an immersion resistance element and a few thermal disc temperature and safety controls. It’s really just a handful of components screwed into and onto a plain steel tank.
Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr has been a plumbing, radiant heat and solar contractor and installer for 35+ years. A long-time columnist, Bob is involved with training and education at Caleffi North America. You can reach him at bob.rohr@caleffi.com.
Electric tank type water heaters incorporate an immersion resistance element and a few thermal disc temperature and safety controls.
“You could consider an electric boiler to be an electric water heater on steroids.”
Additional temperature and pressure protection is provided in the form of a temperature and pressure relief (T&P) valve. The T&P protects for temperature in excess of 210°F and/ or pressure in excess of 150 psi. It is not too big a step to make a safe, legal and smart electric boiler based on the immersion resistance element.
A quick online search reveals electric boilers appeared in Europe around 1905. Electric boilers differ from electric water heaters because they have more control and safety options. The vessel itself will typically have an ASME pressure vessel stamp.
Controls and limits are a bit more adjustable and may include staging control to step in the elements. Modern electric boilers may be controlled by triac relays as opposed to magnetic contactors, which could be noisy and maintenance prone. Additional control features might include outdoor reset function and Bluetooth enabled options. You could consider an electric boiler to be an electric water heater on steroids.
The biggest question is the operating cost when considering electricity as the heating fuel source. Looking at a power bill, it can take some math to really determine the actual cost of a delivered Kwh. Many bills show the cost per Kwh, but also add on multiple charges such as customer service, distribution, transmission, line loss adjustment, and so on. To find the accurate cost divide the total cost by the actual meter reading. This applies to all fuels. LP, NG also will have additional fees applied.
In some areas, utilities looking to better manage their generation capacity offer discounted rates for evening or early morning use. I have found examples of residential rates dropping to 1 cent per Kwh. With this in mind, adding a storage component can help you leverage some extremely low electricity rates for heating loads.
Insulated buffer tanks can be used as thermal storage. Or, in some cases, loading a concrete slab with heat during off-peak rates can give you enough of a flywheel effect to coast through the peak Kwhs. It is worth asking questions about off peak rates as they benefit you and the utility company.
Another popular concept is using solar photovoltaic (PV) to offset some electricity costs. There are all sorts of online calculators to determine if this makes sense in your area. Feed-in tariff (FIT) programs can be an evermoving target. Shop carefully. My experience shows the door-to-door PV salesmen have a different view of payback compared to experienced PV designers and installers. Find a knowledgeable person to help you sort through PV options.
I’ve not come across a mechanical or electric-mechanical device that does not require some maintenance and occasional service. When looking at the simplicity of a resistance element device, troubleshooting involves a simple multimeter and the training to use it correctly.
Granted, the more complex electric boilers with microprocessor controls can be more complicated to troubleshoot. However, many computer-based controls will do some basic troubleshooting for you. Error codes tell you where to start looking for a fault. You can map out the settings to call or text you an error alert. The tools required to properly service mod cons are considerably more expensive.
My opinion, knowing the fickleness of the energy market, would be to consider a hybrid approach. If the customer currently has gas or LP, advise them to keep it. Calculate if and when electricity is the better cost option. Controls are being developed that can watch electricity costs in real time and select when to go 100 per cent electric.
Power grid operators may make a decision for you regarding power availability. Many electric appliances allow the power company to monitor usage and control available power. They may brown out areas of high draw. Having a fossil fuel source, perhaps with a small generator back up, will help prevent customers from being left out in the cold.
A good fuel cost comparison spreadsheet is at the coalpail site, www.coalpail.com.
It’s easy to find a chat room or webinar talking about the ins and outs of electrification. Follow the hydronic sites in North America, but also in the UK and Europe where the electrification movement is in full swing due to the instability/ uncertainty in global fuel availability.
Electric boilers are available for all types of hot water heating systems, including applications requiring 190°F water temperatures.
This year’s AHR show in Chicago, IL, certainly proved that the hydronic players, boiler manufacturers included, are fully onboard with electric hydronic heat source options.
There are so many things to think about these days with energy costs, as well as product offerings. Start learning the pros and cons of the options so you can knowledgeably present options to customers.
Don’t be intimidated by the move toward an electric future. Embrace the opportunities and get ahead of the curve.
TACO
Installing a heat pump water heater (HPWH) is essentially the same as installing an electric resistance water heater, so additional trades are not always needed on site. The installer flow chart in the November/ December 2022 issue of Mechanical Business (p44, mechanicalbusiness.com) outlines particular instances when additional trades might be necessary, for example, if panel upgrades are required.
Installation is simple, with no refrigerant handling required. In addition to following the guidance of product manuals, consider the following best practices:
• Follow manufacturer specifications regarding water heater clearance and seismic strapping.
• Position the unit so the control panel is facing outward and easily accessible to the homeowner. Make sure all data connection ports are accessible.
• Direct exhaust away from any thermostats if present or within 10 feet.
• Ensure the intake air path is sufficiently free and open.
• Make sure that the positioning allows for easy access to inspect the water heater and controls, service the air filter, and drain the tank.
HPWHs produce a benign condensate that must be drained away from the water heater. Unlike condensing gas water heaters, which produce acidic condensate as a combustion byproduct, there are no special piping or handling requirements for HPWHs
It is important to make sure the pipe insulation is continuous.
other than to convey the benign condensate to a drain. Ensure the water heater is level so condensate properly collects into, and drains from, the condensate collection pan. Do not drain water into safety water pan under the heater as some HPWHs have leak detection sensors embedded in the bottom of the heater’s housing.
For additional benefit to the homeowner, install the condensate drain with a p-trap and a tee port opening so the homeowner can periodically flush the condensate line with vinegar or similar cleaning solution.
Condensate pumps, commonly paired with air conditioners, can be used to drain the condensate produced by a HPWH. A single pump may often be used for both the air conditioner and the HPWH.
If installing on a floor susceptible to water damage, install a drain pan to guard against any problems from future leaks. Connect the outlet from the pan to suitable drainage in accordance with your local code.
Electric storage water heaters, including HPWHs, do not need to be raised off the floor with a stand. Most electric HPWHs are taller than electric storage water heaters. Keep in mind they have a larger tank size, and their connections are in different places. Make sure there is space above and around the heater to accommodate the variations for the models you are considering.
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American Standard/ LixilTo improve the system performance overall, insulate all the hot water piping. It is more important to make sure the pipe insulation is continuous than it is to increase the wall thickness or R-value of the pipe insulation. Follow manufacturer’s instructions but as an example, some jurisdictions require one inch of pipe insulation. This includes R-7.7 insulation for the first five feet of cold pipes from the storage tank, all hot water piping between 3/4 to 1 in., and hot water piping less than 3/4 in. if it is: associated with the hot water recirculation system; buried below grade; or travelling from storage tank to kitchen fixtures or to another storage tank. Exceptions apply, including in alterations where unexposed piping does not need to be insulated.
Unfired tanks are required to be insulated. Most HPWHs have internal insulated tanks. A label on the exterior of the tank will show the R-value, which must meet National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB) requirements for internal insulation in an unfired tank.
Provide a minimum R-10 foam pad under the HPWH to minimize unnecessary heat loss through the bottom of the water heater. This is a best practice regardless of floor type.
Do not use a continuously operated circulation pump. If pipe runs to fixtures are too long, use an on demand, sensor, or occupant-activated pump to circulate just enough water to prime the loop with hot water. Connect the return pipe of the circulation loop to the cold inlet of the water heater − this will guide the cooler returning water to pool at the bottom of the tank so it does not interfere with hot water availability. Continuous circulation is particularly detrimental to HPWHs. It will result in a lack of hot water availability and greatly increase energy use. Consequently, never set the circulation system controls to continuous, and advise the homeowner of this requirement.
An external thermostatic mixing valve is recommended to increase the storage heat capability of the water heater.
As with other water heaters, local code may require seismic strapping. When installing, use rubber standoffs when attaching straps to the wall to minimize the vibration and transfer of sound to the rest of the house.
The default for most HPWHs is hybrid operation mode with the supplemental heating elements enabled. Some manufacturers refer to this as “Energy Saver” mode, though switching to the efficiency/economy mode may actually save more. The hybrid mode automatically switches to standard electric resistance heat during periods of high hot water demand. However, most consumers can meet demand and maximize cost savings by using the heat pump mode only. Controls make it easy to switch options during times of high-water demand. Consult the manufacturer manual. Some units even have a vacation mode or timer to help save energy when homeowners are away from home by putting the unit to “sleep.”
After installation, HPWHs require modest servicing. The air filter should be cleaned every six to 12 months, with more frequent cleaning in high dust locations. The heat pumps in current water heaters are designed like refrigerators to operate as a fully-sealed system with no other servicing, so there are no ports to add or remove refrigerant. Like any other water heater, follow the manufacturer’s recommended service requirements including regular maintenance for draining the tank and servicing the anode rod.
If you’ve been told all PEX F1960 cold expansion fittings are the same because they all conform to the same fitting standard, it’s important to understand there are real differences that can make or break your business.
In truth, not all fittings conforming to the ASTM F1960 standard are the same. Manufacturers and suppliers that claim their fittings are compliant to ASTM F1960 feel that, in their opinion, they meet the standard. However, there is no third-party agency to confirm that compliance.
Uponor ProPEX fittings are a highly engineered product certified by third-party agencies — NSF and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) — to ensure the raw materials, manufacturing process, and resulting product accurately meet the ASTM F1960 standard.
In fact, the companies that mold ProPEX EP fittings are partners that are integrated into the codes, helping ensure the highest-quality product. ProPEX fittings also undergo internal quality testing that extends beyond the ASTM F1960 standard requirements to provide customers with the strongest value available on the market.
“It’s important that installers are aware they need to ask for the Uponor brand name from distribution and make sure they are getting what they are paying for in ProPEX fittings,” says Bradfield Craig, director of Marketing at Uponor. “The differences are far beyond just the brand name. Uponor testing on generic F1960 fittings has exposed various manufacturing design and quality inconsistencies, and some fittings can’t even pass the ASTM F1960 standard requirements. This is putting projects at considerable risk for failures and potentially voids the associated system warranties.”
So, how can you tell if you have a real Uponor ProPEX fitting? The easiest way is to look for the Uponor logo. Other indicators include thicker tube stops and thicker sealing barbs. The thin tube stops on the generic, low-quality F1960 fittings are especially problematic as the expanded PEX pipe can extend past the stops and cause leaks.
If you are purchasing fittings that are not in Uponor packaging and are loose in a bin, be sure to take a close look at each part to ensure you’re getting Uponor ProPEX and not a generic product.
To learn more about the quality and 25-year warranty that accompanies the Uponor system as well as the risks of low-quality F1960 fittings, visit uponor.com/askforuponor.
The approach of dismantling buildings has a lengthy history and has reappeared as part of the move towards environmentally sustainable buildings. Its more recent iteration is referred to as deconstruction.
Build Reuse, a U.S. nonprofit with a mission to foster the recovery, reuse and recycling of building materials, describes deconstruction of buildings as “the process of dismantling a structure to maximize the recovery of reusable material. Sometimes called ‘construction in reverse’ or ‘unbuilding,’ deconstruction removes a building by selective disassembly of structural and non-structural building components. This stands in contrast to conventional demolition, which uses mechanical equipment like bulldozers and wrecking balls, resulting in limited reusability.”
As opposed to demolishing buildings, which results in large amounts of waste ending up in landfill, deconstruction allows for the reuse of portions of buildings or their component parts. It has been discovered in the deconstruction process that building components in many cases are valuable for reuse in new or renovated buildings thus sustainably eliminating the need for new components and reducing waste.
The deconstruction process is normally divided into two types; structural parts of the building such as bricks, support beams and wood, and non-structural parts such as windows, doors, equipment, and other components.
According to the federal government as of April 2021, “Construction, renovation and demolition waste represents a significant portion (4 million tonnes or 12 per cent) of the solid waste stream generated in Canada.” Deconstruction sustainably provides reused building materials with a “new life cycle” and decreases the need for new materials, which in turn decreases the need for energy and reduces GHG emissions.
Deconstruction also occurs at the local level, which creates additional emission reductions from the transportation of materials, as well as removing traditional demolition solid waste from landfill. According to some experts, 90 per cent of construction waste is created by the demolition process.
In the deconstruction process, building components in many cases are valuable for reuse in new or renovated buildings thus sustainably eliminating the need for new components and reducing waste.
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AmanaBeing a locally-focused endeavour, deconstruction has proved to be a source of employment opportunities for local communities and is a “tool for workforce development” particularly in the underemployed sectors. According to Delta Institute, “Deconstruction creates 6-8 jobs, for every job created by traditional demolition.” The work is labour intensive and needs teams of workers who understand the deconstruction process. As an example, demolition of a 300 sq. metre home needs two to three workers where deconstruction needs six to eight workers.
This new sector also needs “a substantially higher degree of hands-on labour than does traditional demolition.” This opens the door for unemployed and unskilled people in the community to obtain deconstruction training and re-enter the workforce.
Deconstruction also has a positive effect on the reuse business and supports jobs in warehousing,
Another aspect of deconstruction making some headway is the idea of designing buildings from the start with aspects that support deconstruction at their end of life. This process has been given the name “designing for deconstruction (DFD).” It is gaining some traction in the design field as part of sustainable architecture.
The deconstruction architectural approach is to use “simple construction methods” and put them together with “high grade, durable materials.” Other things to consider are making the building’s core more visible and components easier to separate so they can be taken apart. The use of accessible bolts as fasteners also lead to simpler deconstruction as well as grouping mechanical systems together within the building to reduce service lines from being too lengthy and becoming intertwined with other parts. Other design features supporting deconstruction include raised floors and drop ceilings that allow easy access to mechanical, electrical and other building components. There are a number of standard construction approaches that do not foster deconstruction and make some materials unusable, including fasteners such as glue and nails.
The DFD design approach provides other benefits beyond easy deconstruction at a building’s end-of-life. These buildings are typically “easier to maintain and adapt to new uses,” which reduces their environmental impact.
The deconstruction business in Canada is just getting started. There are some companies that specialize in deconstruction of buildings and demolition companies are looking at deconstruction methods to enhance their services. This practice was a “thrifty” approach to taking down buildings a century ago. It was normal practice to bring down buildings by hand, which provided access to structural and non-structural components for reuse. However, changes in machinery and techniques moved away from reusing building materials around the mid-20th century. The pendulum swung back in the latter portion of the century and into the 21st century as the cost of waste disposal and sustainability of buildings came to the forefront of building construction.
The “old” practice of reusing components from end-of-life buildings is being resurrected and gaining traction in Canada. The current deconstruction approach recognizes that some reuse does not meet sustainability standards; for example, the energy use and waste generated by concrete recycling. The better approach is to leave materials in their original form and use them for their original purpose. This is called the circular economy, which is expanding worldwide as regulations are put in place to reduce waste and carbon emissions.
As Dr. Hannah Teicher of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions in B.C. noted in a recent article on deconstruction, “embodied carbon advocates tend to focus on improving building materials for new construction. Deconstruction could offer an important pathway [to reducing emissions] by funnelling overlooked resources to their highest and best use.”
BC is a good example of how the deconstruction approach is making headway. Both Victoria and Vancouver have bylaws in place that require wood from end-of-life homes to be recovered for reuse. TAS, a Canadian company involved in the deconstruction business, estimates that reusing construction materials will eliminate 990 tonnes of future GHG emissions.
Deconstruction is an environmental alternative to simple demolition of buildings. For example, instead of simply relying on the shrinking supply of wood from Canadian forests for new homes and buildings, the construction industry needs to increase the use of materials that are already in use. Reused old growth timber can be used in construction for a wide variety of wooden building parts.
Keeping commercial ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems properly maintained through preventive maintenance will minimize overall operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements, improve system performance, and protect the asset. Operators should follow the guidelines in the equipment manufacturer’s maintenance manuals and check the specific warranty details for the installed system.
GCHXs are durable, reliable, and have few moving parts. The maintenance of the fluid loop primarily consists of cleaning strainers and maintaining the proper pressure and correct concentration of antifreeze. Pumps for the fluid loop require standard maintenance.
Maintenance of the indoor water-to-air units is similar to maintenance of air-to-air heat pumps because both units have similar components such as fans, filters, an air coil, a condensate drain, a refrigerant reversing valve, and compressors. Because water-to-water units have components similar to water-to-air units, the required maintenance is also similar.
GSHP equipment is not exposed to outdoor elements and as a result, the units actually require less maintenance than typical air-source heat pumps. It is important to keep a detailed log of services performed, controller alarms, equipment down time, and other relevant issues noted and resolved. This will help identify recurring warranty issues or systemic problems and make sure warranties remain valid. Work orders related to the GSHP system should be recorded.
By Tim Yoder
Tim Yoder is a mechanical engineer with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He can be reached at tim.yoder@pnnl.gov and more GSHP resources are available at pnnl.gov.
For all equipment maintenance, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Proper maintenance of these systems is extensive and should only be performed by qualified personnel with previous GSHP O&M experience. Make sure component conditions and operating temperatures, pressures, and flows are within manufacturer and design parameters.
Proper pump operation for all systems is critical, so pump field checks should be performed frequently. At least weekly checks of the pumps are recommended, but monthly inspections are needed at a minimum. For openloop systems, entering and leaving temperatures of the plate-and-frame heat exchanger, as well as pressure drops across the GCHX groundwater strainer, should be checked at least weekly with monthly inspections needed at a minimum.
See the sample checklist on pages 32 and 34. Consult the manufacturer’s information for acceptable operating parameters.
Standard electrical and mechanical safety practices apply to these systems. Antifreeze solution, which is typically used in the ground loop as a heat transfer fluid, is toxic to humans and animals, so disposal requires compliance with local regulations.
Monitoring the performance of GSHP systems is important to ensure proper operation and cost savings are achieved as well as for reporting purposes (when required). Individual unit performance must be assessed to determine overall system performance. Unfortunately, GSHP systems do not generally have associated monitoring equipment because of the complexity, cost, and accessibility challenges of installing and monitoring sensors and thermostats on all components. Instead, complaints about discomfort from building occupants can indicate possible performance problems with a unit or the system and should be addressed immediately.
To measure individual unit performance, the following steps are required:
To ensure proper operation, a GSHP should be checked in both heating and cooling modes of operation using appropriate tools. To check performance temperature, pressure and flow measurements are required. The resulting heat of extraction/rejection is calculated using the unit’s water flow rate, the temperature difference between the water entering and the water leaving, and the fluid factor.
The resulting heat of extraction/rejection can be used to measure the performance of the heat pump by referencing the manufacturer’s specification book.
The sensible heat/cooling of the unit can be calculated using the unit’s air flow rate and the temperature difference between the air entering the unit and the air leaving the unit. The calculated sensible heat/cooling can be compared to the manufacturer’s specification to determine unit performance.
Electrical measurements should be taken and compared to the manufacturer’s specification to determine proper equipment operation and indicate component wear.
To make sure appropriate freeze protection and correct evaluation of the system performance, the concentration of antifreeze in the system should be checked.
Generally, GSHP systems have lower O&M costs than conventional (chiller, boiler and air handling) systems. The indoor units are similar in complexity to split systems (air handling units with condensing units) or package rooftop units. The more complex maintenance involved with a chiller or boiler is not required unless a boiler or cooling tower is included as a component of a hybrid system.
The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) found that O&M costs for GSHP are US$109 +/- US$94 per ton.
20-22
“Being great means always being ready to learn and share, leading by example, and celebrating success with others. The essence of greatness lies in continuous improvement — striving to be better today than yesterday.”
Brian Williams, Founder & Visionary Ashton Service Group
Nexstar Member since 2011
Never, ever underestimate them. In the home services industry, we connect with our customers to add value and offer comfort; we connect with our teams to strengthen and grow; and we connect with our peers to level up. Nexstar Network is built on connections. In 1992 Nexstar founders – like-minded contractors – forged relationships focused on success through education and sharing. They changed our industry for better. This small group has evolved into a network of more than 1,000 of the most successful home service companies in North America and beyond.
Member-owned, we are committed to our valued members, those working to tirelessly to support the rising tide of the trades. Their greatness sets them apart and we celebrate their commitment to their businesses, their communities, and our industry. If you are interested in learning how Nexstar can supercharge your professional and personal growth, we’d love to talk.
Connect with some of our Canadian Nexstar members and our employee team at CMPX, Booth #240. Reach us today at 888-240-7827, or visit us at nexstarnetwork.com/contact, and learn more about our mission to turn the world’s best tradespeople into the world’s best businesspeople.
Name: Megan Weston-Jesso
Company: Colvin Plumbing Inc.
Job title: Apprentice plumber
Born in: Brampton, ON
Lives in: Hamilton, ON
Age: 29
“Consider entering the trades, especially the plumbing industry,” says Megan Weston-Jesso when asked what advice she would give young people thinking about a career in the skilled trades. “I’ve found it incredibly rewarding, and I discovered a passion for improving water quality, something I never knew I had. Being able to help people in the plumbing industry has been immensely fulfilling.”
Weston-Jesso is an apprentice plumber at Stoney Creek, ON’s Colvin Plumbing Inc., where she’s worked for almost four years as an apprentice. She began her journey in the trades through a pre-apprenticeship program for welding, plumbing and steam fitting, which she says “sparked some curiosity I didn’t think I would have, and so I decided to pursue a career in the trades. And what really kept me interested in the plumbing industry was the amount of skills you learn, and how you can use those skills to help people in many ways. That’s a huge motivator for me to keep going in this industry.”
Today much of her work involves residential work such as servicing and bathroom renovations, with some
commercial work. “But the main thing I really want to get more into is water filtration. That’s something I’m super passionate about,” she adds. “For a while we were installing a lot of filtration systems, but our supplier sold his business. So we are looking for more people to connect with in this industry.”
Weston-Jesso first became interested in water quality when she realized how many houses were connected to lead water lines, and how many homeowners weren’t aware of it. “Hamilton has over 20,000 homes that contain lead pipe, so every time I go into someone’s house I always just check to see if they have them, and spread awareness of it,” she explains. “Hamilton puts orthophosphate in the water supply to coat the lining of the lead so that you don’t get a high concentration. But the lead is still in there.
“One time I cut open a galvanized pipe, and the stuff in that pipe was so disgusting. Knowing what was in there, and that [people] were drinking from the taps from this pipe, was very concerning. After that, I got more into the complex issues, like places that don’t have water treatment plants. My family is from
Newfoundland, and there are a lot of problems that they’re facing when it comes to water quality. So I’ve been testing the water there. I’ve just been trying to spread awareness on this topic, as much as possible, because it’s something we really need to be talking about. And I think there’s a lot of innovation still to be made with how we treat water today.”
In the mechanical industry since: 2016
Schools and programs: Mohawk College
Favourite teacher: Mr. Froude
Favourite class: Plumbing systems/ shop class
Best advice you’ve ever received: Your past does not dictate your future; you have the power to redefine your story.
Service area: Hamilton, ON
Any area you like to get dispatched to, and why?
The water treatment plant. I’m very passionate about water quality, and have done tours there. I would love to learn more about the filtration process in different communities.
Favourite part of the job? Being able to share my knowledge and experience to help people.
The most useful tool in your toolbox? Automatic copper tubing cutter
Your favourite tool in your toolbox? Ridgid pipe wrench
Tool that you wish you had? Pro press tool … one day soon
Favourite book: Superman’s Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It, by Erin Brockovich
Favourite TV show: The Queen’s Gambit
Favourite sport: Baseball
Favourite car of all time: Ford F-150 truck
If you were granted one wish: That everyone would be able to have cleaner drinking water.
Favourite performer: Federico Albanese
Favourite magazine: Mechanical Business
Last book you read: Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Favourite snack: Banana chips
Favourite season: Fall
Favourite food: Jiggs Dinner, a traditional Newfoundland meal
Favourite outdoor activity:
Hobbies: Travelling, photography
Last movie you saw: Dark Waters
Favourite website: communityhealthbook.com
3 albums that you’d take with you to your desert island:
1. Nickelback – All The Right Reasons
2. Federico Albanese – By The Deep Sea
3. Avicii – True
One place you would like to visit: Iceland
If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be? Erin Brockovich or Elon Musk
One word or phrase that describes you: Hardworking
If I had a million dollars … I’d invest, travel, and help people access cleaner drinking water.
My rule of thumb is … aging or deteriorating pipes can leach contaminates like lead or other metals into the water supply. Invest in effective filtration and water treatment methods for your water safety.
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Polyethylene of Raised Temperature Resistance (PE-RT) tubing is growing in popularity as an option for potable water and hydronic heating systems across North America, presenting advantages over its counterpart, Crosslinked Polyethylene (PEX). The benefits of PE-RT tubing extend to both installers and building owners, making it a preferred option for a variety of applications.
One of the primary advantages of PE-RT tubing when compared to PEX is its increased temperature resistance. PE-RT can withstand higher temperatures, making it a reliable choice for both potable water and hydronic systems. This feature ensures durability and longevity, allowing the tubing to maintain structural integrity and performance in demanding conditions. In contrast, PEX may experience degradation when exposed to high temperatures, limiting its application.
PE-RT tubing also excels in flexibility, with relaxed memory you’ll experience less spring back, providing a more user-friendly option for installers. The tubing’s increased flexibility simplifies the installation process, allowing for easier routing through tight spaces and around obstacles. This flexibility reduces “kinks” due to tight bends and the need for additional fittings and joints, minimizing the potential for leaks and enhancing the overall efficiency of the installation. Installers benefit from a more streamlined and efficient process, saving time and labour costs.
For building owners, the advantages of choosing PE-RT tubing over PEX translates to long-term reliability and reduced maintenance costs. The resistance of PE-RT to corrosion and scaling ensures clean and safe potable water, promoting the health and well-being of occupants. Additionally, in hydronic heating systems, PE-RT tubing contributes to energy efficiency, lowering operational costs over the system’s lifespan.
In conclusion, the use of PE-RT tubing, which is the evolution of PEX tubing, for potable water and hydronics offers superior temperature resistance, flexibility, and durability. Installers benefit from ease of installation, and building owners enjoy a reliable and cost-effective solution for their water and heating systems, making PE-RT tubing a preferred choice in the construction industry.
Sources:
PE-RT is a high-temperature flexible plastic pressure pipe with a 35-year history of successful use in the European market with extensive testing for durability and material performance. It was first introduced in North America in 2003 and is used in aluminum composite (multilayer) barrier tubing and solid wall tubing and pipe. Applications include plumbing, water service, hydronic heating and cooling, snow and ice melting and ground source geothermal piping systems.1
Unlike a crosslinked material (PEX), PE-RT is 100% recyclable, making HYPERTHERM™ PE-RT the sustainable choice in plumbing pipe.2 This means that leftover pieces of PE-RT tubing on job sites can be recycled as can production waste at the manufacturing plant, resulting in a much more environmentally friendly solution.
• Safety of potable water and long-term reliability
• Resistance to corrosion, tuberculation, deposits
• Chlorine and chloramine resistance
• Flexibility to speed installations
• Freeze-break resistance
• Lightweight, easy to transport
• Noise and water hammer resistance
• Low scrap value, avoiding jobsite theft
• Durability and toughness to survive jobsite installations
• No flame used for joining, with many fitting and joining options
• Heat Fusible for virtually leak-free performance
• Recyclable, eco-friendly material
1 PE-RT Overview; Plastic Pipe Institute (PPI); https://plasticpipe.org/BuildingConstruction/BuildingConstruction/PE-RT.aspx
² Dow; A Pipe’s Dream: Why choose PE-RT for Plumbing pipe?;Document Viewer | Dow Inc.
³ Plastic Pipe Institute (PPI), PE-RT Advantages; https://plasticpipe.org/BuildingConstruction/BuildingConstruction/PE-RT.aspx
The information presented in this article was compiled based on discussions with various colleagues and research conducted online.
Any resemblance to existing articles is purely coincidental.
By Fred Bretzke
Iam a firm believer in giving code illustrations a big refresh. In fact I have made it my project. I remember sitting in my plumbing class at SAIT as an apprentice. My instructor displayed an awesome sense of humour and an extreme knowledge of the code. The problem was we ended up memorizing code clauses, which was fine, but the illustrations from the code appendix were single pipe line basic drawings. That was the extent of technology at the time. Still, it was way better than my first code book, which was the 1976 REGULATION 647 The Ontario Water Resources Act book. This little green baby had no illustrations at all in it. Hence a single pipe drawing was better than nothing.
All of the instructors drew a bunch of single line pipe drawings, which were great if you lived in Lala Land. Out in the field this limited education didn’t help much because we live in a 3D world. Over 40 years later one would think we would at least have a hologram code book, after all I remember seeing my first hologram in Star Wars back in 1976 and I teach with holograms now.
When I started teaching the first time in 1990, we were using the National Plumbing Code 1990 code book which actually had an appendix, they had single line pipe drawings, which were better than nothing. I was so envious of the automotive department because they had 3D drawings of engines, but us simple plumbers only had single pipe drawings. Of course, that’s not even going into the detailed drawings the oil industry had at the time. I dreamt of a high-tech future for the plumbing industry, but years later the unified National Plumbing Code is still like a relic from the 1970s. Should the pipe trades expect some modernizing of the plumbing code appendix? Or at least the important parts of the code, such as sections 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7, which I call the nuts and bolts of the code. Contrast those with my 3D designs. The following graphics are samples of previous code drawings from the appendixes of the 2020 and 1990 codes. There is almost no difference.
In the 2020 code book, the appendix of drawings is over 20 years old and in black and white. Drawings were created using something similar to an antiquated Visio software program. As you can see on the right, the current drawings are also missing a number of correct fittings (no 45s or wyes). At least the 1990 code drawing had 45s and wyes.
“Back in the day, the problem was we ended up memorizing code clauses, which was fine, but the illustrations from the code appendix were single pipe line basic drawings. The code illustrations need a big refresh.”
2020 code drawing (no 45s or wyes)
1990 code drawing (with 45s and wyes)
Finally, here is an illustration from the 2020 code of a clothes washing machine standpipe with a 3D example below it. A
Most of the proposed 3D drawings will include a QR code and hyperlink to a tutorial video for further explanation. Users can zoom in and see a 360-degree view of code clauses found in the appendix. These images will be in high definition on YouTube.
I’ve been teaching with 3D drawings for 13 years and make them to scale and to code. Students who have been playing 3D video games for the past 20 years are certainly more than ready for well-presented 3D code material.
Complicated circuit vent drawings can now be explained with a 3D image and linked video.
Fred Bretzke is a full-time pipe trades instructor with Calgary’s SAIT Polytechnic. He was the 2020-2021 Innovation of The Year Award Winner: SAIT for digitizing the project-based learning approach apprenticeship training is known for. Fred can be reached at fred.bretzke@sait.ca.
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BelimoIn response to the urgent global need to meet climate targets, there is a clear emphasis on reducing energy demand, with industries actively pursuing reductions. However, the refrigeration sector has not fully recognized the potential for substantial energy benefits. It is necessary to overhaul both conventional architectures and the prevailing mindset among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), which currently confines them to design systems within the limitations of their components.
Fortunately, the emergence of digital integration presents opportunities for achieving optimal efficiency and unlocking the system’s full potential. This transformation is crucial, as energy consumption plays a pivotal role in determining the environmental and economic impact of refrigeration systems.
Conventional refrigeration systems, characterized by manual, pressure-driven, or analog controls, manifest inefficiencies contributing to excessive energy use, elevated greenhouse gas emissions, and heightened operational costs.
The industry continues to centre its approach on designing within the limitations of devices and methods such as condenser flooding, heated receivers, and water requirements. Conventional systems, tailored to accommodate these limitations, result in heightened energy consumption, increased operating pressure, and elevated operational stress. This approach diminishes the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the cooling process, shortens the system’s life expectancy, and necessitates more frequent servicing.
The transition towards digital controls and smart infrastructure signifies a substantial leap in mitigating environmental impact while simultaneously enhancing benefits for system owners. The efficiency achievable is determined by how digital technology is implemented. To fully harness the complete potential of electronic components and the energy benefits of digitization, it is essential to go beyond simply integrating sensors and digital controls into traditional designs, where isolated components lack communication and operate independently.
Adopting a comprehensive approach is crucial, as focusing on individual components alone is insufficient. The transition should begin with establishing a completely interconnected system. Low-pressure platforms, integrated with a building automation system (BAS), facilitate a connection throughout the system. Linking each device through a dedicated local area network (LAN), fosters seamless communication and data sharing across the platform. The system’s connectivity and communication capabilities are integral to its success. Digital integration allows end-users to observe, comprehend, and fine-tune parameters to enhance performance efficiency, ultimately leading to cost savings.
By Heather Wilkinson
Electronic controls eliminate dependence on mechanical components susceptible to degradation over time. This digitalization process facilitates precise control of all system components for optimal responsiveness
Unified system design aggregates thousands of real-time data points, creating an optimal operational framework. Advanced algorithms continuously analyze data, adjusting settings based on variables such as temperature, humidity, and system load. The processed data is shared across the platform, transmitting meaningful information that improves the performance of every device.
Electronic controls eliminate the need for conventional pressure differentials and leverage low compression ratios, which lowers discharge temperatures and minimizes secondary waste heat. Reducing compression ratios decreases the work required by the compressor, which leads to a more responsive and efficient process that minimizes energy waste and reduces the overall carbon footprint. When each part of the system is digitally optimized and can influence all other components, it creates a ripple effect that impacts the entire system.
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FujitsuEnhancing equipment performance through digital integration reduces energy consumption and fosters a sustainable approach to refrigeration. It offers more than just environmental benefits; it benefits system owners financially. Remote capabilities enable achieving greater equipment longevity through enhanced system protection, immediate anomaly notifications, and the ability to intervene promptly, ensuring durability and reliability.
Access to all pertinent information eliminates guesswork, simplifying the management and monitoring of refrigeration systems. The resulting energy savings from increased efficiency directly reduce operational costs, enhancing overall profitability. Furthermore, embracing smart technologies positions system owners to meet stringent environmental regulations and opens potential opportunities for securing government support through energy grants or programs.
In pursuing a sustainable future, governments worldwide actively promote initiatives, such as grants and targeted campaigns, encouraging businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. One such initiative is Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), a governmentrun incentive program that supports businesses in enhancing operational efficiency while simultaneously lowering emissions. ERA’s commitment to promoting cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies aligned perfectly with the goals of Cornerstone Co-op in Mannville, AB.
The cooperative was operating a system with obsolete technology that had exceeded its intended lifespan. Confronted with high energy consumption and escalating repair costs, the owners hesitated to invest in similar equipment that would replicate the inefficiencies of their current system. The existing system ran continuously at maximum parameters with static setpoints, an unnecessary practice leading to energy wastage.
Upon discovering the energy and longevity benefits of the fully integrated Oxford Low-Pressure Platform with Solar (OLPP-S), the Co-op opted to replace compressors and condenser coils serving retail cases, the walk-in cooler, and the freezer. With support from ERA, they embarked on a retrofit project to significantly reduce energy costs and enhance overall operational efficiency. This initiative resulted in a $92,000 incentive payout for the Co-op from the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction Fund.
Lacking an energy management system to monitor their operations, they sought a scalable platform that would allow the business to attain dependable equipment performance, enhance efficiency, achieve cost savings, and align with environmental goals.
The Co-op invested in a complete outdoor skid without any conventional characteristics. The innovative design of the low-pressure platform yields impressive results, utilizing a low-pressure refrigerant in an environment with temperatures ranging from 40°C to -50°C. The new, fully integrated platform, driven by advanced digital technologies, facilitates comprehensive system management through BAS. This empowers the Co-op to monitor its system’s performance effortlessly, providing valuable insights into how their refrigeration affects their business and environmental objectives.
The system incorporates a builtin energy meter, functioning like a third-party device. It communicates through Modbus, meticulously tracking power usage for compression, condenser, walk-in cooler, freezer evaporator fans, and defrost heaters. Thanks to the net optimizing benefits of the BAS, the average energy reduction is 50 to 60 per cent compared to the previous system. The Co-op’s efficiency gains, robust system management capabilities, and the enhanced adaptability and performance of its refrigeration system underscore the power of a well thought out digital transition.
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Rick Mohammed, A.Sc.T., is a regional application consultant with Belimo. He can be reached at rick.mohammed@ca.belimo.com.
In Part I (Mechanical Business Sept/Oct 2023) we focused on the different types of control valves found in hydronic systems. We will now review the correct way to size and select a control valve.
You first need to consider the application when selecting a control valve. Is it on a heating loop and the body needs to meet an ANSI class rating? Or maybe it’s on a by-pass line for a chiller and a butterfly valve (BFV) is the best option. Is the valve going to be outdoors and exposed to rain, heat, snow and ice? The application can help narrow down the valve options.
Most of the selection process focuses on selecting the valve size. Many manufacturers preselect the actuator for every valve size so there is no need to include it in the process. We will highlight the valve sizing information required, along with options for the actuator.
Fail safe or non-fail safe actuator
Let’s assume a two-way control valve for a heating coil in a FCU. 24 volts power, control signal unknown
This is the maximum design flow of the device. AHU, FCU, radiator, etc. Assume 40 GPM
This is the pressure drop at the point in the system the valve will be installed. Usually, it is close to a heating or cooling coil and since coils have a 3 to 5 psi pressure drop we can use 4 psi. Otherwise use the design PD
Also known as Line size. This is important to make sure the valve selected does not cause noise. Assume 2 in.
For heating applications in tall buildings with high static pressure, an ANSI class rated valve body may be required. Assume 50 psi
For open/close applications such as isolation, a line size valve can be selected. For modulating duty you will need to use the sizing process to ensure the valve will control flow properly. Assume modulating
What do you want the valve to do if power is lost? The valve fail usually opens for heating applications and fail closes for cooling. If it’s on a reheat coil it may not matter and non-fall safe can work. Assume fail open for heating
This is the power available on site to operate the actuator. 120 volt and 24 volt are available for open/ close applications. 24 volts power is available for modulating applications and a 120/24 volt step down transformer can be used. Assume 24 volts
It is the difference in pressure between two points of a pipe system. The higher the pump pressure, the higher the pressure drop in the system, and across individual components.
Cv is a unitless value that represents the amount of water flow through a valve with a 1 psi pressure drop. The first step to sizing the valve is to calculate the Cv using the Cv formula. Valve catalogs list each valve size with a corresponding Cv that is based on a 1 psi pressure drop. When PD is higher than 1 psi we can use the formula on the right to calculate the Cv. It is important to note that as PD increases the valve size gets smaller, and as PD decreases it gets bigger. Some engineers use a low PD of 1 or 2 psi to size valves so that the pump head is lower and the pump can be smaller. This can make the valve size larger and increase the cost of the project. It also compromises the valve authority causing poor controllability of the flow.
Using the maximum design GPM and a PD (∆P) of 4 psi, we can start calculating the Cv for our application using Formula 1.
ΔP Can be measured, calculated, or we can use the coil pressure drop typically between 3 to 5 psi
We can now start searching for a valve that has a Cv of 20. Since our application is a FCU with a 2-in. pipe, and we are modulating the flow, we can use a Characterized Control Valve (CCV) to save on cost. We know that a 0.5- to 2-in. CCV provides 200 psi close off which covers our 50 psi inlet pressure. It will also provide reliable control and close off with dirty water.
When we look at the catalogue we see there are four valves with a Cv close to 20. The 3/4 in. valve has a Cv of 24, while the 1.in. B224, 1-1/4 in. B230, and the 1-1/2 in. B238 all have a Cv of 19. So why do we have three different valve sizes with the same Cv? One of the benefits of using a characterized ball valve is having different Cvs for a given valve size, but how do we know which valve size to select?
It is important to consider velocity in the valve size selection to minimize noise caused by high velocity and ensure the valve can deliver sufficient flow.
Part of the original criteria in our example above is the defined pressure drop of 4 psi. Using the Cv formula to solve for ΔP we can test both Cvs of 24 and 19 to see which one gives us a pressure drop closest to 4 psi. We can see that the Cv of 19 best suits our application. So, which of the three valves with a Cv of 19 do we choose? You might think the 1-in. valve makes logical sense because it will cost less than the bigger options, but the right answer is based on flow velocity.
Velocity of flow through a pipe increases as the pipe diameter decreases, and the pressure drops across the valve decreases.
Selection example
.80.001784.5225.02.465.441.341.250.8440.4080.4810.1021"11/4"
10.002235.6537.23.088.281.681.851.060.6000.6020.1550.3710.04811/2"
80.017820.7650.07313.4491.18.4527.74.816.602.971.991.720.5181.260.241 100.022280.9560.1080.6700.04610.5642.46.029.993.712.992.150.7741.580.361 150.033421.430.2241.010.0943"9.0321.65.576.363.221.632.370.755 200.044561.910.3751.340.1580.8680.05631/2"12.0337.87.4310.094.292.783.161.28
We can refer to pressure and velocity charts.These charts are commonly used for pipes but also apply to valves. Our FCU needs 40 GPM of flow at a 4 psi pressure drop, and water velocity in hydronics should be between 4 to 8 FPS. We can now check both the pressure drop and velocity for our three valves.
Starting with the left column in Figure 2 under GPM, find 40 GPM. Move across the row towards the right and you will see that the ¾ inch valve does not intersect with the 40 GPM row. It stops at 20 GPM because you cannot flow more than 20 GPM through a 3/4 in. valve. If we were to apply our 4 psi PD and 4-8 FPS velocity, the maximum flow is only 8 GPM and this eliminates the 3/4 in. valve as an option. The rest of the valves do fall in line with the 40 GPM row but the pressure drop and velocity are far beyond the limits. Only the 1 1/2 in. valve at 6.3 FPS and 4.65 psi PD is acceptable.
The velocity and pressure drop charts shows us that there are limits to water flow in a pipe and valve even when calculations tell us otherwise.
Vapour bubbles are created when pressure at the valve inlet drops and velocity increases. As the fluid reaches the outlet of the valve the pressure starts to recover and velocity reduces. When the recovery is limited the vapour bubbles implode creating noise and possible damage to the valve body.
250.055702.390.5611.680.2341.090.0830.8120.0414"9.2816.75.374.223.941.93 300.066842.870.7862.010.3271.300.1140.9740.05611.1423.86.445.924.732.72 350.077983.351.052.350.4361.520.1511.140.7040.8820.04112.9932.27.517.905.523.64 400.089123.831.352.680.5561.740.1921.300.0951.010.05214.8541.58.5910.246.304.65 450.10034.301.673.020.6681.950.2391.460.1171.130.0649.6712.807.095.85 500.11144.782.033.350.8392.170.2881.620.1421.260.0765"10.7415.667.887.15 600.13375.742.874.021.182.600.4061.950.2041.510.10712.8922.29.4710.21 700.15606.703.844.691.593.040.5402.270.2611.760.1431.120.04711.0513.71 800.17827.654.975.362.033.470.6872.600.3342.020.1801.280.06012.6217.59 900.20058.606.206.032.533.910.8612.920.4162.270.2241.440.0746"14.2022.0 1000.22289.567.596.703.094.341.053.250.5092.520.2721.600.0901.110.03615.7826.9 1250.278511.9711.768.384.715.431.614.060.7693.150.4152.010.1351.390.05519.7241.4 1500.334214.3616.7010.056.696.512.244.871.083.780.5802.410.1901.670.077 1750.389916.7522.311.738.977.603.005.681.444.410.7742.810.2531.940.102 2000.445619.1428.813.4211.688.683.876.491.855.040.9853.210.3232.220.1308" 2250.5013…..…..15.0914.639.774.837.302.325.671.233.610.4012.500.1621.440.043 2500.557…..…..…..…..10.855.938.122.846.301.464.010.4952.780.1951.600.051 2750.6127…..…..…..…..11.947.148.933.406.931.794.410.5833.050.2341.760.061 3000.6684…..…..…..…..13.008.369.744.027.562.114.810.6833.330.2751.920.072 3250.7241…..…..…..…..14.129.8910.534.098.192.475.210.7973.610.3202.080.083 3500.7798…..…..…..…..11.365.418.822.845.620.9193.890.3672.240.095 3750.8355…..…..…..…..12.176.189.453.256.021.054.160.4162.400.108 4000.8912…..…..…..…..12.987.0310.083.686.421.194.440.4712.560.121 4250.9469…..…..…..…..13.807.8910.714.126.821.334.720.5292.730.136 4501.00310"…..…..…..…..14.618.8011.344.607.221.485.000.5902.890.151 4751.0591.930.054…..…..…..…..11.975.127.621.645.270.6533.040.166 5001.1142.030.059…..…..…..…..12.605.658.021.815.550.7203.210.182 5501.2252.240.071…..…..…..…..13.856.798.822.176.110.8613.530.219 6001.3372.440.083…..…..…..…..15.128.049.632.556.661.023.850.258 6501.4482.640.09712"…..…..…..…..…..…..10.432.987.221.184.170.301 7001.5602.850.1122.010.047…..…..…..…..11.233.437.781.354.490.343 7501.6713.050.1272.150.05414"…..…..…..…..12.033.928.331.554.810.392 8001.7823.250.1432.290.061…..…..…..…..12.834.438.881.755.130.443 8501.8943.460.1602.440.0682.020.042…..…..…..…..13.645.009.441.965.450.497 9002.0053.660.1792.580.0752.130.047…..…..…..…..14.445.589.992.185.770.554 9502.1173.860.1982.720.0832.250.052…..…..15.246.2110.552.426.090.613 10002.2284.070.2182.870.0912.370.05716"…..…..16.046.8411.102.686.410.675 11002.4514.480.2603.150.1102.610.068…..…..17.658.2312.223.227.050.807 12002.6744.880.3063.440.1282.850.0802.180.042…..…..…..…..13.333.817.700.948 13002.8965.290.3553.730.1503.080.0932.360.048…..…..…..…..14.434.458.331.11 14003.1195.700.4094.010.1713.320.1072.540.05515.555.138.981.28 15003.3426.100.4664.300.1953.560.1222.720.06318"16.665.859.621.46 16003.5656.510.5274.590.2193.790.1382.900.07117.776.6110.261.65 18004.0107.320.6635.160.2764.270.1723.270.0882.580.05019.998.3711.542.08 20004.4568.140.8085.730.3394.740.2093.630.1072.870.06022.2110.312.822.55 20" 25005.57010.171.247.170.5155.930.3214.540.1633.590.09116.033.94 30006.68412.201.768.600.7317.110.4515.450.2324.300.1293.460.07524"19.245.59 35007.79814.242.3810.030.9828.300.6076.350.3125.020.1734.040.10122.447.56 40008.91216.273.0811.471.279.480.7877.260.4015.740.2224.620.1293.190.05225.659.80 450010.0318.313.8712.901.6010.670.9908.170.5036.460.2805.200.1623.590.06528.8712.2 500011.1420.354.7114.331.9511.851.219.080.6177.170.3405.770.1993.990.079…..….. 600013.3724.416.7417.202.7714.231.7110.890.8778.610.4836.930.2804.790.111…..…..
Our final valve selection is the B238, 1-1/2 in. characterized control valve to pass 40 GPM at a 4 psi PD with a 4 to 8 FPS flow velocity. We know that the B238 has a 200 psi close off and that exceeds the 50 psi requirement for this application. The actuator can be ordered in the fail open orientation since this is for a heating FCU, with either a 2 to 10V or 0 to 10V analog signal for modulating duty.
This process can be daunting when many valve selections are required. Fortunately, there are programs such as Select Pro that are available to do the valve sizing for you. It is good practice to have velocity charts accessible to check which valve size is the best option for the application.
Now that we understand how to select a control valve, we can start to examine how flow through the control valve behaves during everyday operation. Are the flows equally balanced through out the system, are pressure drops constant when the valve is fully open, how does too much flow effect the heat transfer efficiency through a cooling or heating coil, and how does that effect the operation and efficiency of the chillers and boilers?
We are far from finished. The control valve has evolved into a solution that helps improve the Delta T of an HVAC hydronic system. Watch for Part III, Hydronic balancing and the effects of low Delta T control valves, in an upcoming issue.
Don’t miss Rick Mohammed’s education session at CMPX 2024 on Friday, March 22.
Bring your customers reliable warmth and peak performance with our wide range of high-efficiency hydronic heating and DHW products.
Contact our team for solutions designed around your needs.
AskRobert Elder, CEO of ONTOR, the secret of his company’s success, and he answers definitively:
“It’s our people.” He goes on to explain, “Saying that we are a ‘family business’ nowadays is almost a cliché, but we actually personify it. We have the best, most caring people in the world: we know each other, we trust each other, and we work as a tight-knit team. Our people are capable of moving mountains. Because of this mentality, we’ve built incredible loyalty from our clients.”
In the post-war boom of 1948, Elder’s father and grandfather began importing Delavan nozzles into Canada from the US, and 75 years later, ONTOR is still selling them. Says Elder, “When it comes to taking on new lines, we stop and ask ourselves, is there an upside for our clients all across Canada? Is this the best possible choice for us? We’ve been around long enough to know when to stick to our guns, and we never compromise on safety or quality.”
If you’re looking for longevity in this industry, you need to know exactly what you stand for, and this certainty has been the cornerstone of ONTOR’s 75 years of success: have good people who know what they are doing, ensure the highest quality inventory, and consistently go the extra mile each and every time. While the last few years have meant upheaval for many, ONTOR was
able to pivot, relying on their longestablished relationships and local stock to keep customers happy. Elder says, “COVID19 brought a heightened level of focus on the maintenance and upgrading of HVAC systems and processes; and since ONTOR was already well positioned, we were able to continually deliver to our clients. When it comes to success, sometimes luck has something to do with it, sometimes it’s timing. I take tremendous pride in the knowing we’ve never had a down year; we’ve maintained constant growth over our 75 years, and for that I’m immensely proud of our team and all they’ve accomplished.”
Not many companies have employees celebrating 40+ years on the job, but ONTOR does. “We understood from the start that we are a supporter of families, and our employees have repaid that loyalty and built and preserved our reputation.
I am constantly awed by the dedication and loyalty of our people,” says Elder. “My grandfather and father would be so pleased to know that their enterprise was not only surviving but thriving, and they’d recognize it has always been about the people that work so hard every day to make it happen.”
Looking forward, Elder knows ONTOR has a bright future. “The entire industry is changing, and I’m looking forward seeing all the new technologies that are on the horizon. We’ve always known we can’t succeed without embracing change and new tech, and I can’t wait to see what happens next,” says Elder.
Having just celebrated its 75th Anniversary, ONTOR continues to thrive as a dynamic familyrun business, now led by 3rd generation CEO, Rob Elder (top, left)
Pride is evident when he’s asked to reflect on this, their diamond anniversary: “You don’t make it to 75 years in this business without phenomenal partnerships, and I want to take this opportunity to thank them all: our quality vendors, our loyal customers, and most especially the support, the drive and the ambition of our incredible staff. I’m just the one being interviewed, they are the real stars of the show.”
. Your online footprint is more crucial than ever in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. Online business directories, often perceived as gateways to a global audience, are equally potent in connecting your mechanical services to local and national markets. These platforms go beyond simple listings; they are dynamic environments that can significantly elevate your visibility, credibility, and accessibility to your most relevant audience. This guide aims to demystify these platforms, revealing how they can be transformed into powerful tools for business growth, particularly within the communities and regions you serve.
• Boost visibility: Getting listed is like turning on a beacon that guides potential clients straight to your business amidst a sea of competitors.
• Enhance credibility: Your presence in renowned directories serves as a badge of reliability, letting clients know you’re a key player in the mechanical field.
• SEO advantage: Besides increasing visibility, these listings are SEO powerhouses, pushing your business higher in search engine results, thus drawing more eyes to your website.
• Networking goldmine: These platforms also serve as bustling marketplaces for professional connections, allowing you to build relationships with suppliers and collaborators, essential for business growth.
• Impeccable listings: Accurate, detailed listings are like wellcrafted business pitches, providing potential clients with all the information they need at a glance.
• NAP consistency: Ensuring your business’s name, address, and phone number are consistent across directories boosts SEO and maintains a professional image.
• Harness reviews: Positive reviews are the currency of trust in the digital world, enhancing your reputation and attracting new clients.
• Stay active: By regularly updating your profile, you keep your business in the spotlight, ensuring that clients always see the most current and enticing view of your services.
• LinkedIn for B2B networking: LinkedIn stands out as the primary B2B platform for mechanical professionals. It’s where you can showcase expertise, credentials, and projects. Networking with industry peers, participating in relevant groups, and sharing industry-related content can establish
Paul Bies, co-founder and president of Mystique Brand Communications in Toronto, ON, brings a wealth of marketing expertise to his role as Mechanical Business marketing columnist. His mission is to empower businesses and to share insights that provide valuable perspectives for their success. As the son of an HVAC entrepreneur, he understands the business landscape and is committed to helping MB readers thrive.
your presence and thought leadership, attracting potential business clients and partnerships. LinkedIn’s professional environment is unparalleled for B2B relations in the mechanical industry.
• Yelp for B2C client feedback: Yelp is essential for businesses targeting individual consumers. It magnifies client feedback, turning it into a powerful tool for credibility. In the B2C market, where personal experiences heavily influence decisions, Yelp’s role in building trust with consumers is invaluable.
• HomeStars for project display in the B2C market: HomeStars is particularly effective for showcasing projects to consumers. It allows you to present detailed information and images, demonstrating the quality of your work. Direct engagement with clients on the platform and insights into their preferences enhance your appeal to the B2C market.
• Alignable for local B2C networking: Alignable focuses on building local business connections, making it ideal for engaging with the local B2C market. By participating in community discussions and events and sharing expertise, you can establish your business as a trusted local authority among consumers.
• Engage consistently: Consistent engagement keeps your business relevant and top-of-mind, ensuring that your profiles are not just present but active and engaging.
• Track your success: Analytics are your roadmap to understanding what works. They guide your strategy, helping you fine-tune your approach for better results.
• Seek endorsements: Endorsements and testimonials are powerful tools that add a layer of trust and authenticity to your profile, serving as personal recommendations to potential clients.
• Stay on the pulse: The mechanical industry is ever-evolving. Keeping up with trends and adapting your directory strategy accordingly positions you as an industry leader.
In the digital age, mastering online directories is a strategic necessity. They are gateways to new markets, platforms for showcasing your expertise, and tools for building lasting relationships. Leverage these digital opportunities and propel your mechanical business to new heights of success and recognition in a competitive marketplace.
This guide serves as your playbook to navigate and conquer the digital arena, propelling your mechanical business to new heights of success and recognition.
• Online directories influence decisions: Reviews and directory listings are the new word-of-mouth. They play a crucial role in shaping consumer choices and building trust before making the first contact. A significant 68 per cent of Canadian consumers have avoided a company after reading negative reviews. Additionally, nine out of 10 consumers will read at least one review before making a purchasing decision. This underscores the importance of having a strong online presence and positive reviews on these directories. Furthermore, 92 per cent of Canadians prefer to use a company they trust, even if their prices are higher, indicating the high value placed on trust and credibility (Made in CA, 2024).
• Phone calls lead to purchases: To ensure high conversion rates, the resulting telephone inquiries must be followed up with responsive personal service. It’s also important to note that almost 70 per cent of consumers will inform friends and family about a negative experience, emphasizing the far-reaching impact of customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth (Made in CA, 2024).
Maximizing your LinkedIn presence: A guide for HVAC companies
Creating an effective LinkedIn profile involves several key components, each playing a vital role in presenting your HVAC company in the best light. Here’s what you need to focus on to make your profile stand out:
• Highlight the Importance of Personalization: Tailor the profile to reflect the unique aspects of your company. This can differentiate the business in a competitive market.
• Expand on the Role of Media in the Showcase of Work: Photos and videos of completed projects or in-action work scenarios can visually communicate your company’s capabilities and quality of work.
• Detail the Significance of Regular Content Sharing: Content like industry news, insights, and tips demonstrates expertise and helps keep your network engaged and informed.
• Stress the Importance of a Customized LinkedIn URL: A customized URL enhances brand consistency and makes the profile more discoverable on LinkedIn and in search engines.
• Contact Information Clarity: Keep contact information updated. It is not just about accessibility but also about presenting a professional and reliable image.
Owner: City of Vancouver
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Introba (formerly Integral Group)
Energy Modelling: Morrison
Hershfield
Architect: HCMA
Structural Engineer: Read Jones
Christoffersen Ltd.
Construction Manager: DGS Construction
Sustainability Consultant & PH Consultant: HCMA
PH Certifier: Passive House
Institute
Code Consultant: Jensen Hughes
The City of Vancouver’s Zero Emissions Building Plan (ZEBP) addresses global climate change concerns by developing a roadmap for all new buildings to achieve zero operational GHG emissions by 2030. In 2017, the Province of British Columbia enacted the BC Energy Step Code to incrementally move toward net-zero energy ready buildings by 2032.
The ZEBP accelerates projects’ adoption of future energy and emissions targets by encouraging the pursuit of highperformance certifications. For instance, following Passive House certification allows some zoning relaxations such as additional height, depth, site coverage, and wall thickness to accommodate thicker insulated assemblies. Vancouver also demonstrates the feasibility of these targets by implementing zero-emissions building approaches in City-owned and managed building projects.
The old Fire Hall No. 17, located at Knight Street in Vancouver’s Sunset neighbourhood, was built in 1954 and did not meet current seismic standards. It was energy inefficient and had insufficient space to meet operational needs. At over 19,000 sq. ft. the new fire hall doubles the size of the aged facility, becoming Vancouver’s second-largest city-wide training facility and post-disaster emergency hub. The new building is designed to be fully electric and achieve multiple highperformance standards: Passive House, Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) v4 Gold, CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building Standard, and Net Zero Energy as per the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
Fire Hall No.17 is one of the first City-owned buildings developed under the Zero Emissions Building Plan. The project is serving as a model for other communities looking to increase the energy efficiency of their service buildings. The information here is based on the project design phase modelling and not the actual performance.
The City of Vancouver sets higher energy targets for city-owned buildings to show leadership. At the time the new Fire Hall No. 17 was being designed, the City required all new municipal facilities to demonstrate compliance to LEED Gold with a 30 per cent operation energy cost reduction. Following the adoption of the Zero Emissions Building Plan, the City committed to designing all the new City-owned buildings to the Passive House standard requirements or an alternative zero-emissions standard and using no fossil fuels.
Pursuing Passive House requirements led to a design that exceeds the LEED’s energy performance requirements with an estimated energy costs reduction of 80 per cent compared to the ASHRAE 90.1 2010 baseline building. Compared to the previous building, the new facility is anticipated to have a 96 per cent reduction in the total Energy Use Intensity (EUI). Additionally, Fire Hall No. 17 is designed to meet the FCM’s Site Net-Zero Energy Fund requirements, which dictated the renewable energy to be generated on the project site.
Passive House focuses on reducing operational energy use, which contributes to reducing carbon emissions. However, it does not offer a target or metric for reducing carbon emissions. Therefore, Fire Hall No. 17 also participated in a CaGBC Zero Carbon pilot program, which informed the development of the Zero Carbon Building Standard. The Standard offers stringent targets to reduce operational carbon emissions substantially and offset the remainder with low carbon renewable energy.
To meet the pilot program’s requirements, the project was designed to be fully electric to take advantage of British Columbia’s grid that is mostly generated from hydroelectric dams. The facility is also designed to use an onsite geoexchange system for heating and cooling. Lastly, the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels used in the facility are estimated to generate sufficient onsite renewable energy to offset 100 per cent of the operational energy needs for heating and cooling and the associated GHG emissions.
Ground source heat pumps provide hydronic heating and cooling to the building. Efficient heat recovery ventilators are utilized for each independent zone to recover the heat from the exhaust air and pre-heat the incoming air. Domestic hot water is produced by an air source heat pump.
The site was very tight but a sliver at the top left of the property was room enough for the 12 specified boreholes.
In addition to using highly insulated and airtight envelopes, various strategies are used in Fire Hall No. 17 to minimize heating and cooling demands by optimizing solar heat gains and transmission energy losses. These strategies include optimizing building form and orientation, placing 42 per cent glazing on the south and only 18 per cent on the north façade, and using electrochromic glass for windows. Electrochromic glass is electronically tinted and is integrated into the building automation system. It allows flexibility in shading and reduces glare as it can be controlled by building occupants.
The heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and domestic hot water systems are fully electric. The building uses a hydronic heating and cooling system with three high-performance, six-ton ground source heat pumps, connected to a closed-loop geo-exchange field, which is placed outside the building site to allow digging for maintenance.
Space heating in the apparatus bays is supplied by radiant heating in the concrete floor slabs. The administrative and accommodation areas are heated with hydronic fan coil units utilizing electrically commutated motors (ECM) that control airflow based on demand. The distribution coils have a changeover mechanism that allows switching between heating and cooling functions as needed.
Most of the domestic hot water (DHW) is provided by 300 L DHW tanks with integrated air-source heat pumps. In Fire Hall No.17, the heat pumps absorb heat from the mechanical room and the cold air is used to cool the adjacent IT communications room.
A supplementary 470 L DHW tank with an 18kW electric coil provides additional hot water during peak demand. A hot water recirculation pump within the DHW system prevents stagnation and ensures unused hot water is recovered and returned to the tanks. DHW piping is minimized throughout the building to reduce heat loss in the pipes.
Five Passive House certified heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) and one high-efficiency HRV unit are utilized to recover the heat from the exhaust air and heat the incoming air. Using separate HRVs for different zones helps prevent mixing air with different temperatures and reduces the need for reheating air for warmer zones. It also provides better demand control ventilation in the absence of the low-pressure variable air volume (VAV) terminal units, which were not commercially available at the time of design. A vehicle exhaust extraction system equipped with a silencer is utilized in the apparatus bay to exhaust the harmful pollutants from the fire trucks and other vehicles. The exhaust fan activates when a truck is turned on inside the building and automatically switches off five minutes after the departure of the vehicle. A noxious gas monitoring system can override and turn on the vehicle exhaust extraction system when contaminants exceed a set point.
Onsite renewable energy is generated by an 80kW rooftop PV solar panel array which provides about 85,500 kWh of electricity per year. According to the hourly energy modelling of the facility, it is anticipated that about 54,800 kWh of this energy will be consumed onsite and the rest will be exported to the municipal electrical grid. By using the rooftop PV panel array, the operational carbon balance of the facility is estimated to be -13,539 kg CO2 eq., which means Fire Hall No. 17 exceeds the zero-carbon balance required by the Zero Carbon Building Standard.
As a result of a wide variety of job specifications, it is not always easy to narrow down the hazards faced by those working in the mechanical industry. Distinguishing between hazards in office environments and on job sites is one way of classifying risks.
Hazards in office environments may not be obvious at first, but they include illnesses and injuries such as repetitive strain problems and general ill health. Hazards on job sites can vary greatly not only between sites but also from one day to the next as work progresses on a specific project.
Common hazards include:
• Slips, trips, and falls
• Exposure to dangerous substances
• Dust, noise, and fumes
• Injuries caused by mishandling of equipment
How can employers minimize those hazards and mitigate the risks emanating from them?
Creating a safety culture in workplaces means putting safety considerations at the heart of everything the company does. Safety culture is an accumulation of attitudes, values, and perceptions that influence how something is done in a company as opposed to how it should be done.
In practice, this starts with understanding whether the company is subject to regulation by the The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and provincial authorities. Based on those regulations, your health and safety team can then develop policies and procedures and ensure they are implemented as a matter of course. CCOHS’s rules aim to reduce the risk of workplace injuries, incidents, and even fatalities. To create a truly safety-focused company culture, the entire team needs to understand the organization’s commitment to safety and its determination to keep employees and others safe. In short, a safety culture requires more than paying lip service to safety.
CCOHS
offers numerous free resources related to workplace safety.
Take steps to prevent
• Wear proper footwear with good treads.
• Fix loose or curled carpets, mats and floor tiles.
• Make sure lighting is bright enough to see properly.
• Mark walkway slopes and changes of levels.
• Secure trailing cables. Watch out
Keep it clean and clear
• Keep floors clean and dry.
• Wipe up spills quickly.
• Watch for holes, cracks, or uneven, rough areas on walkways.
• Keep aisles and walkways clear of clutter and obstacles.
• Clear snow and ice from walkways.
• Take extra care on steps or painted wood or concrete surfaces that could be slippery.
• Be aware of icy and snowy conditions.
Initiating and maintaining a safety culture across a business would not be possible without assessing individual risks and identifying hazards. While CCOHS and other regulators provide a framework, individual companies need to look at risk in more detail. Depending on how many projects the business is handling and how much they vary in nature, the outcomes of risk assessments and the hazards they identify can vary widely. Applying the same workplace safety measures to all projects rarely works. This blanket approach may look promising initially, but as soon as there is an incident, flaws will become apparent. Thorough risk assessments lead to more clearly identified hazards specific to individual work sites. Once this level of detail has been established, it becomes easier to develop controls and other safety measures.
The results of your company’s risk assessment and hazard identification process will determine which controls and safety measures the business needs. Here are two examples of how to handle common hazards.
1. Controlling noise and protecting hearing
Loud noises may not only disturb concentration and focus, but they can seriously damage a person’s hearing. Over time, excessive noise exposure could lead to hearing loss. Humans perceive noise
in terms of loudness or decibels and in terms of frequency. If a sound produces a higher number of decibels, we perceive it to be louder than another sound. High frequencies tend to predispose people to hearing loss more than lower frequencies. If your business has identified noise as one of the key hazards, choosing effective ear protection needs to be part of your mitigation strategy.
2. Limiting exposure to dangerous chemicals
Employees may also become exposed to hazardous chemicals on worksites and they may not be familiar with the risks of certain chemicals, making it even more important to put in place solid safety measures. Those safety measures could include access to appropriate personal protective equipment such as protective goggles, gloves, and clothing. In addition, work sites must be equipped with warning signs, and employees need to be given a thorough introduction to chemicals they may become exposed to.
By Rick DaviesEnsuring effective workplace safety requires ongoing effort by the employer and the team members themselves.
Offering regular safety training, including refresher sessions, helps keep safety at the top of employee’s minds. This type of ongoing professional development also ensures that safety-related motor skills stay fresh and readily applicable.
Rick Davies is outreach manager with PlantTours.
You can only manage it if you know what’s going on.
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Pressure put on the refrigeration industry to use environmentally friendly and non-toxic refrigerants has resulted in carbon dioxide (CO2) R-744 being resurrected from almost full obscurity to a new normal or commonly specified refrigerant in applications such as grocery store refrigeration systems. R-744 is classified as an “A1” refrigerant, “A” for non-flammable and “1” for non-toxic. This is the same classification as many conventional legacy and current synthetic refrigerants. The bonus for R-744/ CO2 is it is considered environmentally friendly when compared with other A1 synthetic refrigerants.
Despite being environmentally friendly, CO2 has some challenges – one being its low critical temperature of 31oC (87.8oF). Critical temperature is the temperature at which the fluid cannot condense to become a liquid. The efficient evaporation of liquid refrigerant at specific target temperatures is the main objective in a typical direct expansion (DX) system vapour compression refrigeration cycle.
When the outdoor air is near or above 31oC (87.8oF) you cannot produce (condense) the liquid refrigerant in the condenser. This liquid refrigerant would travel to the system’s refrigerant receiver by using the air-cooled system’s outdoor condenser coil fans alone. In a CO2 system the outdoor fan/ coil cannot always condense the refrigerant. This is why the air-cooled condenser in a CO2 system is commonly referred to as a gas cooler. When the system is operating above the critical temperature of the refrigerant it is in a transcritical state. The system would now be operating in what is called a “trans-critical” or “TC” state of operation.
In colder climates, reducing the pressure of the receiver is a common way to overcome the inability of using outdoor air to condense the refrigerant. This is usually done using electric regulation valves. One will control the refrigerant pressure in the gas cooler and another regulates the pressure in the receiver, also known as a “flash tank” in a TC CO2 system. The gas cooler outlet pressure regulating valve, also known as a
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high-pressure valve (HPV) or throttle valve, controls or throttles the flow of the CO2 into the flash tank/ receiver. The flash tank/receiver pressure regulation valve, also called a flash gas bypass valve (FGBV), regulates the pressure of the flash tank by venting vapour off the top of the flash tank to the suction side of the refrigeration compressors. When this venting takes place, the pressure drops in the flash tank and the refrigerant in the tank condenses to a liquid that can be used for the refrigeration cycle.
To simplify, liquid refrigerant cannot form in the gas cooler so as the super-critical CO2 enters the flash tank compressors are required to lower the pressure of the flash tank/receiver to form useful liquid CO2 refrigerant. This is always accomplished by programmed computer controllers using temperature sensors and pressure transmitters to manage the requirements to control the system.
Using a hockey penalty analogy for TC operation of a refrigeration system is fair. You can see that instead of using smaller HP/kW fans outside in a typical aircooled condenser, we now rely on the use of higher HP/kW refrigeration compressors to help produce the liquid refrigerant required. That in itself is one of the penalties of CO2. There are things you can do to
reduce the penalty to a two-minute minor by helping reduce the amount of refrigerant that is directed through the flash gas bypass valve to the compressors. Equipment such as adiabatic condensers or evaporative condensers could help lower the condensing air temperature below the critical point. Mechanical devices such as ejectors can be used to lower pressures.
Another option is the implementation of parallel compressor groups operating at a higher saturated compression temperature/pressure for efficiency or having additional local chilling sources. Even with some energy penalties CO2 systems can offer additional savings on an annual basis since the BTU per pound of CO2 is very high compared to many synthetic refrigerants. CO2 systems will quite often outperform many older legacy systems.
There are things to learn about the installation and upkeep of CO2 systems. TC-CO2 systems often have sections of the systems with pressure ratings up to 1,305 psi/90 bar or 1,740 psi/130 bar. With this comes the need for different materials and different skills than were commonly used and required in traditional synthetic refrigeration systems.
Regular “Type-L” and “Type-K” copper tubing is no longer satisfactory for the higher pressures in many applications. Steel pipe, stainless steel pipe and stainless steel tube are commonplace in TC-CO2 systems. Installation of those materials requires different skill sets such as TIG welding or robotic orbital welding. There are modern copper-iron alloy pipe and fittings tested to withstand higher pressures, which allow for the use of standard copper joint brazing. You do need to verify the materials selected have the proper certifications and approvals for use in the regulatory jurisdiction of the installation.
I recall receiving a call for technical assistance for an odd alarm problem. The problem was abnormally high discharge pressure, which caused the stoppage of the refrigeration compressors. The field technician found that the gas-cooler/ condenser outlet pressure regulator was in a fully-closed state and concluded this valve must be the problem. It appeared a new HPV valve was required. However, after working with the tech and asking questions based on my experience, I asked the tech to have a look at the receiver/flash gas pressure and see how it was.
They found that the receiver pressure was up and down and a bit irregular. With that I offered advice for the tech to look at the FGBV and check its operation, thinking that valve was likely the culprit causing the high pressure in the discharge. It took a bit of convincing but after all was done it was the worn FGBV that caused the issue. The FGBV is not directly related to the discharge pressure but if the FGBV cannot regulate the pressure properly, the computer HPV senses the pressure is too high. It will close off and not allow any more refrigerant to enter the flash tank. What looked to be a problem HPV valve, was actually OK. It was doing its job. The FGBV was the villain and was replaced.
That’s what RSI customers call RS-70. And why wouldn’t they? RS-70 is non-flammable, features a zero ODP rating and boasts the lowest GWP of any R-22 drop-in replacement on earth.
RS-70 was engineered with contractors in mind. It is specially formulated for use in refrigeration and air-conditioning systems and is equally at home in both high and low temperature applications. It is compatible in systems with either fixed orifices or expansion devices and it works with both traditional and synthetic lubricants. When it comes to commercial/residential A/C and heat pumps, and most refrigeration applications, one replacement does it all.
Get to know RS-70. You’ll be glad you did.
Match the terminology you hear in the field to the correct definition or function by April 17, 2024 and enter for your chance to win a $150 Visa gift card. This contest is open to Mechanical Business subscribers in Canada. Send your answers to kerry.turner@mechanicalbusiness.com or enter online at mechanicalbusiness.com.
EXAMPLE:
7) Damper F) Valve or plate used to regulate the flow of air
Answer 7F
1) Critical velocity
2) Ton of refrigeration
3) COP
4) Fan tube axial
5) Louvre
6) Thermostat
7) Damper
8) Psychrometer
9) Cooling coil
10) Pneumatic
A) Instrument for measuring relative humidity by means of wet and dry bulb temperatures.
B) Propeller or disc type wheel within a cylinder, including drive mechanism supports for belt drive or direct connection
C) Arrangement of pipe or tubing which transfers heat from air to a refrigerant
D) Assembly of sloping vanes intended for air to pass through and to inhibit transfer of water droplets
E) The speed above which air flow becomes turbulent
F) Valve or plate used to regulate the flow of air
G) Useful refrigerating effect equal to 12,000 BTU/hr
H) Automatic control device actuated by temperature and designed to be responsive to temperature
I) Operated by air pressure
J) The average range of effective temperatures over which the majority of adults feel comfortable
K) The rate of heat delivered to the rate of energy input
CircuitSolver® is a brand of ThermOmegaTech®, a leader in designing and manufacturing thermostatic valves and actuators. ThermOmegaTech has successfully implemented its thermal actuator technology to monitor and control fluid based on temperature precisely in dozens of applications over the last forty years.
CircuitSolver® thermostatic balancing valves were introduced to the market in 2012 and installed into thousands of domestic hot water recirculation systems throughout North America over the last ten+ years.
Using its proprietary paraffin wax actuator, CircuitSolver® valves continuously monitor the water temperature and adjust the flow as conditions change to send hot water where needed to accommodate demand variations.
During the initial start-up of a hot water recirculation system, the valve is wide open and will gradually close once the system temperature requirements are met. The valve remains in its closed position to keep hot water in the line, opening as needed when the water temperature drops below the valve’s set point.
For decades, balancing a hot water recirculation system has used the time and energy of many contractors manually balancing and rebalancing to achieve the required flow needed to obtain the same temperature in each branch. This inevitably results in callbacks, inflated labor costs, and angry tenants taking cold showers.
Traditional manual balancing valves, designed to be set only once in the closed system of start-up conditions, cannot adapt to dynamic system needs and usage variations.
Requiring no power source, CircuitSolver® valves balance a system based solely on temperature instead of pressure or flow. Installed at the end of each branch or riser before the return, the valve’s internal wax actuator will expand or contract, causing the valve to open or close to meet the desired system temperature and provide the proper water flow.
This allows a system to be initially balanced in hours, not days, and to stay balanced even as conditions change. To prevent deadheading the recirculation pump, the valve never fully closes, always allowing a small bypass of flow to the return.
The precision and accuracy of CircuitSolver® make this valve the solution to eliminating callbacks, cold water complaints, and endless rebalancing.
CircuitSolver® can be used in buildings of varying complexity to maintain a thermally balanced system and have hot water readily available at each fixture. Typical installations include hotels, hospitals, universities, high-rise, and multi-family apartment buildings.
These balancing valves are available in configurations to accommodate your designs’ needs, including integrated unions and check valves, ball valves, thermometers, strainers, and with ProPress® or ProPex® connections. A thermal disinfection dual balancing valve is also available for systems that exercise thermal disinfection processes to prevent Legionella and other bacterial growth.
Conquer wasted time, energy, and money! Contact our team today to learn more about our CircuitSolver thermostatic balancing valves and leave manual and fixed flow balancing in the dust!
Ioncehad a grade school teacher who used to say we all impact the people around us, either as an inspiration or a cautionary tale, depending on the decisions we make in life. Although most of us would prefer to be a positive role model, we sometimes learn best by examining the stark reality of a negative example. After all, it’s easier to learn from another person’s mistake than it is our own. This idea holds true for the preventive maintenance of drain cleaning equipment, because most of the damage that we see comes from a relatively small number of bad habits. Certain habits produce certain results, and like the advice my grade school teacher gave me years ago, we can learn from other people’s mistakes.
In this spirit, we decided to write this “tongue in cheek” guide to breaking your equipment as fast as possible. This article is designed for plumbers and drain cleaners who want to destroy as many machines, cables, push rods and accessories as possible, and will be invaluable to contractors who need to show a huge annual loss for tax purposes, or who have more money than they know what to do with. All others are advised to do the exact opposite of these top seven suggestions.
Simply toss drain cleaning machines and snakes into the back of your truck as soon as the job is over with no cleaning or lubrication, and don’t give them a second thought until the next drain cleaning job. Don’t empty the water out of the drum, and don’t spray or pour any lubricant in the drum afterwards. After all, the customer probably didn’t put a chemical drain cleaner down the drain before you arrived. They never lie about that … right? And whatever else you do, never put a drain cable protectant or any other lubricant on the cables. After sitting in the back of your truck for a few days, I’m sure that cable will look as good as new the next time you go to use it.
Pretend that your drain cleaning cable is a battering ram and force it down the drain as hard as you can. Ignore the rotational cutting action of the snake and focus on hammering through the obstruction with forward momentum. Or, better yet, if there is a power cable feed on your machine, just shove the feed control lever into forward, step on the foot pedal, check social media for a few minutes, drink the rest of your coffee and catch up on your DMs. No problem.
By Dave Dunbar
3 4
Never use a starting tool. Just put your biggest, baddest, and widest cutter on the end of your cable, ram the snake down the drain and hope for the best. After all, size matters in this line of work, and it’s important to show the clog who is boss. Besides, who wants to pull the snake back to change cutters two or three times in order to make the pipe look like new? Who has time for that?
The right way: Kneel down, keep one hand close to the drain and use short, quick, bouncy motions to avoid kinking the push rod. 1 2
Never use anti-freeze in your water jetter pump during the winter months. It takes way too much time, and after all, time is money. If you drive fast to and from the job site and only do the bare minimum when cleaning the line, you can have your high-pressure water jetter back in your heated garage before the pump head has a chance to freeze. Absolutely, probably. Just because freezing is the most common cause of pump failure in northern areas doesn’t mean it has to happen to you.
Why use a $30 cutting tool to clear an obstruction in a pipe when you could use a $3,000 camera head? Who wants to take the time to snake or jet out the drain before you inspect it? After all, the camera head is right there in the pipe, and that hunk of concrete you are looking at probably only needs a little nudge to push it out of the way. Besides, it’s just a video camera you are shoving down a clogged sewer. What could possibly go wrong?
Don’t bother looking at the video screen while you shove the push rod and camera down the drain. You might strain your neck, and you know from experience there is probably nothing in the pipe your camera head will smash into. There’s nothing to worry about, right?
5 6 7
Stand up when pushing a camera head into the drain. Don’t worry about kinking the push rod, it’s tough enough to take any abuse you throw its way. Besides, if you kneel down, keep one hand close to the drain and use short, quick, bouncy motions, it might take you longer. Like we already said, time is money.
Based on 93 years of experience, we’re pretty sure these suggestions will have the intended effect of destroying your stuff as quickly as possible. Try doing the exact opposite and see what happens.
You might have noticed that a lot of the excuses listed above revolve around time. Yes, time is money, but as my father used to tell me: it seems there’s never time to do the job right, but there’s always time to do it over again when you make a mistake or break something. Try tallying up all the time your company spends dealing with broken cables, pumps and camera systems. What if you only had half as many problems over the span of a year? What would that do to your bottom line?
Slow down and develop situational awareness. You’ll find that it will save you time and money in the long run.
Flush Guard, a patented system in the US and Canada, features toilets with built-in overflow holes. The three anti-overflow holes in the bowl and separate drain holes in the rim allow rising water to escape to the main sewer drain through a secondary trapway –before the toilet overflows. And the antioverflow drain is continually rinsed clean with every flush.
While talking with the maintenance director about purchasing boilers, he asked if I could meet one of his technicians at a nearby elementary school.
The building had a low-pressure steam heating system and no heat in one classroom.
By Ray WohlfarthRay Wohlfarth is president of Fire and Ice Heating and Cooling in Pittsburgh, PA, which specializes in commercial boiler service and sales. He is the author of Lessons Learned in a Boiler Room; Lessons Learned: Connecting New Boilers to Old Pipes; and Lessons Learned: Servicing Boilers. Wohlfarth can be reached at ray@fireiceheat.com
When I arrived at the building, the technician thanked me for coming and explained the problem. The classroom had a single steam radiator and the radiator never warmed. The first place I wanted to see was the boiler room. The boiler room had two large cast iron sectional boilers and I noted the steam pressure was set to two psi. We then visited the classroom, and it looked like it was converted from a storage space. On the outside wall was a large steam radiator with a steam trap on the outlet and a self-contained temperature valve on the inlet. I felt the radiator, and it was cool.
“Did it ever heat?” I asked, trying to see if this had been an ongoing problem.
“It stopped working a few years ago,” he said.
“Anything happen then that could have caused this?” I asked. He shrugged.
The technician replaced the thermostatic control valve and the steam trap element twice without success. He had plugged in a portable electric heater to heat the room but the single heater did little to warm the room. When a second was added, it tripped the electrical breaker. The teacher and her classes were relocated to the gymnasium, and she and the gym teachers were not happy.
I closed the radiator valve and removed the cover and thermostatic element for the angle steam trap on the radiator outlet. Be careful when doing this, as steam can burn you quickly. Third-degree burns can happen within a second when exposed to steam. The trap cover and element are removed to see if other traps connected to the condensate pipe are leaking through and filling the condensate pipe.
Steam traps work on pressure differential. If the pressure is the same on the inlet to the trap and the outlet, there will be no flow through the trap. This is called steam stall. Conversely, the higher the pressure difference between the trap inlet and outlet, the more capacity the trap has.
The steam trap outlet had a small whisp of steam coming from the vertical condensate pipe. This is normal and called flash steam.
If traps were leaking through in other areas of the building, there would be a steady plume of steam back feeding through the condensate pipe. There are a couple of rules I follow when troubleshooting steam systems. The first is a rule I borrowed from Dan Holohan, the smartest steam guy I know: the problem and solution are rarely in the same room. The second rule is that using your hydronic system logic for troubleshooting steam systems will not end well.
Although both steam and hydronic systems use a boiler to generate heat, they operate differently. Due to the changing states in a steam system (water to vapour and back to water), it is closer in operation to an air conditioning unit than a hydronic boiler.
The next step was to see if steam was fed to the radiator. After opening the radiator valve, I saw steam chugging through the radiator outlet after a minute. This eliminated the steam side of the system from the problem, and I had to concentrate on the return or condensate piping. We reassembled the steam trap and opened the radiator valve.
The technician and I traced the condensate pipe from the cold radiator through the building. Directly below the classroom was a stairway. The pipe dropped through the stairway into a crawl space below the school. We crawled through spiderwebs and over pipes and rocks to where the condensate pipe from the cold radiator was connected to a horizontal pipe. Following the horizontal pipe, we found the culprit. A clevis pipe hanger had come apart, and the condensate pipe was sagging. The asbestos abatement company that removed the asbestos pipe insulation a few years ago must have removed the pipe hanger. The timeline corresponded to the time the radiator stopped heating.
“I forgot about that,” said the maintenance tech.
This sagging pipe allowed condensate to collect and caused
a water seal in the piping, similar to a P trap on a plumbing system. Steam systems must breathe and the water seal prevents that from occurring.
While the steam system is off, the pipes and space above the boiler water are filled with air. When the boiler starts, water expands at 1,600 times its volume and becomes steam.
The steam pushes the air through the piping at around 20 to 30 miles per hour or 32 to 48 kilometers per hour and out the air or condensate tank vent. After the boiler shuts off, the steam condenses, and air rushes back into the system from the air or condensate tank vent and fills the pipes. I like to think of it as the system breathing, and the sagging pipe did not allow this section of the steam system to breathe. Air was trapped in the condensate pipe, and steam could not enter.
Another rule when working with steam is, two gases cannot occupy the same space. If the air inside the radiator cannot be removed, the steam, also a gas, cannot enter.
The maintenance technician and I lifted the condensate pipe and re-attached the pipe hanger. We also raised the elevation of the piping to have more of a pitch toward the boiler room. The radiator was nice and warm when we walked upstairs to the classroom. The maintenance technician could not believe that was the solution. When working on steam systems, you have to think holistically and consider the entire system.
CINTAS
By Nick Warrick
When technicians wear uniforms there are benefits for the company, customers, and the tech. A uniform instills customer confidence, boosts team morale among technicians, and leads to higher profitability for your company. Wearing a uniform allows for functionality without lapsing into too casual of dress on the job. Most uniform suppliers design garments that keep a technician safe, allow ease of movement, and look professional.
Uniforms encourage a sense of belonging and team spirit. Employees who feel part of something larger than themselves are more productive. Technicians invest in doing well when wearing the company logo. They take pride in their work which translates to being “brand ambassadors” off the job. Most people want to be proud of their work and their company.
A uniform is the first step in that direction.
In addition, your technicians probably come from various financial situations. Employees who are supplied work clothes will wear things they don’t mind getting dirty. Not all may have the means to replace items damaged on the job. Uniforms outfit everyone with the same basic gear that is durable for work.
A priority reason for technicians to wear uniforms is safety. Uniforms with long sleeves and pants made of durable material protect them on the job. The proper safety gear protects crew from various hazards.
• Contaminants in dirty situations
• Carbon monoxide
• Chemical exposure
• Extreme heat and cold
Safety gear and uniforms allow technicians to handle every job safely and professionally.
These include:
• Goggles • Face shields • Hard hats • Steel-toed boots • Gloves
Some locations will require clothing for technicians to protect from flash fire and arc flash burn injuries. Uniform manufacturers can help you meet these standards easily with fire retardant apparel.
Technicians in uniforms know they are representing the whole company when working with customers. This encourages higher personal standards for customer service. A technician who takes pride in his work and customer service leads to overall profitability for your company.
Other benefits:
Uniform programs are an excellent marketing tool for your contracting business. A technician is a highly-skilled worker who is also a front-facing employee. That means your technician is the face of your company when they perform services in customers’ homes. A uniform that features your company logo and colours has several positive impacts on your customers.
Technicians work in people’s homes. A person in a clean, well-fitting uniform sets a customer at ease when they answer the door. They know they can trust the person they are letting into their home. Clientele also perceive a uniformed employee as more professional and competent. You begin creating a positive customer experience as soon as they answer the door since first impressions form opinions in three to five seconds.
When a customer has a positive experience with a technician, they are more apt to hire the same company again. The uniform helps the customer remember your company among the many companies around.
Neighbours also take notice when your uniformed technician walks up to the house next door. They can take note of your company name and logo, making them likely to choose your business.
Two ways of acquiring uniforms for your technicians are renting or purchasing uniforms. Buying uniforms is more expensive overall for several reasons. Companies that rent and sell blue-collar uniforms typically charge more per item when you purchase outright. This limits your inventory of uniforms. Caring for uniforms also falls to you or your employees. Leaving laundry and repair to your techs can be unreliable. They may not have access to proper equipment or knowledge in caring for the specific material. Every tech has their own idea of what a clean uniform looks like. Maintaining an in-house laundry and repair system is also expensive and time-consuming. It would likely require an extra employee to manage uniforms depending on the company’s size.
In a rental situation, you can get various sizes in the event of employee turnover. The supplier typically handles repairs and replacements as part of the rental agreement. You can hire a laundry service when you purchase uniforms. However, you’ll pay for some of the same services that the uniform company would provide with a rental arrangement and you are dealing with two outside companies instead of one.
Nick Warrick is the sales manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with over 100 clients across 20 different industries.
22_0470_Tape_Quad_HalfHoriz_US Mod: February 7, 2024 1:15 PM Print: 02/07/24 page 1 v2.5
Malco’s 12-in. Andy aluminum handled offset left snips are new to the Andy snips product line for use by HVAC and building construction professionals. The offset handles make the tool more versatile, allowing users to make higher-quality straight and left curve cuts in a variety of materials, including sheet metal, aluminum, stainless steel, and vinyl. The tool allows users to make cuts faster and longer when operating onehanded, while its lower jaw allows for starter holes as small as half an inch. www.
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REED’s torpedo levels are convenient for jobsite use due to their modest size. Choose from the general use LV9PM with three spirit tubes, the waterworks LV6WW with four vials, or the 9-in. plumber’s version LV9PLB also with four vials. Each torpedo level features a V-groove edge to set on pipe or conduit. The level provides true measurements in easy-to-read vials, and a magnetic base allows it to sit flat and secure during levelling work.
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Ranger Design offers innovative commercial van storage solutions, including new composite aluminum shelving. These electric vehicle-ready products offer a 25-per cent reduction in weight compared to Ranger’s steel shelving, with the same load capacity. The aluminum-alloy end panels are coated with a protective finish to improve smudge and abrasion resistance, which eliminates the need for PVC film. The shelves are available in 14 combinations, with seven different widths and two heights.
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Klein Tools’ Rechargeable 2 Color LED headlamp is a hands-free work light offering three light settings: a focused long-range white spotlight, a widecasting floodlight, and a low-intensity red. Bright white LED lights work in two settings and a variety of lumens ranging from an ECO setting of 30 lm for 27 hours to the highest setting of 600 lm for eight hours. The work light pivots to allow up to a 64 degree lighting angle, and can be removed from the bracket for recharging.
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Buffalo Booties are 18.7-in. long with a super-stretch design. The company offers covers in four models: NonSkid, Waterproof, Slip Resistant and Waterproof, and SuperGrip Waterproof. All models are customizable with company name, and come in convenient dispenser boxes.
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ServMan by WorkWave is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solution for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other service industry enterprises. The software offers a range of modules from sales tools and CRM, to scheduling and dispatching, to reporting and accounting, along with a revamped, modernized ERP mobile app to help technicians do even more in the field. ServMan can be customized to each user’s workflows.
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Advanced leak detection & water consumption monitoring solutions tailored to your specific application.
Personalized attention to design a sophisticated leak detection and water monitoring system for your project’s specific needs.
Developers and owners can enjoy water usage savings and peace of mind from anywhere with
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Electrical abbreviations play a crucial role in the daily work of engineers and technicians in the field. These abbreviations act as a common language, allowing professionals to quickly and accurately convey technical information related to electrical systems and components. This not only streamlines communication but also reduces the potential for misunderstandings and errors. Electrical abbreviations are relied upon everyday by professionals in HVAC, telecommunications, manufacturing, and countless other industries.
Jason Tables is a technical writer with Belimo Americas. This article originally appeared on belimo.com.
Here is a quick reference for electrical abbreviations you are likely to see and/or hear in the field:
Current
DC = Direct Current
AC = Alternating Current
VDC = Direct Current Voltage
VAC = Alternating Current Voltage
A = Ampere
mA = Milliampere = (1000 mA = 1 A)
μA = microampere (1,000,000 μA = 1 A)
kA = kiloampere (1 kA = 1000 A)
VA= Volt Amp
I = Common symbol for current in mathematical formulas
Voltage
V = Volt*
mV - millivolts (1000 mV = 1 V)
kV - kilovolts (1 kV = 1000 V)
E = Common symbol for voltage in mathematical formulas
(*I.S.O. standard indicates “U” to be used for voltage)
Resistance
Ω = Ohm
kΩ = Kilo-ohm (1 kΩ = 1000 Ω)
MΩ = Megaohm (1 MΩ = 1,000,000 Ω)
R = Common symbol for resistance in mathematical formulas
Ohm’s Law
E = Voltage I = Current R = Resistance
E = I x R (Example: I = 20mA, R = 500Ω Therefore, E = .020 x 500 = 10V)
R = E/I (Example: E = 1.35V, I = 10mA Therefore, R = 1.35/.010 = 135Ω)
I = E/R (Example: E = 120V, R = 50Ω Therefore, 120/50 = 2.4A)
Power
W = Watt
mW = milliwatt (1000 mW = 1 W)
kW = kilowatt (1 kW = 1000 W)
MW = megawatt (1 MW = 1,000,000 W)
(*I.S.O. standard indicates “P” for power)
Power Calculations
W = E x I
Example: E = 24V, I = 260mA
Therefore, 24 x .260 = 6.24W
W = R x I2
Example 1: R = 100 , I = 3A
100 x 32 = 100 x 9 = 900W
Example 2: R = 500 , I = 20mA = .020A
500 x .0202 = 500 x .0004 = .2W or 200mW
W = E2/R
Example: E = 24V, R = 100, Therefore, 242/100 = 576/100 = 5.76W
Capacitance
F = Farads
μF = microfarads (1,000,000 μF = 1 F)
nF = nanofarads (1,000,000,000 nF = 1 F)
pF = picofarads (1,000,000,000,000 pF = 1 F)
Inductance
H = Henry
mH = millihenry (1000 mH = 1 H)
μH = microhenry (1,000,000 μH = 1 H)
Frequency
Hz = Hertz
kHz = kilohertz (1 kHz = 1000 Hz)
MHz = megahertz (1 MHz = 1,000,000 Hz)
GHz = gigahertz (1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz)
Impedance
Z - Impedance (measured in Ω)
Conductance
S - Siemen
mS - Millisiemen (1000 mS = 1 S)
We often hear that mechanical equipment and the sites that house them aren’t sexy. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from plants that were built prior to the Second World War. The use of rich materials, such as marble and bronze, was commonplace. As you can see, attention to detail and decorative assets transformed utilitarian buildings into things of beauty.
A well-known example of this is the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant in Toronto, ON. As striking as it is from the outside, the inside is even more impressive. The plant was constructed in the 1930s and opened in 1941 and is the largest water treatment plant in the city.
With the exception of the grounds, the site is generally off limits to the public. When the opportunity arose to tour the facility as part of Doors Open Toronto, I was in. Doors Open Toronto showcases some of the most architecturally, historically, culturally, and socially significant buildings across the city.
R.C. Harris is a testament to giving the facilities, people, and equipment that keep us comfortable and healthy, the care and attention they deserve.
• Dubbed “The Palace of Purification,” it is the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in Toronto
• Produces approximately 30 per cent of Toronto’s drinking water
• Can produce 950 million litres daily
• Named after Roland Caldwell Harris, commissioner of works from 1912 to his death in 1945
• Is a national historic civil engineering site, designated historical building and has been featured in many film, fashion and TV shoots
1. Marble, bronze and travertine figure prominently throughout the facility.
2. Filter operating controls with bronze doors and marble top.
3. Many of the pumps are original and appear to be pristine. Each pump is numbered and an elaborate limestone signal panel indicates which pumps are running.
4. Original pump valve is approximately 42 in. in diameter and was constructed in 1957. It has been reburbished and was returned to service not long after this photo was taken.
Select Goodman inverter models meet the requirements for Canada Greener Homes. Ask your local Daikin contractor for more information.
Goodman’s® high-efficiency GSXV9 air conditioner and GSZV9 heat pump, with inverter technology, provide premium solutions with efficiencies of up to 22.5 SEER2 and 8.2 HSPF2. Goodman inverter systems provide an ideal solution for customers who demand more for less. Ask your Goodman sales professional about exclusive training and finance programs.
• High-efficiency, smart savings
• Consistent indoor comfort
• Enhanced indoor air quality
• Proven reliability
• Works with any 24V thermostat
For more information, see product details:
Before purchasing this appliance, read important information about its estimated annual energy consumption, yearly operating cost, or energy efficiency rating that is available from your retailer.
OnMarch 20 to 22, 2024 manufacturers, contractors, wholesalers, engineers, architects, educators and students will have the opportunity to innovate, explore, connect and learn – all under one roof. After many years in the North Building of The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC), The Canadian Mechanical and Plumbing Exposition (CMPX) is moving to MTCC’s South Building.
CMPX will feature an expanded show floor with the latest equipment, services and solutions from over 500 world-class brands.
Show organizers note that, “Industry professionals can expect to see more products and exhibits than ever before, across all categories, including heating, cooling, refrigeration, ventilation, plumbing, indoor air quality, building automation and control, sustainability, software, tools and instruments, technology and more.”
As always, relationships, dialogue and thought leadership will be at the heart of CMPX 2024. From interactive demonstrations and strategic panels to hands-on learning and valuable networking, this year’s content mix is designed to help industry professionals stay current. In addition to the massive show floor, attendees will have access to the most comprehensive education and speaker lineup in CMPX history, featuring over 60 sessions.
The New Product Demo Stage will feature rapid-fire live demos of the newest equipment, tools and tech hitting the market this year.
Always a favourite event at the show, the HVACR Skills Competition and Showcase returns with secondary and post-secondary students showcasing their talent, skills and expertise, while vying for the title of Champion.
CMPX is jointly produced by the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) and the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH).
Industry professionals can register for FREE at www.cmpxshow.com with code MECHBIZ
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building 222 Bremner Boulevard, Toronto, ON GET SOCIAL: @cmpxshow #CMPXshow
Education Exhibit Hall
March 20 - 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
March 21 - 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
March 22 - 9 a.m. – 4 p.m
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The 2024 CMPX show presents the perfect opportunity to show your star qualities! Swing by MB’s photo booth #19, to be featured on your own cover of Mechanical Business magazine – for free, compliments of General Pipe Cleaners! We will be shooting during the first two days of the show (March 20 and 21).
Dave Merry (see his profile in Mechanical Business Jan/Feb 2024) will provide the entertainment at the 2024 Gala on March 19 at the InterContinental Toronto Centre. For more information visit ciph.com.
Lyncar
Produces a square cut on PVC/CPVC so the pipe bottoms out in the fitting for best fit.
Deburr and chamfer to manufacturers’ standards in seconds. DEB4 creates a smooth pipe end so solvent spreads evenly as pipe is joined. Fits six sizes of 1 1/4” - 4” PVC, CPVC, PP and ABS pipe.
For deburring 1/2”, 3/4”, and 1” PVC, CPVC, PE, ABS and PP pipe in IPS or CTS, choose DEB1IPS or DEB1CTS, both with knurled grips for slip resistance.
Conveniently cut from the inside using a saw-toothed blade. Exclusive, adjustable guide doubles as a depth gauge.
Adjustable Guide
Robust design delivers a residential powerhouse.
Industry-first single stainless steel heat exchanger. CMPX #1739
Patented X3TM scale prevention technology conquers hard water issues.
Integrated recirculation pump for quick hot water delivery.
2" (up to 75 ft) and
3" (up to 150 ft) flexible venting options.
Stream: Strategy
Stream: Tech
Stream: Business
Stream: Workshop
Location: Learning Forum
Location: Room 709
Location: Room 711
Location: Room 703
Stream: Mitsubishi Electric
Location: Room 715
Wednesday, March 20
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Incorporating Hydronic Heat Pumps into Hybrid Designs
Panel: Jerry Leyte, Viessmann Manufacturing Company Inc.; Mike Miller, TACO Comfort Solutions; David Hughes, CIPH; Michael Ridler, Eden Energy Equipment Ltd.; and John Goshulak, Weil-McLain Canada Sales Inc.
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Introduction to Building Decarbonization
Speaker: Doug Cochrane, Member ASHRAE, LEED® AP
10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Separation in Hydronic Systems
Speaker: Kevin Freidt, Caleffi Hydronic Solutions
10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Contracts and relationships: Managing and avoiding legal pitfalls for business owners
Speakers: Gemma Healy-Murphy and Victor Kim, McMillan LLP
11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
Exploring common flue gas venting
Speaker: Johnathan Subramaniam, IPEX NA
11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
Resilience in reviews: Leveraging online reputation in an uncertain economy
Speaker: Oscar Wimshurst, NiceJob
11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Culture shock: Retention of women in skilled trades
Speaker: Brandi Ferenc, Fair-Trades Toolbox Inc.
11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Flexibility for comfort: Smart financing and consumer-friendly payment options
Panel: Max Zubrick and Amar Samra, Financeit; Victor Hyman, ClimateCare; and Matthew Bratsis, EGIA
11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
CO₂ control strategies
Speaker: Ryan McAndrews, Copeland
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Fuel-switching hydronic systems with air-to-water heat pumps
Speaker: Chris DesRoches, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc.
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Controls systems and cybersecurity
Speaker: Lorenzo Belanger, HTS
1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Welcome to the world of heat umps
Speaker: Tom Cates, designer/trainer/consultant
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Adapting to the National Model Codes
Speakers: Rainier Bratsch-Blundell, George Brown College and Kevin Wong, Uponor
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
IAQ solutions using high efficiency ventilation systems
Speaker: Will Elaridi, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc.
1:40 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Navigating the challenges of retrofitting cold climate air-source inverter heat pumps in residential applications
Speaker: Dany Caron, GREE Canada
5000 & 6000 MBH
The Avenger® Series II is an advanced two-pass, counter-flow firetube commercial boiler, providing efficient hot water for demanding commercial needs.
» Industry-leading 40:1 turndown
» Thermal efficiencies of up to 96%
» Designed for today’s higher turndown variable primary and low pressure systems
» 3 to 4 week lead-time with stock units available for quick ship
Solution: A custom-built, prefabricated boilers was selected for its high efficiency
Sponsored Profile
Challenge: To design and install a reliable and efficient heating system for a new middle school building Alberta, Canada, that also met environmental standards.
Solution: A custom-built, prefabricated skid with two Camus Hydronics Avenger ® 4000 MBH firetube boilers was selected for its high efficiency and low emissions with a 25:1 turndown ratio.
ult: The new Avenger boilers reduced both energy and greenhouse gases and simplified installation and maintenance. In addition, the new system continues to provide safe, uniform heating throughout the building for student and staff comfort.
Avenger boilers reduced both energy ses and simplified installation and addition, the new system continues to heating throughout the building for
two Camus Hydronics Avenger® 4000 MBH firetube boilers was selected for its high efficiency and low emissions with a 25:1 turndown ratio.
ReSult: The new Avenger boilers reduced bills and greenhouse gases and simplified maintenance. In addition, the new system provide safe, uniform heating throughout student and staff comfort.
SummaRy: A school system located in a reliable, efficient heating system for its building. Constructed in 2023, the new school building that was demolished due to structural gymnasium and classrooms serving 600
system in Alberta, Can
SummaRy: A school system located in Alberta, Canada, needed reliable, efficient heating system for its new middle school building. Constructed in 2023, the new school replaced an existing building that was demolished due to structural concerns. The challenge was to design a system to heat a gymnasium and classrooms serving 600 students while complying with environmental standards.
RESULT: The new Avenger boilers reduced both energy bills and greenhouse gases and simplified installation and maintenance. In addition, the new system continues to provide safe, uniform heating throughout the building for student and staff comfort.
RESULT: The new Avenger boilers reduced both energy bills and greenhouse gases and maintenance. In addition, the ne provide safe, uniform heating throughout student and staf f comfort.
considering specifications and background information provided by the school’s engineering team, Camus developed solution recommendations to meet customer needs. The school opted for a custom-built, prefabricated with two Camus Hydronics Avenger 4000 MBH firetube boilers, supplied by Camus representative Wesmech The project contractor was Dee-Jay Plumbing & Heating, an established Alberta company.
system located in Alberta, Canada, needed system for its new middle school 2023, the new school replaced an existing demolished due to structural concerns. The challenge was to design a system to heat a serving 600 students while complying with environmental standards.
SUMMARY: A school system located in Alberta, Canada, needed a reliable, efficient heating system for its new middle school building. Constructed in 2023, the new school replaced an existing building that was demolished due to structural concerns. The challenge was to design a system to heat a gymnasium and classrooms serving 600 students while complying with environmental standards.
The Avenger firetube boilers are hydronic heating units that use water as the heat transfer medium. Designed to provide high efficiency and low emissions with a 25:1 turndown ratio, these boilers modulate their output according to demand. They are equipped with a stainless steel heat exchanger, variable-speed combustion air blower, and a digital control panel.
ons and background information provided by the school’s engineering team, Camus ommendations to meet customer needs. The school opted for a custom-built, prefabricated Hydronics Avenger 400 0 MBH firetube boilers, supplied by Camus representative Wesmech ractor was Dee-Jay Plumbing & Heating, an established Alberta company.
Available in sizes up to 6000 MBH, Avenger boilers suitable for schools, hotels, hospitals, offices, multi-residential buildings.
SOLUTION: A custom- Camus Hydronic boilers was selected for it igh ef iency and lo s with a 25:
After considering specifications and background information provided by the school’s engineering team, Camus developed solution recommendations to meet customer needs. The school opted for a custom-built, prefabricated skid with two Camus Hydronics Avenger 4000 MBH firetube boilers, supplied by Camus representative Wesmech Sales. The project contractor was Dee-Jay Plumbing & Heating, an established Alberta company.
Avenger boilers deliver significant energy savings by operating at peak efficiency throughout the heating season, and they reduce the school’s carbon footprint by emitting less greenhouse gases than conventional units. These boilers simplify installation and maintenance as they are preassembled on a skid and feature removable side and front panels for easy access.
After considering specifications and background developed solution recommendations to skid with two Camus Hydronics Avenger Sales. The project contractor was Dee-Jay The transfer 25:1 They combustion Avenger throughout emitting installation removable
SUMMARY: A school system locate a reliable, ef ficient heating system for building. Constructed in 2023, the new building that was demolished due to s was to desig gymnasium and classrooms serving 600 students while complying with environmental
Avenger boilers deliver significant energy savings by operating at peak efficiency throughout the heating season, and they reduce the school’s carbon footprint by emitting less greenhouse gases than conventional units. These boilers simplify installation and maintenance as they are preassembled on a skid and feature removable side and front panels for easy access.
After considering specifications and background information provided by the school’ developed solution recommendations to meet customer needs. The school opted skid with two Camus Hydronics Avenger 4000 MBH firetube boilers, supplied by Camu Sales. The project contractor was Dee-Jay Plumbing & Heating, an established Alberta
The Avenger firetube boilers are hydronic heating units that use water as the heat transfer medium. Designed to provide high ef ficiency and low emissions with a 25:1 turndown ratio, these boilers modulate their output according to demand. They are equipped with a stainless steel heat exchanger, variable-speed combustion air blower, and a digital control panel.
Available in sizes up to 6000 MBH, Avenger boilers are suitable for schools, hotels, hospitals, offices, and multi-residential buildings.
CLICK or scan QR code to learn more.
Avenger boilers deliver significant energy savings by operating at peak ef ficiency throughout the heating season, and they reduce the school’s carbon footprint by emitting less greenhouse gases than conventional units These boilers simplify installation and maintenance as they are preassembled on a skid and feature removable side and front panels for easy access.
MBH, Avenger boilers hotels, hospitals, offices, uildings.
The Avenger firetube boilers are hydronic heating units that use water as the heat transfer medium. Designed to provide high efficiency and low emissions with a 25:1 turndown ratio, these boilers modulate their output according to demand. They are equipped with a stainless steel heat exchanger, variable-speed combustion air blower, and a digital control panel.
CLICK or scan QR code to learn more.
Available in sizes u are suitable for and multi-residential buildings.
The Avenger firetube boilers are hydronic heating transfer medium. Designed to provide high 25:1 turndown ratio, these boilers modulate They are equipped with a stainless steel hea combustion air blower, and a digital control
Avenger boilers deliver significant energy sa throughout the heating season, and they reduce emitting less greenhouse gases than conventiona ins llati and maintenance as they are preassemble side and front panels for easy access.
For more information, visit camus-hydronics.com/HigherTurndownHydronics
*As available at press time
Stream: Strategy Location: Learning Forum
Stream: Tech Location: Room 709
Stream: Business
Location: Room 711
Stream: Workshop Location: Room 703
Stream: Mitsubishi Electric Location: Room 715
Wednesday, March 20 (continued)
1:40 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
The three key elements for conducting a highly successful training session
Speakers: Steve Mores and Jon-George Popowich, Dynamic Air Quality Solutions
2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Groundbreaking growth: The rise of geothermal heat pump systems
Speakers: Tim Weber, Diverso Energy and Jeff Hunter, Evolved Thermal Energy Inc.
2:20 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
The impact of innovative hydronic technologies on decarbonization in commercial buildings
Speaker: Steve Clark, Zylem – Bell & Gosset
2:20 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Getting to a deeper understanding of heat pump market and labour opportunities
Speaker: Natasha Reid, Building Decarbonization Alliance
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Navigating the VRF landscape: An ABC guide
Speaker: Muhammad Kashif, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc.
3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Leveraging IoT systems: Revolutionizing commercial building controls
Speaker: Jay Kress, 75F
3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
How low can we go?
Speaker: Robert Bean, ASHRAE Fellow & Distinguished Lecturer
3:40 p.m. to 4:10 p.m..
Practical decarbonization methods in cold climate regions
Speaker: J. Kelly Hearnsberger, Daikin Comfort Technologies North America Inc.
4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
How do we rapidly scale building electrification?
Speakers: Bryan Flannigan and Matt Poirier, Building Decarbonization Alliance
Thursday, March 21
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
The refrigerant transition in Canada
Panel: Sandy MacLeod, HRAI; Michel Gauvin, ECCC; Devin J. Thomas, Refrigerant Services Inc.; Pushpinder Rana, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Inc.; Martin Rego, Rheem Canada; Phil Simon, TSSA; and Emilie Boyer, The Master Group
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Adding an air-to-water heat pump to an existing boiler system
Speaker: John Siegenthaler, Appropriate Designs
10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Meeting decarbonization goals with air-to-air energy recovery
Speaker: Paul Pieper, The Master Group
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
A2L refrigerant transition and new CSA B52 mechanical code
Speaker: Pushpinder Rana, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc.
11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
Thermostatic balancing valves
Speaker: Tom Ruggierio, CircuitSolver
11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
Disruptive marketing in the trades industry
Speaker: Jamie Donaldson, Donaldson
Home Services
*As available at press time
Stream: Strategy Location: Learning Forum
Stream: Tech Location: Room 709
Stream: Business
Location: Room 711
Stream: Workshop Location: Room 703
Stream: Mitsubishi Electric Location: Room 715
11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Product sustainability: critical product development information to keep up with a changing marketplace
Speaker: Ryan Kiscaden, Watts Water Technologies
11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
The ABCs of ECM circulators: Navigating the alphabet soup of variable speed circulators
Thursday, March 21
11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Carbon counts - reducing the carbon footprint of the homes you work in
Speaker: Gord Cooke, Building Knowledge Canada and Construction Instruction
Speaker: Dave Holdorf, Taco Comfort Solutions
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
You zone hydronics, why not forced air? Zoning forced air is easier than you think
Speaker: Dick Foster, ZONEFIRST Zone Controls
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Beyond HVAC: Holistic strategies for enhancing IAQ in commercial environments
Speaker: Jason Jones, Fellowes
1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Bridging the gap: Preventing conflict between engineers and contractors
Speaker: Niss Feiner, Delta-T Designs Inc.
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Fuel-switching hydronic systems with air-towater heat pumps
Speaker: Chris DesRoches, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc.
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The heat pump advantage: leverage net zero goals to drive your business
Speaker: Gord Cooke, Building Knowledge Canada and Construction Instruction
1:40 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Hybrid heating with smart controls
Speaker: Abhishek Sadhya, Napoleon
1:40 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Navigating succession
Speaker: Travis Allan, Eclipse Comfort Solutions and Matthew Langsford, Canaccord Genuity Corp.
2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
How heat pumps pay off: Comparing the costs of heating and cooling options across Canada
Speaker: Christiana Guertin, Canadian Climate Inst.
2:20 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Gas heat pump solutions for cold weather climates
Speaker: Bo DeAngelo, Stone Mountain Technologies Inc.
2:20 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Practical carbon and ESG
Speaker: John R. Williams, Williams Professional Advisors
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Contemporary space heating and cooling technologies for upcoming industry challenges
Speaker: Chanpreet Singh, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc.
Stream: Strategy Location: Learning Forum
Stream: Tech Location: Room 709
Stream: Business Location: Room 711
Thursday, March 21 (continued)
3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
How industry education supports workforce development, the products and the people
Panel: Jason Jackson, Fleming College; Shelley Peters, CWQA; Kevin Matthews, Canature WaterGroup; Jeremy Plaunt, Water Depot; and Danielle Faulkner.
3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Frost proof hydrant education
Speaker: Angelo Balistreri, Prier
3:00 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.
Decarbonizing with heat pumps and low GWP refrigerants
Speakers: James Kelly, DXS and Will Rea, HTS
3:40 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.
The impact of expansive soil damage to underground plumbing and foundations
Speaker: Dennis Dickey, VoidForm Products
4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Building a greener future: Assessing and addressing industry workforce needs
Speaker: Klayton Gonçalves, BuildForce Canada
5:00 p.m. to 5:50 p.m.
The roadmap to refrigeration specialist
Speaker: Trevor Matthews, Refrigeration Mentor
10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Hydronic balancing and the effects of low Delta T
Speaker: Rick Mohammed, Belimo
10:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.
Commercial energy efficiency:
Speakers: Scott Bullock, Enbridge Gas and Vicki Gagnon, IESP
11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
Future-proofing hydronic systems: Navigating challenges and embracing change
Speaker: Gilles Legault, CB Supplies Ltd.
11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
Strategic marketing insights: Cost-free approaches to elevate your HVAC business
Speaker: Catherine Holt, The Master Group
11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
The state of net zero in Canada
Speaker: David Hughes, CIPH
11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Rethinking net zero
Panel: Sal Galati, Integrated Building Group; Roy Panelli, Cool Estate; and Gary Zkutney, Facility EcoSolutions
11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Introduction to HVAC designers of Canada
Speaker: Jeanine Jollineau, Synergy HVAC Design Inc.
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
CO₂ compression for cold storage
Speaker: Dennis Kozina, Copeland Canada
1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
HVAC/R’s role in decarbonizing large buildings
Panel: Kit Milnes, KingSett Capital; Mark Hutchinson, Canada Green Buildings Council; and Dan Stranges, Continual Energy Inc.
1:40 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Let’s talk radon
Speaker: Fadi Basmaji, IPEX Inc.
Friday, March 22 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Show Hours
Thursday, March 21 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. METRO
sessions start at 9:00 a.m.
Note:
Dry cavity pit design for a complete white glove service.
Tight seal odour eliminating lid attaches with bolts into an interlocking channel.
Easy access to all major internal components including motor, grinder blade and pressure switches for a quick, easy and effortless maintenance
Capable of pumping up to 25 Ft (Shut-off head: 33 Ft)
Maximum discharge flow rate: 66 GPM
Equipped with fail-proof air pressure switch system with triple redundancy.
Scan for more information
Pre-assembled packaged 24” x 24” grinding 1 HP pump system w/basin and control panel/alarm system.
800-363-5874
saniflo.ca
Superior wastewater detection system giving a longer life expectancy without any maintenance.
In this, the eighth edition of the Mechanical Business Product Showcase, you’ll find offerings from leading suppliers to the mechanical industry in Canada. New and legacy products and services are presented with the specifications and features you need to know. This print product will serve as a reference for you now and in the months to come.
The rapidly evolving performance expectations and efficiency requirements have driven product development and change in ways we haven’t seen before. For designers, installers and service professionals this has created a challenge.
How do you stay on top of what is available in the Canadian market?
Start by checking out the showcase and follow up by visiting the manufacturers’ websites, shown below each profile. When you are at the show make a point of visiting the manufacturers’ booths. Use the exhibitor list, starting on pg. 94 and the floorplan on pg. 114, to plan your time at CMPX. Exhibitors are there to answer questions and elaborate on the product information featured here.
While doing your planning be sure to include a stop at the Mechanical Business booth where you can step into the photo booth and be a cover personality! You can’t miss us – we are immediately right once you enter the show floor.
For those of you who can’t make the show, consider this showcase to be the trade show in print.
Access the websites where you’ll find more product details and information on where to buy product or access the service.
• Built-in, variable-speed electric motor
• Super-strong shaft design
• Foot-pedal safety control
• Unique ClogChopper® and Carbide-Tipped Chain Cutters
• Folding handle facilitates Flexi-Rooter transport to and from work
• Heavy-duty 9/16-in. Flexicore cable – better job clearing inside drain lines
• Clears 3- to 4-in. lines up to 100 ft. long
• Switch to 75 ft. x 5/8-in. cable to add root cutting capability
• Variable speed feed drives and retracts cable at up to 20 ft./min.
• Stair climbers, 10-in. wheels, truck loading wheel for easier handling
• Operate it as a hand tool or a power tool
• Durable polyurethane drum designed for use with Flexicore cables
• Automatic feed using your favourite cordless drill
• Polyurethane drum drop tested from 8 ft. fully loaded, without damage
• Uses industry-leader Flexicore® cables
• Includes the Gen-Pack™ battery adapter
• USB recording drive with voice-over recording
• Wi-Fi transmitter for use with tablets and smartphones
• 7-in. LCD screen for crisp clear pictures
• Inspect 3- to 10-in. drain lines up to 200 ft. long
• For potable and non-potable plumbing and mechanical applications
• Types K, L & M hard copper tube and 1/2 in., 3/4 in. & 1 in. annealed copper tube
• Third-party certified to: NSF/ANSI 61 & 372, IAPMO PS-117, & ASME B16.51
• Copper fittings made in Stuarts Draft, VA, USA
• Get a clean, watertight seal by applying pressure from the pressing tool
• For use in copper tube systems for gas and compressed air applications
• The only CSA certified press fittings available commercially
• Male & female threaded adapters, caps, couplings, elbows, tees and unions
• Copper fittings made in Stuarts Draft, VA, USA
• Get a clean, tight seal by applying pressure from the pressing tool
• Copper press fittings for air conditioning & refrigeration applications
• Patented groove design & crimp pattern supports high pressure requirements
• UL 207 recognized to 700 PSI
• Copper fittings made in Stuarts Draft, VA, USA
• Get a clean, tight seal by applying pressure from the pressing tool
• Carbon steel press fittings for plumbing & mechanical applications
• Heavy duty fittings feature stainless steel grip rings and separator rings
• Third-party certified to: IAPMO PS-117, UL/ULC 213, and FM 1920
• Eliminates job site threading operations
• Carbon steel press fittings for fuel & gas applications are also available
• Venting up to 75 ft. with 2-in. pipe and up to 150 ft. with 3-in. pipe
• X3® Scale prevention technology extends the life of the heater by up to 3x
• Available with inputs of 160k, 180k, and 199k BTU/hr
• 0.95 UEF, ENERGY STAR® certified, 15/5-year heat exchanger/parts warranty
• Integrated recirculation pump
• 50, 66 and 80 US gallon models available
• 3.88 UEF, ENERGY STAR® certified, 4x more efficient than standard electric
• iCOMM™ connectivity to control your water heater & receive notifications
• Leak protection technology includes leak detection and alerts
• Long-lasting dual 4,500 Watt commercial-grade backup heating elements
• 50 and 80 US gallon models available
• Electronic controls to set operating modes & review diagnostics
• iCOMM™ connectivity for remote water heater control and notifications
• Long-lasting dual 4,500 Watt commercial-grade heating elements
• Automatic sediment-cleaning system & anode extend tank life
• Modulating combustion and dual heat exchange system, efficiency up to 97%
• 750,000 and 1,000,000 BTU/hr input models available
• Primary and secondary stainless steel heat exchangers maximize heat transfer
• Exclusive Intelligent Control System with colour touch screen display
• iCOMM™ connectivity for remote water heater control and notifications
• Anywhere you can pan a joist, you can use Thermopan
• The definitive sheet metal alternative for return air ducts
• Lightweight & easy to install
• Dampens duct popping noise
• Manufactured in USA & Canada from recycled material
• A simple solution to rough-in return air frames
• Three different models to save your frame rough-ins
• Standard open frame that allows unfiltered airflow
• Keep your ducts clean with windowed or filtered frames
• Save your rough-ins from the drywallers!
• A simple clamp for one-person lineset installs
• Five sizes available in black and two sizes in white
• Save time with clamps instead of hanging lineset with strap
• Simply press the clamp teeth in for a snug finish
• Clamps easily re-open for on-the-fly adjustments
CMPX
• Delivers sustainability; with up to 30.0 IEER performance
• Innovative design reclaims space, cuts installation costs
• Long piping lengths serve up to 361 ft. of vertical separation
• Manage and monitor with HERO Simple Edge controls
• 6- to 20-ton single modules; dual modules up to 40 tons
• Ultra-efficient, inverterdriven, multi-zone heat pump
• Up to 9.7 HSPF2, 20 SEER2 and 12 EER2 efficiencies
• Compact design simplifies installation & service
• Up to 100% heating capacity at -15°C; efficient to -25°C
• Runs quietly, down to 19dB(A) indoors, 49 dB(A) outdoors
• Heat exchanger anti-corrosion treatment adds performance
• Ducted gas furnace, heat pump or dual fuel capabilities
• Merges ductless performance with traditional ducted systems
• Side discharge units need just 4 in. of clearance
• Up to 8.6 HSPF2, 11.3 EER and 17.5 SEER2 performance
• Inverter-driven compressors run quietly, down to 55 dB(A)
• Controlled by Daikin One+ or Daikin One smart thermostats
• Simplified grading and more efficient water collection
• Heelsafe, ADA, slipresistant, or architectural grates
• Channels made of strong and long lasting polymer concrete
• Pre-sloped invert for efficient drainage and self cleaning
• Manufactured in the Great Lakes region
• Efficient treatment of high flows in a compact tank
• Simple installation
• Automatic shut-off valve to prevent accidental leaks
• Corrosion resistant, watertight, and lasting polyethylene
• Optional alarm for high liquid, oil, or solids level
• Stainless steel drains ensure optimum hygienic performance
• Solutions for heavy loading applications
• Pickle passivated after manufacturing for corrosion free
• Standard sizes and variety of grates to fit any application
• Hygienic box channels and floor drains are NSF certified
• New 1 piece design for a secure installation
• Smaller all Plastic Deck Flange fits in tight spaces
• Snap off Test Cap for water/air/ smoke testing
• Available in ABS, PVC and new Total 1 2-in-1 models
• 100% engineered and manufactured in Canada
• 1 Kit = 2 drain configurations (Offset and Direct)
• No wasted parts
• Available in Bell, Square or Round SlideOn faceplate styles
• Available in P&C, Clicker, Lift & Turn or Tip Toe closures
• Separate Rough-in and Trim models also available
• For use in noncombustible buildings
• Meets flame and smoke requirements of CAN/ULC S102.2-10
• Use approved PVC primer and solvent cement to make joints
• Waste & Overflows, ITD and Shower Drains available
• Now you have a choice
acobd.com
• Complete tepid water system
• 119 gallon hot water tank with relief valve
• Bradley EFX50 thermostatic mixing valve (TMV)
• 4.8 gallon expansion tank
• Factory tested & assembled; meets requirements of ANSI/ISEA Z358.1
• Arms users with the most effective emergency relief available
• Uses the latest fluid dynamics technology to rinse off contaminants
• Integral strainer reduces debris in the water and prevents clogging
• Hinged see-through plastic or stainless steel bowl cover
• Bowl design funnels water into drain and contains water
• Convenient space saver for tight workspaces or laboratories
• Eyewash immediately activated when swung out 90 degrees over the sink
• Durable ceramic valve limits wear on moving parts
• Fully functional even under low water pressure conditions (30 psi)
• Delivers most effective eye washdown coverage and spray pattern available
• Delivers dependable on-demand ANSI/ISEA-required tepid water
• Only one electrical connection and cold water line are needed for install
• CLE and SNA models feature the lowest pressure drops in the industry
• Precision-engineered with durable materials
• Saves time, money and space
bradleycorp.com
• New 1HP Advanced Series disposer from InSinkErator, the industry leader
• Now with 4 stages of grind to power through the toughest food waste
• SoundSeal technology makes this unit up to 80% quieter than a standard unit
• New EZ install and EZ Connect features make this our fastest install ever
• Get the yuck factor out of your kitchen without waiting until garbage day
• New Advanced Batch Feed disposer from InSinkErator, the industry leader
• Now with 3 stages of grind to power through the toughest food waste
• SoundSeal technology makes this unit up to 80% quieter than a standard unit
• New EZ install and EZ Connect features make this our fastest install ever
• Get the yuck factor out of your kitchen without waiting until garbage day
• New 3/4HP Power Series disposer from InSinkErator, the industry leader
• Now with 2 stages of grind to power through most food scraps
• SoundSeal technology makes this unit up to 40% quieter than a standard unit
• New EZ install and EZ Connect features make this our fastest install ever
• Get the yuck factor out of your kitchen without waiting until garbage day
• New 3/4HP Advanced Series disposer from InSinkErator, the industry leader
• Now with 3 stages of grind to power through tougher food waste
• SoundSeal technology makes this unit up to 60% quieter than a standard unit
• New EZ install and EZ Connect features make this our fastest install ever
• Get the yuck factor out of your kitchen without waiting until garbage day
• Remove stubborn iron, manganese and sulphur without chemicals
• One-of-a-kind system with dedicated air tank to offer superior iron removal
• IAPMO R & T certified against NSF/ANSI 42
• Uses up to 50% less water than traditional single tank systems
• NSF certified electronic control valve and fibreglass pressure tank
• Removes hardness & bad taste and odour caused by chlorine and chloramines
• Dedicated softening & carbon filtration tanks
• 97% chlorine removal over 1,100,000 gallons (485UFHTO-150)
• IAPMO R&T certified against NSF/ANSI 42, 44 and CSA B483.1
• 7-year valve warranty, lifetime pressure tank warranty
• Seven models to choose from using either 8, 12, or 20 gpm UVs
• Certified by IAPMO R&T against NSF/ANSI/CAN 61, 372 and CSA B483.1
• Treats water for whole house without chemicals
• Flow rates stated at 95% UVT at a dose of 30mJ/cm2
• Ideal for cottages, under the sink, or other areas where space is tight
• Uses 40% to 50% less salt and regeneration water than conventional systems
• Provides up to 308 gpm continuous soft water all day
• During high flow demand, tanks come on-line to add capacity
• During low flow demand, tanks go off-line for added efficiency
• Control up to 8 softeners with a single controller
• Chrome and white paintable escutcheon options for a high-end aesthetic
• Allows for supply stop to be installed and pressure tested at rough-in
• Available with tail pieces for PEX, copper and CPVC installations
• Comes with a protective cover that’s threaded for easy install and removal
• Fire-rated and non-fire rated options available
• Contoured, paintable trim cover with chrome valves and water hammer arrestors
• A single compact box made with durable ABS material is quick to install
• Available with tail pieces for PEX, copper and CPVC installations
• Comes with a trim cover that snaps into place without adhesives/fasteners
• Fire-rated and non-fire rated options available
• A new reinforcing stainless-steel collar provides added strength
• Requires half the insertion effort as SharkBite (1st Generation)
• Can withstand double the burst pressure as original SharkBite fittings
• Use with PEX, copper, CPVC, PE-RT and HDPE pipe – no PEX tube liner needed
• 25-year warranty when properly installed on PEX, copper, CPVC & PE-RT pipe
• A single, compact, cartridge-based design reduces its footprint on the job
• Features a 10:1 pressure reduction capacity with a single valve
• Set-up takes less than five minutes with no pilot valve needed
• Can be mounted in any position: vertical, horizontal, upwards and inverted
• Servicing can be performed quickly with the valve body in place
rwc.com
• Compatible with various joining methods: Crimp, Push-Fit, & Cold Expansion
• Available in sizes: 3/8” - 1/2” - 3/4” - 1” - 1-1/4” - 1-1/2” - 2”
• 100% recyclable, including packaging & lowest GHG emissions
• Strength, durability and built for extreme temperatures
• 25-year warranty
• Ideal for the distribution of heating and cooling fluids for radiant system
• Intuitive design, avoid energy waste and promote ultimate thermal comfort
• Complete manifold set in one box, config of 6 to 12 loops to match layout
• Offering a complete hydronics system with radiant tubing, manifolds and accessories
• Expert in-house hydronic services; LoopCad design and layout
• Enhance connections, simplify installations and embrace reliability
• Designed for use with Sch.10 to 40 carbon steel pipe on nominal sizes 1/2”-2”
• Connect to most residential, commercial, and industrial systems
• Over 250+ fittings available
• 15-year limited warranty
• Seamlessly combines efficiency, durability, and reliability
• Wide range of sizes: 1/8” to 6”
• Corrosion resistant & high thermal conductivity
• Long lasting & maintenance free
• 25-year warranty
• Hassle-free solution for faulty sewage pump replacements and upgrades
• Pre-assembled heavy-duty retrofit pump kit that fits most 24” basins
• 1-HP stainless steel grinder for residential and commercial applications
• Discharges gray water up to 25 ft. vertically/328 ft. horizontally
• Fail-proof air pressure switch technology
• Pre-assembled packaged 24” x 24” grinding 1-HP pump system with basin
• Discharges gray water up to 25 ft. vertically/328 ft. horizontally
• Ideal for new installations in residential and commercial applications
• Equipped with an external control panel and visual/audible alarm system
• Built with tight seal odour-eliminating lid
• Used to pump gray water from a variety of fixtures
• Ideal for residential and commercial applications
• Heavy-duty enclosure for chemical drain resistance
• Pumps gray water up to 14 ft. vertically/140 ft. horizontally
• Affordable solution for remote laundry room installation
• Simplex drain pump used for a variety of fixtures
• Used in commercial and industrial applications
• Handles water and grease up to 90°C with low inlets for easy installation
• Discharges gray water up to 25 ft. vertically/250 ft. horizontally
• 1.3 HP oil-filled motor can handle multiple fixtures simultaneously
• Cost effective and low GWP alternative for the HVAC industry
• Higher capacity and better efficiency over R-410A
• Potential to reduce system size with a lower charge amount
• Single component refrigerant
• Zero glide and easier maintenance
• Similar performance to HCFC-22
• No equipment change necessary
• Works well with residual mineral oil or AB
• Broad range of low, medium and high temperature applications
• Low global warming potential
• Compact and light weight at merely 20.3 lb (9.2 kg)
• Brushless DC motor, compact, efficient, and A2L compatible
• Twin cylinder and large condenser for fast recovery
• CSA Safety Certification-Overload & high pressure protection
• Purge Function prevents mixing of various refrigerants
• 50/50 blend of HFC-32 and HFC-125
• Accepted by most air-conditioning OEMs and new AC systems
• Higher refrigerating capacity and pressures than R-22
• Zero ozone depletion potential
• Four modes: Manifold, Leak Test, Evacuation, Decay Test
• Bluetooth connections with temp probes & micron gauge
• Works with MyNAVAC™ App
• Class 0.4 accuracy with digital display
• Aluminum body with quarter-turn ball valve
CMPX #1912
forane.arkema.com
• Vacuum sealed hydraulic system, no oil change needed
• Easy expansion with extended lever
• Tube is automatically released at final trigger compression
• Easy one-hand operation, convenient for narrow spaces
• Quarter-turn head design, quick to attach/remove
CMPX #1333
navacglobal.com
• Connect garden hoses in less than a second
• 7X better freeze protection than brass
• Ultra-reliable, leak-proof valve
• 316L marine-grade stainless steel
• No leaks, no maintenance, no worries
• Solid brass construction, cCSAus meets UPC certification
• Round, Square or Hex models
• 3” for molded shower bases plus new 2” models for tile shower bases
• A multitude of finishes including luxe bronze and brushed gold
• New custom split finishes
• Control water, sound, steam, and light
• Thermatouch 7” or 10” smart touchscreen control
• Just ask Alexa powered by Android™
• Industry-first ThermaStore apps
• New digital shower valve with 3-output functionality
CMPX #902
brontecollection.ca
• Can service up to 30 drains with one unit
• 24Vac, 120VAC, 220VAC, and Energy Management System device available
• Conserves water
• ASSE 1044, UPC, UL, CSA B125,3-22 Certified
• Lead free – NSF/ANSI 372
• Made in an ISO 9001/ISO 14001 certified facility
• 24Vac, 120VAC, 220VAC, and Energy Management System device available
• Conserves water
• ASSE 1044, UPC, UL, CSA B125,3-22 Certified
• Lead free – NSF/ANSI 372
• Made in an ISO 9001/ISO 14001 certified facility
• Lead free – NSF/ANSI 372
• UPC and ASSE 1018 certified
• CSA B125,3-22 Certified
• PPP Revit library available
• Coming Spring 2024!
• Single pass heat exchanger
• Internal pump to guarantee steady HW temperatures
• Ultimate ease of access and serviceability
• European engineered and designed
• New 3/4 in. NPT tappings
• Dedicated supply and return connections to an indirect tank
• 4 new sensors for easier diagnosis
• Brass Hydroblock for extra durability
• Up to 20% hydrogen fuel compatibility
• High-quality stainless steel storage tank
• Single efficient electric heating element
• Energy efficient NANOPUR™ insulation
• Prepared for alternative energy usage
• Quick and easy installation
• 316 L stainless steel shell and internal heat exchanger
• Large diameter inner coil ensures high DHW production
• Outstanding R18 insulation; spray foam insulation, not Styrofoam
• Dedicated recirculation tapping saves time during install
• Variety of sizes and models in single or double coil
• Quickly and easily connect the water supply to fixtures and appliances
• Constructed of durable, high-quality, corrosion-resistant material
• Connectors bend freely and work with hot or cold water
• Available in a variety of sizes and connection types
• Certified to meet NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q < (or equal) 0.5 lead requirements
• Non-corrosive, professional grade tankless water heater descaler solution
• Dissolves 3X the amount of scale as a gallon of white vinegar
• Clear, citric acid-based formula lets you see the results of the descaling
• VOC free and biodegradable – will not harm the environment
• NSF 60 listed and safe for potable water
• Developed in collaboration with plumbing installers across the country
• Specially formulated for the Canadian market
• Medium bodied fast set yellow cement is ideal for ABS pipe and fittings
• Ideal for colder temperature applications
• Low VOC and certified to meet all applicable codes and standards
• Allows for right, left, or centre drain and bottom or top mount valves
• “Lock & Load” valve mounting system for quick and easy positioning
• Box and support brackets made from high-impact polystyrene
• Largest variety of valve styles and connection types of any box
• Includes quarter turn test plug for tool-free knock out
• CONNECT loyalty program
• The more you install, the more you earn
• Triangle Tube is proud to introduce an industry leading loyalty program
• Register products, earn points, redeem rewards
• Join CONNECT and begin earning amazing rewards today!
• Coil type indirect water heater
• All stainless steel construction
• 1 in. boiler connections
• 2 in. polyurethane foam insulation
• Sizes ranging from 30 to 120 gallons
• Tsync Wi-Fi connectivity
• Stainless steel fire tube heating exchanger
• CTRLMAX control system with 60 second set-up
• 3 in 1 universal vent adapter
• Natural gas or propane
• Stainless steel fire tube heat exchanger
• Turndown ratio up to 8:1
• 3 in 1 universal vent adapter
• CTRLMAX control system with 60 second set-up
• Natural gas or propane
• Universal robust enclosure, electronic display, audible and visual alarms
• Reduced cabling with a daisy-chain network of up to 32 devices
• Stand-alone and seamless integration into the BMS with BACnet or CAN bus
• UL-2075/ULC-588 (single element CO monitors), UL-61010 (6000-A & B series)
• Factory calibrated and can measure up to two different gases simultaneously
• Near Field Communication (NFC) allows fast programming and commissioning
• Spring-loaded removable terminal block saves wiring time and ensures contact
• Low wall coupling factor provides accurate room temperature
• Measures temperature, humidity, and CO2
• Designed to CSA900 Canadian standards providing for transparent tenant bill
• Monitors and enhances energy usage delivering optimal system performance
• Delta T Manager algorithm reduces pumping and chiller/boiler operating cost
• Power over Ethernet (PoE) power option
• Easily communicate directly to BMS using BACnet/IP, BACnet MS/TP or Modbus
• Compatible with major BAS, suitable for use in any HVAC application
• Patented glycol compensation algorithm automatically selects concentration
• Designed to CSA900 Canadian standards with Measurement Canada approval
• Equipped for IoT-based billing, provides accurate flow & energy measurement
• Built-in Data Logger captures energy, flow, & operational data for 14 mos.
• 97% AFUE
• Ultra-low NOx premix burner
• Industry leading 15-100% variable capacity
CMPX #1623
• Variable Speed Compressor - Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF)
• Outdoor - Indoor Transmission Class (OITC) Rating of 28
• Sound Transmission Class (STC) Rating of 37
• Back-up dual stage electric heat available
• Operates heat pump down to -5⁰F
• Self-sealing FKM gasket connections install in half the time of field sealed systems
• Special design of the gaskets gives an air and watertight fit
• Fusion welded pipe seams ensure optimum vent performance and reliability
• No field applied sealant is necessary
• Single wall metallic special gas vent is cut to length on site
• A direct vent system that does not compromise indoor air quality
• When converting existing wood-burning fireplaces into gas fireplace inserts
• Direct vent systems use outdoor air for combustion, not indoor air
• Designed for use in medical facilities. MRI safe, low noise transfer
• Poly Sleeve prevents transfer of glass fibres into airstream
• Manufactured from dead soft perforated spirally wound aluminum strip
• Acoustic polyethylene liner separates air stream from thermal insulation
• A flame retardant, scrim foil mylar provides a vapour barrier
CMPX #513
• Prioritize safety and protect against water damage, reduce water waste, and catch equipment issues early
• Connection-capable discharge sensors now ship standard with select Watts Relief Valves
• Sensor is activated with an add-on Connection Kit
• 24/7 monitoring with real-time relief valve discharge alerts from your building management system
• Notifications keep you aware of relief valve discharge on boiler or water heater
• Designed for simple, fast installations, saving time and costs
• Patented frame-anchored design to ensure drains are straight
• Installations can be made in 1-ft. increments without field cutting
• Durable construction for stable, long-term performance
• Construction cover protects grates from heavy traffic
• Stainless steel drains and channels for better food safety
• Easily installed in any project including residential, commercial, industrial and marine
• Suitable for high-drainage systems with long product life expectancy
• Excellent flow capacities and hygienic properties
• Resistant to fire, impacts, and thermal stress
• Flood protection on the job site when you’re not there
• 24/7 leak detection, remotely monitored and controlled
• Automatic shutoff stops leaks when detected
• Receive alerts on leak detections via text or email
• Onsite automatic controls, smart screen display, and alarms
• Patented heat exchanger – maximum heat transfer, minimal heat loss
• Reduces carbon footprint – uses less energy compared to standard units
• Reduces NOx emissions up to 75% compared to standard boilers
• ENERGY STAR® certified
• Save space & money – boiler and water heater in one
• Optimal performance, compact design
• EcoNet® enabled, ENERGY STAR® certified
• Boasting efficiency up to 19SEER2, 12EER2 & beyond
• Sound as low as 58dBA
• Experience 70% capacity, even at -15C°
• 95% A.F.U.E. – reduce operating costs and heat your home faster
• Express setup – program your boiler in seconds
• Remote monitoring & diagnostics
• Real-time monitoring of DHW temperature
• Intuitive alert system with detailed error messages
• Universal compatibility – compatible with most 24V thermostats or BMS
• Space saving, slim design – 40% smaller compared to traditional models
• Delivers efficiencies of up to 18.0 SEER2 and 9.5 HSPF2
• ENERGY STAR® certified for cold climate models
• Operates in temperatures as cold as -25°C
• Annually saves up to 12,000 gallons of water from being wasted
• Industry-best 1/2” side-to-side clearance for tight spaces
• ENERGY STAR® – certified and best-in-class energy efficiency
• Exclusive Overheat Film Wrap
• Smart Control with Built-in EcoNet® Wi-Fi Technology
• Up to 4.0 UEF; reduces operating cost
• Five operation models to suit your lifestyle
• ENERGY STAR® rated
• Integrated leak detection and prevention system
• Integrated EcoNet® Wi-Fi connected technology
• Up to 98% thermal efficiency
• LeakSense™ – Intelligent leak detection system
• EcoNet® smart monitoring technology with integrated Wi-Fi
• Easy retrofit with multiple connection points; side, top and bottom
• LeakGuard™ – leak detection & prevention system with auto shut off valve
• High Efficiency – Up to 0.90 UEF
• Delivers continuous hot water up to 2x faster
• MaxMode™ produces up to 15% more hot water and keeps it hot
• Built in LeakSense™ and LeakGuard™ Protection
• EcoNet® smart monitoring technology with integrated Wi-Fi
• Energy efficient (up to 33.1 SEER) systems in 9, 12 and 15,000 BTU/hr
• Built-in WI-FI for control from anywhere using a smartphone
• Available in XLTH for low temp heating down to -26°C
• Features Energy Saving Program (ESP) for maximum efficiency
• Quiet operation – as low as 23 dBa for indoor unit and 46 dBa outdoor unit
• Condensing units engineered to operate in temperatures down to -26°C
• Metal fan guards, most capable of withstanding the colder elements
• Built-in base pan heater on the outdoor unit so condensation doesn’t freeze
• Features a large heat exchanger and a high-capacity compressor
• Available in different sizes, styles and rated outdoor temperatures
• True multi-position design – up flow, down flow and horizontal
• Inverter driven h/p, highest efficiency PCM motor, all-aluminum indoor coil
• Indoor sound levels as low as 20 dBa, outdoor sound levels as low as 53 dBa
• Minimal clearance on 3 sides, only 24-in. clearance on the front for service
• Variable speed inverter-driven compressor for optimum system operation
• Compact and developed for energy efficiency, flexibility and easy install
• Multi-zone heat pumps for residential and light commercial applications
• Single or three-phase 208-230 VAC, 60 Hz power
• System layout flexibility: 50 – 150% connectible indoor unit capacity ratio
• Wide range of indoor units – 13 types and 57 models to choose from
• Year-Round Comfort – Provides energy efficient heating and cooling
• HEAT+ Technology – Up to 100% of rated capacity at -20°C
• Innovative Inverter Technology – Energy efficient and comfortable operation
• Retrofit Flexibility – Available for full electric or hybrid applications
• Whisper-quiet Operation – Experience low noise performance down to 58 dB(A)
• Up to 19 SEER2/9.5 HSPF for high-quality, efficient comfort
• 35% smaller footprint compared to traditional vertical discharge units
• Inverter system and modulating technology increase system longevity
• Innovative fan design minimizes vibration, operates quietly as low as 54dB(A)
• No unique installation procedures required
• Decarbonize and electrify, replace boilers with high-efficiency heat pumps
• Inverter scroll design, delivers 54°C hot water at -18°C, up to 60°C
• 2-pipe or 4-pipe, up to COP 8.1 in simultaneous heating & cooling
• 35-ton modules with low GWP R-454B refrigerant, scalable up to 140 tons
• Exceptional part-load performance year-round: IPLV – 20, EER – 10.2
• Winner of 2022 Good Design Award and finalist of 2023 IDEA award
• Sleek, stylish, minimalist design that harmonizes with any interior space
• Large, easy to read, anti-fingerprint LCD touch screen with status LED
• Simple & intuitive operation; auto-dims to a mirror or logo when not in use
• Easy setup via APP on BLE devices, swiftly install multiple controllers
• Easy to transport and install, engineered for traditional ducted applications
• Heat pump, gas furnace or dual fuel connectivity; 1.5-5 tons
• Just 4 in. of clearance needed, perfect for zero-lotline yards
• Use existing line sets, connecting up to 100 ft. of pipe
• Quiet inverter compressors deliver up to 8.6 HSPF2, 17.5 SEER2
• Variable-speed ECM; multi-position; rigid SmartFrame™ cabinet
• Compatible with new Amana brand S-series side-discharge systems
• EEV for cooling and heat pump applications; inverter-tuned
• Keeps constant CFM over wide range of static pressure conditions
• Compatible with new Amana® brand smart thermostat
• Stylish, feature-rich design with intuitive functionality
• Capacitive touchscreen is simple to use
• Voice control compatible with Amazon/ Google smart devices
• Can control external humidifier, dehumidifier or secondary heat source
• Save energy with easy-to-use Home, Scheduling and Away screens
amana-hac.com
• Leverages the benefits of low-pressure refrigeration
• No conventional parts, no ambient restrictions
• Digitally optimized for enhanced performance
• Future adaptability, standard solar kit integration
• Proven more energy efficient than any other platform
• Integrated management for ice temp and energy efficiency
• Performance assessment and optimization tools
• Tailored refrigeration to facility’s needs
• Control brine levels, flows, temps, pressures easily
• Remote accessibility for flexibility
• Advanced controls to optimize refrigeration
• Integrated ML/AI system for adaptive predictability
• Remote access, energy profile built-in
• Adapts to ambient, temp, load changes automatically
• Pre-programmed, reduced manual effort, plug & play system
From big to small, we’ve got it all!
With optimized and innovative energy-saving features, we deliver the
• 15-150 kilowatts
• Modulating control
• ASME rated pressure vessel
• 160 psi working pressure
• 250°F max operating temperature & smart touch control
• High coefficient of performance (COP) up to 4.61
• Operates efficiently in temperatures as low as 23°F
• Modular design concept
• Low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant (513A)
• Smart touch control
• Three sizes: 110,000, 150,000 and 199,999 BTU/hr
• Industry-leading DHW delivery up to 4.8 GPM
• True instantaneous response
• Easy installation and serviceability
• Enhanced operating system & smart touch control
• High-efficiency, EC motor-driven technology
• Differential temperature control
• Auto mode: automatically adjusts to the system demand
• LED display and adjustment buttons for easy set-up/changes
• Max. Head: 20 ft./Max. Flow: 16.8 GPM
• Green Button Technology with LED colour touchscreen display
• Maximum energy efficiency
• New and innovative intelligent control functions
• Bluetooth connection
• Max. Head: 52 ft./Max. Flow: 281 GPM
CMPX #429
aquatech-canada.com
• Real-time diagnostics and remote monitoring
• Full system kWh energy reporting
• Onboard ModBUS and optional BacNET and LonWorks interface
• All 304 stainless steel construction
• Variable speed control per pump
CMPX #542
CMPX #2019 wilo-canada.com
• 18 ft. shut-off head, 16 GPM max flow
• Variable speed, high-efficiency wet rotor circulator
• ECM high-efficiency motor uses up to 85% less electricity
• 3 easy settings
• Replaces all 3-speed hydronic circulators in its class
• Work with 2-, 3- or 4-wire zone valves
• Front diagnostic lights make troubleshooting a breeze
• Switchable priority
• Built-in priority protection
• 100% factory tested, made in the USA, and carry an extended 3-year warranty
• 18 ft. shut-off head, 16 GPM max flow
• ECM High-Efficiency motor uses up to 85% less electricity
• Easy-to-use dial
• Mobile app for real-time performance display, system control and reporting
• Universal flange standard on Canadian circulators
• Enhances the overall performance of any zone valve system
• Up to 93% less energy usage
• Universal installation orientation
• Usable on condensing chilled water installations
• 12 valves on one 40VA transformer
• Ultimate comfort with QuietComfort and ComfortMax modulating technology
• External thermostat connections
• Exclusive automatic heat output modulation
• ECM fan blower motor
• Warranty: 5-year parts
• Unmatched reliability and longevity: exclusive cast iron heat exchanger
• The AT Series Electric Boiler is 100% efficient. No wasted energy
• Compact wall hung design with built-in protection & monitoring
• Advanced technology enabling building management remote control
• Warranty: limited lifetime
• Adaptive technology for 95% AFUE heating or combi applications
• ENERGY STAR® certified: qualify for provincial, federal or local programs
• Automatically modulates the gas input with adaptative intelligence
• Precise: reducing your energy consumption and utility costs
• Warranty: 10-year limited warranty on Heat Exchanger
• Ideal for residential and commercial structures
• Single and multi-zone application flexibility
• Energy efficiency ratings qualify for utility rebates: ENERGY STAR®
• WIFI capability
• Warranty: 10-year compressor, 10-year parts
• RadonX is designed, tested, and labelled to address soil gas venting
• RadonX meets rigorous standards and complies with building codes
• Compatibility of all RadonX pipes, fittings, accessories and solvent cement
• RadonX has been third-party tested to evaluate performance and efficacy
• RadonX perforated pipe enables increased airflow in sub-slab area
• World’s first engineered PVC completely certified to CAN/ULC S102.2
• Suitable for DWV applications in high buildings and plenums
• High impact strength in cold temperatures
• Efficient methods available to firestop System XFR
• BIM/CAD files available for quick and accurate designs
• Long-lasting solution for low building & light commercial applications
• Made of tough, impact-resistant PVC reducing jobsite damage and waste
• Lightweight and easy to handle, making installation fast and easy
• Complete system offering of pipe, fittings, cements and accessories
• Suitable for both above and below-grade applications
• Used in commercial, industrial, and high buildings
• AquaRise® piping is developed to SDR21 for cold water and SDR11 for hot and cold water
• High-performing, long-lasting alternative to traditional metal systems
• BIM/CAD files available for quick and accurate designs of your project
• Mobile app, expansion & contraction and flow capacity calculators available
• Wall-mounted gas-fired condensing boiler for every budget
• Fuel switching with the push of a button (propane or natural gas)
• Available in combi models (B1KE, 120 MBH and 199 MBH) and non-combi models (B1HE, 85 MBH to 199 MBH).
• Wi-Fi built-in
• Adjustable height control panel with 3.5” LCD screen
• Wall-mounted gas-fired condensing boiler (85 MBH to 199 MBH)
• Highest efficiency up to 98% at full modulation; 95% AFUE on all models
• Fuel switching with the push of a button (propane or natural gas)
• Wi-Fi built-in
• Powerful, user-friendly 7 inch touchscreen display
• 6 sizes (399 MBH to 2000 MBH) for large residential and commercial applications
• Industry leading 97.5% Thermal Efficiency and 95% AFUE for lower energy costs
• High modulation up to industry leading 30:1 turndown ratio
• Industry’s most advanced active self-calibrating O2 trim technology
• Small footprint allows easy access through standard doors
• Residential Air-to-Water Heat Pump System featuring an outdoor unit, an indoor unit and a steel buffer tank (20 gal)
• 3 sizes available: 1.5, 3, and 4.3 tons for cooling/20.5, 34 and 58 MBH for heating (nominal capacities)
• All-in-one kit for easy inventory and installation
• Future ready with R32 low GWP refrigerant
• Energy efficient no fossil fuels required viessmann.ca
• Non-ozone depleting replacement for R-22 at all temperatures
• No oil change required, compatible with all lubricants
• Available in 11.4 kg containers
• Similar discharge pressure to R-22
• RS-45 is a near azeotropic blend with a glide of 1.5oC
• Lower GWP, high efficiency drop-in replacement for R-404A, R-507A and R22 in refrigeration
• No oil change required, compatible with POE lubricants
• Available in 10.9 kg containers
• GWP 1888
• Non-ozone depleting
• Non-ozone depleting drop-in replacement for R22 at low temperatures, R502 and interim ozone depleting blends
• No oil change required, compatible with all lubricants
• Available in 10.9 kg containers
• No changes to hardware needed
• Low temperature glide < 1oC CMPX
• Lennox® Enlight Heat Pump
• Sustainable by design, engineered to minimize environmental impact
• Engineered intelligence, exceptional efficiency and sustainable design
• Simple service, maximize efficiency of maintenance and service
• Powered by the Lennox® CORE Control System
• Advanced versatility, made to be flexible
• Intelligent performance, the smart choice
• Unmatched serviceability, designed with the contractor in mind
• Outstanding efficiency in every room
• Customized to create an ideal environment in every room, in any season
• Intuitive Rooftop Controller, made for Model L and Enlight Rooftop Units
• Connected service, reinvents the service process in the palm of your hand
• Open integration, empowers customers to choose their building controls
• Reliable performance, uses built-in algorithms to deliver key performance
• Efficiency optimization, optimizes unit operation in real-time CMPX
• Ergonomics of a compact series press tool with benefits of 20V MAX platform - Model #DCE210D2K
• Included CTS jaws are compatible with most professional-grade press fitting brands
• 180° rotating head to obtain optimal press angle
• Inline design for efficient one-handed jaw actuation
• Wide-open structured pockets – Model #DWST560109
• A tape chain and tape measure clip
• Integrated drill bit compartments
• A dedicated TOUGHCASE™ pocket
• Fits 5-gallon buckets with a 1.36-gallon capacity & depth of 19.63-in.
• Converts impact drivers and drills that accept a ¼ in. hex shank into fast and powerful cutting tools – Model #DWAIPCIR
• Designed with a durable diamond grit cutting edge that delivers 10X longer life vs. legacy IRWIN IRA81643
• Features a mechanically fixed blade, corrosion resistant barrel, and a laseretched depth gauge
• Cut a wide range of PVC pipe from 1 1/4 in. to 8 in. schedule 40
• Up to 50% longer life
• Designed for extensive metal applications
• Reliably aggressive cutting
• Advanced metal cutting toothforms
• Patented T2™ technology reduces cutting forces on each tooth
• www.cutwithlenox.com
• Built to install quickly & easily
• Can accommodate tight spaces
• Can be used in thin wall applications
• Offers both 2-Way and 3-Way discrete and shared functionality in one valve
• Made of MZR Brass
• Clog Reducing Technology – reduces run on caused by clogging
• ADA Compliant – automatic shut off after every flush
• Easy to Retrofit – in place of most popular piston & diaphragm flush valves
• High Back Pressure Vacuum Breaker – prevents dripping
• Self-Cleaning – every flush clears debris and build up
• Hygienic Touch-Free Operation
• Clean, Integrated Design – controls in faucet, no control box below deck
• Easy Installation & Maintenance – installs from the top with easy access
• SmarTherm Safety Shut-Off – available on select models
• Hands Free – priority for public restrooms
• Largest Flushing Capacity – with a 2-3/8” trapway and 4” flush valve
• Virtually Clog-Free – superior flushing performance
• Water Saving – high-efficiency toilets are available
• Variety of Designs – to complement and coordinate with bathroom collections
• Easy to Clean – models available
• A full-bore isolation valve
• Can be installed on a live waterline
• No freezing required
• Quick fix valves from 1/2” to 1”
• Installed in less than 10 minutes
• One panel does 6” & 8”, also 10” & 12” access
• Super fast installation
• New and improved functionality
• New compression spring design for firm installation
• No framing required
• Pick up a toilet with one hand
• The best way to transport a dirty toilet
• Fits all makes and models
• Strong stainless steel construction
• Lightweight and easy to store
• Your personal pocket X-ray machine to see behind walls
• Detects objects 4”/10cm deep
• Find pipes, wires, and studs without breaking the drywall
• Load the app and pair it to your phone
• WiFi connectivity allows you to work away from your phone
• Floor-mount design not dependent on installation being against a wall
• Built-in primary/secondary piping for easy retrofits of existing systems
• Available in combi and heat-only models – all with integrated ECM pumps
• Intuitive control with set-up Wizard & integrated Wi-Fi connectivity
• Sizes from 85 to 199 MBH, up to 96% AFUE
• Pair with NTI wall-mount boiler using the pre-fab piping kit for quick and easy installation
• Deliver tank-style DHW without the floor space needed for a tank
• Combines the benefits of a combi boiler and the performance of a tank
• Match DHW output by mixing and matching the boiler to suit any application
• Includes thermostatic mixing valve, tank sensor and T&P valve
• All-in-one solution: provides forced-air heating, DHW & hydronic heating
• Also provides cooling when paired with an A/C or heat pump
• Built-in expansion tank, dual left/right side reversible DHW and gas connections
• Saves floor space: occupies HALF the space of a conventional system
• 6 sizes, pairs with one of NTI’s 6 heat-only boilers using quick-connect piping kit
• Intuitive control with set-up Wizard for easy configuration, integrated Wi-Fi
• Dual central heating outputs to control two separate heating zones and temperatures
• XTRATECH® stainless steel heat exchanger with large diameter tubing
• Includes integrated ECM pump and DHW diverter valve
• Combi & heat-only versions, 7 sizes from 85 to 199 MBH; delivers up to 96% AFUE
ntiboilers.com
• Portable pipe beveler uses battery power and guide plate
• Provides a quick, easy and safe way to bevel plastic pipe
• Bevels 2 inch and larger diameter plastic pipe
• Able to bevel OD or ID
• Ideal for large diameter plastic pipe
• Clean leftover pipe and solvent cement residue from plastic fittings
• Reduce labour time and materials costs by reusing the fittings
• Offered in specific fitting sizes to give the best clean-out
• Pilot diameter aids in cutting on centre and stops tool at proper depth
• Plastic pipe reamers are also known as socket savers and/or hub savers
• Battery operated pump transfers water at 15 gallons per minute
• Compatible with different battery brands by changing battery adapter plate
• Secure, magnetic hose connection provides fast, reliable link
• Hard shell, aluminum main body shaft outlasts the competition
• Long, slim design fits into challenging spaces
• Smooth running, quiet 3/4 HP, electric motor
• Electric pump includes a 15’ (46m) high pressure hose for filling
• Test water meters, lines, pressure vessels, solar systems and sprinklers
• Pumps are self-priming and work with pressurized or non-pressurized water
• Pump housed in protective cage
• The professional’s push-to-connect system
• Works with copper, CPVC, PE-RT, and PEX
• Manufactured from durable engineered polymer (EP)
• Available in sizes from 1/2 in. to 1 in.
• For more information, visit go.uponor.info/totalfit
• Competitive PEX-a pipe alternative
• Designed for single family, semidetached, and townhomes
• Red and blue print to signify hot and cold water lines
• Available in 1/2 in. and 3/4 in. coils and straights
• For more information, visit uponor.com/resipex
• A first in the North American market
• Manages both radiant and air-side comfort
• Connects to a smart home assistant
• Allows remote control via the Smatrix Pulse App
• For more information, visit uponor.com/smatrixpulsecontrol
• Customized, coordinated packaging for commercial projects
• Includes parts, materials list, plan view, and drawing
• Individual kits labelled by room
• Speeds installs, lowers labour costs, reduces jobsite waste
• For more information, visit go.uponor.info/kitting
uponor.com
• Aluminized-steel, primary heat exchanger with wrinkle-bend technology
• 9-speed ECM motor adjusts airflow to match comfort needs
• 3-digit LED display with status codes for enhanced serviceability
• Bluetooth compatibility and data port for expandable BLE Plugin module
• Two-speed, induced-draft blower for precise control and energy-efficiency
• Outstanding corrosion resistance & cooling performance in a compact package
• Perfect for tight installations; reduces height of most matchups by 4”
• Innovative 7 mm grooved tubing, multi-louvered design improves heat transfer
• Thoughtfully engineered drain pan features a “no-water retention” design
• Corrosion- and mould-resistant thermoplastic drain pan controls condensate
• Focused on helping HVAC contractors
• More options, excellent intelligent control, unbeatable performance benefit
• Works seamlessly with single-stage, 24-volt thermostat/smart home automation
• Gathers data constantly, automatically adjusts for peak performance
• Factory-installed inside select Goodman brand HVAC systems
• No more waiting to initially diagnose select HVAC systems
• Connects wirelessly via Bluetooth to ComfortBridge-compatible systems
• Quick and simplified commissioning, configuration and troubleshooting
• Reduces manual effort to diagnose HVAC systems
• Provides historical system data, allows customizable select system settings
QuietComfort® 96 Gas Furnace (G96VTN)
• Up to 96.7% AFUE
• 60,000 – 120,000 BTUh
• Variable-speed, two-stage operation
• Lifetime heat exchanger limited warranty*
• 10-year parts limited warranty*
• Up to 18 SEER2/Up to 12.4 EER2 cooling
• Built-in 24V interface
• Traditional line sets
• 10-year parts limited warranty*
• Compatible with KeepRite® gas furnaces, coils & fan coils
gokeeprite.com
• The latest, revolutionary way to mount pipes to strut
• Patented one-piece design allows for easy installation
• Doesn’t need to be disassembled before usage
• One SKU can be used both indoors and outdoors
• The alternative to traditional strut and cushion clamp
CMPX #747
Servicing the GTA for the past 10 years in a way that delivers unbeatable customer support, means we are enthusiastic to now be taking that model to growing markets and help more customers get their jobs done.
Tremendous growth and these new additional locations allow us to leverage our efforts and new relationships to become the leading distributor in these markets to service you better. Ready
TheU.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced the Top 10 Countries and Regions for LEED in 2023. The annual ranking highlights countries and regions outside the United States that are making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and operations. The Top 10 report highlights the remarkable progress of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, health impacts and operating costs in buildings around the world.
Once again, China topped the list in 2023, with 1,563 LEED projects certified, encompassing more than 264 million square feet (24.5 million gross square meters). Canada ranked second with 280 projects, representing 85 million gross square feet (nearly 8 million gross square meters). India rounded out the top three with more than 77 million gross square feet (7.2 million gross square meters).
Turkey broke into the rankings in fourth place with 36 LEEDcertified projects encompassing more than 31 million certified square feet (2.9 million gross square meters). Among the country’s highest-profile projects is the Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul.
The role of buildings in addressing climate change continues to take centre stage. During COP 28 last year in Dubai, more than two dozen countries, including the United States, joined the Buildings Breakthrough. The partnership commits to the vision that resilient buildings with nearzero emissions will be the “new normal” by 2030.
Tools such as LEED can help building owners and managers meet their sustainability goals and reduce their environmental impact.
By Deisy VerdinezDeisy Verdinez is public relations and communications director with the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Top 10 report is used to develop the list that ranks countries based on total LEED-certified space between January 1 and December 31, 2023. The U.S. is not included in the ranking, but remains the world’s largest market for LEED, with more than 556 million sq. ft. certified in 2023.
In 2023, there were more than 6,000 LEED commercial projects worldwide.
The full rankings are in the chart below.
LEED green building rating system is widely-used around the world and provides a framework for healthy, efficient, and costsaving green buildings. It is developed by USGBC and administered by CAGBC in Canada.
Vancouver-based OPEN Technologies, in partnership with the City of Saskatoon, has launched the Home Energy Map, an online retrofit roadmap tool for homeowners and cities. The tool assigns an energy score to 70,000 homes in Saskatoon, SK, and creates a roadmap to improving efficiency and comfort in those homes in order to reduce residential energy and carbon emissions.
“Our core focus is helping our clients, who include local governments, financial institutions, and property owners, to identify which buildings and which actions in those buildings will yield the greatest climate benefit for the least cost and disruption,” explains Donovan Woollard, CEO, OPEN Technologies. “We have been very pleased with the level of engagement with the Saskatoon Home Energy Map. While we aren’t in a position to share specific usage data at this time, we can share that usage has exceeded our expectations significantly.
“Our core call to action with this tool is to help homeowners to download a home specific retrofit roadmap and connect with the City’s energy coach program. Many homeowners have taken this step already,” says Woollard.
While this was OPEN’s first city-wide map for ground-oriented homes, it has generated building energy and carbon analytics and interactive maps for large buildings in other locations such as Building Benchmark BC, which provides energy and carbon
performance information for 1,700 large buildings across over 20 jurisdictions.
“Building energy retrofits are not just good for the planet and for building owners and occupants. In the case of Saskatoon, implementation of all the recommended home energy conservation measures would reduce energy consumption by two thirds and represent over $200 million worth of economic activity for local businesses. It’s a great example of climate benefit and economic benefit working together,” notes Woollard.
The tool also connects homeowners with Saskatoon’s Energy Coaching service. Homeowners can use the tool to see the overall distribution of energy use by neighbourhood, housing type and house age. Owners can “claim” their home on the tool to receive a personalized retrofit roadmap, which includes energy-saving measures and costs including federal rebates.
Saskatoon has committed to reducing residential energy use by 50 per cent by 2030, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Residential energy emissions currently account for 42 per cent of the city’s total emissions.
opentech.eco saskatoon.ca
Homeowners receive a personalized retrofit road map.
Commercial pump issues are often system issues 80 to 90 per cent of the time in my experience. That’s not to say that the pump is never the cause of the problem, it’s just easy to point to the pump before verifying the system meets the design for which the pump was selected.
Distinguishing between a pump problem and a system problem often requires a good bit of information gathering. Use a multi-step process when identifying issues involving commercial pumps.
Be methodical and collect as much information as possible. Panicking or jumping to conclusions is not helpful. In fact, jumping to a conclusion is counter-productive because it may cause us to overlook the real issue. The first step is to identify the problem. For example, they have a chilled water system and the water flow is low. While we can be fairly certain there’s a flow problem, we’re unsure of its cause.
At this point we need more information. Ask specific questions such as: is this a water-cooled system; if so, is the issue on the chilled water or condenser water side; how many pumps are in the system; and what model is the pump?
Once we have the pump model, we need to know the design operating conditions. These are the conditions for which the pump was specified. We also need to know the actual, real-time pump performance. We’ll compare design conditions and actual performance information later. This means that someone onsite will be required to measure the flow and pressure drop across the pump. If there are pumps in parallel, it’s best to measure flow across one pump at a time. This establishes the performance of the pumps individually.
The preferred method to measure flow is a calibrated flow meter, either a permanently-installed unit or a strap on, ultrasonic meter. Measuring the Delta-P across the pump is an indicator, but it’s not conclusive.
By Darren McPhersonDarren McPherson has 29 years of experience as a manufacturers’ agent in the HVAC/R industry and as the president of Kehoe Equipment in Edmonton, AB since 2003.
The importance of photographs can’t be overstated. Photos can help determine if the system was piped according to the original design and identify easily-overlooked issues such as placement of meters. Collect as many images as possible and develop a file. Navigate the images and ask further questions that may arise. We also need access to the piping diagrams. If diagrams aren’t available, ask for a hand sketch.
Review images while on the phone with the person who took them.
The next step is to collect electrical data. Volt and amp readings should be taken at the motor input by a licensed electrician. If the pump is equipped with a VFD, the readings should be taken at the input of the drive, not the motor. This is because the VFD modifies the voltage going to the motor. There are other considerations when a VFD is present on the pump. Ideally, the electrical data at the drive should be taken at full speed. This means that the flow and pressure differential must also be measured at full speed.
Make note of the pump RPM. This allows us to verify that the pump is in fact operating at the correct speed and in the correct direction.
The next thing we need is manufacturer data. It’s quite common for people to think they have pump model X, only to realize it’s a different pump when the pump tag is checked. This is another reason for photos. After the pump model is known, the single most important piece of manufacturer data is the pump curve. The installation and operation manual is also critical, as is the field data. Blank data sheets or reports may be available for download from the manufacturer.
Let’s assume the pump shown in Figure 1 is an end-suction pump. Referencing the pump curve, we find that in a single-pump configuration, this unit provides 1,000 GPM at 80 feet of head. The red line represents the pump curve and the blue line represents the system curve. In this example, the customer didn’t actually measure the flow. Instead, they measured the pressure differential across the pump and reported that it was 92 feet of head.
Keep in mind that there’s a correction needed here. An end-suction pump, typically has a larger inlet than outlet so we need to correct for velocity. They did this and 92 feet was correct, meaning that they intersected the pump curve line at 750 GPM. In this scenario, we find that the pump is operating on the pump curve but at a different pressure drop, which hints at a system issue instead of a pump issue. Looking at the pump curve, this unit should be operating at 25 horsepower while providing 1,000 GPM at 80 feet of head. Given the field-collected flow and pressure, the pump curve shows the pump should be operating at roughly 21 horsepower. Determining the actual horsepower of the pump in the field requires a number of electrical calculations. Use the field data recorded by the electrician (at 1,760 RPM) to calculate the actual pump horsepower. The efficiency and power factor of the pump is listed on the pump’s nameplate.
Measure the flow independently so it can be checked, either through a permanently-installed flow meter or a non-invasive, strap-on ultrasonic flow meter that’s been calibrated recently.
These numbers are a critical component in the calculation* (see next page).
When the horsepower was calculated for this example, we found that the pump was operating at 21 horsepower, as expected. This confirmed that the reason we’re not getting the proper flow is that there’s more system resistance than was originally anticipated.
Ask the people in the mechanical room for the shutoff head. Keep in mind that this
number can be greater or less than the published value by as much as eight feet. To determine the shut-off head, throttle back the discharge valve and isolate it for a few seconds. The operator should be able to measure the pressure differential across the pump. In this case, the shut-off pressure should be around 97 feet, which will confirm that the impellor diameter is as specified (10.15 inches) and indicated on the pump curve.
Everything we’ve done so far leads us to believe there’s a pressure drop in the system beyond what was anticipated. Another look at the piping diagram and photos reveals there was only one difference between the piping diagram and what existed in the mechanical room. The photos revealed a basket strainer installed between the cooling tower and the suction side of the pump. We learned it was added after the initial installation and was not part of the design. Despite the fact that the published pressure data for the strainer was two feet, it was causing a 12 ft. pressure drop. The strainer could be removed or maybe it can be oversized, but suffice to say this was not a pump issue.
In most cases it’s better to install compound or digital gauges than conventional gauges.
There are a few other key elements to troubleshooting a pump issue.
• The use of a glycol mixture instead of pure water will significantly raise pumping resistance within a hydronic system. The dilution of the glycol, along with the temperature of the system fluid, will have an impact. The more glycol used, and the lower the fluid’s temperature, the greater the resistance.
• When measuring the pressure differential across the pump, the difference in elevation between the inlet gauge and the outlet gauge can have an impact on collected data. If the gauges are at different elevations, a correction needs to be made before the readings can be used in any calculations.
• Having calibrated gauges and meters is the only way to ensure the readings taken are accurate. Most suppliers of gauges and meters will check the calibration of the instruments before shipping them. There are three types of pressure gauges readily available; conventional, compound and digital. If conventional gauges are used, keep in mind that the unit will read zero any time the pressure is at or below zero. It’s very unlikely that pressure will ever be zero
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The popularity of condensing technology in gas-fired water heaters and boilers has increased steadily, primarily because condensing water heaters and boilers offer significant efficiency gains over non-condensing models.
Condensing water heaters use a secondary heat exchanger to boost efficiency by capturing more heat from combustion gases as they escape up the flue. This secondary heat exchanger then preheats the incoming water on its way to the primary heat exchanger, increasing the unit’s efficiency.
Capturing more heat from combustion gases lowers their temperature, necessarily creating condensate in the flue: an acid-water mixture that drips back into the water heater and through the secondary heat exchanger. Allowing this mixture to drain through the plumbing system untreated creates serious corrosion and other problems. Condensate neutralization and removal are impactful measures to ensure proper system performance and protection of the drainage system in a building or residence.
Discharge coming from high-efficiency, condensing water heaters or boilers should be treated with some sort of neutralization process. That’s the only way to protect plumbing from the potentially harmful side effects of the condensation process. Condensate tends to be acidic because of the chemical reaction caused by the heat of the gas burner. Indeed, the higher the efficiency rating, the higher the acid level in the water runoff.
If this runoff is disposed of directly through a structure’s plumbing system, its piping could corrode or rust over time, necessitating costly repairs. In addition, pumping the waste outdoors or into sanitary sewers could contaminate the groundwater or degrade the local water infrastructure. For homes with septic tanks, condensate waste might also destroy the good bacteria that are essential to keeping the system operating properly.
The higher, frontend costs of high-efficiency equipment are typically justified by lower energy consumption and the resulting lower monthly fuel bills. But those savings could be wiped out, and then some, if the plumber must return in just a few years to tear out and redo all the plumbing.
Discharge coming from high-efficiency, condensing water heaters or boilers should be treated with some sort of neutralization process.
By Phil Warren
Neutralization can be accomplished in several ways:
1) Manually, by cutting a bed of limestone into the floor where the condensing appliance is located, and letting the condensate drip into it.
2) Positioning a limestone-filled cartridge inside of the condensing unit to neutralize the water internally.
3) Hooking a neutralization kit — essentially, a piece of pipe filled with limestone — to the exterior of the condensing equipment and letting the condensate flow through it. However, a condensate pump coupled with a neutralizer is a more sophisticated neutralizing solution. The pump moves the condensate from the appliance through limestone granules in a tray before discharging it into the sewer or septic system.
Why opt for a pump? In many residential and commercial applications, the condensate evacuation cannot always be done by gravity to an existing sewer line, usually because the application lacks conventional, below-floor drainage. In such cases, a condensate pump becomes essential.
A muscular mid-size machine with more power, the Sewerooter T-4 quickly punches through tough clogs in 3" and 4" lines. A larger 9/16" Flexicore® cable does a better job of transferring the torque than traditional 1/2" cables do.
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Condensate from the water heater or the boiler enters the system via two 1-in. inlets on the side condensate pump unit and a third inlet on top of the enclosure. This inflow automatically activates a float mechanism that, in turn, starts the motor whose spindle/shaft drives the impeller.
The condensate is neutralized as it comes in contact with the neutralizer pellets in the tray before being pumped safely away through a 3/8-in. discharge line connected to the structure’s main drainage line and, ultimately, to a sanitary sewer or a septic tank.
Not all condensate requires neutralization, however. In these instances, drainage can be routed into a third inlet located on the top of the unit near the discharge line. This drainage bypasses the neutralizer pellets and moves directly to the pump impeller, where it is immediately discharged. When selecting a 2-in-1 system, consider a pump capable of serving multiple mechanical systems.
A gravity-feed, inline HVAC neutralizer can be installed alone when the application’s gravity fall is sufficient for moving the neutralized condensate to the discharge line. It can also work with a pump system when the condensate needs to be pumped into the sanitary line.
is paramount to ensure the longevity and efficiency of plumbing and HVAC systems. One often overlooked, yet critical aspect is the neutralization of condensate. The National Plumbing Code of Canada specifies guidelines for the treatment of condensate in plumbing systems to protect infrastructure and prevent environmental harm. Additionally, provinces across Canada may have specific regulations that cater to regional considerations and environmental sensitivities.
The importance of condensate neutralization goes beyond mere regulatory compliance; it contributes to the overall sustainability of buildings and minimizes the ecological footprint of HVAC systems.
To obtain the most accurate and current information on condensate neutralization requirements, refer to the latest edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) and relevant provincial or territorial building codes. The NBCC is typically adopted by each province and territory, and local amendments or additional requirements may be included in their specific codes. Additionally, contacting the local building department or authority in the area you are working in would be beneficial. Keep in mind that codes and regulations are subject to updates, and it’s crucial to stay informed about the latest revisions to ensure compliance with the most current standards.
Enforcement of the condensateneutralization codes will likely increase, as the problem and its potential toll on plumbing systems become more widely recognized. But if you are a plumber who frequently installs condensing equipment, you should not wait, if only for the sake of your customers.
CMPX
The new alternative to the strut and cushion clamp.
One piece design, installs with one hand
No assembly required to fix pipe
One clamp for both indoor and outdoor use
People managers and business owners know it is not enough to just schedule staff and invoice customers.
You are also expected to be the company expert on every legal obligation and people issue that comes with doing business in Canada.
These days, there’s a brand-new acronym and a whole series of items you need to consider under what is now known as “DEI” – which is short for Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness. This can be a sensitive topic for some employers. Take heart, I am going to walk you through what this means, your legal obligations, and why putting a focus on DEI may make good business sense.
Diversity is a term we are all familiar with, and for our purposes can be considered a catch-all term to describe the typically protected grounds under Human Rights and Charter pieces of legislation. Generally, these are descriptors or factors experienced by groups or individuals that historically may have led to mistreatment, lack of opportunity or discrimination. Examples include gender, race, religion, physical or mental disability, and so forth. It is helpful to remember “diversity” can’t always be readily observed: not every person with physical challenges is in a wheelchair, and not every person with gender expression or sexual orientation differences wishes to announce and/or be recognized as such. When it comes to the workplace, diversity is a good thing to aim for. The more people you have with varying abilities and backgrounds, the wider the customer base you may be able to serve, and the better you will represent the community you live and work in. When people with diverse backgrounds work together, they tend to develop more empathy and a greater appreciation for other cultures or ways of life. Diverse teams tend to be more creative, problem solve better, and generate more profits.
Equity in this case can be defined as the need to remove barriers to success. It is not the same thing as equality. Equality is having everyone begin at the same starting line, with the exact same chance of winning the race; in reality, lots of people never even get to make it to the track. We can likely all acknowledge that systemic barriers exist at times for parts of the population and not everyone has the same opportunities in life. And we can probably all agree that at one time or another, most people need some support in order to be successful. If you only treat people “equally,” you may in fact be actively excluding people who could be assets to your business if they just had a level playing field. Equity is about removing those obstacles that might be keeping good people from being able to contribute to the workforce. It starts before hiring and continues throughout the lifecycle of someone working with your company. In the past, I have had hiring managers say “Well I’d gladly hire an X (wherein X is a woman/minority/ person with a physical challenge) if one would just apply” and think their obligation is met. I would like to (gently) point out that if you’ve done absolutely nothing to attract or retain any sort of diverse hire, you may be flouting the law and you are also doing your business a disservice.
By Sue SodekInclusiveness is what we should all be aiming for, whether it is at the workplace or just as a society in general. Inclusiveness does not mean we all hold hands as the sun sets at the end of the workday. Inclusiveness does not mean we have to like each other. And inclusiveness doesn’t even mean we all suddenly agree with each other’s choices. Inclusiveness just means we are respectful.
As an employer and a person living in 2024, you are simply aiming for a workplace where people are both respected and respectful. In basic terms, if someone has a physical challenge, where possible, work is modified to ensure they can continue working. If someone feels they are the target of unfair treatment, management has policies in place to investigate, understand and correct what is occurring within their workforce. And yes, if someone says actually, I would like to be referred to as he/she/they, that is accommodated, because it is just a minor grammatical change, and not a challenge to anyone’s core belief system. Hiring becomes a more open process that actively invites a wider pool of candidates. Problem solving is a collaborative effort. Workers and managers have realistic expectations and everyone feels safe while they work.
Now that we have the terminology down, what should your DEI plans be and what are your legal obligations as an employer? As a starting point, you need to ensure you are in compliance with local, provincial and federal legislation. It is no longer sufficient to rely on vague notions of fairness and building codes and assume your business has met its equity obligations. Starting with the job posting and hiring process, there are several tweaks you can consider to get building towards that respectful workplace.
Generally speaking, unless you live in a remote part of the country with a small labour pool, you should be trying to advertise more broadly, with the goal of attracting a more diverse response. Consider branching out from your standard job posting sites. Is there a college or trade program where you can attend a job fair? Is there a local not-for-profit that helps candidates from diverse backgrounds? Is there a publication in a language other than English that can help get the word out that you have jobs to offer?
All job postings should include a line about providing accommodation for those who request it, and you should be able to back that up. If a candidate with a visual impairment presents themselves and asks for assistance filling out an application form, do you have a version you can offer? Are there any modifications currently that can be made to your core roles which would allow for more people to perform the work? What about the community your business represents and serves, does your current workforce reflect that community? Is there a segment of the population underrepresented by your employee base? These are some of the considerations you should remember while you still aim, as always, to select the best person to safely and effectively perform work for you. Once you have the right people in place, you should review your policies and procedures and ensure they support a more equitable workplace. Again, you aren’t looking to change hearts and minds here. You are simply setting the precedent that your business is one where people are treated with respect. At a minimum, you should have a Zero Tolerance Policy towards any
workplace violence or harassment, with strict penalties for violators and protections for those who make reports (see the sidebar for a sample policy, and check with your provincial authorities to ensure your policy is compliant). Your message of expecting and giving respect to all should be communicated in every interaction you have. As with any change, the process to meet your equity goals can cause some initial discomfort, take time, and have associated costs, but equity and inclusiveness aren’t just a legal obligation but a good business (and moral) choice, and this is the way of the world now. If you are experiencing resistance to change from your workforce, it may be helpful to remind people at one point in the not-too-distant past, tax payers were up in arms over adding ramps to buildings. Curb cuts at intersections to assist with mobility were considered a major innovation. And any readers over 50 likely remember happily riding backwards in cars with no seatbelts. Nowadays we know better, and understand changes such as these make life safer and better for all of us. With a little effort, so will your new focus on DEI.
At ABC, we are committed to providing a safe, open environment in which all workers are treated with respect and dignity. ABC has a Zero Tolerance Policy towards any and all acts of violence or harassment in the workplace. Harassment will not be tolerated in the workplace from any person, be they worker, supervisor, manager, client, contractor, supplier, visitor or member of the public.
This policy applies to all ABC employees and will be reviewed annually in accordance with the applicable legislation.
Workplace harassment includes but is not limited to any conduct that is known or ought to reasonably be known to be unwelcome and unsolicited. Note that legitimate and reasonable action taken by an ABC manager or supervisor relating to the direction of work or discipline of workers does not constitute workplace harassment.
Sexual harassment is defined as any unwelcome and unsolicited sex, gender or sexually suggestive actions, comments, remarks or gestures that are known or ought reasonably to be known to be offensive, unwelcome, embarrassing, demeaning, intimidating or humiliating against a targeted individual.
Workplace violence includes but is not limited to the exercise of or attempt to exercise physical force or behaviours by a person against a worker, in a workplace, that causes or could cause physical injury to the worker.
ABC requires all employees to behave responsibly and to comply with this policy at all times; to not engage in, support or tolerate any unacceptable behaviour; and to immediately report incidents of workplace violence or harassment to (their supervisor/ management/ownership/human resources).
ABC supervisors and managers will ensure employees are not exposed to workplace violence or harassment by personally demonstrating appropriate behaviour, by promoting this policy and by treating complaints seriously, including ensuring the person that either lodges or is witness to an incident is heard and that all complaints are addressed.
Reporting incidents Be sure to include the steps employees are to follow, with specifics around timeframes and the names or positions of who is in charge of reviewing the reports.
Investigations Include details around timing, the seriousness with which complaints will be taken, and who will be involved in the investigation process. Include a line that wherever possible, the privacy of the workers involved will be protected. Consequences List the steps someone can expect to occur when management has completed an investigation, and conditions that may be considered when determining corrective action. Include a note that workers will not be penalized or disciplined for reporting an incident, or participating in an investigation regarding workplace harassment.
Sue Sodek has over 20 years of human resource and consulting experience across a variety of businesses and currently manages HR for UCEL Inc. in Uxbridge, ON. She can be reached at sue.sodek@gmail.com.
CIPH
Habitat for Humanity
March
Toronto,
ciph.com/page/CIPHCharity
CMPX
March 20 – 22 Toronto, ON cmpxshow.com
IAQA Annual Meeting & Expo
March 24 – 26 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL iaqa.org
CxEnergy
April 29 – May 2 San Diego, CA cxenergy.com
MEET
May 1 – 2 Moncton, NB meetshow.ca
2024 Skills Ontario Competition
May 6 – 8
Toronto, ON skillsontario.com
2024 Getting to Zero Forum
May 21 – 23 Charlotte, NC gettingtozeroforum.org
Retrofit Canada Conference
June 12 – 13 Vancouver, BC retrofitcanadaconference.com
CIPH Annual Business Conference
June 16 – 18 Kelowna, BC ciph.com
Fluid Flow, Heat and Mass Transfer (FFHMT)
June 16 – 18
Toronto, ON ffhmt.com
Green Building Festival
June 18
Toronto, ON sbcanada.org
ASHRAE Annual Conference
June 22 – 26 Indianapolis, IN ashrae.org
World Refrigeration Day
June 26
Around the world worldrefrigerationday.org
RE+
September 9 – 12 Anaheim, CA re-plus.com
HRAI Conference and AGM
September 22 – 24 Vancouver, BC hrai.ca
Canadian Hydronics Conference
September 24 – 25 Enoch, AB ciph.com
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October 8 – 10 Toronto, ON cga.ca
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As the effects of climate change continue to accelerate, so do efforts within the built environment to invest in and adopt smart solutions that deliver efficiency and sustainability benefits. From IoT-enabled intelligent monitoring systems that offer real-time equipment and asset health management, to predictive maintenance and data-driven tools, the commercial building industry is undergoing a significant transformation to drive efficiency in HVAC and hydronic system applications.
The built environment refers to the full life cycle of all residential buildings and infrastructure, including its design, materials manufacturing, construction and usage. According to McKinsey & Company, a worldwide strategy and management consulting firm, 76 per cent of emissions come from operations in the built environment and the remaining 24 per cent from the processing of raw materials used for construction of new builds. With 80 per cent of the predicted building stock for 2050 existing today, this means that products that enable seamless integration with existing pumps and systems is critical.
An integrated motor and drive combination is one such option, growing in popularity over the last two decades and aligning with the general trend toward pre-packaged, fabricated and engineered solutions.
Perhaps the most notable benefit of these combinations is easy implementation, whereby no wiring between drive and motor is required – creating a true plug, plumb and play solution that can go from purchase to installation and commissioning in no time.
In addition to easy install, other benefits of an integrated motor and drive combination include:
Control: Selecting motor, pump and drive separately can be a highly inefficient process involving multiple points of coordination and communication between vendors. Integrated pump combinations eliminate the need for separate components, maximizing user control and process efficiency. What’s more, having a simple-to-use integrated solution enables seamless compatibility with other building components, which is ideal for retrofit projects, and presents a cost-effective option to advance decarbonization and sustainability.
based on system demand, rather than at a single speed that consumes unnecessary energy. Because motors do not need to run at 100 per cent with VFDs, energy consumption is lowered by reducing load demand for motors – offering major energy savings potential at even incremental reductions in speed. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), reducing pump speed by 20 per cent can in some cases cut power usage in half. Affinity Laws for centrifugal pumps and fans report that reducing the motor speed by 25 per cent lowers energy consumption by nearly 60 per cent and decreasing the motor speed by 50 per cent can cut energy consumption by almost 90 per cent. For commercial HVAC operations, specifically, where the power and speed can be highly variable among retrofit and new systems, integrated VFDs are efficient options that can adjust the speed of the drive motor in response to that building’s load, allowing the HVAC system to perform at peak levels at all times.
Energy savings: Integrated motors with on-board controls and variable frequency drives (VFD) are highly flexible. By expanding its preferred operating range, pumps operate at different speeds
Flexibility: In Canada alone, the building sector contributes to 18 per cent of annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). As such, transforming existing building stock requires flexible solutions that can adapt to changing demands. Compared to separate motor and
drive components, integrated motor and drive combinations save space, opening flexibility for commercial building professionals to better accommodate other components due to less equipment and more wall and floor space. Many integrated motor and drive combinations use smart algorithms that can dramatically extend the working area of a pump to maximize flexibility and enhance system design. In this way, the drive enables the size of the motor to be reduced, resulting in a compact footprint suitable for small spaces. Integrated motor drive combinations often also feature built-in pump protection controls to maximize pump performance overall.
Sustainability: Sustainability is increasingly at the forefront across all aspects of an organization – from sourcing materials to product development to supply chain fulfillment – and closely intertwined with efficiency. Systems that perform better and more efficiently deliver a high return on investment that ultimately leads to more sustainable outcomes. For instance, integrated motors with variable speed drives (VSD) allow the speed and torque of an electric motor to be varied. When the speed of the motor can be controlled and the user has more control over the process, equipment runs better and more reliably, equating to longer lifespan overall.
By Stephen Clark
Communication: Drives feature sophisticated and advanced technology that offer the ability to communicate with building management systems (BMS). This enables better system integration and system optimization, maximized efficiency and pump performance. While communication protocols are dependent on application, industry standards and system compatibility, ranging from BACnet to wireless communication to Modbus, the ultimate benefit of BMS integration is better asset management control.
From industry standards to evolving regulation and pressures to design more efficiently, sustainably and with less resources, commercial building professionals have a range of considerations and pressures to contend with in the modern built environment. Integrated system design through pump, motor and drive combinations contribute to holistic sustainability goals, driving better outcomes in turn.
By matching equipment more precisely to actual system demands, pumps will ultimately use less power and require less maintenance. When this occurs, industry professionals have more flexibility to allocate resources elsewhere and more control over their sustainability goals.
Stephen Clark is director, intelligent solutions with Xylem where he develops and executes digital solution product strategies and initiatives.
27,971
Number of apprenticeship registrations in Ontario in 2023, up 24 per cent from 2022, according to the ministry of labour, immigration, training and skills development.
91,634
Number of apprentices active in Ontario as of April 3, 2023.
100,000
Number of skilled workers Ontario needs to build necessary transit, hospitals and at least 1.5 million homes by 2031.
1970
Date of the first Earth Day celebration, held on April 22 annually in support of environmental protection.
20 million
Number of Americans who attended the first Earth Day events, making it the largest secular day of protest in the world.
1 billion
Number of people who now participate in Earth Day events from 192 countries around the world.
1.7
Percentage that total investment in building construction increased in November 2023, representing a $19.8-billion increase over October 2023, reports Statistics Canada.
2.2
Percentage residential sector investment grew in the same period, representing $13.7 billion. Investment in the non-residential sector grew 0.4 per cent to $6 billion.
10.4
Percentage increase in new construction in the residential sector in Nova Scotia in November 2023, the highest increase of any province.
50
Per cent of Canadian construction company owners who say they have begun focusing on strategies such as prefabrication and improved material selection to reduce the carbon footprint of projects, according to Procore’s How We Build Now report. That compares to 48 per cent of contractors and 47 per cent of subcontractors.
41
Per cent of owners and contractors who are either tracking or plan to start tracking carbon emissions on their projects within the next year.
64
Per cent of Canadian households with at least one type of air conditioner, according to a Statistics Canada report from July 2023.
38
Per cent of households with a central air conditioner, the most common type of air conditioning. Sixteen per cent of households said they had a standalone unit; 10 per cent reported having a heat pump; and two per cent had a heat-recovery ventilation unit.
9 in 10
Number of homes in Manitoba with at least one air conditioning type, the highest number across all provinces. Fewer than two in 10 homes in Newfoundland and Labrador had an air conditioner, the lowest rate across all the provinces.
5.5 BILLION Dollars worth of ventilation, heating, air conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment manufactured in Canada and shipped in 2022, according to Statistics Canada.
Our original Island Tub Drain® was groundbreaking, creating a new category and setting the industry benchmark for freestanding tub drains.
Still 100% engineered and manufactured in Canada, the newest addition to our ITD® range of products resets the benchmark with it’s innovative new design and features. Available soon from your preferred distributor.
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16
New
151mm
