Mechanical Business March/April 2019

MARCH/APRIL 2019 $6.95

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PM #41536047

Also in this issue:

Hitting the heights of efďŹ ciency in London

ww w . m e c ha ni c a l bus i nes s . c om

VISIT US AT THE MCEE - MONTREAL - BOOTH #243

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78CELEBRITY

GREENING UP THE BRICKWORKS 26PROJECT PROFILE The Brickworks has gone through a number of changes over the past two decades. Today, it’s a showpiece of environmental sustainability, with markets, entertainment venues and restaurants.

Denise Deveau

ENCOUNTER The highway of Tom Cochrane’s life has taken him all over the world, including to the stretch of highway officially named in his honour, but his musical journey started with his first guitar at the age of 11.

Adam Freill

Sharing stories with

44HVAC

Fashionably 30PLUMBING Whether you view sinks and faucets as merely functional items that serve a purpose, or as “jewelry for the kitchen and bathroom,” modern life would not be the same without these ubiquitous plumbing fixtures.

Simon Bowden

When my wife and I moved to Vancouver Island in the summer of 2007, we bought a 1,750 sq. ft. detached bungalow that had been built in 1991. It was the start of a personal odyssey into the realm of energy conservation.

Peter Meridew

52MCEE 2019: SHOWCASING THE INDUSTRY, IN MONTREAL Expected to attract more than 7,000 visitors, the Mécanex/Climatex/ Expolectriq/Éclairage (MCEE) show is ready to roll into Montreal’s Place Bonaventure from April 24th to 25th.

On the cover: Self-confessed closet poetry writer and sonic journalist Tom Cochrane continues to roll along life’s highways.

Replacing Your Water Heater Every Few Years is Not Our Business Plan

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F E A T U R E S 40HYDRONICS

You put the expansion tank, where?

Peter Meridew

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48PLUMBING

Accommodating pipe movement David Hudson and Jamie Dudley

62ROAD WARRIOR: Brad Rempel Simon Bowden

66PLUMBING

Protecting plastic pipes Lance MacNevin

80REFRIGERATION

Preventing damage to compressors Jamie Kitchen

88PLUMBING

Quattro’s Corner: Getting greasy in the corner Andrew Quattrociocchi

110PROJECT PROFILE What do you do with an 850,000 square-foot decommissioned cereal plant? Well, if you’re in London, Ont., you turn it into a highly-efficient entertainment mecca, of course. Adam Freill

94HVAC

A modern look at electric heat Stephane Lettre

102HYDRONICS

Making the most of manifolds Simon Bowden

74HVAC

106FIND THE FIX

Now that we are mandated to install 90% efficient equipment, many in the field believe there is very little left to discuss where venting is concerned.

That, however, could not be further from the truth. Mark Parliament and Alexandra Wennberg Parliament

120HVAC

The challenge of oversized openings Michael Coyazo

122HRAI ON HVAC Tom Cates

D E P A R T M E N T S 8From the editor’s desk 10News 20Profile: Patrick Griffin 123Calendar 124The info page 126By the numbers P R O D U C T S 34,92 Plumbing 96,97,114,115 HVAC/R 108,118,119 Hydronics 121Stuff you need

116HYDRONICS It’s usually pretty good for business to have a mega project or two on your hands, but sometimes it’s not the big spaces that demand the most innovative thinking when it comes to layout and installation of mechanicals.

Denise Deveau

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REFRIGERATION Optimizing the performance of parallel compressor systems – Part 2 Phil Boudreau Let’s have a look at some techniques that aim to reduce the energy consumption of compressors, since efficiency and performance are key metrics that companies are looking for.

HYDRONICS I just dropped in to see what condition my flow condition was in! Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr Fluids, especially water, can be a good mechanism to shuffle energy around, but the condition of these fluids will impact their ability to move heat.

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MARKETING Do I have your attention? Doug MacMillan From 2000 to 2015 the average adult attention span dropped from 12 seconds to just eight. If you want to capture an audience, you need to be quick.

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PLUMBING Plumbers need to be a hardy lot Fred Bretzke I feel sorry for the poor plumbers working in artic-type weather. I have been a teacher too long confined in my warm, cushy class to suffer that kind of abuse from Mother Nature.

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ASK ROGER What should I pay myself? Roger Grochmal The stress and long hours of running a business should have some financial rewards, but what are these rewards? How much should owners expect to pay themselves?

HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC A big fan of big fans Gord Cooke It is time to apply de-stratification opportunities for comfort and temperature control, as well as energy management, in a wide range of applications.

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In an otherwise stagnant field, only one brand of furnace is bringing innovation to the HVAC world. Napoleon’s Ultimate 9700 Series looks different because it is different.

The revolutionary Vortex turbulator increases heating efficiency, the ultra violet light purifies air and the SureView burner window shows the flames in operation as the furnace runs whisper quiet. Don’t get boxed in by outdated thinking. ™

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FROM Content Media Group Inc. 19 – 1525 Cornwall Road Oakville, ON L6J 0B2 Canada Tel: 905.465.2919 Fax: 905.465.2913 www.mechanicalbusiness.com March/April 2019 Issue Published 6 times per year.

Editor: Adam Freill, ext. 224 adam.freill@mechanicalbusiness.com Associate Editor/Web Editor: Simon Bowden, ext. 225 simon.bowden@mechanicalbusiness.com National Sales Manager: Jeff Superle, ext. 221 jeff.superle@mechanicalbusiness.com Controller: Liz Mills liz.mills@mechanicalbusiness.com Operations Manager: Caroline Bexfield caroline.bexfield@mechanicalbusiness.com Art Direction: JJM Graphic Ltd. davem@jjmgraphic.com Circulation Manager: Shila Naik (905) 272-4175 shila.naik@mechanicalbusiness.com Publisher: Bruce Meacock, ext. 222 bruce.meacock@mechanicalbusiness.com PM:41536047 ISSN 1916-0674 MB (Print) ISSN 1906-0682 MB (Online) We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada.

Submissions: Copyright in material submitted to the magazine and accepted for publication remains with the author, but Mechanical Business and its licensees may freely reproduce it in print, electronic or other forms.

Mechanical Business also reserves the right to edit said submitted materials to suit the editorial needs and mandate of the publication.

Notice: Mechanical Business is published for owners, managers and decision makers with mechanical contracting firms and the sector’s supply chain partners in Canada. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, Mechanical Business, Content Media Group Inc., its staff, directors, officers and shareholders (‘The Publisher’) assume no liability, obligation or responsibility for advertised claims, for errors and/or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. Manufacturers’ instructions take precedence over published editorial. The publisher reserves the right to publish a printed correction in a subsequent issue for editorial errors, omissions and oversights.

Subscriptions are available for $90 plus taxes in Canada and the U.S. Single copies are $15.00. Outside Canada and the U.S., the rates are $150.00 (annual) and $25.00 (single copy).

It used to be years between the introductions of generationallevel changes to product lines and technologies. Think back to how long it was before you moved to plastic piping, modulatingcondensing boilers or variable speed fans and pumps.

As little as 10 years ago, a large segment of the industry could afford to take a wait and see approach before deciding if the new piping, pumping, heating or cooling technology was for them – and for their customers. That’s not the case anymore.

DESK

Come see us in Montreal Want to keep up with all that’s new in the industry? Just pop into this year’s MCEE show, April 24 and 25 at Place Bonaventure in Montreal. The event will include training sessions as well as a New Product Showcase. That’s located right by the entrance, on your way to the show floor, so don’t miss it. And be sure to drop by our booth, 141, to say hello, renew your subscription, and to let us know what your favourite new items are from the showcase.

With the rapid pace of innovation, and authorities responsible for codes, standards and regulations pushing ever-higher efficiency requirements and evolving design parameters, manufacturers are bringing out new models and technologies faster than ever. And the consumer is very aware of their product options.

It can be difficult to keep up with it all, but we simply cannot afford to sit on the sidelines to wait to see what others are using in order to set our companies’ paths forward. Especially as customers start looking for the new technologies that they are seeing online and via social media. Nothing is worse than losing a customer to another firm offering something that’s not even on our radar.

That’s why we need to be on social media (be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook) and why there’s still a place for trade shows, counter days, educational seminars and other learning opportunities. Personally, I’m a big fan of sessions that allow for two-way communications, where specific qu questions can be answered rather than having to try to make a stock answer fit my unique need.

Sure, “new” can be intimidating, and there will be Su S re, “n new” ca curve to tackle, but where better to see a learning curv technologies tthat you may not be aware of, and to ask questions (ye (yes, even basic ones) than through the training available from your local wholesaler or manu manufacturer, or our industry associations?

Ma Managed properly, an investment in k knowledge will pay dividends – for you, for your company, and for our industry.

© Copyright 2019. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of the publisher.

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News www.mechanicalbusiness.com

McMaster clinches second at MCAA The MCA Hamilton-Niagara/ McMaster University Student Chapter has clinched runnersup spot – and a cheque for $5,000 – at the annual MCA America Student Chapter Competition. The team of six took part in the finals in Phoenix, Arizona, held during the MCAA annual conference in early March. There was also further good news for McMaster student Carmen Bracho (pictured), who was named Most Valuable Presenter by audience vote and received a gift card worth $500.

Humber’s HVAC students in demand More than 200 students and alumni of Humber College’s HVAC/R programs visited the third annual HVAC Career Fair at the Ontario-based school, where they were able to meet representatives from 25 businesses to discuss their future prospects. Professor Alan Gaunt said many students reaped immediate benefits by attending. “Quite a few of my students have interviews lined up for this week and next regarding summer and part-time employment,” said Gaunt, who added that up to 90% of his students have a job or job offer by the time they graduate. humber.ca

Persuasive leadership tops Nexstar agenda

mcahamiltonniagara.org

A Saint-Jacques of all trades Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques can add plumber to an already impressive list of skills and titles after he recently sprang into action to fix a leaking toilet on the International Space Station. The 49-year-old engineer, pilot, astrophysicist and doctor from SaintLambert, Que., had to grab his tool belt as almost 10 litres of water leaked during the February 1 incident.

Saint-Jacques took off on December 3 and is expected to spend six months in space.

“The ability to persuade is a leadership requirement, and becoming a persuasive leader is what this meeting is all about,” proclaimed Jack Tester, Nexstar president and CEO as he welcomed over 650 attendees to the organization’s 2019 Leadership Jack Tester Spotlight. Held at the Hyatt Regency in Seattle, Wash., in early March, attendees were treated to two days of thoughtprovoking HVAC/R and plumbing-related sales training and personal growth guidance, along with a well-received trade show. Mentalist Lior Suchard emceed the event, leaving everyone amazed with his mind reading, thought influencing and telekinetic abilities. nexstarnetwork.com

nasa.gov

Female apprentices get $3.1m boost The federal government will provide $3,141,000 to Canada’s Building Trades Unions for its project aimed at attracting and retaining female talent in the trades. Over a period of 42 months, up to 750 women apprentices in Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, including approximately 100 Indigenous women, will receive career services, employment assistance and networking opportunities to complete their training and obtain their Red Seal certifications.

Sask. makes sprinkler fitter a compulsory trade Sprinkler fitter is now a compulsory trade in Saskatchewan – aligning the province with Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Those working in compulsory trades must be either apprentices or journeypersons.

There are now five compulsory trades in Saskatchewan: construction electrician, plumber, sheet metal worker, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic, and sprinkler fitter.

buildingtrades.ca

saskapprenticeship.ca

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HRAI focuses on Net-Zero challenge

The Mechanical Contractors Association of Saskatchewan (MCAS) has kicked off its centenary year celebrations with a reception held in Regina for members, industry partners and government officials. MCAS is a non-profit trade association that grew out of the Saskatchewan Society of Sanitary and Heating Engineers, which met for the first time in 1919. mca-sask.com

Record attendance at CIPH meeting The latest CIPH Ontario Business meeting in Mississauga, Ont., attracted a whopping 143 attendees, setting a record for a January meeting of the region.

In addition to recognizing new members to the association, the event featured an engaging session led by Gilles Essiambre, president of Totbox Productivity Solutions (pictured), who outlined some of the digital tools available to help grow their businesses. “Ninety per cent of people who have and use Office 365 have no idea what they have available to them,” he said. ciph.com

MCAC launches women in trades initiative The Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada has launched a new program in an effort to attract more women to the trades. The Women in Mechanical Construction program is designed to promote inclusiveness in the mechanical contracting industry, while inviting women to share experiences, explore new opportunities and learn new skills to assist in career advancement. wimc.ca

hrai.ca

Fire reveals true value of a good plumber The value of a qualified tradesperson was brought into sharp relief this winter after one DIYer’s attempt to unfreeze their pipes went dramatically wrong, resulting in an emergency call to firefighters rather than the local plumber.

Firefighters in Windsor, Ont., were called to tackle a blaze after someone accidentally set a house alight while trying to unfreeze pipes with a blowtorch. Nobody was injured, but the resulting damage was estimated at $150,000 – many times the cost of calling out a plumber.

Photo: Windsorfire.com

MCA Sask marks 100th birthday

“Our world is changing so quickly you’re going to have whiplash in five years,” stated Andy Oding of Building Knowledge Canada (pictured left) as he and Adam Sylvestre of HVAC Design Inc. outlined what the future of buildings will bring for HRAI GTA Chapter members at the organization’s most recent meeting in Vaughan, Ont. The guest speakers discussed the process of getting to “Net Zero” and what that will mean for retrofit and service contractors.

windsorfire.com

Quebec firm earns top Caleffi award Dave Vallieres & Associates of Pointe-Claire, Que., was named Caleffi North America’s top manufacturers’ representative during the company’s annual gathering in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Quebec firm was awarded the manufacturer’s top Pinnacle Award for its exceptional 2018 performance against goal. Pictured at the awards ceremony were (l-r) Bryan Nowill (Caleffi), Dino Mazzon, Dave Vallieres and Mike Vallieres of Dave Vallieres & Assoc., and Roger Corrente (Caleffi). caleffi.com M e c h a n i c a l

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Oil industry group rebrands The Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Oil Heat Association has changed its name to the Ontario Petroleum Transporters & Technicians Association (OPTTA). As part of the rebranding, the organization has taken on an expanded role in offering services to those businesses that provide road transportation of petroleum products as well as those that service, maintain and inspect oil-burning equipment. OPTTA is led by industry veteran Jim Wood. optta.ca

Watco 901 Innovator® Now with Hi-Flo brass strainer body!

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The Interior Design Show enjoyed its most successful staging to date, with more than 50,000 visitors from around the world taking in the latest products, installations and lectures over the exhibition’s four days. IDS19, staged in January at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, featured a number of talks from Canadian design aficionados such as Abraham Chan, Jamie Wolfond, Lukas Peet, Jonathan Sabine and Jessica Nakanishi, as well as foreign experts such as Michael Sorensen, Neri & Hu and Lovequest. toronto.interiordesignshow.com

New! Self-aligning overflow ell extends through hole, eliminating leaks

*Standard on brass strainer bodies that include Watco Push Pull stoppers

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Includes orange overflow verflow test membrane and drain test plug; testable up to five floors (22 psi)

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AtlasCare wins HomeStars honour AtlasCare Heating and Cooling has been named top air conditioning and heating company in the Greater Toronto Area at the HomeStars Best of 2019 Awards. AtlasCare president Michael Grochmal, pictured receiving his award from HomeStars CEO and founder Nancy Peterson, said, “It always feels great to be recognized for our hard work of taking care of each and every customer.” atlascare.ca

DIGITAL ALERT Belimo balancing valve simulator

Viessmann contingent joins ISH foreign legions ISH, the world’s largest HVAC/R and water services event, attracted a record number of international visitors during its recent weeklong run in Frankfurt, Germany. Visitors from 161 countries were among the 190,000 attendees who checked out the latest industry innovations and trends across 275,000 sq. meters of floor space – the equivalent of 39 soccer pitches. In all, some 40 per cent of the show’s visitors were from outside Germany.

One of the largest contingents of Canadians was sponsored by Viessmann Mfg., which took 40-plus industry professionals to tour the show and visit several of the company’s facilities in Germany and France.

The Belimo Hydronic Simulator is a tool that simulates a hydronic system in a four-storey building with five terminal units on each floor. The simulator identifies and illustrates when the system needs to be balanced and how adjusting the balancing valves could impact the entire system. belimo.us

Phyxter links contractors to wholesalers Phyxter’s AI-based mobile app is designed to curate a contact list of nearby wholesalers and send quote requests to multiple outlets at once. Each wholesaler receives an instant message which they can then reply to, so the contractor can quickly compare quotes before making a decision on where to buy. phyxter.ai

viessmann.ca ish.messefrankfurt.com

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Filling Ontario’s green skills gap A report by the Canada Green Building Council provides an action plan to close the low-carbon building skills gap in the Ontario construction industry. Entitled Trading Up: Equipping Ontario Trades with the Skills of the Future, the report puts forward recommendations that will help the trades support the construction and mass retrofit of buildings to help lower carbon emissions. cagbc.org

Airtrade strikes sales gold Cambridge Engineering, a specialist in HVAC solutions for commercial and industrial facilities, has recognized Airtrade Equipment Sales of Guelph, Ont., for its outstanding sales record in 2018. The Canadian firm, which has been in business for more than 35 years, was among 12 firms that earned the Cambridge Engineering Gold distinction, awarded for achieving sales of between US$1 million and US$2 million. cambridge-eng.com

Stelpro scoops design awards Stelpro has been recognized for the design excellence of its products at the Good Design Awards. The Quebec-based heating products manufacturer won in the electronics category for its Maestro smart thermostat while its Orleans and Oasis fan heaters were recognized in the household category. The Good Design Awards recognize excellence in all facets of design and attracted submissions from 47 countries. stelpro.com

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Movers & Shakers www.mechanicalbusiness.com

Master Group distributing York The Master Group has been awarded distribution rights throughout western Canada for York residential and commercial HVAC products. The agreement makes The Master Group the exclusive authorized York distributor in Canada for residential ducted systems and commercial rooftop products. master.ca johnsoncontrols.com

Arzel r Zoning g gets g onboard with Air Force 1 Arzel Zoning, a manufacturer of zoning products for the residential and light commercial markets, is now represented by Air Force 1 Sales and Marketing throughout Ontario. airforce1.ca arzelzoning.com

Carrier opens new store at HQ Carrier Enterprise Canada has opened a new outlet at its head office branch at 195 Statesman Dr., in Mississauga, Ont. The facility has 78,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space as well as a 14,000 sq. ft. showroom. carrierenterprise.ca

Deschênes expands in Quebec Wholesaler-distributor Deschênes & Fils has opened a new 10,000 sq. ft. location at 1775 Rue Janelle in Drummondville, Que. The facility boasts 1,100 sq. ft. of counter space, an express counter, an outside-hours service box and offers an expanded delivery service.

Deschênes & Fils has 14 branches in the Montreal region. deschenes.ca

Saniflo parent buys German manufacturer Saniflo Canada parent company, SFA Group, has completed its acquisition of Zehnder Pumpen GmbH, a German manufacturer of pump technology for industry, home and garden. The German company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of SFA Group but will remain a separate legal entity with its own brand. saniflo.ca

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Refrigerant e g firm enters Canada A-Gas, an international firm engaged in the supply and lifecycle management of refrigerants, clean agent fire suppression and performance chemical blowing agents, has announced its expansion into Canada. A-Gas offers environmental solutions and lifecycle management services for ozone depleting substances and global warming agents including CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs and halons in the HVAC/R and fire suppression industries. agasamericas.com

McKeough g Supply moves into GTA McKeough Supply, a wholesale distributor of HVAC and home comfort products throughout south-west and central Ontario, has opened its first location within the Greater Toronto Area. The new Mississauga, Ont., premises boasts a 2,000 sq. ft. showroom, sales space and an 8,000 sq. ft. warehouse at 1825 Dundas Street East, Unit 10/11. mckeoughsupply.com

Air Heat Supplies thinks big Wholesale distributor Air Heat Supplies has completed its move to a larger facility at 746 Warden Avenue, Unit 1, Scarborough, Ont. It features a 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse and self-serve showroom, and an HVAC training centre.

The facility and staff are managed by branch manager/ field service representative Scott Duncan. airheat.ca

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NEW

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People in the news www.mechanicalbusiness.com

FORTUNE BRANDS GLOBAL PLUMBING GROUP (GPG), which includes the Moen Canada and House of Rohl brands, has expanded the role of Cheri Phyfer (1) to president of 1 GPG Americas with responsibilities for Moen U.S. and both the Moen and House of Rohl businesses in Canada and Latin America. Peter Fealy, formerly vice-president and GM of Moen Canada, has been promoted to vice-president and general manager of GPG Canada. Moen also has appointed Nina Kshetry (2) as the company’s first water director. Kshetry is working with the Moen team to deepen its connections to water organizations across North America that share the company’s passion for making each and every interaction with water 2 more meaningful.

Jim Flowers, past-chairman of HRAI, has been named business director of A-GAS CANADA ahead of its move into the Canadian market. A-Gas veteran Louise McCann takes on the role of managing director, having previously managed the company’s Asia Pacific group.

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Wholesale distributor McKEOUGH SUPPLY has staffed up its new showroom and retail space in Mississauga, Ont. 4 Zachary Hughes (1) (sales development program), Matt Whitehead (2) (profit centre manager), Rob Mundy (3) (sales development program), Rob Nicholls (4) 5 (warehouse manager), Sam Lee (5) (management trainee) and Rino Bindi (not pictured) (material handler/driver) will be looking after the company’s first location within the Greater Toronto Area.

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Bill Davis (1) is now the director of sales branch operations at ECCO SUPPLY. He brings a background in residential and commercial 3 equipment to his new role. Also at ECCO, Kevin Locke (2) has taken up the position of director of procurement, and will be based at the company’s corporate operations office in Langley, B.C. Bobby Yu (not pictured) has succeeded the retired Norm Grusnick as manager of the Burnaby, B.C., branch’s commercial sales department.

Meanwhile, Jim Dixon (3), a professional engineer, has been appointed sales engineer for the Calgary area.

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DURAVIT has appointed Russ Kinney (1) as vicepresident of sales and business development.

In his role, Kinney will be responsible for 1 the development of contract, specification and e-commerce growth for North America. Kinney joins the team with over 20 years of experience in the decorative 2 plumbing industry.

The company also appointed Kerry Rudd (2) vice-president of wholesale sales. In his new role, Rudd will lead Duravit’s North American sales team.

From left: Dominic Drouin, Michael Delaunois, Mario Gagnon (counter sales clerks) and Yvon Morency (branch manager) will staff DESCHENES & FILS’ new plumbing, heating and fire protection wholesale-distribution centre in Drummondville, Que. ADEY has announced the appointment of Brian Salem as Western/Central North America area sales manager. With a wealth of industry experience behind him, Salem will be the company’s key contact for North America.

Chris Piatek has been named CARRIER ENTERPRISE CANADA’S national director, commercial sales. With his sales expertise and extensive knowledge of the HVAC industry, Piatek will lead the company’s commercial sales efforts across Canada.

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04.19

Reader Profile Patrick Griffin: Service is a family tradition

Not too many plumbing firms can claim that the first vehicle in their fleet was a horse and buggy, but that’s just how James Griffin started Montreal’s James Griffin & Son Ltd. back in 1900. The company, now in the capable hands of his great-grandson Patrick, continues to focus on the values that the company was built on: solid workmanship and personalized service to their customers.

“We have plumbers working here today who have been trained by the generation before them, who in turn were trained by the generation that came before them,” said Patrick, during a recent interview. “Passing down this on the job expertise is invaluable.”

The company now has a fleet of five trucks and 11 full-time employees providing plumbing and heating services in Montreal and the surrounding communities.

Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A

What do you enjoy most about your work?

My favorite part of the job is working with such a nice group of people every day. The atmosphere within the company feels very much like a family, which creates a very nice environment to work in.

What’s the biggest challenge in business right now?

The biggest challenge, by far, is finding plumbers. There is a serious shortage in the trade. It is very rare that you’re able to find someone. Our best success has been to train apprentices, which is a time-consuming and expensive process. Luckily, we have had very good results with the apprentice program.

Do you have a guiding principle when it comes to managing your company?

We try to provide the best customer service experience possible from the time they first call the office to the moment the project is complete.

What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given?

My father used to say, “Sometimes you have to fire a client.” We work with a lot of very nice people but sometimes you come across people who will never be happy no matter what you do.

What advice do you offer to new people joining your company?

Pay attention to the plumbers you’re working with and learn from their experience. Put your iPhone away and really focus on mastering the trade.

FAST FACTS ABOUT PATRICK GRIFFIN

2. If it is Saturday night during hockey season, you’ll find him watching the Montreal Canadians. “A tradition growing up.”

3. He enjoys cooking. “There’s nothing like getting together with friends over a nice meal with a good bottle of wine – or two.”

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Photo: Riccardo Cellere

1. He loves to spend time with his family. “My wife Natasha and I enjoy spending weekends in the Laurentians with our one-year-old son, Jameson.”

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REFRIGERATION

Optimizing the performance of parallel compressor systems – Part 2

I

n part 1 one of this series (Mechanical Business, January/ February 2019) we discussed opportunities to improve system performance with variable capacity control techniques like variable unloading and variable speed drives.

As you may recall, with improved capacity control, it is possible to reduce compressor cycling and maintain a more constant suction pressure. This, in turn, should reduce the amount of movement with regulating valves, metering devices, and so forth.

In this issue, we will discuss some other opportunities to improve performance and reduce energy consumption.

These techniques are aimed at reducing the energy consumption of compressors since efficiency and performance are key metrics that companies are looking for, especially since the cost for energy will continue to increase in the future.

Considering that the refrigeration systems can account for 60 per cent of the total energy used in a supermarket, these upgrades should prove to be well worth the investment.

Phil Boudreau

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ADJUSTING THE DIFFERENTIAL It is generally understood that decreasing the temperature difference at which heat exchangers operate will result in a higher coefficient of performance (COP), and this presents an opportunity with existing systems.

When retrofitting multiple evaporator systems, such as those found in supermarkets, it is very common to adjust the layout and capacity requirements to meet the growth and changing requirements of the location. It is very common to replace the condenser as a store’s floorplan and refrigeration rack layouts change.

This provides an opportunity to improve the heat sink portion of the system. By selecting a lower temperature difference between the design ambient and condensing temperatures, it is possible to reduce the compression ratio that the compressors operate at when the ambient temperature is at its highest expected level. Reducing the compressor ratio will, of course, improve the overall COP of the system.

High efficiency condenser fan motors such as electronically commutated motors (ECM) also reduce energy consumption while allowing for improved control over the rate of heat exchange.

Phil is the Ontario sales manager for Bitzer Canada Inc. and provides training and technical support for Bitzer’s clientele. He can be contacted at: pboudreau@bitzer.ca.

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REFRIGERATION SUBCOOLING FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE In most situations, the load due to subcooling the liquid in the lowtemperature system is added to the medium-temperature system. Typically, the temperature difference of the subcooler will be approximately 15°R (around 8 K).

This allows more room for superheat and allows for a more stable operation of the sub-cooler’s metering device.

The incorporation of mechanical subcooling is another possibility for improving the performance of a refrigeration system.

This is certainly not a new technique, but if controlled properly, it can provide a very nice boost in performance, particularly in lowtemperature systems.

Generally speaking, the higher the compression ratio, the higher effect that mechanical subcooling has on the performance. With this approach, the liquid in the low-temperature system is subcooled to a value in the neighbourhood of 50°F (10°C).

Let’s think about a system that operates at the highest feasible evaporating temperature where an evaporator, perhaps a brazed-plate type, is installed.

GETTING THE DROP ON PRESSURE Evaporating pressure regulators, or EPR valves, are generally used for holding the evaporating pressure of individual circuits at a higher level than the suction pressure, and are another area that should be considered as a potential opportunity to improve efficiency when evaluating system performance.

The role of the EPR is important because the compressors always have to operate at a suction pressure that is slightly lower than the pressure required in the lowest temperature evaporators.

The EPR allows us to maintain pressures that support the best product quality and evaporator performance, however EPRs also tend to reduce the COP of a system, due to the pressure drop at which they operate.

Although this pressure drop is required, it should be kept as low as practical.

Although higher temperature differences reduce COP, we have to remember that, in this case, it is a small price to pay for the very large gain that is realized in the lowtemperature system.

The Rankine scale, designated with the symbol °R, is an absolute scale of thermodynamic temperature named after the Glasgow University engineer and physicist William John Macquorn Rankine, who proposed it in 1859.

IS OIL REDUCING HEAT TRANSFER? The oil management system is an area that may be worth looking into for performance improvement as there may be an opportunity to reduce the amount of oil circulating within the system.

Higher percentages of oil circulation tend to reduce the heat transfer in condensers and evaporators. This results in the requirement for higher temperature differences in these heat exchangers in order to move the same amount of heat.

Since higher temperature differences in heat exchangers will reduce the COP, meaning that each ton of refrigeration will require more power to generate, it may be worth updating the oil separator and other oil management components on the system in order to provide better separation of the refrigerant and oil.

Maintenance makes a difference Over time, evaporator and condenser coils can foul up.

As contaminants build up on the surface of these heat exchangers, both the heat exchange and COP will be lower. Therefore, it is recommended to ensure that an effective maintenance program is in place in order to address this.

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Compressors that exhibit signs of wear, such as high oil carryover, low oil pressures and higher than normal discharge temperatures, should be replaced.

Remember, just because a compressor in a system is in running condition, doesn’t mean that it is doing the job that it was intended to do. It could be contributing to a large waste of energy.

PROJECT PROFILE

By Denise Deveau

GOING

carbon neutral IN THE BRICKWORKS

Project: Evergreen Brickworks Kiln Building (Building 16) Location: Don Valley area, Toronto Project manager: Ellis Don Architects: LGA Architectural Partners Mechanical Engineer: BGIS Mechanical Contractor: Engie Mulitech Size of building: 55,000 sq. ft.

Geofield: 40 bore holes, 600 feet deep Equipment: 12 Armstrong Design Envelope smart pumps for circulating water, 2 X 70-ton heat pumps, 250 solar panels, 25,000 feet of radiant tubing, dedicated OA (outdoor air) handling unit

S

ometimes a project comes along that can challenge even the most creative of contractors. That was certainly the case with Evergreen Brickworks Kiln Building (aka Building #16) in Toronto.

A historical industrial property in the Don Valley, the Brickworks has gone through a number of changes over the past two decades.

Today, it’s a showpiece of environmental sustainability, with markets, entertainment venues and restaurants.

The Kiln Building is one of the last areas of the property to be upgraded. The largest building on the site, in many ways it was the most challenging to work on.

Most of the building is taken up by a single 55,000 sq. ft. open space. And the development restrictions on the structure were extreme. Exterior and interior walls were to remain intact, and the roof structure was unable to take on extra weight.

That all adds up to be a major challenge when you’re asked to design a zero-carbon-footprint heating and ventilation system.

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Adding a blanket

DELIVERING THE HEAT The floor has 25,000 sq. ft. of radiant tubing serviced by two 70-ton heat pumps.

An air handling unit delivers fresh air to the space, as well as some additional heating, when needed.

To come close to a net-zero target, the space temperature requirements had to be relaxed.

“We had to think about the maximum heat that could be generated within a sustainable system,” explains Adams. “Easing those requirements gave us some latitude. In the dead of winter, it can be 13°C rather than 21°C or 22°C, which is not so bad if you put blankets on chairs, add fire pits and have a large crowd.”

“There was no way we could achieve normal indoor operating temperatures of 21 to 22 degrees,” Woodhouse stresses. “We had to be realistic. To provide heat to that temperature might require four times the energy a normal building would be using and could only be achieved unsustainably.”

HOW IT WORKS Woodhouse says while it was a simple building, “The HVAC system was complex because everything had to tie together.”

Going underground To achieve the near impossible, LGA Architectural Partners and Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions (BGIS) decided to go with a unique geofield ground-source radiant heating and cooling design that is around 97 per cent carbon neutral. (See schematic pg. 26) The remaining small percentage is largely because of the need for a backup boiler system that is used to boost heating on the coldest days of the year.

“The constraints were crazy,” says Drew Adams, associate with LGA. “When we started to work on the design, we were not allowed to change the exterior or interior, and the roof had extreme sensitivity to added weight, so we could use very little insulation, if any.”

Even though the property had gone through other upgrades, this project wasn’t suited to what had been used for other buildings, Adams says. “The goal is to make the entire site carbon neutral. But every building lends itself to a different type of system. In this case, renewable energy was the best approach.”

The designers looked at several options including adding to the existing gas boiler system. But that would not meet Evergreen’s sustainability mandate, says Greg Woodhouse, managing director, Engineering and Professional Services for BGIS. “If you want to be carbon neutral you have to eliminate the use of natural gas. You can go with electric boilers, but that’s very expensive to operate.

Given that we needed to provide heat without changing the building envelope, a heat pump system with ground source heating was the only logical solution to meet the net zero mandate.”

The geofield uses 40 bore holes drilled to a depth of around 600 feet.

“It was installed on a tiny piece of property behind the building because of the nearby Metrolinx easement,” Adams notes. The 600-foot depth was enough to isolate the heat source from the outside temperatures.

Woodhouse likens it to a “big dirt battery” that is protected from the elements and normalizes earth temperatures at about 13°C. Temperatures stay at that level by taking energy out to drive the temperature down, and putting energy in to drive the temperature up when needed.

“If you take too much heat out too quickly you can effectively freeze the ‘battery’ over time and it’s no longer useful as a heat source,” Woodhouse explains. “Because this is a heating dominated building, the design delivers heat into the earth battery – in this case taking the energy from the thermal solar panels on the roof and dumping it into the earth to recharge it. Heat pumps can then deliver low-temperature source heat to the building in perpetuity and the earth battery won’t freeze.”

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PROJECT PROFILE

layer and an insulated Foamcrete layer on top.

“This allows the free flow of air and water underneath the floor,” Woodhouse explains. “In periods of flooding, everything is contained underneath the floor, allowing the water to seep in and out.”

Instead of putting in a fixed sump pump system, the floor design includes two sump pits running five-feet deep with openings to drop in portable pumps when needed.

“We also put a lot of gravel below the basement slab to run a series of pipes that slope to a culvert,” Adams explains.

GOING CARBON NEUTRAL IN THE BRICKWORKS cont’d

All of the pipes have backwater valves on them to prevent water from the culvert coming back in, Woodhouse notes.

FLOOD WORKS Being on an active flood plain, the project engineers had to find a way to mitigate inevitable flooding events.

They also put in a series of inspection points where maintenance crews can unscrew the lids and remove the gasket to look at the amount of standing water below.

“Since 2010, it was hit by two 100-year floods,” Adams explains. “Given that it would be impossible to stop major flooding, the design at least provides a means to effectively clean up the site as quickly as possible.”

Given that flooding is inevitable, all mechanical and electrical systems - including control valves, outlets and motors - are installed six feet above the finished floor and the flood plain.

To do that, the floor was raised two feet and a Cupolex system, which resembles an upside-down plastic egg carton, was sandwiched between the original concrete

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PLUMBING

Kohler wall-mounted faucet in gold by Arnal Photography.

B y S im o n B o wd en

Fashionably yours W

The future of sinks & faucets

hether you view sinks and faucets as merely functional items that serve a purpose, or as “jewelry for the kitchen and bathroom,” modern life would not be the same without these ubiquitous plumbing fixtures.

The companies that design and manufacture these items must provide enough variety to cater to every taste and every location; whether a busy restaurant kitchen, upscale home or gas station washroom.

To this end, vast sums are spent on research and development and on tracking market trends. Manufacturers take their cues from trade shows, interior designers and even the fashion industry – such catwalk influences as floral prints and colour du jour, rose gold, have made their way into plumbing fixture designs.

Getting a handle on what’s coming next in sinks and faucets will help contractors better serve the residential and commercial customers who often rely on professionals for advice when choosing fixtures.

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CUSTOMIZATION IS KEY Manufacturers invest heavily in identifying what their customers want and figuring out how to deliver it to them.

Delta Faucet’s senior industrial designer, Jordan Bahler, says, “Customization is the newest form of luxury as it allows consumers to directly fulfill their needs and desires. Whether that’s more tech or a more personalized style, the faucet must adapt.

“The Internet of Things is catching on quickly. New features are rolling out that allow you to control manual products with the touch of a button, wave of a hand, or even our voice.”

Moen is among those companies that takes a multi-faceted approach to forecasting colour, material and finish trends.

“Our design team observes trends in action at a wide range of industry trade shows. We also listen to designers in the industry whom activate these trends to get their perspective on how they’re performing,” says Garry Scott, vice-president of marketing and eCommerce with Moen Canada. “We do primary research with designers in all of our key markets to understand how trends move through various regions, and dig deep to understand the cultural drivers behind how trends emerge and evolve.

“This approach gives us a broad and deep perspective on how various colours and materials will perform year-over-year.”

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jewelry

GETTING TOUGH IN COMMERCIAL SPACES

OF A KITCHEN OR BATHROOM

In commercial kitchens and bathrooms, durability is key for both faucets and sinks. Moen’s Scott says commercial faucet design must take account of factors that don’t come into play in a residential setting.

ith so many shapes, sizes and styles to choose from, deciding on the fixtures and fittings for a bathroom or kitchen project Michelle Hurley can seem overwhelming. That is why many renovation firms and homeowners turn to a professional interior designer to make the hard choices for them.

Michelle Hurley, who operates Michelle Hurley Design in Toronto, believes sinks and faucets have the ability to make or break a space.

She says, “I see faucets as the jewelry of a kitchen or bathroom; the accessories. They are important because of their presence and functionality. I want them to look good, but they also need to be functional and reliable.”

Hurley has also noted some recent trends that she believes will remain popular with clients.

“Wall-mounted faucets are great for making a statement. Brass and gold are still very popular, as is matte black,” she says.

“The modern, industrial kitchen has been popular for years, but there has been a movement away from that towards more traditional elements – apron-front sinks, with hammered metal detail, and faucets with more of a traditional look are re-emerging.”

In the bathroom, she’s seeing more and more integrated single-piece countertop sinks. “Whether it’s in natural stone or composite material, it’s a slick, modern look, but it’s also practical from a cleaning perspective – fewer nooks and crannies.”

And many clients are allowing designers to have a little fun with their bathroom and kitchen plans.

“It used to be the case that everyone would want all the metals in one room to match, now people are more comfortable about mixing it up. I like that,” says Hurley.

“We have to think of every imaginable scenario a commercial facility could face; such as leaks, vandalism or normal wear and tear, and plan for it in advance,” he says. “We want to provide products that every facility manager can count on, so above style, we design our commercial products with durability in mind.”

Commercial facilities also cater to many more people than a family home, which impacts faucet design, says Delta’s Bahler.

“Commercial design must be more intuitive and appeal to a much broader audience. In commercial spaces, the faucets need to be easy to understand and more muted and timeless in design.”

With consumers increasingly calling for the products they buy to be good for the planet, being a business that is recognized as a good steward of the environment has never been more important.

Delta’s Bahler says the technology available to manufacturers helps them react to changing customer priorities.

“Over time we have become more aware of our environment and natural resources – mainly, potable water,” she says. “As restrictions on water use increase, we at Delta Faucet have had to adapt our faucet designs to deliver the same experiences while using less water. This is where innovation has been guiding the industry in design.”

Innovations such as hands-free operation also resonate with consumers, says Moen’s Scott.

“Offering a hands-free experience provides water when you need it most with just a wave of the hand,” he says. “This technology helps minimize the spread of dirt and germs, as there’s no need to touch the handle to start the flow of water.”

Manufacturers are taking more than just looks into account when creating new products.

“EPDs, or Environmental Product Declarations, are becoming important to show how environmentally friendly a product is, from raw material to finished good,” says Maria Bosco, director of product marketing at LIXIL Canada.

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Moen MotionSense

EVERYTHING NOW COMES IN GREEN

Sinks also undergo subtle changes when a manufacturer switches focus from residential to commercial applications.

LIXIL Canada’s Bosco says that while ensuring their sinks meet regulations is the biggest factor in the commercial sector, staying on trend is also increasingly important.

“Factors to consider when designing a commercial sink include the frequency of use, dimensions, material, cleanability and colour,” she says. “What has come through loud and clear are requests for more contemporary designs, regardless of the application.”

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Floor drain flood protection ection The Flood-Guard from General Pipe Cleaners is designed to protect basements and floors from flooding.

Available for 2”, 3”, and 4” floor drains, s, it operates like a check valve to seal off water back-up caused by overloaded sewers. Gaskets are made of moulded rubber and all metal parts are plated or stainless steel. It installs in minutes using g a screwdriver and is also available in 3” or 4” stand pipe models.

Water leak detector RectorSeal’s TripleGuard is a battery-operated smart electronic water leak monitoring, detection and prevention system for use in residential and commercial real estate. The actuator shutoff unit fits over a 3/4”, 1”, or 1-1/4” ball valve on the primary water supply piping and will shut off when detecting a leak. Up to 30 sensors can be linked to the cloud-connected hub, with remote monitoring and control possible through the smartphone app.

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Submersible effluent pump Powder room collection

Goulds’ 20AE 4” aerobic stainless steel submersible effluent pump is made of stainless steel with a thermoplastic reinforcement and is approved for residential applications. It has a drawdown of 4-1/2”, a capacity of up to 20 gallons and built-in thermal overload protection with automatic reset, a check valve and capacitor. The pump base accepts a 3” pipe to assist with height adjustments.

Riobel’s Ciclo collection incorporates the cartridge, seat, manifold and handle into a single cylinder faucet. Included in the line are a short single-hole faucet, a long single-hole faucet, a widespread faucet and a series of accessories, which are offered in chrome, brushed chrome, black or brushed gold finishes. Handles come in three textures: plain, knurled and fluted.

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Tankless water heater Bradford White’s Infiniti K Series tankless water heater is designed to deliver consistent water temperature without the use of an internal buffer tank. The unit vents with either 2” or 3” PVC or polypropylene, has a 22:1 turndown ratio, activates at a flow rate of 0.45 gpm and delivers efficiency up to 96 UEF. The unit is equipped with top connections and builtin flush ports.

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Brass ss push male con connector SharkBite’s push-to-connect design allows for the transition between CTS pipe to an MNPT threaded connection. It requires no special tools, crimping, glue or solder and can be installed in wet lines. Compatible with PEX, copper, CPVC, PE-RT and HDPE pipe, it is approved for underground and behind-the-wall applications with no access panels and is rated for 200 psi and 200°F (93°C).

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HYDRONICS

B y B o b “ Ho t R o d ” R o h r Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr has been a plumbing, radiant heat and solar contractor and installer for 30 years. A long-time columnist and trainer, he is manager of training and education with Caleffi North America. You can reach Hot Rod at bob.rohr@caleffi.com.

flow

I just dropped in to see what condition my

condition was in!

T

o me, the word “hydronic” indicates an energy transport system based on water or fluids.

In our HVAC world, these BTUmoving fluids help us heat and/or cool structures and spaces.

Fluids are ideal for heat rejection applications, in process or manufacturing, and also for server farms. Consider the cooling system in your car or truck. It rejects the heat from the engine created by combustion and friction, at the same time it can warm the inside of your truck, and maybe even heat the seats.

All things considered, fluids, especially water, can be a good mechanism to shuffle energy around. They are low cost, safe, readily available, and are an allaround great conductor of heat energy.

DELIVERING THE HEAT Let’s consider a typical residential hydronic system. We have an appliance or boiler that converts the energy stored in fuel to thermal energy that is delivered into the water or other fluid.

Once we have the energy in the fluid, we have almost endless options for moving it into the space.

Perhaps the most common heat emitter is

M e c h a n i c a l

Other examples of hydronic heat emitters include fin tube

baseboards, radiant surfaces and fan convectors.

Regardless of the emitter, however, one key to their performance is the condition of the flow passing through them.

Point to Ponder All the various heat emitters we mentioned could be considered heat exchangers. Their job in life is to transfer the energy in the fluid passing through it to the space or surface to be heated or cooled.

But the condition of these fluids will impact their ability to move heat so that we can deliver comfort to our customers. Let’s dive in.

36

the timeless radiator. Cast iron radiators can be seen in new and old buildings across North America. A crowd pleaser on a frigid day, a radiator is nice to cozy up against, and drape your cloths over, and you might find the area near it to be your pet’s favourite napping place.

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HYDRONICS

BUMPY OR SMOOTH: HOW THE FLUID MOVES

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF EFFICIENCY

T

he terms “laminar” and “turbulent” are often used to describe fluid travel in pipes or tubes.

Consider the infamous I-405 travelling through the state of California with up to six lanes of traffic flowing in one direction as an example of laminar flow. Some lanes may move faster than others and, ideally on the highway, the passing lane will be fastest.

With laminar flow in a pipe, the fluid in the centre of the pipe is moving faster than the fluid against the wall of the tube.

Would this be an ideal condition to move heat energy? It depends, but let’s look at turbulent flow before we get into that.

To understand turbulent flow, think of your last rough plane ride. Those bumps and jumps are not so good on a plane, but can help with hydronic heat transfer.

Turbulent conditions within a pipe or tube look like a twisting or corkscrew motion when viewed through a clear pipe. This twisting of the flow stream encourages good mixing of the fluid.

So, turbulent would be a good condition to transfer the heat energy from the fluid, across the wall of the emitter and into the space, with any type of heat emitter.

Engineers and designers have charts, tables, software and formulas to predict when each of these conditions exist, and there may be situations where laminar flow best suits a hydronic application.

One such application is moving energy long distances, perhaps between multiple buildings. To maximize the energy at the emitter, and minimize the loss through the buildings, laminar flow conditions could be engineered into the system for the transport portion, and turbulent flow through the emitters.

The use of variablespeed technology to adjust flow can have many advantages in systems. Lower fluid flow rates can lessen noise and wear caused by flow velocity, while reducing electrical consumption and extending the service life of motors, but be mindful of reducing flowrates to a point where heat transfer into the fluid within a boiler and into the heat emitter are compromised.

MOVING HEAT We move heat energy in several different ways.

To understand conduction, consider your coffee cup. Wrap your hands around a mug filled with hot coffee or cold beer and you will experience energy being transferred. The type of material, the thickness and the temperature difference drive the transfer rate.

For convection, think of a fin tube baseboard assembly. Air moving across the fins transfers the energy to the space. Install a blower or fan behind fins and you have forced convection, created with hydronic unit heaters, or coils in an air handler.

A third method is thermal radiation.

The sun is the classic example of this, transferring energy from 93 million miles away at a speed of 186,000

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miles per second! Radiant floors, ceilings or walls are examples of transfer by radiation.

Some heat emitters use a combination of transfer methods. A panel radiator with a finned or fluted core moves energy by convection and radiation via the metal surfaces.

The key to all of these heat exchanges is the flow of the fluid within the heat emitter.

Scan here to check what condition your condition is in!

(And to see a very young Kenny Rogers.)

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Below a determined flow rate, the fluid condition can drop to laminar flow.

Heat transfer will drop along with it.

This could cause hot spots in boiler heat exchangers, high limits tripping and, in the worst cases, holes burned through modern thin-walled boiler heat exchangers.

In heat emitters, output drops rapidly when fluid conditions drop from turbulent conditions.

CREATING TURBULENCE

C

omponent manufacturers will engineer mechanisms into products to encourage or enhance turbulent conditions. Rifling inside a tube, not unlike some rifle or shotgun barrels, is a method that has been used for years to encourage spinning or turbulent conditions.

The design and shape of plate heat exchangers also encourage turbulent conditions.

Turbulators can be added inside a pipe or tube also to encourage good mixing as flow passes through.

Engineers, designers and troubleshooters will use Reynolds Numbers (RE#) to define conditions within a pipe or tube. The formula to calculate the RE# looks at the flow velocity, pipe diameters, fluid density and its dynamic viscosity.

A low RE# indicates laminar flow, while turbulent flow generates a higher number.

Although it is possible to calculate the RE# manually, tables and software programs are available to lessen the math or margin of error possible with longhand calculations.

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HYDRONICS

B y P et er M e ridew Peter R. Meridew, B.Tech., Mech Eng., is a semi-retired mechanical building services consultant with extensive knowledge of HVAC, plumbing and electrical building systems, energy efficient building design & construction and indoor air quality evaluation. He can be reached at peter.meridew.mb@gmail.com.

You put the expansion tank, where?

T

he very first expansion tanks were galvanized cisterns, located in the attic, but this obviously did not work in very cold locations – in fact they didn’t work very well even

in milder climates. They tended to freeze when most needed and sometimes a bird would fall in and cause an awful stink. (That’s a personal childhood experience, I’d rather not recall.)

We’ve come a long way since then.

Looking back The first indoor expansion tank was a simple welded steel cylinder with a sightglass and everyone knew there was only one place for it – at the ceiling level in the basement directly above the boiler.

It required a couple of special fittings to get the dissolved air into the tank.

The principal problem with this arrangement is the very limited operating pressure for the hydronic system.

Most, if not all, early hydronic systems were designed for gravity circulation and when pumps were added to improve performance, the simplest location for these pumps was at the floor level beside the boiler. In 1954, Amtrol invented the first diaphragm expansion tank, which allowed this smaller, pre-pressurized expansion tank to be located elsewhere in the system, but for it to function properly it needs to be properly placed so that it works efficiently with the pump.

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Where to put the tank…

The first and obvious choice for placement of these new expansion tanks was to replicate the earlier arrangement above the boiler.

The main problem with this is that the full pump head pressure can only reduce the upstream system pressure because, in a closed loop system, the discharge pressure is fixed by the expansion tank – the system’s “neutral point.”

The danger with this is that a negative pressure can more easily occur at the top of a multistorey building, or with a system having a high head pump. Remember, the pump’s only job is to overcome the system’s pipe friction plus valve and equipment pressure drops.

Pressure at this “neutral point” can only change if water or air is added/removed from the system. The main pressure change happens when the system heats up and the expanded water enters the tank.

Relocating the pump downstream of the expansion tank connection can increase the pressure in the boiler by the pump’s head when the pump is on, which could be drastic with a low-pressure boiler and, at the very least, can get the SRV to act up, depending on its setting.

Rearranging so that the expansion tank is located downstream from the boiler, but with the pump still located upstream from the boiler is not much better because the pump’s head is still deducted from the system pressure, with the resulting possibility of negative pressure at the top of the system.

My preference for placement, both when the boiler room is at the lowest or highest point of the system, is shown in this diagram.

Here, the pump has been relocated downstream both from the boiler and also from the expansion tank. This ensures that the pump’s head is added to the static pressure created by the expansion tank and that the boiler pressure remains the same with the pump on or off, and not causing any problem for the SRV.

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC

A BIG FAN OF

BIG I

The historic use of large overhead fans was to provide a downdraft cooling effect for occupants. In a commercial or industrial application, this cooling may be sufficient to avoid refrigerant-based air conditioning altogether.

n our net-zero energy vacation house, where we incorporated more than 25 relatively new technologies, I can tell you that without a doubt, the technology that my threeyear-old grandson is most fascinated with is the incredibly quiet and efficient ceiling fans that incorporate the latest ECM fan drives.

He loves feeling the breeze on a hot summer night. And we can all appreciate the cooling effect derived from the air movement of overhead fans. This is yet another mechanical offering that has benefited greatly from the advances in fan motor drives and controls.

If destratification strategies haven’t been in your mechanical solutions tool box, the availability of great new variable-speed fan technologies should have you searching out Canadian fan manufacturer partners to offer your clients yet another way to simultaneously improve energy efficiency, comfort and control of commercial and industrial buildings.

ASHRAE’s 55-2013 Standard Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy recommends a maximum velocity in the occupied zone of less than 1.2 m/s (240 FPM) if the occupants are given control over the cooling fan speed, and below 0.8 m/s (160 FPM) if occupants are not given control.

Indeed, it is time to apply de-stratification opportunities for comfort and temperature control, as well as energy management, in a wide range of commercial and industrial applications – both in summer and winter.

It is desirable to be able to control and adjust the flow rate, to match specific applications and such variables as the

Ours is a rather simple residential application, but the real opportunity for large diameter fans is for your commercial and industrial customers.

Gord Cooke

42

The velocity of air to create a cooling effect starts at approximately 0.25 m/s, or 50 feet per minute (FPM).

M e c h a n i c a l

height of the building, variances in occupant workload and activities, temperatures in the building, and any specific work processes that might be sensitive to air movement. For example, it might be necessary to reduce downdraft velocity during a specific time of day in a printing operation.

The fine control of the velocity at the critical work area (the desired terminal velocity) has been greatly enhanced over the past decade as availability of more cost effective electronically commutated fan motors and variable frequency drives for fans with higher torque requirements has improved.

With respect to “free cooling” applications, there have been obvious energy and comfort control benefits for years and these opportunities are now enhanced with the availability of better fan motor options.

Gord is a professional engineer who has spent 20 years helping builders and HVAC contractors implement innovative technologies into high-performance homes. He has particular expertise in IAQ and airflow management in houses, and can be contacted at gcooke@airsolutions.ca.

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Photo: Big Ass Fans [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

FEELING A COOL EFFECT

FANS TO HELP WITH HEATING? Less obvious to many, perhaps, are potential energy savings from the use of large fans during heating season. The potential energy reduction is related to three factors.

First, in tall buildings, warm air rises and increases the temperature difference across the roof assembly.

The greater the temperature difference across a building component, the greater the heat loss. For example, with an outside temperature of -20°C, if the temperature at the underside of

the roof assembly rises from 20°C to 25°C, that would mean the temperature difference across the assembly has increased by 5°C, or 12.5 per cent. This would result in 12.5 per cent more heat flow across the roof area at that instant in time.

Second, the pressure of warm air rising, typically called stack pressure, induces exfiltration through any leakage points near the top of the building and infiltration of cold air through leakage points at the bottom of the building enclosure.

Again, the available pressure is a function of the temperature between outside and inside, the height of the building and the atmospheric pressure in the location of the application.

Using that same -20°C outside and 20°C inside, and assuming a building height of six metres, for a building within 200 metres of sea level the theoretical stack pressure would be in the order of 10 Pa (0.04 w.c.) on that cold day.

should be clear that there will be an energy loss associated with air leakage of the building due to the stratification of warm air rising in tall open buildings.

Third, it should be considered that the stratification of air may result in thermostat settings for a tall building to be set higher than otherwise necessary to maintain comfort for occupants at ground level. This too would increase winter energy use.

That is equivalent to the pressure one might feel in a 15 kph wind. It

ESTIMATING THE SAVINGS The actual energy use impact of stratification will be affected by many variables. Clearly, taller, leakier, poorly insulated buildings will have more energy use due to stratification. In addition, the layout of the building, the placement of shelving, products, process equipment and heat sources will impact stratification.

Turning up the speed In addition to the large, low-velocity fans, there are also smaller, highvelocity fans, often referred to as turbo fans, that can be used to destratify air in confined areas, like between storage racks.

WHICH WAY IS UP? A common design question is which direction the fan should run when in heating or cooling mode.

To get a summer cooling effect, the fan would be in a downdraft mode to create the desired 50 to 240 FPM velocity in the occupied zone.

In winter, downdraft is also desired. You want to avoid pushing air up towards the ceiling since that would increase exfiltration rates. The difference, however, is that the fan speed would be adjusted so that the velocity in the occupied zone is just under 50 FPM, so as to avoid draft complaints.

For example, the placement of radiant tube heaters to heat floor slabs has been done for at least 20 years to help reduce stratification effects.

Stratification in glazed atriums presents a unique set of variables as the intermittent nature of solar gains would change temperature gradients within an atrium dramatically from day to night, and even hour to hour.

Therefore, attempts to calculate the energy loss associated with stratification and potential expected energy savings that might be gained with destratification efforts have, in the past, been largely theoretical.

Fortunately, studies have been done in Canada to document savings. One such study was completed 10 years ago by Enbridge. In a 100,000 ft2 building with ceiling heights of 28 feet, five large diameter (20’) fans were installed.

While it is common in buildings this tall to have ceiling temperatures as much as 10°C higher than temperatures at floor level, the operation of the fans reduced the average temperature difference to less than 4°C at the ceiling and raised the temperature at ground level by an average of 1.5°C, reducing the stratification significantly.

Energy use was monitored in the building, and annual natural gas use was predicted to be 20 per cent less. The return on investment on the total project cost was estimated to result in a payback period of less than five years.

A simple savings estimate calculator that was developed from that study, and others, can be found on the enbridgesmartsavings. com website.

WINTER just under 50 FPM

SUMMER 50 to 240 FPM

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43

HVAC

Peter R. Meridew, B.Tech., Mech Eng., is a semi-retired mechanical building services consultant with extensive knowledge of mechanical systems, energy efficient building and indoor air quality evaluation. He can be reached at peter.meridew.mb@gmail.com.

B y Pe t e r Me r i d e w

ADVENTURES IN

ENERGY CONSERVATION

OVERSIZED, AND THEN SOME As I went through the efficiency evolution of my living space, I performed some fairly basic heating calculations, based on the furnace run time versus outdoor temperatures. Our furnace output of 72,000 BTUH was more than double the heat loss at our winter design conditions of -7oC (19oF).

I know this sounds really ridiculous, but many contractors in the last century didn’t do detailed calculations, and the thinking was generally to add a little, “just to be safe.”

Not satisfied with my earlier heat loss estimate, I conducted a room-by-room calculation that determined the design heat loss to be just over 28,000 BTUH, but without any warm-up allowance.

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W

hen my wife and I moved to Vancouver Island in the summer of 2007, we bought a 1,750 sq. q. ft. detached bungalow that had been built uilt in 1991. It was the start of a personal odyssey yssey into the realm of energy conservation.

overall draftiness on the main floor. That November, we had the family room fireplace sealed-combus replaced with a sealed-combustion unit and duc that had been closed off a combustion air duct hidden behind the old fireplace fireplace. Much more comfort comfortable.

d in, When we moved the house had a good south-facing backk garden, featured by-6 well insulated 2-by-6 on, frame construction, and was built on a four-foot-high d crawlspace. It had an induced draft, 75% al gas warm efficiency, natural m, an atmospheric natural air heating system, eater, and two open-front draft gas water heater, aces. natural gas fireplaces.

Over the next coup of years, I couple work on reducing worked h the heat losses by having the original aluminu aluminum-framed window replaced windows re-in and re-insulated the crawlspace walls from R6 to R15. We included the header aareas and sealed off two senseless outdoor craw crawlspace vents.

It wasn’t until later in the year that the heating system ran for the first time. Of course it had to happen at night, so we were in bed when the furnace alarmed us awake – what a noise!

The next morning, I opened it up and reset the fan speed from high to low. That made a significant improvement in the sound level, but even as the weather cooled to winter conditions, the furnace only ran for very short periods of time and the areas close to both the fireplaces were quite drafty.

Upon closer inspection of the systems, I found that there was no combustion air intake for the furnace, but there was an outdoor intake duct connected to the cold air return, but with its damper fully closed.

I rearranged this to provide combustion air adjacent to the furnace, which reduced the

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d I also sealed all of the supply ductwork joints and added duct insulation beca because, by now, h crawlspace l the was ffar too warm.

These actions reduced my actual natural gas consumption by over 30 per cent. Remember, always work on conservation measures before investing in higher efficiency equipment.

That’s much more cost effective.

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HVAC

Silence is golden

OUT GOES THE FIREPLACE

At the beginning of the first cooling season I just happened to be in the crawlspace and discovered that the DHW piping to the hydronic air handler was hot while the cooling system was in operation.

I wanted a non-storage, condensing water heater that had an external circulation connection and a high efficiency rating, and the removal of that second gas fireplace made it possible.

The problem was that no motorized valve had been installed to shut down this loop when heating was off.

I removed the second gas-fired fireplace and replaced it with an LED electric unit. This freed up a roof terminal penetration and a combustion air intake duct close to the new tankless DHW unit.

We terminated the combustion air at a ceiling grille rather than directly connecting it to the new heater. This allowed it to do double duty by also supplying replacement air to the clothes dryer that is in the same room.

The removal of that second gas-fired fireplace’s combustion air duct really improved the comfort level in the living room.

The contractor returned and installed a two-port solenoid valve. He claimed that it would be fine, but my concerns were warranted the first time it closed. The activation was like a shotgun going off just below our bedroom.

I replaced it with a two-port, slow-closing motorized valve along with a compatible relay and transformer. It’s completely silent now.

Ongoing maintenance/repairs have, to date [Feb. 2019], been limited to replacing a contactor in the A/C condensing unit and solving a communications fault [loose wire] inside the DHW heater. The non-storage heater has been flushed just once, last spring, but the amount of sediment removed may encourage me to have this performed more frequently in future – say every two years.

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HVAC

Adding in an air handler A A couple of years ago, I arranged for a contractor to replace the original 25-year-old gas-ďŹ red, warm air furnace with a hydronic air o handler h connected to the tankless water heater’s piping loop.

Afte some initial discussion concerning heating capacity, we agreed on After a unit with an output of around 35,000 BTUH when using a water supply at 50oC (120oF).

At the same time, I had a 1.5-ton condensing unit installed, connected to a 2-ton evaporator coil downstream from the hydronic air handler, despite some reticence from the contractor that the unit would be undersized.

SPOTTING THE OPPORTUNITIES So, what’s the point of all this – other than an energyupdated, comfortable home?

Hopefully my story demonstrates that there are real opportunities for mechanical contracting businesses.

One good thing that came from the originally oversized heating system was that the existing ductwork was rather large, making it perfect for the higher air ow, lower SAT of the new heating system!

The original fresh air duct was insulated and reconnected to the return air plenum. A new MERV 8 air ďŹ lter ensured that our house would be much more than cat hair free.

During this past winter’s extremely cold weather, the outdoor temperature dropped to -7oC overnight but our new, more efďŹ cient systems kept our house at the desired indoor temperatures of 22oC daytime and 19oC night-time via a programmable thermostat (with long cycling times).

That’s a fairly happy conclusion to my quest for efďŹ ciency, which will likely last until I spot something else to tighten up.

By establishing contacts with local energy auditors and renovators, contractors and their industry partners can offer extensive advice to customers with older homes and other buildings that would beneďŹ t from energy efďŹ cient renovations.

Developing a progressive sequence of steps with your customers, perhaps spanning several years to complete as funds will allow, can lead to regular work for your ďŹ rm as well as to a far more energy efďŹ cient building for them. That’s not a bad win-win situation.

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47

PLUMBING

B y David Hu d so n an d Jam ie Du d ley

Accommodating pipe

movement I

nadequate accommodation of thermal expansion and contraction of pipes in a building can result in excess stress on the piping system, including increased incidence of ruptures and leaks, increased stress on boilers, chillers, valves and other equipment and components. This can negatively impact the owner(s) of the building due to increased maintenance costs and potential business shutdowns.

FLEXIBILITY FOR DEFLECTION

The key to effectively accommodating this expansion and contraction is to allow the predictable, controlled movement of the piping itself. Controlling the pipe’s movement can be done in a variety of ways, and the selection of a specific method is based upon the engineer, the type of piping system and the project parameters.

By using flexible couplings at changes of direction and directing the movement toward the directional change with properly placed anchors and guides, movement is accommodated by the joining method itself. This method also produces little or no additional stresses in the system.

The flexible grooved coupling allows for controlled angular flexibility.

One such method, the use of a grooved pipe joining system, conforms to industry practices while providing design flexibility, reducing stress on the piping system and providing a compact, inspectable and productive method of installation.

Grooved mechanical systems offer four different methods to provide flexible, controlled movement of a piping system. The selection of expansion joints, free-floating systems, flexible couplings or expansion loops will be based on the type of piping system, the amount of anticipated movement and the mechanical engineer’s preference.

By accommodating any excess stresses on the piping system, it becomes possible to reduce the risk of ruptures and leaks due to thermal expansion, which decreases the maintenance needs of equipment and simplifies the commissioning process.

Ensure anchorage and support is adequate. Use anchors to direct movement away from or to protect critical changes in direction, branch connections and structure. Spacing and types of supports should be considered in accommodating anticipated pipe movements.

FREE-FLOATING SYSTEMS Free-floating piping systems allow thermal expansion and contraction without the use of expansion joints. As long as this movement does not cause bending moment stresses at branch connections, it is not harmful to joints and changes in direction, nor to parts of structures and other equipment.

A free-floating system can be achieved by installing a combination of flexible and rigid couplings.

David Hudson is an engineering fellow with 37 years of experience at Victaulic Company working on grooved mechanical piping system applications. Jamie Dudley, is an engineering business development manager for Victaulic in Canada. For more information, contact Jamie at jamie.dudley@victaulic.com.

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Ensure that branch connections and offsets are sufficiently long so that the maximum angular deflection of the coupling is never exceeded, and that it can accommodate the anticipated total movement of the pipes. Otherwise, it is advised to anchor the system and to direct movements.

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PLUMBING

EXPANSION JOINTS TO ACCOMMODATE THERMAL MOVEMENT Expansion joints are devices that can be compressed or expanded axially for accommodating thermal movement.

THE GROOVED MECHANICAL PIPE JOINT Grooved mechanical couplings allow for movement in the pipe due to the design of the components.

The dimensions of the coupling key are narrower than the groove in the pipe.

This allows room for that coupling key to move in the pipe groove. Additionally, the width of the coupling housing allows for pipe end separation, leaving room for controlled linear and angular movement.

The mechanical coupling remains a selfrestrained joint, and the unique pressure responsive design provides sealing even under deflection and pipe movement.

An alternative to welded U-shaped expansion loops, welded offsets, expansion joints and rubber bellows, these couplings install quickly and accommodate movement within the design capability of the coupling’s free range of motion. This means that piping system movement caused by thermal expansion and contraction can be accommodated in a small space, with low stress on the components.

Expansion joints that use grooved mechanical couplings and specially grooved, short pipe nipples with flexible couplings are pre-set to allow the desired amount of contraction and/or expansion.

Axial movement can be adjusted by simply adding or removing couplings.

Flexible couplings also can be used strictly for their axial movement capabilities.

In this case, straight runs are anchored on each end and the piping is guided at every other length. Each flexible joint is pre-gapped (either fully gapped or fully closed/butted) at installation to ensure proper accommodation of the expected pipe thermal expansion and/or contraction.

Whether using specialty expansion joints or a grooved expansion joint, the adjacent piping must be properly guided to ensure the movement is directed into the device and no lateral movement is experienced.

Anchors should be classified as main or intermediate for the purpose of force analysis. Main anchors are installed at terminal points, major branch connections, or changes of piping direction. The forces acting on a main anchor are due to pressure thrust, velocity flow and friction of alignment guides and weight support devices.

Pipe alignment guides are essential to ensure axial movement of the expansion joint. If the situation allows, the expansion joint should be adjacent to an anchor within four pipe diameters. The first and second alignment guides on the opposite side of the expansion joint should be located a maximum distance of four and 14 pipe diameters, respectively.

Additional intermediate guides may be required throughout the system for pipe alignment. If the expansion joint cannot be located adjacent to an anchor, install guides on both sides of the unit.

Grooved mechanical couplings are either rigid or flexible. Rigid couplings are designed to fix the joint in its installed position, permitting neither linear, nor angular movement at the joints.

Flexible couplings are designed to allow controlled linear and angular movement at each joint, which can accommodate pipeline deflection.

PIPING IN

EXPANSION LOOPS

In straight runs of pipe, expansion loops that use a U-shaped pipe configuration can be designed into the piping system to accommodate expansion and contraction.

Expansion loops constructed using flexible couplings are smaller than welded loops of similar capacities, due to how each option accommodates the forces acting on the pipes.

Space constraints in buildings can make flexible couplings on expansion loops an attractive piping option.

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How to save money on trench drainage

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What: Mécanex/Climatex/Expolectriq/Éclairage (MCEE) Where: Place Bonaventure, Montréal, Québec When: Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 25, 2019: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Showcasing the industry, in Montreal Expected to attract more than 7,000 visitors, the Mécanex/Climatex/Expolectriq/ Éclairage (MCEE) show is ready to roll into Montreal’s Place Bonaventure from April 24th to 25th.

Featuring more than 400 exhibiting companies and thousands of products on the show floor, the event will be Eastern Canada’s largest trade show catering to the mechanical trades, as well as electricity and lighting professionals, this year.

In addition to the exhibit booths, the show’s agenda includes a wide array of free educational seminars and a new product showcase – an ideal spot to check out the latest in technology on your way to or from the show floor. Seminars, which are presented by CMMTQ, CIPH, CETAF and CMEQ, are offered in French, with first come-first served seating.

Show registration is free for visitors who sign up before 6 p.m. on April 23, after which a $25 entrance fee will be charged. mcee.ca

Look for

in this issue for products from exhibiting companies.

Free educational sessions *All sessions will be presented in French.

141

Show Hours

April 24, 2019 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

April 25, 2019 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Booth #141

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#336

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See Page 52 for complete floor plan

Seminars

List of Exhibitors

*Sessions will be in French.

*As of press time.

Companies in red have ads appearing in this edition of Mechanical Business.

3M Canada ...........................................461 A.M.T.S. ................................................613 A.O. Smith ............................................206 ABB (Thomas & Betts) .........................467 ACCEO Solutions ................................375 Accès location d’équipement ............935 ACQ ......................................................451 Acquaer Pumps ...................................817 Acuity Brands .......................................478 AD-Waters ............................................218 Aeroseal Global .................................3004 Agencies Rafales..................................234 Aimco....................................................779 Air Technovac ......................................819 Allpriser ................................................140 Alltemp ...............................................1022 Altec ......................................................651 Andre HVAC Int’l .................................101 Anvil Int’l Canada ................................309 Apollo Valves .......................................313 Armacell’s Insuguard .........................1026 Armstrong ............................................344 ASHRAE Montréal ...............................603 ASPE Montréal .....................................601 Atmosphere .........................................866 Axent Led .............................................250 Axiom....................................................334 Bacharach .............................................446 Bains Maax ...........................................800

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Baril .......................................................812 Baulne ...................................................737 Beghelli.................................................181 Bélanger-UPT .......................................707 Belimo...................................................904 Bell & Gossett ......................................851 Bemis ....................................................619 Best H Flow Control ............................818 Bibby-Ste-Croix....................................907 Big Bill (Codet) .....................................459 Biograde ...............................................986 Blanco ...................................................619 Blauberg Group ...................................872 Boîtiers STA..........................................485 Boshart..................................................319 Bow Group ...........................................902 Bradford White ....................................701 Brady .....................................................472 BRK Canada .........................................179 BSDQ ....................................................608 Bucan Electric Devices ......................3014 Calefactio .............................................119 Caleffi....................................................200 Calorek .................................................746 Camatec/Swep/Tranter .......................103 Canada Controls ..................................938 Can-Aqua .............................................217 Canplas .................................................912 Capteurs GR.........................................506

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Wednesday, April 24, 2019 10:30 a.m.

The ASHRAE 55 Standard and Occupant Comfort When designing buildings, should the primary importance be placed on the comfort of occupants or the effectiveness of the envelope and its systems? The ASHRAE standard provides a different perspective on the design of mechanical systems based on occupant comfort.

Speaker: Gilles Legault, CB Supplies Ltd.

For a full list of training sessions, visit www.mcee.ca.

Visit Oatey & Masters at MCEE Booth 532.

See Page 52 for complete floor plan

List of Exhibitors *As of press time.

Companies in red have ads appearing in this edition of Mechanical Business.

Carlisle HVAC (DynAir) ........................883 Carlo Gavazzi .......................................744 Caroma .................................................509 CB Supplies ..........................................504 Cellcom Communications ................3052 Centrotherm.........................................972 CETAF...................................................844 CHC ......................................................138 Cheminée Lining .................................837 Chemline Plastics...............................3016 Chevrier Instruments ...........................940 CIPH ......................................................132 CisoLift Distribution.............................783 CMEQ ...................................................367 CMMTQ................................................607 CMP Products ......................................577 CMS Air Filters .....................................870 Concept Illumination ...........................778 Condor Industriel.................................419 Connectall ............................................620 Contact Delage....................................155 Contrac .................................................713 Contrôles Laurentide ..........................741 Contrôles R.D.M. .................................332 Convectair ............................................360 Cree Canada ........................................283 Current, powered by GE.....................171 Dafco Filtration ....................................542 Dahl Valve ............................................321

Deflecto ................................................312 Delta Electronics ..................................816 Deluxair ................................................533 Descair Inc. ...........................................343 Deschênes & Fils .................................343 Desdowd ..............................................567 Direct Coil ............................................113 Distribution Jean Blanchard ...............774 Distribution Maxi Vent ........................932 Distribution Protec ..............................804 Diverse Electronics ............................1061 Dobbin Sales ........................................445 Douglas Lighting Controls..................371 Drumco Énergie...................................784 Duro Dyne ............................................544 Dyson ....................................................517 E.S. Gallagher Sales ............................871 Eastern Foundry & Fittings .................204 Eaton.....................................................359 Eaton B-Line.........................................567 ebm-papst ............................................773 Éclairage Axis.......................................275 Éclairage Contraste .............................257 Éclairage Delux ....................................376 Éclairage Hitech...................................271 Ecole-technologie gazière ..................617 Eco-LED ................................................255 Ecotherm ..............................................971 Eiko Canada .........................................183

Seminars *Sessions will be in French.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 11:00 a.m.

Air Duct Leaks: Impacts on Systems and an Innovative Way to Fix Them A presentation of three ventilation systems with significant leakage problems in the air ducts. The speaker will explain how the leakage problems were diagnosed, the serious consequences that these leaks had on the operation of the systems, and the innovative method used to correct them.

Speaker: Mario Canuel, Building Science Trainer

For a full list of training sessions, visit www.mcee.ca.

ANY JOB, ANY SIZE, ANYWHERE. WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED. Industrial Combustion offers a full line of high-quality, low-emissions burners specifically engineered to increase your boiler’s efficiency and decrease fuel costs and emissions. With the flexibility of multiple fuel options, there is an Industrial Combustion burner appropriate for commercial, industrial and institutional applications.

Call 1-608-325-3141 to find your local representative, or visit ind-comb.com for more information.

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©2019 Industrial Combustion, Inc.

Seminars *Sessions will be in French.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 1:00 p.m.

Sanitation of Ventilation Systems: Do you know?

The speaker will give examples and reallife cases of cleaning ventilation systems, from energy saving to improving air quality. The NADCA ACR 2013 standard specified in the performance specifications as well as the use of NADCA’s general specifications and the minimum requirements for successfully coordinating an HVAC remediation project will also be addressed.

Speaker: Pierre Tremblay, Groupe Environ/Air Inc.

Fusetek .................................................588 G. Mitchell ............................................716 General Pipe Cleaners ........................243 Gestion Minute ..................................1015 GF-Urecon ............................................342 Glen Dimplex .......................................251 Goodman .............................................806 Goodway ..............................................813 GPR Import ..........................................982 Great Lakes Copper ............................769 Greenlee...............................................254 Greentek...............................................878 Griswold Controls ................................417 Grundfos...............................................142 Heatcraft ...............................................975 Heat-Line ..............................................236 Hebdraulique .....................................3000 Hilmor .................................................1018 Holophane............................................258 Honco Bâtiments .................................767 Honeywell .............................................936 HPAC ....................................................134 Hubbell Canada...................................378 Hubbell Water Heater .......................3018 Hydronic Systems Canada ..................836 Hydro-Québec .....................................370 IBC ........................................................336 Idéal ......................................................157 I-Gard....................................................572 Imperial Mfg Group.............................885 Industries Dettson ...............................840

Elec-Trace.............................................661 Electrical Business ...............................675 Electrical Line .......................................557 Électricité Plus ......................................471 Enertrak ................................................545 Enviroair................................................841 Équipement Nat’l Énergie ................1060 Équipements Brossard ........................754 Erico/Nvent ..........................................567 Ericson ..................................................656 ESAB/TurboTorch................................733 ETI .........................................................771 Eurnortech Lighting.............................690 Fantech .................................................633 Federal Signal ......................................567 Fernco Connectors ..............................435 Financeit ...............................................951 FIPOE ....................................................470 Flexco ...................................................805 Flexcon .................................................217 Flexmaster ............................................513 FLIR Systems ........................................561 Fluidmaster ..........................................240 Fluke .....................................................259 Formadrain ...........................................107 Foss National Leasing .......................1012 Franke Kindred ....................................520 Franklin Electric/Little Giant ...............308 Franklin Empire ....................................261 FTQ .......................................................770 Functional Devices ..............................150

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Maximize your earning potential with Whalen’s Closetline® ² WKH PRVW HQHUJ\ HIÀFLHQW FRPSDFW family in the industry.

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WhalenCompany.com/Maximize We will be at the 2019 MCEE Expo in Montreal on April 24th & 25th. Come see us at booth 645 to view the Closetline® Series in person.

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See Page 52 for complete floor plan

List of Exhibitors

(as of press time)

Highlighted companies have ads in this issue.

Industries Granby ................................538 Inolec ....................................................280 InSinkErator ..........................................437 Intermatic .............................................159 Intertek .................................................915 IPEX Électrique ....................................660 IPEX .......................................................807 IPS .........................................................439 ITC Technologies.................................827 ITM Instruments ...................................556 Izo-Box ..................................................475 Jacmar Automatisation .......................780 Jalo Robinetterie .................................814 Jessar Industries ..................................270 John Guest ...........................................705 Jumo .....................................................671 Keeprite Refrigeration .........................967 Kidde ....................................................155 Klein Tools............................................567 L.G. Énergie .........................................618 La Companie Jess ...............................821 Lawson Products ................................3044 Le Groupe Master ...............................727 Le Groupe Roger Faguy .....................582 LEDCO..................................................488 Ledsion .................................................177 Legrand ................................................551 Legrand Wattstopper ..........................277 Lennox Industries ................................921 Leonard Valve ......................................207 Leotek Electronics ...............................567 Les Entreprises Roland Lajoie ............519 Les Équipements Twin ........................677 Les Fourgons Rive-Sud .......................759 Les Industries Ideal ............................2012 Les Produits Water Protec ..................714 Les Spécialistes AVA ...........................984 Les Ventes Mectra ...............................201 Leviton ..................................................372 Liberty Pumps ......................................405 Liteline ..................................................151 Lixil ........................................................627 Loue - Froid..........................................857 Lovato Electric .....................................479 Lumen ...................................................350 Lumisolution .........................................274 Lutron/Contact Delage .......................167

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 2 p.m.

Plumbing 101 This seminar is both a presentation of interesting plumbing technical elements and a reminder of the different resources available to industry stakeholders.

Speakers: Éric Fournier (top), GBI, and Daniel Marchand (bottom), Bouthillette Parizeau

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Lyncar/Waterline ..................................121 M.A. Stewart & Sons .........................1036 M2S Électronique ................................641 Mainline ..............................................3044 Malco ....................................................871 Manuflow ............................................1032 Maple Armor ........................................554 Masco ...................................................420 MCM Intégration .................................185 Mechanical Business Magazine ..... 141 Mersen ..................................................567 Métal Action.........................................406 Midbec..................................................337 Mifab .....................................................740 Milwaukee Tool....................................541 Mircom..................................................776 Mirolin...................................................416 Miura .....................................................941 Moen.....................................................130 Molex/Woodhead/Brad ......................567 Montquip............................................3008 Morris/Lee ............................................512 Moteurs Électriques Laval...................574 MSK.......................................................880 MTE.......................................................657 MTL Electric .........................................691 Multicam Québec ..............................1040 NAD Klima ...........................................735 NAVAC .................................................879 Navien...................................................436 NCI ........................................................442 NDS.......................................................976 Newmac................................................920 NIBCO ..................................................946 Niedax ..................................................187 Noark Electric.......................................457 Noble Quebec ...................................3040 Noritz ....................................................867 Northern Cables ..................................658 Northstar ..............................................306 Novanni ................................................219 NRGY ....................................................570 nVent Caddy ........................................238 Oasis .....................................................619 Oatey/Masters .....................................532 Ode Valve.............................................919 Omegaflex............................................314 Ontor ....................................................444 Opera Detectors..................................981 Ordre Des Ingénieurs .........................373 Ortech Industries .................................377 OS&B ....................................................214 Ouellet..................................................560 Panasonic .............................................875 Pascalex ................................................781 Pentair ..................................................317 Phoenix Contact ..................................791 Plumbing & HVAC ...............................233 Power Q. ..............................................276 Powerline Products .............................474 Powrmatic.............................................945 Praxedo Logiciel ..................................917 Premise LED.........................................380 Pro Ballast Génilux ..............................260 Pro Kontrol ...........................................145 Produits Neptune ................................301 ProgressionLIVE .................................3046 Pur Climat Contrôles .........................3020 QAI Laboratories .................................683 Quote Soft ...........................................421 RAB Design Lighting ...........................567

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Seminars *Sessions will be in French.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 2:15 p.m.

Artificial Intelligence: Valuing Big Data The speaker will discuss the value of data for real estate portfolio owners and consulting engineers, operation and maintenance service providers, and equipment manufacturers.

Speaker: Mark Anthony Sdao, AI Outcome

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 3:30 p.m.

Design and Consideration When Using Biogas in a Boiler Room As the properties of biogas are different from those of natural gas, it is important to understand the specific characteristics of this fuel.

Speakers: Francis Lacharité (top) and Michel Rhéaume (bottom), both of R.L. Energy Services

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 3:30 p.m.

Selecting an Air Collection System Recovery systems for pretreating fresh air are becoming increasingly popular and a multitude of options are available in the HVAC market.

Speaker: Richard Boivin, Enviroair Industries Rack-A-Tiers .......................................................654 RBQ.....................................................................605 Rectorseal ...........................................................637 Reed Mfg............................................................316 RefPlus ................................................................745 Régulvar..............................................................550 Rehau ..................................................................441 Reliance ..............................................................717 RG Technilab......................................................846 Rheem.................................................................527 Ridgid ...............................................................1017 Rinnai ..................................................................970 Riobel..................................................................244

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See Page 52 for complete floor plan

List of Exhibitors (as of press time) Highlighted companies have ads in this issue.

Rodwick .................................................... 327 Rosenberg Fans ....................................... 832 Roth........................................................... 801 Royal Produits de Bâtiment .................... 154 RVE ............................................................ 673 Salus Controls .......................................... 340 Saniflo ....................................................... 700 Schier Products ........................................ 415 Sèche-Mains Comac................................ 458 Security Chimneys Int’l ............................ 105 Selkirk ....................................................... 961 Services Energétiques R.L. ..................... 861 Services Flo .............................................. 567 Signify ....................................................... 356

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 4:30 p.m.

HVAC Design for the Cannabis Industry Cannabis producers are investing in HVAC systems to optimize the quantity and quality of the product.

Speakers: Paul Pieper (top), Specialized Equipment, and Andrew Nader (bottom), The Master Group

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 5:00 p.m.

Differential Pressure Control: Mechanical Controllers and Multiple Probes Speakers: Antti Valikangas, Victaulic

Thursday, April 25, 2019 10:30 a.m.

Plumbing Several topics reflecting the current concerns and challenges facing contractors, engineers and designers will be discussed during this presentation.

Speakers: Éric Gagnier (top), Régie du bâtiment du Québec, and Henri Bouchard (bottom), CMMTQ

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Silver Star Montréal ................................. 966 Sinopé Technologies .............................. 555 Sioux Chief ............................................... 213 SJE Rhombus ........................................... 401 Slant/Fin ................................................... 117 Solaira Heating Technologies ................ 558 Solutions Well Green .............................. 175 SOS Location ........................................... 955 Southwest Energy Control ...................... 657 Southwire.................................................. 161 Spartan Peripheral Devices .................. 3034 Speed Clean ............................................ 813 Standard Products ................................... 267 Stanley Black & Decker ........................... 237 Stelpro ...................................................... 351 Strato Automation ................................... 536 Sunrise Tradex ......................................... 927 Sylvania ..................................................... 366 Taco .......................................................... 227 Techspan .................................................. 589 Tecnico Chauffage .................................. 133 Tecoustics................................................. 139 Testo ......................................................... 867 The Mee Group ....................................... 916 The StressCrete Group ........................... 354 The Whalen Company ............................ 645 Thermo 2000 ............................................ 820 Thomas & Betts ....................................... 467 TopSupports ............................................ 734 Trans Continental .................................. 1050 Transformateurs Delta............................. 567 Trelec/Meltric ........................................... 563 Trilex ......................................................... 751 Trovac ....................................................... 559 TTI Climatisation Chauffage ................. 1066 UEi ............................................................. 750 Unimanix ................................................. 1029 Uponor...................................................... 320 Uptown ................................................... 1020 Usines Giant Factories ............................ 721 Vertikal Equipements .............................. 667 Vesta, DS ................................................ 3010 VFC ........................................................... 659 Victaulic .................................................... 612 Viega ......................................................... 333 Viessmann ................................................ 127 Viking ........................................................ 483 Viqua ......................................................... 307 Viscor ........................................................ 153 VistaQua ................................................... 619 Voltech...................................................... 286 Vortex ....................................................... 148 Ward Mfg. ................................................ 704 Warmup .................................................... 685 Watts ......................................................... 427 Webstone ................................................. 946 Weil-McLain ............................................. 412 Weishaupt ................................................ 979 Wera Tools ............................................... 766 Westburne ................................................ 477 Western Valve .......................................... 867 Westinghouse .......................................... 455 WILO ......................................................... 616 Wolseley ................................................... 833 YogaPipe .................................................. 867 Zanotti....................................................... 942 Zip Cable Tray.......................................... 156 Zitta ........................................................... 500 Zoeller ....................................................... 516 Zoomlock.................................................. 959 Zurn ........................................................... 221

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Seminars *Sessions will be in French.

Thursday, April 25, 2019 10:30 a.m.

New Regulations on the Use of Synthetic Refrigerants and Propane (R-290) Speaker: Alain Mongrain, Emerson Climate Technologies

Thursday, April 25, 2019 11:30 a.m.

CO2: Possible uses Heavily used in Europe, CO2 made a gradual entry into North America a decade ago.

Speaker: Pierre Lévesque, Ceptek Technologies

Thursday, April 25, 2019 12:30 p.m.

The Benefits of Modulation in Residential Heating Speaker: Mario Bouchard, Granby Industries

Thursday, April 25, 2019 1:30 p.m.

Improving Refrigeration Service Call Efficiency Speaker: Serge Tremblay, Ke2 Therm Solutions

Thursday, April 25, 2019 2:00 p.m.

Evolution of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Systems and New Hybrid Technology Speaker: Jocelyn Léger, Mitsubishi Electric

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Road Warrior Bradley Rempel

Name: Bradley Glenn Rempel Company: Patno’s Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Job title: Plumbing/HVAC Tech Born and lives in: Edmonton Age: 31 Family: Wife Leanne, children Grayson (7), Jayce (5) and Linkyn (2) In the mechanical industry since: 2006

Bradley Rempel Inspired to serve L

Photos: Aaron Kurmey

ike many technicians, it wasn’t dreams of a big salary, good holidays and a chance to drive a shiny new truck that first attracted Brad Rempel to the trades. It was the thrill of being able to help people that really won him over.

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Rempel’s father operates Patno’s Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning in Edmonton, and while he may have provided the entry point to the trades for his son, it was in finding and then fixing problems for people that Rempel found his biggest reward.

“I have been working with my dad in the trades since I was about 11 or so, helping on weekends and such. I enjoyed the type of work and experience,” he says.

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“When I graduated, I was looking into other careers but was brought back to the trades and have been with it ever since.

“I really enjoy the service side of the job. You come up against different issues all the time and being able to troubleshoot and repair issues that may have been going on for a long time is satisfying.”

That’s what gets Rempel out of bed in the morning and what’s certainly even more satisfying for him than that new truck smell!

Favourite car of all time: 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

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The current work ride: Ford E250.

In the line of fire

Favourite class: In high school it was math and in trade school it was controls.

Being there to help a customer in need may be satisfying, but it’s not always easy – or hygienic.

A call to an apartment building with a blocked laundry drain began one of those days every tech has gone through at one time or another.

“Having found no flooding on the main floor, I eventually found the maintenance man in the basement boiler room where he had opened one of the building’s main clean-outs and 25 storeys of sewage was pouring out,” recalls Rempel.

“He was standing under the clean-out trying to snake it with a basin hand auger. I brought a much larger snake and, even though I was off to the side, the sewage was still unavoidable.

I was wearing coveralls that were tucked into my rubber boots ockage cleared, my boots were full. and by the time I got the blockage d, but “I washed up the best I could, I called my wife on the way d home to get fresh clothes and

Average time spent on the internet each day: One to two hours, unless I’m using my smartphone for manuals and troubleshooting.

a towel ready so I could go ng straight in the shower. Looking back now it’s a funny story. At the time, not so much.”

Kilometres per day: Anywhere from 50 km to 150 km.

Service area: Edmonton and surrounding area out to Half Moon Lake, Camrose and Smoky Lake.

Most useful tool: My smartphone is great for looking up schematics, wiring diagrams and service manuals.

Favourite tool: Klein 11-in-1 screwdriver.

Tool that you wish you had? Fluke 87V. Greatest teacher: Mr. Spatafora, Grade 7.

Coolest project you’ve worked on: We did all the in-floor heating in a very large house. We also had to design and pipe in the entire boiler system, HVAC/ductwork and indirect hot water system complete with multi-zone controls for the in-floor system.

Favourite snack: Any sour gummy candy, but preferably Sour Patch Watermelons.

Favourite non-work website: The Chive.

What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee.

Favourite work website: Google.

Hobbies: Skating, video games and trying to do some woodworking projects.

Favourite app: Facebook.

One wish: It’s a cliché: To win the lottery.

Favourite band: Linkin Park.

Best concert ever attended? Sonic Boom 2012, the only time Linkin Park ever came to Edmonton.

Last book read: Dan Brown’s Inferno for me and Lambert the Sheepish Lion for the kids.

Favourite place to hang out: I enjoy being at home with my family.

One thing most people don’t know about you: I love artwork and drawing but have no time to do it anymore.

Photo: John Packman

Favourite TV stations: HGTV, History and Discovery Science.

Favourite actor: Ryan Reynolds.

Favourite movie of all time: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s a classic.

Favourite sport: Hockey.

Best sporting event ever attended in person: Any of my kids’ hockey games.

Favourite outdoor activity: Camping.

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BIGGER AND BETTER. Bradford White’s eF Series® now in 119 gallon capacity Bradford White’s eF Series® of Ultra

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See the eF SeriesÂŽ and much more at the

MCEE Show April 24 & 25 Visit us at Booth #701

PLUMBING

B y L an ce M acNev in Lance MacNevin, P.Eng., is the director of engineering in the Building & Construction and Power & Communications divisions of the Plastics Pipe Institute. He can be reached at lmacnevin@plasticpipe.org.

STAYING

OUT

OF THE SUN I’ve often described the potential negative effect of sunlight on PEX tubing as being similar to the effect of Kryptonite to Superman. If polyolefins, a type of material that includes PEX, are not protected against ultraviolet (UV) exposure from sunlight, they can degrade. But it is possible to protect the PEX, and other plastic piping materials.

For example, most HDPE water pipe contains carbon black. This provides decades of UV-blocking protection.

Likewise, most PEX products contain inhibitors and/or UV-blocking colourants or coatings to protect them.

PEX manufacturers, and industry groups like PPI, endeavour to inform users of PEX systems about the need to be aware of UV resistance, which can be different for each product.

Industry does this through labelling and literature. For example, PPI offers Technical Note TN-32 UV Labelling Guidelines for PEX Tubing and Pipe, which can be found on its website.

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PROTECTING

plastic pipes W

hether you’re new or old to the construction industry, you have seen the wide use of plastic materials in piping systems for plumbing, fire protection and hydronic applications. Plastic pipe materials are resistant to corrosion, join without the use of flames, are lightweight for handling, often have lower material costs, and many types can be recycled, but did you know that most types of plastic piping materials have sensitivities to certain exposures?

PLASTICIZING THE PIPE Sunlight is not much of a concern for chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) piping materials.

Instead, users of CPVC pressure pipes for applications like plumbing, fire protection and hydronics need to be aware of the potential chemical effects that can occur when other construction materials come in contact with it.

The effects of such contact can be slow and gradual, but can lead to eventual failure of the piping materials over time.

To a mechanical engineer like me, chemistry is a bit of black art. Fortunately, the piping world is staffed with chemical engineers with expertise in predicting, testing, and analyzing the potential for compatibility issues. Lubrizol, the firm that pioneered CPVC piping materials in the 1950s and supplies much of the CPVC compounds to pipe and fitting producers in North America, has done significant research on potential compatibility issues.

For example, there is a compatibility issue that can apply to CPVC pipe or fittings touching flexible plasticized insulation, like what’s used on some electrical wire.

Among the examples of products that the company lists as potentially being incompatible with CPVC are caulks, hanger padding, vinyl dip coatings, rubber gaskets, electrical wire

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They warn that, over time, pipes can soften or crack from exposure.

“The identification of a chemical as ‘incompatible’ with a plastic is often misunderstood as a guarantee of the eventual failure of the plastic if it is used in contact with the chemical. Actually, chemicals range in effect from ‘always causes failure in every circumstance’ to ‘zero effect in any circumstance,’” explains Michelle Knight, senior scientist at Lubrizol’s headquarters.

Most chemicals that might contact the pipe in a typical building installation fall somewhere in between these two extremes. Of course, chemicals that do cause some weakening of the plastic, but not enough to cause failure under most conditions, do open the door to plastic piping materials being susceptible to failure if additional contributions, like high mechanical stresses, act on the part at the same time.

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Knight explains that there are two factors that need to be addressed to minimize the potential for chemically-induced failure.

First, contact with potentially incompatible products should be avoided as much as possible by choosing products known to be compatible with CPVC, or by isolating the pipe from questionable products.

Second, to minimize the risk from unanticipated chemical contact, mechanical stress should be minimized.

“Seldom can one completely predict all the mechanical variables and all the different kinds of chemical substances that will end up inside or on the exterior of a piping system.

Therefore, it’s prudent for the piping system designer and installer to do what they can to control the various factors that can contribute to environmental stress cracking,” she says

Photo courtesty of HoldRite

“It’s important that the manufacturer’s installation instructions be consulted regarding the best way to design and install the piping system. These guidelines contain recommendations for proper connection and joining techniques, appropriate piping hangers, placement of supports, thermal expansion compensation, and more.

“Incorporating these recommendations into the design and construction of the piping system can help minimize extra mechanical stress.”

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Marketing

with DOUG MACMILLAN

Do I have your attention?

M

ore than half of online readers will spend just 15 seconds on a blog or article before they move on. Granted, a printed publication is more of a commitment by readers so ine and plan to stay a while, but we hopefully you’ve curled up with this magazine still have a duty to gain, and maintain, your attention.

Trust is important Condensed messaging all leans

A fairly recent study from Microsoft found that on from 2000 to 2015 the average adult attention Thatt’s span dropped from 12 seconds to just eight. That’s a huge drop in 15 years. The attention span for a uickly uickly.) goldfish is nine seconds. Let that sink in. (Quickly.)

Okay, back to the eight seconds.

strongly into the “sales promotion” marketing camp: drop an offer or discount they simply can’t refuse. But marketing is more than that.

Back to that Microsoft study about the goldfish. There is a robust school of thought to suggest our attention spans aren’t necessarily declining; they are simply evolving – toward an early indication of value, yes, but also toward

This shorter target time is reaching all areas of our lives, ars ago, and it is certainly true in marketing. Ten years a typical corporate video ran five minutes.

Recently, I worked with a client to tighten his company narrative into 60 seconds.

YouTube permits viewers to skip ads after andering brand messages if just five seconds, giving us little time for meandering we want to capture that viewer.

Long-form public relations – articles that go on for five or six pages and five-minute TV segments – have all but disappeared in favour of quick hits, reads and clips, and a short mention from an online influencer can be prized.

content that comes from a reliable source.

Once people sense trust or value, we are willing to invest our time.

If we don’t trust you, you get little of our attention. Getting them quickly is

Just look at the past couple of Super Bowls, where the build-up for the new commercials can be more exciting than the game: There are far more shorter ads, and there are fewer and fewer of the popular “story” commercials that run two to three minutes in length.

All this means is that we need to change how we advertise and engage with customers.

8 tips for quick marketing

heavily assisted by building a brand that is known for exceptional knowledge, service that blows away all expectations, and a company that has a reputation for doing good for employees and communities.

If we can build this strong base, we’ve warmed up the crowd before we take even one second of their precious time.

1 2 3

Create “snack ads” simple value proposition.

Start with the offer

M e c h a n i c a l

Introduce the key value first in a print, radio or video ad, then

back up why it’s valuable. This reverses an age-old structure of establishing a pain point, then showing how you can fix it.

Stick to one singular message Avoid anything unnecessary and keep the message simple. Be ruthless about what can be removed from a first draft. You can put more content or “fine print” on a web page.

Doug MacMillan is president of The Letter M Marketing in Guelph, Ont. To reach him, email doug@thelettermmarketing.com.

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Videos or simple six- to eight-second animations are growing in

popularity on digital platforms. That’s little time to do much more than broadcast a deal or

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Marketing with DOUG MACMILLAN

promotions that you can deploy within an hour or two. Plumber? You know when flooding is more likely, or when pipes will be at risk of bursting. Use that knowledge and time your messaging.

4

Ramp up the frequency Consistency and repetition are important to stand out, even if it means you’re running smaller ads or choosing fewer channels.

Keep hitting them quickly with the same message.

5

Rely on visuals

6

Don’t be boring

7

Timing is more critical than ever

An infographic, clever photo or similar graphical presentation of your content (for example, put the “low monthly payment” in a big, bold circle) is more eye-catching and requires less effort from the reader.

8

Provide information in smaller segments

Blogs and longer-form content are still important for effective search engine optimization, and to demonstrate your professional expertise and experience. Look at the use of lists, such as this one, or small case studies that together tell a story, or even a question and answer format. The aim is to serve up content in smaller, sharable segments.

Did you know?

The same old ad with the same old stock photo will not grab attention quickly. Be bold, funny, provocative, confident, different, even weird – just don’t be boring.

People are more attentive when the information is relevant and timely. If you’re in the HVAC business, have pre-prepared cold snap or heat wave campaigns or

In the music industry, where streaming now accounts for 75 per cent of revenue, the intro for pop songs – that instrumental segment before the main singer is heard – has shrunk from about 20 seconds to just five. The new song writing mantra?

Don’t bore us, get to the chorus.

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By M a r k Pa r l i a m e n t an d Al e x a ndr a W e n n b e r g P a r l i am en t

VENTING

about venting IT’S NOT A VENT, IT’S A SYSTEM Category IV appliances tend to use PVC and CPVC because of its low cost, but there’s more to venting than cost.

First, in Canada, PVC and CPVC pipe needs to be ULC S636 certified. And all joints need to be properly connected and welded, and the pitch of the venting should be so that it is draining back to the appliance.

Even though these BH venting systems require us to follow a specific set of directions, there are technicians who insist on not adhering to the basic manufacturer’s instructions. We often see the use of the wrong product for the application, or fittings that do not match the manufacturer’s instructions, or improperly matched solvents and pipes – ULC S636 certification applies to a complete pipe, fittings and cement system, and the system does not permit mixing of components.

This, ladies and gentlemen, often contributes to the most common reason for failure – improper installation. It is imperative that installers understand that, with today’s equipment, we are working with certified venting systems.

Some authorities having jurisdiction have gone so far as to require that installers take a certification course.

And some vent manufacturers require you to re-certify every three years.

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G

ood venting is more than making sure the outside vents are placed above the snow line. Of course, those snow lines were top of mind while we were writing this article since we were in the midst of a polar vortex and 30-centimetre snowfall while contemplating the complexities of venting.

This winter had many of us trudging through snow drifts for our customers.

Remember the “good old days” of Category I appliances, when we had to rely on the stack effect in the chimney to remove the products of combustion?

Usually made of single-wall galvanized pipe, Category I vents were mostly found on older, less efficient, 70% AFUE or less, equipment. As we worked through the increase in efficiency up toward 78 or 80% AFUE, the industry switched from single-wall pipe to double-wall, but we still relied on the natural draft to remove the products of combustion.

Now that we are mandated to install 90% efficient equipment, many in the field believe there is very little left to discuss where venting is concerned. That, however, could not be further from the truth.

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HVAC WELDING, CEMENTING, BUT NOT GLUING

CLEAN SURFACES ARE A MUST

When it comes to plastic vent installations, the reality is that we are not “gluing” the vent pipes; they are being solvent welded or solvent cemented.

The Category IV appliance is a positive pressure condensing vent where the need to ensure that the pipe is precisely cut is paramount.

While some installers may argue differently, these cuts cannot be made with reciprocating saws!

Training service provider TWI Canada explains, “Solvent welding is when a small amount of compatible solvent is applied at the joint interface. The solvent diffuses into the polymer, softening the surfaces and allowing interdiffusion of the polymer chains across the interface.

The weld is thus formed through the application of pressure. Since the solvent reduces the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer, welds can be formed without the applied heat necessary in other welding processes.

Some manufacturer’s will not expressly forbid the use of reciprocating saws, others clearly state that a PVC wheel cutter or chop saw SHALL be used. This is because there is a need to have a square cut free from shavings. Failure to remove the shavings can compromise the venting system, as well as affect the performance of the appliance.

“The process of solvent cementing works on the same principle as solvent welding, the difference being that polymer dissolved in solvent is used instead of a pure solvent.”

Since polymer chains are being formed when joining two pieces together, it is very important to have a good, clean joint that is properly reamed. Using a wet pipe or one with dirt or grease on it can be detrimental to achieving strong adhesion.

SUPPORTING IT ALL The support of the venting is critical to its performance and longevity.

LISTEN TO THE MANUFACTURER

Most manufacturers require the support of venting at five-foot intervals on horizontal pipes. hing that is often While most installers take this into account, one thing forgotten about is thermal expansion.

Terminations should always be completed based on the appliance manufacturer’s instructions. If a manufacturer includes terminations, they can be found in the vent length tables.

Where terminations are not included, installers need to be mindful that whatever termination they choose, the overall operations of the equipment is not negatively affected by the snow load.

Manufacturer’s certified instructions and the vent manufacturer’s instructions both stress the need for the vent to terminate at minimum 12” above the anticipated snow load.

With the increased frequency of “Snowmageddon” days and frigid cold like the polar vortex conditions we were hit with this past winter, the industry may need to consider increasing the minimum height of terminations to alleviate nuisance shut downs and the potential for a customer to suffer through no-heat episodes on those bitter cold winter nights.

M e c h a n i c a l

Most venting manufacturers require that the strapping for supports be made of metal but that does not mean that sheet metal duct work can be used as a support.

Venting supports need to be fastened securely, directly to the building structure as well as fastened to the venting snuggly enough to support its weight, but not so tight as to deform the pipe or stop movement during expansion and contraction.

HANDLING TIGHT INSTALLS With houses being built closer and closer together, it can be difficult to find a spot to properly vent the equipment. Installers need to thoroughly think through where they place the equipment vent terminations.

Mark Parliament is a senior training consultant with Lennox Learning Solutions. Alexandra Wennberg Parliament is the founder of Maven Marketing & Communications, an agency with specialized focus on the construction, real estate, HVAC/R and non-profit sectors.

To reach the authors, email awennberg@mavencommunications.ca.

76

For example, a 35-foot run of venting can see a half-inch of expansion and contraction. It is imperative that installers are mindful of such an expansion when installing the hangers and picking the location of where the venting will run.

Manufacturers are cognizant of this and are trying to alleviate some of these issues by allowing installers to terminate the intake and exhaust in different pressure zones. It is important to note that doing this with some higher efficiency units can cause situations of nuisance no heat.

Some equipment manufacturers are including a crawl space vent drain. These kits allow installers to run the venting out of the house down through a crawl space or under a pocket beam, allowing greater flexibility in terminating the vent.

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By Adam Freill

Sharing stories with T

he highway of Tom Cochrane’s life has taken him all over the world, including to the stretch of highway officially named in his honour, but his musical journey started with his first guitar at the age of 11.

“I think I was like a lot of kids at that time,” he said during a recent interview from his Toronto home.

“Initially, when I started out, it was innocent. We loved The Beatles, like everybody else, and the whole British Invasion sparked intense interest.”

Of course, the ’60s were an era of social change, and that change took hold of the aspiring musician, especially in the years following John Kennedy’s assassination and America’s official entry into the

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Vietnam War. Says Cochrane, “That was a bit of the end of the innocence.”

In his teens, he found the music of Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot and others as he started to play at local drop-in centres, coffee houses and pubs, which fostered both his singing and his song writing.

“Songs weren’t simple pop songs,” he recalls. “You saw that there was some real meat on the bones with people like Dylan’s work, and Leonard Cohen, of course, and Neil Young.”

That’s when the self-confessed closet poetry writer and sonic journalist started to entertain thoughts that his music could become his career.

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FINDING HIS VOICE With the folk scene in full swing, the coffee houses and drop-in centres of Toronto were magnets to young, talented musicians who were all vying for attention, so what helped Cochrane stand out?

“The big thing was always having a signature,” he says. “I was never the best singer; I was never the best guitar player; but I had something unique to offer.

“I think that’s the most important thing in business, or when developing your passion or vocation: you have to have an individual signature and voice.”

While imitation can start someone down a path, he says that failing to develop beyond simply being a carbon copy usually doesn’t lead to much success.

“A lot of the kids that I grew up with who were better musicians had trouble because they would sound too much like the people they were covering, the people they were copying,” says Cochrane. “Even though I might try to cover a Beatles song, or a Crosby, Stills and Nash song, or The Band – we just loved The Band – it would always come out uniquely.”

Being quick on his feet while on stage helped, too.

“In my early teens, when we used to play covers at drop-in centres, I would sometimes forget the words, so I would make up my own right on the spot,” he says. “It was frustrating for a time, because you want to duplicate those songs that you are covering precisely, but it would always come out in my own voice, with my own spin on how it should sound.

I realized, as I moved along, that this was one of the great advantages that I had as an artist.”

Give it to me straight “We need our people who mentor us,” says Cochrane. “My great friend Deane Cameron was always a believer and supportive, although he would dole out the tough love pretty good. But you need that.”

Being surrounded by people who only tell you what they think you want to hear can actually put roadblocks in your path. Growth happens when people who care offer honest, constructive criticism.

“You have to have people who are objective and honest,” he says.

“That’s really what true support and friendship is, if it is done in the right spirit – it needs to be done out of a real passionate desire to see you do well.

We need that.”

BECOMING A SONIC JOURNALIST Catch up with Tom online, or on the road this summer.

To find out where he’s playing next, visit www.tomcochrane.com.

Making it look easy A hallmark of a professional is that they make the hard stuff look easy, but it can take years to hone one’s craft, be that on stage or in the trades.

“Easy is a product of talent, plus perseverance, plus dedication,” says Cochrane. “And I would say that perseverance and dedication are bigger parts than talent.”

In his teens, Cochrane found journalism intriguing, and even considered it as a career option, so it should come with little surprise that some of his biggest hits have a story or message within them.

“I often call myself a sonic journalist,” he says. “I really did think that there was nothing more noble than going to a wartorn country and putting yourself on the front lines, in danger, and reporting back the truth. Journalism is very important.”

Working blue-collar jobs like driving a cab and working the loading docks at Sears so that he could make ends meet between music gigs inspired some of the stories that would influence his song writing.

“I started to gather and collect stories as they were told to me by people,” he says. “I worked a lot of those jobs, and I am grateful that I did because they gave me a real perspective on life and what people go through.

“Some of them are really distinct stories, like Big League, that you know is going to be a song – one where you sit down with your guitar and the whole song evolves on the spot, musically, lyrically, everything. Basically, 90 per cent of the song was done within 15 to 20 minutes because the story was percolating there.

“Big League is telling a story, and it is a story that cuts very close to home for most Canadians and even before the Humboldt tragedy which hit us all so deeply and collectively as a nation, it just resonated with us. It is powerful.”

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HVAC/R

B y Jam ie K it c hen Jamie Kitchen is an account manager for Danfoss. He previously was the training manager for Danfoss in North America. He can be reached at jamie_kitchen@danfoss.com.

Preventing

DAMAGE TO COMPRESSORS

REFRIGERANT MIGRATION & FLOOD BACK Taken together, refrigerant migration and flood back send a lot of compressors to an early grave.

However, they are separate things and require different solutions.

W

hen asked about why compressors stop working, I usually cite one of three causes: liquid refrigerant, overheating or oil loss.

It is important to note that the majority of compressors fail due to what is known as “application related failure.” In other words, a failure because there was something wrong in the system rather than in the compressor itself.

M e c h a n i c a l

When the compressor is colder than the rest of the system, refrigerant vapour will migrate to the place with the lowest vapour pressure.

If the coldest place is the compressor, the vapour will migrate to the

This can kill a scroll compressor just as easily as a reciprocating compressor as they are not immune to poor oil quality.

The solution is simple: if a pump down is not used, a crank case heater will keep the oil warm enough to avoid migration in the first place. cont’d on page 82

START WITH A PLAN

Fortunately, identifying and correcting problems does not have to be hard or time consuming, but can be part of the start-up procedure when commissioning the system or starting it after service work. The key is having a systematic process and knowing what to look for.

80

In refrigerant migration — also called off-cycle migration — the refrigerant finds its way back to the compressor when the compressor is off. There are several causes of this, including temperature differences and gravity.

compressor where it will be absorbed by the oil, gradually increasing in concentration until the compressor starts. If enough oil is absorbed by the refrigerant it will cause the oil to foam, resulting in very poor lubrication and accelerated wear.

When a compressor fails, it is important to find out why and eliminate the cause. The steps discussed in this article can be performed after the compressor is installed during system startup.

Checklists also make it quicker and easier for new technicians to ensure they do not make costly mistakes, so they are worth the time it takes to develop them.

If you have a good startup or commissioning checklist in place, it is easy to find and rectify any problems with the system before they can cause further damage. This is of the utmost importance as it is not enough just to know what to look for; you have to make sure it is done satisfactorily every single time and that you do not miss anything.

Finally, a case of multiple compressor failures in a system can almost always be traced back to a lack of proper startup procedure. If there had been a procedure in place, the issue would likely have been caught and remedied before it could have taken another victim.

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HVAC/R REFRIGERANT MIGRATION & FLOOD BACK, continued

In the case of refrigerant migration due to gravity, picture an application where the evaporator is higher than the compressor. If a trap that is above the evaporator circuitry is not utilized, refrigerant can drain back to the compressor and flood it.

The solution is to ensure that the evaporator and the condenser are piped so that refrigerant cannot drain back to the compressor. The manufacturer’s recommendations should be followed.

Refrigerant flood back occurs when there is more refrigerant being injected into the evaporator than there is heat load to evaporate it. This refrigerant will make its way back to the compressor with predictable, but unfortunate, results.

Overheating

To check for this, measure the suction line temperature about six inches from the compressor and the pressure as close to this point as possible, and use the pressure to determine saturation temperature. Subtract the saturation temperature from the measured temperature and this will give you the superheat.

Compressor motors require constant cooling in order to function correctly. It doesn’t take long for a rise in winding temperatures to shorten a motor’s lifespan, so it is important that the motor operates as cool as possible. The two big culprits that can affect this are the returning refrigerant condition and the supply voltage.

Motor overheating will occur if the suction pressure falls below the minimum required value, or if the refrigerant temperature is above a certain value. Too low of a pressure means not enough refrigerant is coming back and too high of a temperature means it is too warm to effectively cool.

Unfortunately, both conditions can sometimes occur at the same time, causing the system to suffer from a loss of charge.

Heat is generated in the motor due to the current running through the windings. When the compressor is under a high load, the current increases as does the heat generated by it. However, the current is also strongly dictated by the voltage to the compressor. If the voltage is allowed to drop, the current increases which then increases the

The minimum superheat value will change depending on the application so always consult the manufacturer’s literature to see what the value should be.

If this is not available, then look for at least 10ºF for a low-temp freezer and 15+ degrees F for an air conditioning system and ensure it is stable. If it is fluctuating rapidly, then there is a problem and the TXV is hunting.

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temperature of the motor windings.

Always measure and verify the voltage at the compressor before and after starting.

The pre-check verifies that the compressor motor and supply voltage match, and the running check makes sure the voltage did not drop under load. As always, verify the values with the compressor requirements.

For three-phase compressors, make sure each of the phases falls within specifications, as it is not uncommon for one or two to be

out of spec due to excessive single-phase loading elsewhere. Do not run the compressor if the voltage is below what is allowed!

Finally, it is important that the discharge temperature not exceed the maximum specified by the manufacturer. If operated under high superheat and/or low suction pressures, the discharge temperature can

become dangerously high.

This can cause the oil to break down and reduce lubrication of the moving parts.

Both excessive motor temperatures and discharge gas temperatures can result in compressor burnout—an expensive and labour-intensive problem to remedy that should be avoided at all costs.

OIL LOSS Oil loss refers to the lack of oil in the compressor sump, not necessarily the lack of oil in the entire system. In fact, a common case of low oil in the compressor is too much oil in the rest of the system. In other words, it went out and didn’t come back.

Since there is a specific amount of oil in a compressor that is required for it to operate, there cannot be more than a certain amount of system volume where the oil can reside outside of the compressor (for example, systems with long piping runs and multiple coils). Each manufacturer will specify when and how much additional oil will be required.

Pay special attention to applications where multiple compressors share common suction and discharge headers. There needs to be a way for the oil to be shared equally among all of the compressors. Compressors used in these applications will usually have an oil sump sight glass, so monitor the oil level and make sure it stays within the proper range.

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By Fred Bretzke

Fred Bretzke is a full-time pipe trades instructor with SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary and the general manager of A&B Plumbing & Heating. He can be reached at fred.bretzke@sait.ca.

PLUMBING

PLUMBERS NEED TO BE A HARDY LOT

M

ON TARGET, EVERY TIME Whether it’s in the summer or winter, commercial high-rise concrete buildings are a trade unto their own.

The Calgary site had some real artwork. Every pipe had to be in its perfect pre-measured spot to the centimetre and, in some cases, to the millimetre – and there was a lot pipe in this building.

Even the preparation of the plastic pipe in the basement and lower floors was a challenge as they were immersed in as much as 1.5 metres of concrete. This meant every soil and waste stack and every vent pipe had to be installed in exactly the right spot.

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y co-instructor, Darcy Knight, and I recently had a tour of a 19-storey high-rise building that was under construction in downtown Calgary with our third-year apprentices.

Hoover Mechanical was installing the mechanical systems, and their three experienced foremen did a great job of explaining the ins and outs of installing all the piping necessary for such a job site.

Walking through the complex, temperatures were in the -25°C range, and it was especially nasty when we were in open areas where the windchill ran to -30°C. I have been a teacher too long confined in my warm, cushy class to suffer this kind of abuse from Mother Nature. I felt sorry for the poor plumbers working in this artic-type weather, cutting and snapping cold cast iron pipe while trying to keep their vents and stacks perpendicular and parallel to each other.

The site kind of reminded me of when I was 17 and working in the cold Ontario winters running waterlines in wooden townhouses. I would actually heat up the ice-cold copper pipe so that I could use it to warm my hands.

You have to be a hardy individual to take on some of what faces a plumber on the job.

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PLUMBING

Drainage disasters in tall buildings

A CONSISTENCY,

FROM FLOOR TO FLOOR While commercial builds can be a real challenge in the heat of summer and the bone-chilling cold of winter, many of them, including this one, are helped by the fact that almost every floor tries to be the same with the rough-in piping being repeated on every floor.

On this site, there was no circuit venting as each bathroom was a mini wet vent attached to a soil stack and vent stack. All the kitchen sinks were multi-storey wet vented, and the clothes washing machines were plumbed according to the suds pressure zones section of the code.

It was interesting to note that the rain water leaders were installed according to the code, but with an additional City of Calgary engineered spec requiring customized flow control of the large volume of rain water that would otherwise be purged into a too-small downtown storm system.

The rain water is controlled with a large concrete cistern that collects the water, which is then slowly purged into the city storm system through a flow-control plate in the cistern. This helps to avoid flooding in the downtown area.

The most practical thing learned on this jobsite had to do with the small clearances that were needed in order to accommodate the ceiling space or head clearance for the developer.

This is why all plumbers must know the code well. In the real world, most of our piping needs to hidden from the customer’s eye, so it is advantageous to know the different ways to plumb a system.

An open-ceiling concept where all the mechanical is in plain view is a much easier system to plumb.

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s I walked through the building tour, it reminded me of one of the goriest drain cleaning service calls I ever did. Back in the ’90s, I was called out to clear a plugged toilet in a subsidized high-rise apartment building in downtown Calgary.

I always had a fear of drain cleaning in the basement of a high-rise. If toilets are backing up in the basement, it could be a plugged vent stack. If so, the excessive pressure could be backing up through the basement toilet, which runs the risk of causing a volcano of head pressure.

Thank goodness this was not the case with this basement bathroom.

The toilet was individually plugged by the tenant, but it was no picnic of a service call.

Picture the messiest apartment you’ve ever seen. It was something out of the TV show Hoarders, but worse. I think I was already sick before I got to the bathroom, which I hoped wouldn’t be too nasty.

Alas, my hopes and dreams were vanquished.

In the washroom, I found the nastiest plugged toilet I had ever witnessed.

I couldn’t believe the woman who lived there would even show it to me.

I prided myself in my ability to take on any job and not wussy out, so I sucked it up and went about my business of clearing the toilet. I pulled out my trusty plunger since I thought I could ease the bowl’s ingredients down the S trap, making it easier to clear the rest of its contents – big mistake.

I slowly immersed the plunger into the bowl, holding my breath and trying not to look. I gave the plunger a good jolt of pressure and, needless to say, the plug refused to budge and shot back sewage all over me.

The lady got grossed out and ran out of the bathroom with nowhere to throw up. I cursed and began washing myself down with the shower’s spray wand.

I walked out and urged her to empty her own toilet and clean up the bowl, and I would return later to remedy her plugged water closet.

A while later, she phoned claiming that it was sparkling clean.

When I returned, to my surprise, there was indeed a sparkling white toilet in there.

In my haste to finish the job I slipped and fell. I had failed to notice that the floor and walls were full of dripping excrement. She had actually used the shower spray wand to clean the toilet, which spread the contents all over the bathroom.

Many people would have walked out, but I still unplugged her toilet and left never to return.

As time has gone on, many innovative solutions have been created to clear a plugged toilet. To this day, I still won’t use a plunger though. The bad memories are burned into my brain.

I recently ran into a former employee of mine from A&B, Mike Scheuerman. He was one of my best plumbers. I called him the cleanup man – always being able to clean up a former plumber’s messy work.

He came up with a new-style plunger that prevents splashing and keeps germs from spreading all over the place. This would have been so handy years earlier, although I’m not sure if my customer cared about splash-back in her bathroom.

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QUATTRO’S CORNER

By A ndr e w Qu a t t r o c i o c c h i

Getting greasy in the corner I

n this edition of Quattro’s Corner, I’ve asked Canplas Industries’ separation technologies product manager Rachel Beaulieu to help me out as we take a look at grease interceptors.

As you know, the purpose of a grease interceptor is to prevent fats, oil and grease (also know as FOG) from entering the sanitary drainage system. Without these interceptors your local sewage treatment plant would have to deal with the excess FOG, and the building would likely suffer from serious maintenance problems due to clogging and the inevitable circumstance of completely blocked drainage pipes.

There are three main types of grease interceptors on the market today, each with its own method of separation, and strengths and weaknesses.

Gravity Grease Interceptor (GGI)

GGIs are a traditional method of separation technology. These use a large physical capacity with uncontrolled gravity flow, extended retention time (up to 30 minutes) and differences in specific gravity as the primary means of separating FOG from water.

Gravity units can be made of various materials but are predominantly concrete in the North American market. GGIs are not certified to a performance standard and can encounter challenges standing up to the aggressive environment inside an interceptor.

GGI

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Hydromechanical Grease Interceptor (HGI)

HGIs leverage the properties of fluid dynamics, managed flow rate and air entrainment to separate FOG in a smaller footprint. These can be constructed from a variety of materials, such as metal, fibreglass and thermoplastics.

Thermoplastics are often selected for their longevity in the corrosive interceptor environment, their light weight, and ease of installation. They serve a wide range of applications, from point-of-use fixtures inside a food service enterprise, to large industrial applications with systems located outside of the building or underground.

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QUATTRO’S CORNER Let’s go to the codes Grease Removal Device (GRD) In my home province of Ontario, the Ontario Building Code talks about interceptors in sections 7.2.3.2 and 7.4.4.3.

Here, we see that interceptors need to be built in a way that allows for them to be readily cleaned and not get air bound, and that with the exception of residential builds, interceptors are required “…where a fixture discharges sewage that includes fats, oils or grease and is located in an area where food is cooked, processed or prepared…”

That interceptor, which must conform to either CSA B481.1 or CSA B481.2, needs to be as close as possible to the fixture(s) it is serving, and the flow rate through it must not exceed its rated capacity.

The code book actually includes a set formula for calculating the flow rate, but you will be happy to know that most manufacturers that make this equipment have calculators online. These calculators are very simple to use: punch in a few numbers, give a drain-down time, and “Bam,” the size and model of interceptor is provided for you.

A GRD is an HGI that mechanically removes fats, oils and grease from the separation chamber.

The control of this can be automatic or manually initiated. FOG is resident for minimal time and is maintained in liquefied state to facilitate removal, usually via a heating element. GRDs are usually located in food service facilities, close to the fixtures that they serve, and are commonly serviced by restaurant staff by removing and emptying the grease collection containers.

It may be interesting to note that Ontario requires all grease and oil interceptors to have an internal flow control and, where the head will exceed five feet, a secondary flow control.

No such requirements are located in the National Plumbing Code of Canada.

GRD

The National Building Code of Canada outlines interceptor requirements in sections 2.2.3.2 and 2.4.4.3.

Venting the interceptor Ontario’s code requires a 1-1/2” or larger vent pipe to be connected to the outlet pipe connected to the plumbing venting system, and every vent pipe that serves an oil or grease interceptor and is located outside a building needs to be at least 3” in areas where it may be subject to frost closure.

A vent pipe must be no more than l,500 mm from the interceptor inlet and must have a cleanout.

The most interesting difference between the Ontario Building Code and The National Plumbing Code of Canada is that the Ontario code requires every fixture to be separately trapped and does not permit a grease interceptor to act as a fixtures trap. In the National Plumbing Code of Canada, however a grease interceptor is permitted to act as a fixture trap, provided that the interceptor has an effective water seal of not less than 38 mm.

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Like in Ontario, they need to have the ability to be readily cleaned, and be designed so that they do not become air bound, but they can also not have a water jacket.

The Canadian code cites CSA B481.0 and CSA B481.3 for their selection and installation.

In addition, the Canadian code states that “Where a fixture discharges sewage that includes fats, oils or grease and is located in a public kitchen, in a restaurant or in a care or detention occupancy, it shall discharge through a grease interceptor.”

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Andrew Quattrociocchi, C.B.C.O., is the deputy chief building official for the Township of Oro-Medonte, and a director with the Ontario Plumbing Inspectors Association. If you have any questions or a funny photo you would like to possibly see in an upcoming edition of Quattro’s Corner, feel free to send an email to Andrew at quattroscorner@hotmail.com.

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ECM recirculation unit HotLinkPlus-e by Taco is designed for retrofits and tight spaces. It combines the company’s ECM hot water circulator, HotLink Valve and smart plug instant hot water control, which learns usage patterns to deliver hot water when it’s needed. The system uses a home’s existing plumbing with a tank water heater, so no dedicated hot water return line is needed.

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Adjustable roof drain rain

Stainless steel press fitting system Viega’s MegaPress Stainless XL is designed to make secure connections in seconds on 2-1/2”, 3” and 4” Iron Pipe Size (IPS) stainless steel. The tool uses Smart Connect technology that allows installers to easily identify unpressed connections during pressure testing. Fittings are available in 304 and 316 stainless steel and are approved for use with Schedule 10 to Schedule 40 pipe.

Watts’ RD-300-AC roof drain provides a compression seal design n to ter limit the risk of leakage and water damage. The epoxy-coated cast iron drain is adjustable from 1” to 3.125” and features a flashing clamp, integral gravel stop and a self-locking polyethylene dome.

It is available in 2” through 10”” no-hub outlet sizes.

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Electronic flush valves Delta Faucet’s 81T Series of electronic flush valves are available in a matte black with chrome finish on both WC and urinal models, with either hardwire or battery operation. WC flush valves are available in three volumes – 6 litres per flush (adjustable), 4.8 lpf and 4.2 lpf. Urinal models are available in 1.9 lpf (adjustable) and 0.5 lpf volumes. A true manual mechanical override button allows the unit to be flushed if power is temporarily unavailable.

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Pre-insulated PEXa pipe Rehau Insulpex pre-insulated PEXa piping is designed for the transfer of hot or chilled fluid while reducing energy loss in transit.

The piping consists of flexible PEXa pipe surrounded by a solid layer of CFC-free polyurethane foam insulation. The pipe bends around obstacles and can be directionally bored. It is available in one- and two-pipe configurations.

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HVAC

B y S t ep h an e L et tre Stephane Lettre is the strategic marketing director with Stelpro.

He can be reached at s.lettre@stelpro.com.

A M ODERN L O O K AT

HEAT WHERE IT’S NEEDED Electric heating offers many advantages, the main one being its zoning capabilities.

Having a heater and a control in each room allows an occupant to adjust the temperature in a single room, rather than impacting all the other areas of the home or building when it’s cold in one space.

DID YOU KNOW?

E

lectric heating products have come a long way since the days of bent and punched metal. Whereas they used to be an unsightly necessity, today they are a choice that end users can make to enhance their décor and their comfort.

Some products are offered in a variety of colours, so beyond their function, they can also add a vibrant splash to a room’s design.

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And the rapid response time of an electric heater makes them a great solution for areas that could benefit from a localized temperature increase, say from a fan heater in a bathroom.

Topping up what’s there While central heating systems are predominant in many markets throughout North America, electric heating products are an excellent option to complement these systems, in many circumstances.

Electric heat can be used to provide additional heat to spaces that have a greater heating requirement than the rest of the building, such as a north-facing room or one with much greater window coverage than others.

Innovation has permeated all aspects of these products.

Advanced manufacturing techniques and new materials provide more freedom in designing shapes that stand out, while providing comfort and energy savings.

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Zoning also allows a number of other factors to be addressed, such as whether the room is north or south-facing, the time and duration of occupation, and more.

For homeowners who have turned to heat pump technology for their heating and cooling needs, electric heating products can be an easy way to provide supplemental heating when temperatures fall below the effective temperature range of the heat pump.

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HVAC

ELECTRIC OPTIONS There are many types of electric heating products on the market, each with its own benefits and sweet spot for deployment.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Baseboard heaters A good budget option for any room or environment, these are the most commonly used types of units. They come in many different designs, and have residential and commercial application. Lengths vary depending on the required heat output.

Convectors Increasingly popular for living spaces, convectors emit heat at a greater speed, amplitude and projection than baseboards due to the chimney effect caused by their format. The variety of formats (regular, low and high) also provides a lot of flexibility in restricted spaces.

Fan heaters Since they are equipped with a ventilation mechanism, these units are particularly well-suited to environments where a rapid boost of temperature might be needed, such as in a bathroom, entrance hall or garage. Models are available for installation on the wall, the ceiling or in cabinet kick spaces.

Floor heating Everyone who has stepped on warmed tiles knows how luxurious a heated floor feels. Electric in-floor systems are very thin so they do not add height to the floor. They also require no maintenance. Cables can be installed under many types of floor coverings, and in any room, but are most commonly found in bathrooms and kitchens under tile or stone.

Duct heaters There is a wide variety in the world of electric duct heaters. All are designed to supplement a central system. When located at the outlet of a central system, the heater can offer supplemental heat to a specific space. Some models can also be used to preheat outside air before it enters the system.

Commercial and architectural A variety of products are offered specifically for commercial and institutional spaces. They are usually characterized by a sturdy design, additional heating capacity, and features like false sections and finished backs to provide clean and elegant continuous lines.

Furnaces While electric heat elicits thoughts of zoned or individual heaters, there are electric furnaces available that are a great option for a central heating system – perhaps even as a top-up for that heat pump.

SIZING IT UP Calculating the heating requirements of a room is a complex puzzle based on size, volume, orientation, windows, insulation, and more – and that’s without tackling the concept of comfort.

To simplify the sizing for electric heaters, there are three useful formulas that will cover most applications.

In a room with an eight-foot ceiling, the general requirement is 10 watts per square foot.

If the ceiling is higher than eight feet, we need to take into account the cubic volume of the room, and apply a standard sizing of 1.25 watts per cubic foot.

When we know the BTUH requirement of the space, it can be converted to kW by dividing the BTUH by 3,412.14.

If you suspect there are insulation deficiencies, the room has oversized windows, or is northfacing do not hesitate to add a few percentage points to your calculations. Remember that an overpowered heater won’t cost more to run since it will not run as much, while an underpowered heater will always struggle to provide the appropriate level of comfort.

Planning for perfection When planning and installing an electric heating system, position baseboard heaters under windows, if possible, so they act as a heat curtain to cut off the cold from entering the room.

You can also divide the total watts required for a room by the number of windows and install a smaller baseboard under each window as opposed to one long baseboard.

When using other types of electric heaters, position them in a central location in the room, on an open wall space where there will be no obstructions to the air circulation, to get the best result and heat distribution.

Finally, position the thermostat across the room from the heater to get a reading that is more representative of the level of comfort felt by the occupants in the room.

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HVAC/R V Prod P ducts High efficiency particulate air filter RGF Environmental’s Microcon 675 in-duct HEPA filter utilizes a three-stage filtration process to capture particulate matter, toxic chemicals and VOCs. It can use existing ductwork for clean air distribution while having no impact on system performance. The side streamdesigned system utilizes its own internal pressure blower to provide clean air in residential and commercial spaces up to 5,000 sq. ft.

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Portable refrigerant detector The Bacharach PGM-IR is designed to find small refrigerant leaks in a wide area. The 6 lb. unit has a 1-ppm minimum detection level and can monitor for more than 50 CFC, HFC and HCFC refrigerants. Halogen, CO2, N2O and SF6 versions are also available. It uses a rechargeable Li-Ion battery.

Coil cleaning system The CoilJet CJ-125 is a portable coil cleaning system for use in locations where water and power may be inaccessible. The system produces 125 psi of coil washing power at 0.6 gpm to clean sensitive fins and microchannel coils. The unit has separate water and chemical tanks and is equipped with a rechargeable battery.

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CLEANING TOOLS FOR HEALTHIER TOWERS

Single zone ductless heat pump Haier’s Tempo single zone ductless system is comprised of an outdoor unit and an indoor, wall-mount unit that is controlled by a wireless remote or wired thermostat. It offers efficiency at 16 SEER with a heating range of -4°F to 75°F and a cooling range of 0°F to 115°F in 9,000 to 24,000 BTUH sizes. The 9,000 BTU and 12,000 BTU units have 115V power supply.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE

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Electronic pilot ot burner Robertshaw’s 1830 Series Electronic Pilot Burner with an embedded safety switch features technology that automatically shuts off gas flow when it detects that a flame is not ot present. It includes a differential expansion pilot with a three-lead SPDT switch for use with a hot surface ignitor or spark ignition, yellow, white and green wires with Molex plug adaptor, and a flame-sensing, heat-activated relay.

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Packaged terminal air conditioner Designed for the hotel market, Hotpoint PTACs are available in either electric heat or heat pump with backup electric heat models. They offer remote thermostat compatibility and connectivity with central desk control systems. Features include a tangential fan, freeze and frost protection, removable filters, and auto power recovery.

Units are available with a cooling range of 7,200 to 14,700 BTUH and an EER of 9.7 to 11.9.

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with Roger Grochmal

What should I pay myself?

N Roger Grochmal is the CEO of AtlasCare in Oakville, Ont. To submit a question about your company, business practices, or the industry in general, send an email to Mechanical Business Magazine’s editor, Adam Freill, adam.freill@ mechanicalbusiness.com.

Looking at the long term Don’t be in business just for the money. Trust that if you do well, you’ll earn well. However, there will be days when you will have to pay your people first and there won’t be any left for you. There will be days when something big breaks and needs to be fixed. These are the tough days that every entrepreneur has to face at some point in their career, but with a prudent plan that pays the company as well as its people, you’ll be able to look back on those days from a solid financial base in the not-too-distant future.

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one of us will go into business with the expectation that we would earn less than we could working for someone else. The stress and long hours of running a business should have some financial rewards, after all. But what are these rewards, exactly? How much should owners expect to pay themselves?

WHO GETS PAID? In a small to medium sized business, there are three groups that need to be paid. The first is the owner (or owners). The second is your employees, and the third, and definitely not least, of the groups that need to be paid is the business itself.

Let’s start with the business, because this is where the money has to come from.

For a business to remain sustainable over the long haul, it needs a fair amount of reinvestment.

These funds can be used to build brands and websites, and to invest in physical assets such as trucks, technology, software, and more. A good rule of thumb is that the first five per cent of your profits may be required just to address these requirements.

Like people, businesses need to have cash on hand to weather the challenges that seasons B u s i n e s s

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and the economy bring. It is not a smooth road.

I knew one contractor who confused cash with profit. He liked airplanes and his wife liked horses. When the economy turned south, as it always does, he found that planes and horses were not very liquid assets and he went out of business. And so, rule number two should be to retain some of that cash – at least another five per cent of profits, but probably more.

Employees come next. Paying fair wages and benefits, providing quality training, and investing in a culture where your staff want to work are all paramount. Keeping good people is always easier than replacing them, and the efficiencies and trust that come with a strong team always contribute to the bottom line.

Be sure to invest properly in the people side of your business and you’ll see the payout.

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What should I pay myself?, with Roger Grochmal

LOOKING BEYOND THE PAYCHEQUE There are other elements of compensation that are as important as salary.

Which brings us back to the owner(s).

Is it your goal to have a business that earns you a good living and is comfortable for you to manage? Or, do you want to continually grow your business?

The majority of contractors I know want to build a company that is comfortable to manage while providing them with a good living. For those who want to continually grow, I’ll ask you if you know how you will do this?

I have chosen to build a fairly large business and it required me to reinvest a significant amount of my earnings every year to do so. In the early years of doing this, I was focused on the long game.

When I decided to buy my partner out 15 years ago, a good friend told me that I would have to adjust my diet to eating “KD” every night, but that it would be worth it in the long haul. He was right on both counts.

Every business owner should have a disability policy. We are all more likely to get sick or disabled than actually die. Who pays you if you can’t work?

Make sure the policy is for your own occupation and not any occupation. Life insurance is also important both for your family and the transition cost of the business.

Part of your compensation is taking care of the rest of your life—not just your current needs.

One thing I see contractors fail to do is put money away for retirement. We all have this belief that our businesses will be worth a pile of money when we want to sell, but there are too many things that can happen that can kill that dream.

I started an Individual Pension Plan (IPP). This is a defined benefit plan designed for business owners that is like an RRSP program on steroids. It costs a bit to set up, but you can shelter not only significant current contributions but also contributions for past years of service in your company. It’s worth looking at.

Some business owners also use some of the surplus cash generated from their business to invest in other things, such as real estate, as a nest egg. I know several contractors who have done very well with this strategy.

BE FAIR TO YOURSELF— BUT BE SMART, TOO

A SOLID BASELINE As a starting point to figure out what to pay yourself, have a look at some of the research and best practices in the industry.

When claiming expenses, ensure that they will pass the sniff test with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). They have a ton of auditors out there who see it as their mission to challenge every expense that you have.

For example, when consultant Ron Coleman conducts his annual financial survey of contractors across Canada for HRAI, he sets a minimum of $100,000 as the owner’s compensation for an established business – that’s one that is at least five years old. If you aren’t making at least that, why take on all the stress and aggravation that comes with being a business owner?

In my home province of Ontario, the government discloses the wages of public employees. In 2017, more than 130,000 public employees earned at least $100,000, all with significantly less risk in their lives. Entrepreneurs are all worth at least that much.

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Just as you are a trusted professional with your customers, rely on your accountant or financial advisor to help structure the best compensation for you. They know what’s changed over the years, and can help guide you to a path that’s appropriate.

For example, there isn’t the same benefit to taking dividends that there once was; the tax system has been adjusted so that the combined after-tax income of the company and owner is the same regardless of which avenue you choose. Your financial expert(s) can help you decide if taking a dividend is appropriate—of course, if the company makes sufficient money after paying you a fair income, then by all means take a dividend.

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HYDRONICS B y Si m on Bo w d e n

Staying in the loop: making the most of

manifolds

I

n simple terms, a manifold is the hub for central supply and return of fluids to and from a hydronic system.

For applications beyond radiant

Manifolds are commonly used in hydronic heating, cooling and snowmelt applications, and it’s the versatility of the product that can make it a viable choice for a range of applications.

Regardless of whether that system is moving energy to heat or cool a building, deliver snowmelt outside the building, or even warm up the water in a pool, the manifold puts flow control in one spot where it can be worked on without having to break into walls or ceilings.

Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr, technical trainer at Caleffi and a Mechanical Business columnist, says, “Pretty much every radiant job you have needs a manifold, unless you have something like a small loop going to a bathroom, but certainly the smarter guys realize there is value there whatever type of system they’re doing, whether it’s air handlers, panel radiators or old cast iron radiators.

Over the years, manufacturers have experimented with sizes and materials and have also added extra technology, such as mixing valves, to make the technician’s job easier.

“Manifolds are sized based on flow requirements and design velocities. Higher flow and/or lower velocities mean larger manifolds,” says Randall Quon, communications coordinator with HeatLink.

“You can use a manifold on any of those systems, but it really comes down to the personal preference of the installer. Once people embrace the manifold concept it makes all the sense in the world.”

Having chosen to use a manifold, a technician must then correctly size it so the system operates at the optimum level.

“Hydronic manifolds typically have valves or flow meters to shut off or balance flow. The pressure drop across the valves is also taken into consideration.

Snow melting applications typically have the highest flow requirements, resulting in large manifold sizes.”

With so many types, sizes, materials and applications, it can be a challenge to wade through the options, but making the right choice is important to ensure the long-term performance of the overall system.

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Multi-heat exchanger design provides built-in redundancy and eliminates costly downtime during service and maintenance.

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HYDRONICS

Getting it right from the start

MATERIAL CONCERNS

Whether a system is straightforward or more complicated, there are common problems technicians must watch for when installing a manifold.

Manifolds come in multiple styles and sizes, but also in an array of materials. The reasons for this are based on the application the manifold will be used in, cost and even aesthetics.

“Hydronic manifolds must be filled one loop at a time to ensure that air is purged from the loop,” says Quon of HeatLink. “Once installed, manifolds should be protected from damage during construction.

During assembly any O rings should be kept clean.”

Regular system maintenance is also required to prolong the life of systems. “This involves regularly checking water quality, including glycol and corrosion inhibitor levels, and removing sediment from filters.”

“Distribution manifolds have reasonable physical requirements that can be met by a variety of materials,” says HeatLink’s Quon. “It mainly depends on application and cost.

Metal manifolds can have a higher operating temperature and higher flow rate than plastic manifolds. Copper is more susceptible to erosion and corrosion than other materials.

“Whatever water or fluid you put in the system on day one is directly related to the life you’re going to get out of it. If you had a lot of grit, sand, or limescale-forming minerals in the water when it goes in, that’s what wears on those little seals and O rings,” he says.

“In plumbing, plastic and copper are the most common. Copper is more expensive and subject to temperature-based flow velocity restrictions to prevent erosion.”

“Seals can deteriorate from aggressive fluid or scaling on the moving parts. The good guys will check the water quality going into a boiler.”

Caleffi’s Rohr says that picking the material for your manifold often comes down to what individual technicians prefer.

Watts’ Marshall says it is also important that the technician who installs the manifold leaves enough room for future techs to service it.

“A brand and material that has performed well in the installer’s area would be one thing to consider when choosing a material,” he says.

Where, in a building, a tech installs the manifold also has an impact on cost and system performance.

“In theory, the more centrally located the manifold is, the more optimized installers can make the circuits,” says Kolyn Marshall, system engineering manager at Watts. “By optimized, I mean meeting a specific need with fewer circuits to cover the same amount of area.”

Caleffi’s Rohr warns that what flows through a manifold has a direct impact on how it performs and how long it will last.

“Providing a large enough access opening to allow for tools to be easily inserted or used with the manifold is vital,” he says. “If using manifolds with internal balancing valves or thermal actuators, it’s important to leave enough vertical space above the manifold to allow items to be either adjusted or replaced.

“Also, if a zone needs to be filled and purged after installation, it may be necessary to connect fill and drain hoses to the manifold. This may require additional space for these connections, as well as room to collect any discharged water.”

He also recommends that installers select a location which keeps the manifold hidden, yet accessible.

“This allows installers to purge and balance a system after installation,” he says. “A few good locations for manifolds are backs of closets and under sinks. If the manifolds are installed in a public area, a locking manifold enclosure is recommended.”

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Leave behind a road map With lots of piping servicing many zones, keeping track of it all is vital, so “Hot Rod” has a request to make: Please label your work!

“My experience from doing this for over 35 years is that the majority of the systems out there don’t have proper documentation with them,” Rohr says.

Even a simple diagram would be of benefit to a tech tasked with servicing or troubleshooting a radiant system.

“If nothing else, handwrite them on the sheet metal or front of the boiler so that the next guy that goes there doesn’t have to start over from zero not knowing what the previous guy did,” he says.

“I’ve been on jobs where I couldn’t even find the manifolds because they’ve been buried in a wall or up in the ceiling – and then you find none of the loops are labelled.

“You then have to turn them all off and turn one on at a time and go around to feel the different heat emitters. You could spend a day just trying to figure it out.”

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FIND THE FIX

Jeff House is an experienced industry professional and hydronics trainer. He handles the sales territory from the Niagara region to the Greater Toronto Area for Jess-Don Dunford, a manufacturers’ rep in Ontario. He can be reached at jhouse@jessdondunford.com.

MAKING THE SYSTEM WORK We’re staring at a pair of boilers in the basement of a 10-storey apartment building that supply a total of 76 suites. We have an outdoor design temperature of 0°F and are thinking our way through the setup, and options to help optimize the system.

1. Another way to pipe this so that both boilers are firing at their normal design delta T would be to install a short piece of 5” or 6” pipe with two closely spaced 4” Ts, putting the two returns on the first T and the two supply pipes on the second T? a) False b) True 2. If the two 85% AFUE, 750,000 BTUH boilers have 2” fittings, and their flow at a 20°F delta T is 64 gpm, what delta T would you run in order to use 2” piping to and from the main piping under normal water velocities of four feet per second? a) 2” b) 25°F c) 30°F d) 35°F e) C & D

a) Boiler 2 will see elevated water temperatures from Boiler 1. b) The pipe size has to be sized perfectly. c) ASHRAE recommended water velocities are very difficult to achieve, resulting in poor temperature control. d) No problems exist. This is the manufacturer’s preferred installation method.

4. Under full design conditions with both boilers running, a main building system design of 20°F, and the main 4” steel piping being a total distance of 500 feet, the primary building pump would be sized based on the following, if water is used: a) 128 gpm at 5’. b) 150 gpm at 5’. c) Order the boilers with factory mounted pumps. d) Use a variable speed drive.

Email your answers to adam.freill@mechanicalbusiness.com.

Please include your name and daytime phone number.

Looking for the January/February answers?

If you need the answers to last edition’s quiz, you’ll find them on our home on the web, mechanicalbusiness.com. Just click MORE ° Find the Fix Answers.

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3. Based on this drawing, what are the potential pitfalls when using high-efficiency boilers?

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Diagnosing from the inside Win our Find the Fix quiz and you’ll receive the Flir VS70 next generation video borescope.

Valued at up to $6,500, it is designed to capture clear, sharp video and images inside tight spaces that you can narrate and share with your clients. For your chance to win, be sure to send your answers to us by May 8.

Hydronic Products Fire tube combi boiler Navien’s NFC stainless steel fire tube combi boiler is offered in 175,000 BTUH and 199,900 BTUH sizes. It has a 95% AFUE rating and an 11:1 turndown ratio.

Common venting can accommodate up to eight units, and up to 16 units can be cascaded together. The units have built-in hardware to connect up to three zone pumps without requiring additional external controllers.

www. navien.com

Webstone’s differential pressure bypass valve is designed for use in zoned systems with fixed-speed pumps.

Available in 3/4” and 1” sizes with press, FIP, MIP or SWT connections, it is also compatible with optional G1 union accessories to customize installation. The unit can be installed in any orientation between the boiler supply and return lines, or between zone legs in larger systems.

Distribution manifold HeatLink’s TwistSeal Mini Multiport distribution manifold is designed for use in radiant hydronic floor heating applications.

Standard and deluxe kits feature automatic air vents, a hose bib, two thermometers and 1” FNPT main connections with an 11 gpm flowrate capacity. The supply module provides on/off manual control to allow isolation of individual loops while connecters are available for 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4" PEX tubing. Unlike a fixed-loop manifold, loops can be added or removed as required.

www. heatlink.com

Differential pressure bypass valve

www.

webstonevalves.com

Parallel pump controller The Bell & Gossett Technologic PPS is designed for precise control of building pumps to target energy savings with real-time pump optimization in retrofit or new installations. The control’s algorithm allows for sensored or sensorless control of up to eight pumps in parallel providing the ability to model the pump performance based on building demand.

www. bellgossett.com

Wall-hung combi boiler

Extended elbow

Radiant’s R2KA 24/20 combi boiler is equipped with a dual coil T316 stainless steel heat exchanger for independent heating and DHW circuits. Rated at 99,000 BTUH, the unit can be vented up to 100’ in 2” PVC, has an 8:1 modulation and a flow rate of 4.41 gpm at 54°F rise. The unit offers 12” vent clearance for small space solutions, can operate on natural gas or propane, and is Wi-Fi compatible.

Nibco’s line of press hydronic heating fittings includes the PC607E-2 lead-free wrought copper 6” extended elbow. It comes in a 3/4” fitting-x-press connection on a 90° elbow and is designed for use in heating applications to provide a clean transition through the floor or wall. The elbows have an operating pressure of 200 psi and a temperature range of -20°F to 250°F.

www. nibco.com

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April 24 & 25, 2019

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PROJECT PROFILE

By Adam Freill

HITTING THE HEIGHTS OF EFFICIENCY IN

Lon

The Factory London, Ont. 850,000 square-foot entertainment complex Mechanical Equipment: • Emerson E2 Control Platform • 400,000 BTUH Laars mod/con boiler (1) • 2 million BTUH Laars mod/con boiler (3) • 4 million BTUH Laars mod/con boiler (3) • 200,000 BTUH Daikin chiller (3) • Danfoss VFDs • Greystone Sensors

hat do you do with an 850,000 squarefoot decommissioned cereal plant? Well, if you’re in London, Ont., you turn it into an entertainment mecca, of course.

W

The former Kellogg’s plant is now The Factory, Canada’s largest indoor family fun centre, sporting an indoor adventure park with a high-ropes course, a trampoline park and a brew pub. Turning the old industrial facility into an entertainment complex would take a lot of creativity in all aspects of the build, however.

Ben Kungl on the roof.

To tackle the mechanicals for what was then an empty shell of a factory, the property owners approached Oxford Energy Solutions’ president Ben Kungl. A fan of going beyond traditional approaches, he could envision a system that would not only breathe life and comfort into the rebirthed structure, but would do so efficiently with an elegant simplicity of design that included built-in redundancy for both heating and cooling, with the ability to accommodate future needs.

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The owners really like the system,” he says. “There’s remote access to everything, and it’s really user friendly.

“There’s no negative to oversizing some of the permanent features that can’t be changed later, like the main piping loop and the main trunk lines,” he says.

What had formerly been a steam-based central power plant with chillers would become a more efficient distributed system with multiple mechanical rooms feeding into a main glycol loop at different locations in the structure, all supported by a network of sensors throughout the building.

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PROJECT PROFILE The system includes sensors that provide temperature and humidity readings at the inlet and outlet of most of the equipment, as well as CO2 levels on the return air.

“Instead of just firing up all these exhausts because we’re still using a manual that was written 40 years ago, the only time we need to run exhaust is if we have a temperature issue or a CO2 issue,” he says.

“Why not make that decision based on real facts from sensors instead of guessing?”

CONTROLLING FOR COMFORT The HVAC system includes more than 18 million BTUH of heating capacity and more than 500 tons of cooling capacity. It relies on the Emerson E2 automation platform to get feedback from system sensors to target optimal efficiency.

“For us, information is key,” says Kungl.

“You spend the money on automation and information so that system decisions can be made based on that information.”

Chasing comfort is a far more complex puzzle than simple dry-bulb temperature, however, so that’s where the additional information about outside conditions and indoor RH can help drive the system.

“It doesn’t matter what the temperature is when it comes to human comfort; it’s more about how that air feels. If it is warm and wet, it is going to feel terrible,” he says. “We can make the decision whether we are going to use fresh air for free cooling based on the moisture content in the air.”

5 or 500 vehicles,,

FREE COSTS LESS The more closely you can match a heating and cooling system’s delivery to the actual load in a building, the more efficient the system will be, so Kungl added in variable frequency drives to modulate the movement of BTUs based on what the sensors in the building are reporting back to the central management system.

“With condensing boilers, running two boilers at 40 per cent is way more efficient than running one boiler at 90,” he explains.

“On the coldest days of the year, we’ll have three or four boilers chugging away at 40 or 50 per cent at massive efficiencies.”

The heating plant is not the only system that’s been decentralized. He took a similar approach to the chillers.

“For the chilled loop, instead of having one massive system and pumping it all the time, we split it into two distinct systems, which reduced our piping by more than 70 per cent,” he says. “Now, we are not trying to

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keep 10,000 gallons of glycol cooled. We are trying to keep two loops cooled – each has 2,500 gallons in it.”

Access Control Valves

Kungl loves to explain that “Nothing saves money like when something is off,” so he uses the feedback from the sensors to only pump when necessary. “When there is no call for cooling, the chillers and the pumps shut off.”

ECO-5 Vacuum pump

M2-3-DELUXE-DS-R744-TC CO2 Transcritical manifold 2320 psi

And he’ll make use of free economized cooling with fresh air as much as he can, which also adds to the efficiency picture.

Combi

Combi

“Nothing is ever running until one air handler calls for mechanical cooling,” he says. “We are not doing process cooling. We are cooling for conditioned air and nobody feels a five minute difference in delivery time because it was shut off.”

Gobi II

TOPPING UP Condensate Pumps Aside from the automation system, of which Kungl is a major fan, one of his favourite aspects of the HVAC system is the way that perimeter heat was handled.

The system for heating along the exterior walls and windows that had been in place at Kellogg’s was part of the main loop, since the old system was steam based. That would not work with the new system, since perimeter heat is usually considerably hotter than the main loop temperature.

HY-EX Expander Tool

“We had the perimeter heat loop set up off the main loop, running it in parallel with a separate circulator pump.” This, he explains, allows the main loop to pressurize the perimeter loop.

“We have an independent 400,000 BTUH condensing boiler just doing the step-up temperature so that we don’t have to run the main loop at 160°F.”

TAP Wireless temperature and pressure gauge set

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Fun after work Ben’s enjoyment of the facility goes beyond the automated heating and cooling system. He’s a big fan of playing trampoline dodgeball with his kids, but you won’t find him on the high-ropes course.

Visit us in booth

# 444

“I’m deathly afraid of heights,” he laughs. “My wife and I got half-way up and I couldn’t feel my legs.”

12 Leswyn Road, To Toronto, Ontario M6A 1K3 Tel: (416) 781-5286 Email: info@ontor.com www.ontor.com REFCO Manufacturing (US) Inc.

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HVAC/R Products P Variable refrigerant flow system LG’s Multi V 5 VRF unit is available in sizes from 6 to 42 tons, with three-phase 208/230V, 460V or 575V electrical power as heat recovery/heat pump outdoor units. It has a biomimetic fan and four-sided heat exchanger. Its heating operating range reaches -30°C, while its smart controls measure temperature and humidity and can react to pending weather.

Side discharge smart system

www.

The Daikin Fit system matches to a condenser, controls, gas furnace and evaporator coil.

Engineered with inverter compressors and side discharge cabinets, units are available in 1.5 to 5-ton capacities with 18-SEER efficiencies.

Furnaces and evaporator coils are available in multiple configurations, with furnace efficiencies ranging up to 97% AFUE.

lg.ca

www.

daikincomfort.com

Ductwork damper The EzySlide damper from Arzel is available in over 50 sizes and can be custom ordered if required. The unit comes with a template that the contractor uses to put onto the ductwork, cut out the shape, then slide and twist the damper in. Once the damper is positioned, it is fastened into place with screws.

Gas regulators

www.

Pietro Fiorentini’s PF 400 Governor line pressure regulators, available through Ontor, are suitable for indoor and outdoor installations with no modifications in residential or large industrial applications. Available in 2 lb. and 10 lb. models, with 3/8” or 1/2” NPT connections and an outlet pressure range of 2-1/2” w.c. to 14” w.c., they are CSA approved for use with natural gas, LPG and other non-corrosive clean gases.

arzelzoning.com

www.

ontor.com

Ceiling cassette system

Refrigerant leak sealant

Fujitsu General’s Halcyon circular flow ceiling cassette system achieves up to 21.4 SEER through use of a DC twin rotary compressor, DC fan motor and optimal refrigerant cycle control. Available in five sizes from 18,000 to 42,000 BTUH, it has a quiet mode which can operate at indoor noise levels of 28 dB and a Human Sensor Kit which automatically saves energy by detecting occupancy.

www.

RectorSeal’s AC Leak Freeze line includes the Pro nano UV, a nonpolymer and non-reactive agent designed to permanently seal micro leaks in 1-1/2-ton to 6-ton residential and commercial AC systems. It features a fluorescing UV dye which identifies exit holes and comes with a factory-sealed applicator that eliminates contact with the tech.

fujitsugeneral.com

www.

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HVAC/R Products P Water pre-treatment system

Smart rooftop units York’s SunPremier 25 to 50-ton rooftop units reach 10.3 to 14.4 EER efficiencies and feature extended grease lines, accessible connections, service ports and lights, and coil-cleaning hatches. The Smart Equipmentenabled units feature start-up wizards and an array of useradaptable parameters to help expedite commissioning. They also integrate with other control systems, interfaces and BMS.

Evapco Water Systems’ Water Saver is designed to reduce water use with evaporative cooling equipment.

Available in nine configurations, it is a capacitive deionization pre-treatment system that reduces dissolved ion concentrations to lower makeup water conductivity prior to use. By increasing operating cycles of concentration, it reduces blowdown and the use of treatment chemicals.

www.

evapco.com

Plain end pipe joining system Victaulic’s QuickVic SD Installation-Ready System is a plain end pipe joining technology designed for use on Schedules 10 to 80 carbon steel HVAC systems sized 2”/DN50 and down. The couplings and fittings are rated to 300 psi, feature no loose parts and can be installed with common hand tools. Joints can be disassembled and reinstalled as needed, and there are multiple visual inspection features to ensure correct assembly.

www.

york.com

www.

victaulic.com

Industrial descaling system The GDS-100 from Goodway Technologies is a mobile, clean-in-place pump system that is optimized for larger descaling cleanings while still accommodating smaller applications. It is used to remove limescale, calcium and mineral deposits, rust, and other contaminants from HVAC and process manufacturing equipment. It has a maximum output of 96 gpm.

goodway.com

DX3L SERIES

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• 100% aluminized steel tubes with .95 emissive coating • Pre- and post-purge controls • Self-diagnostic LED, microprocessor based circuitry • Independent control-air-gas compartments with tool-free access.

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• 24 volt controls and power cord are standard.

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B y Den ise Deveau

A highly efficient home The best thing about all the design, says Roper, is that it costs pennies to operate. “You have a 95% efficiency boiler, and the floor heating is 30% more efficient than a forced air system.

The comfort level is unbelievable. And it’s quiet – really quiet in there.”

BIG IDEAS in the smallest of packages It’s usually pretty good for business to have a mega project or two on your hands, but sometimes it’s not the big spaces that demand the most innovative thinking when it comes to layout and installation of mechanicals.

In recent years, more and more homeowners have been going the tiny space route, and that takes some big thinking. Whether it’s a small condo or garage conversion, creating a self-contained living environment holds a lot of appeal for homeowners looking to downsize or add affordable space for family members or friends.

For interior designer Kathy Ratchford, founder of Contained Living, shipping container homes are becoming her latest passion project. She wowed the crowds at the 2018 Toronto Fall Home Show with her 320 sq. ft. container home showcase.

The home is made up of two containers joined together, and comes complete with a full bath and kitchen – albeit small ones.

To turn this small space into a livable place, Ratchford enlisted the help of Wolseley Heating and Cooling’s HVAC design team, and Don’s Heating and Cooling, who handled the installation.

Shane Maddock, outside sales for Wolseley Canada, says despite the small size, the project was an exciting one because it wasn’t like other small footprint jobs.

“We’ve done small spaces like garages and sheds, but this was the first time we had anything like this. We loved the idea of the recycling of the container.”

So what makes a container home so different from say a garage or in-law suite? A few things, really. Such as the fact you haven’t an inch to spare for heating or venting – vertically or horizontally. As for space for HVAC equipment and ducting – let’s just say you’re talking inches and millimeters.

Also, because the unit has to be movable, pipe connections have to be planned a little differently, and spray foam was the only qualified insulation option.

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BEATING THE HEAT CHALLENGE Heating the unit without compromising space was definitely a challenge, says Don Roper president and owner of Don’s Heating and Cooling. “For one thing, we didn’t know if electric baseboard systems would pass the building code.”

When Wolseley’s design team was asked to come up with a solution to heat the enclosure, Maddock says the challenges weren’t anything like what you find in a typical small area. The biggest problem was that there was very limited headroom for bulkheads to run ductwork.

There are typically two options in smaller spaces: radiant floor heating or a ductless split unit heat pump for heating and cooling, Maddock explains. In this project, they felt radiant was the way to go.

But the low ceiling heights also meant they couldn’t pour concrete slabs for the system. “Normally with radiant heating you pour a four-inch slab. With the height restrictions we didn’t want to lose a lot of height in the space.”

The answer was a Viega Climate Panel reflective aluminum panel system that was only 5/8” thick. This was applied on top of pre-grooved panels on the existing floor that contained 500 feet of pipe.

“It takes up no room and only takes about a half-inch

HYDRONIC PROFILE of plywood,” says Roper. All-in-all, the solution only took about 3/4” of headspace.

“Because of the height restrictions, the seven-and-a-half inches needed to run ductwork was almost out of the question,” he adds. “The ceiling would just turn into a big bulkhead, so we had to minimize that.”

Ultimately, the ceiling was dropped a bit in the bathroom area to accommodate a four-inch pipe, he adds.

A Navien NCB-E combi-system provides the heat source for the radiant flooring and all the domestic hot water. The suitcase-sized wallhung, on-demand unit serves as a boiler and domestic hot water tank in one.

MOVABLE PARTS A major consideration during the design stage was that the home had to be movable. That’s why radiant made so much sense, Maddock says.

“We didn’t consider any other options because it had to be movable.

Everything had to be contained within the unit to move it from show to show,” he says. “It’s plug-and-play wherever we go.”

One of the trickiest parts of the design was that the home was actually two container units joined together, Roper says. “We basically had to design it so all the pipes go into the back. We had to make sure that when everything had to be moved, the pipes could come apart and be put back through again when they were reconnected so they couldn’t be too close to the centre.”

Once it’s in a final resting place it can be welded, he adds. “But you need to make sure you can bend everything. That’s really important when it’s all being joined up again.”

An important detail was planning the placement of the connection openings ahead of time, Roper says. “We had to make sure there were enough holes for the heat recovery ventilator (HRV) and the gas pipes.”

He strongly recommends anyone working on this type of project to be there when the holes are being cut. “You could cut them yourself but I would not advise it.”

KNOW YOUR CODE Container homes are a relatively new concept that not all municipalities have experience permitting, so Maddock advises anyone considering building one to understand that bylaws can vary significantly from municipality to municipality.

“It’s important to get up to speed on building codes. Make sure that if it has to be shipped to another location, it will always follow the local building codes because they can be different wherever you go.”

COOLING THINGS

FUEL FLEXIBILITY FUE

down

Once m moved to a site, the only thing required is to hook the home up to venting as well as h a fuel source. That’s usually a propane propa p r tank, but it is possible tto o use natural gas. “Propane iss easier easi and usually more available, a vvaila depending on where yyou yo o m move it,” he adds.

In most situations an air conditioning unit would make sense, especially since the unit retains so much heat.

“The heat loss is pretty small so it could get hot in there quickly. Once the heat gets in it won’t get out,” says Roper.

nice thing is that ““The n Navien system is field the Na convertible for propane or conver natural gas,” notes Roper. natura

This particular project didn’t require a cooling system, however, since the container home is used for shows and display settings. Maddock says the best choice where cooling is needed would be a ductless split unit.

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Hydronic Products Fire tube commercial boiler The Advantus from Camus is a two-pass counter flow fire tube commercial boiler designed for hydronic heating and hot water supply. It features thermal efficiencies of up to 99% and turndown ratios of up to 25:1, in models up to 4,000,000 BTUH. A single point input adjustment controls air and gas, and the unit is equipped with the Modbus RTU communication protocol. www.

camus-hydronics.com

Single wall indirect water heater

Brass compression fittings RadiantPEX-AL compression fittings from Watts are designed for use in radiant heating and snow melting applications. The fittings only require a wrench to tighten each brass nut, while double O-rings and a brass compression ring are designed to provide a leak-proof connection. Fittings are available in a variety of compression/sweat, compression/NPT or compression/BSP connections. www.

watts.ca

Bradford White’s PowerStor Series residential single wall indirect water heaters come in 30 to 120 litre sizes and have a 1-1/2” Vitraglas-coated carbon steel heat exchanger that provides 14.2 sq. ft. of heat transfer area to minimize pressure drop. Units have a stored water volume of 2.7 gallons, automatic temperature control from 80°F to 160°F, and a minimum heat output of 157,000 BTUH. www.

Pressure reducing valve

bradfordwhite.com

Constructed from low-lead DZR “Ecobrass,” the Caleffi 533H PresCal Compact pressure reducing valve is designed to deliver accurate pressure regulation. The valve has a removable self-contained cartridge with stainless steel mesh filter, a 180°F temperature rating, antiscale components and is offered in a variety of inlet connection styles. www.

caleffi.com

Boiler monitor Cleaver-Brooks’ boiler monitor is designed for use on ClearFire boilers that use the company’s Falcon control platform. Users can remotely check the operating status and performance of their system in real time via a mobile app or online customizable dashboard.

The app will send a notification when the system needs attention. System security is maintained as data travels outbound only via an encrypted communications channel. www.

Plate and frame heat exchangers Taco’s PF Series plate and frame heat exchangers are designed for a range of commercial applications, including economizer free cooling, campus heating and cooling, and pressure zone isolation. Units are available with operating pressures of both 150 and 300 psi and flow rates from 50 to 7,000 gpm. Connection sizes from 1" to 20” are available with glue-free, clip-on and snapon nitrile or EPDM gaskets.

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Indirect water heater The Ginius indirect water heater from Triangle Tube comes in 35, 45, 55 and 65-gallon sizes, and is equipped with a patented heat exchanger design. The water heater features stainless steel construction in both the heat exchanger and outside tank and is approved for up to 80 psi boiler pressure. The unit’s 2” CFC/HCFCfree foam insulation brings standby loss to less than 1°F per hour.

www. triangletube.com

Wi-Fi enabled geothermal control HBX Controls Systems’ ECO0550 is designed to operate equipment in a two- or four-pipe, single- or dual-tank hydronic heating and cooling system. The control can accommodate two heat pump stages, a backup boiler and reversing valve for complete system coverage. Its EcoSwitch feature allows for lockout of heat pumps and running of the backup boiler on a timed schedule. Users can remotely monitor and adjust parameters and receive alarm notifications via the HBX smartphone app.

www. hbxcontrols.com

Residential boiler Rinnai’s I-Series residential gas boiler is designed to simultaneously deliver hot water and heating. It includes a bypass servo valve, which enables precise control of the hot water temperature. The boiler is also equipped with a multi-zone heating control and a three-speed pump, and is available in combi (60,000-120,000 BTUH) and heatonly models (60,000 to 150,000 BTUH). All models are rated to 95% AFUE.

www. rinnai.ca

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HVAC

Michael Coyazo is the product marketing manager with Ruskin.

He can be reached at mcoyazo@ruskin.com

By M i c ha e l C o y a z o

THE CHALLENGE OF OVERSIZED OPENINGS A

s architects and engineers draw up plans for commercial buildings, it is a common practice to design openings in walls. In many cases, these openings allow for intake and/or exhaust air that supports the building’s HVAC system.

Usually, the opening will have a louver to help protect the airstream while adding an architectural feature to the structure. Behind the louver, dampers help protect and control the flow of air into and out of the building.

The size and mounting location of these dampers must meet certain code- and standard-driven installation requirements. A typical maximum size for the damper assembly is approximately 120” by 96”, and the damper blades must be able to close within the rated barrier.

Depending on the building and the application, these intake or exhaust openings can measure larger in width and height than the maximum tested damper assembly size.

But what happens when a contractor encounters an opening that exceeds the maximum size? This is not an unusual building design scenario, but contractors should consult the design professional or the damper manufacturer for product recommendations and other related installation guidelines to meet requirements.

Ultimately, approval from the local building inspector, or the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) will need to be granted. The latter can override national codes and regulations.

Solutions for oversized openings do exist. However, the coordination will usually need to involve the engineer, contractor, AHJ and possibly the damper manufacturer for a successful outcome.

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STEEL MULLIONS OFFER SOLUTION In some cases, steel support mullions can be used to divide an oversized wall opening horizontally, vertically, or both horizontally and vertically.

Typically, the opening must not exceed a maximum 120” in height, but can be any width, provided a vertical support mullion is spaced every 10 feet, or less. In addition, the opening must be in masonry or concrete block walls that are seven to 12” thick. The damper must fit within this wall. It is important to note that steel mullions are not intended to be part of the ductwork or in the airstream.

“PAIR OF PANTS” AND LARGE DAMPERS Contractors have the option of creating multiple openings from the large opening, ducting them and then bringing them together to a single duct.

Often referred to as the “pair of pants” solution, this is not a UL-approved option, but one that is frequently undertaken, with the approval of the AHJ. Another option is to use a larger damper assembly that is not listed with a certifying agency, like UL. In this case, the contractor should consult the engineer and/or work in conjunction with the AHJ to secure approval before proceeding.

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STUFF YOU NEED Thermal imaging camera

Tool backpack The Fluke Pack30 professional tool backpack is designed to help contractors organize, transport and access all the tools they may require for the day while keeping their hands free. Its 30 pockets and pouches include an area for laptop or tablet storage, while an adjustable chest strap and extra padding in the back allow for even weight distribution for comfort.

The FLIR E53-24 thermal imaging camera’s 240 × 180 true native resolution offers more than 43,200 points of temperature measurement, while the company’s MSX technology enhances images and adds perspective. The camera can measure temperature up to 650°C, offers three spot um meters and displays the maximum and minimum n has a temperatures within an area. The touchscreen -in mic for 160-degree viewing angle and there is a built-in voice annotation.

www. flir.com

www. fluke.com

Carbon monoxide meter Reed’s R9400 carbon monoxide meter is capable of detecting concentrations up to 1,000 ppm. A backlit LCD simultaneously displays carbon monoxide and ambient temperature with data hold/max functions and user adjustable alarm limit. The unit has a temperature measuring range of -20 to 70°C, is accurate to 0.8°C, weighs 235 grams and has a 16” probe.

www. reedinstruments.com

Three-point laser level Pacific Laser Systems’ self-levelling three-point green laser level is designed to deliver accurate layout of plumb reference points in HVAC installations, steel stud framing and other construction applications. The laser allows for measuring over longer distances and is accurate to approximately 3 mm at 10 m. The kit includes a floor stand and L-bracket for overhang and centre-line measurements.

www. plslaser.com aser.com

Cordless mixer/drilll Dewalt’s DCD130 60V MAX Mixer/Drill is designed for mixing g a wide variety of materials as welll as high torque drilling. The tool’s E-Clutch system senses tool motion and stops ops the motor when binding is detected. It uses the company’s Flexvolt batteries, is equipped quipped with a brushless motor and has a 1/2” keyed chuck that accepts hex or rounded ed mixing paddles. An LED light helps illuminate minate the work space.

Metal band saw blade Milwaukee’s extreme metal band saw blades use a combination of high-speed steel and a variable pitched tooth design that allows them to cut through such materials as unistrut, conduit, angle iron, threaded rod, and stainless steel and cast iron pipe. The blades are available in 44-7/8”, 35-3/8” and 27” sizes and with 8/10” and 12/14” TPI.

www. dewalt.ca

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ON HVAC B y Tom C a te s

F280-12 vs the Polar Vortex Many parts of the country experienced a polar vortex this winter. That’s a cold weather front that creeps in every 10 years or so and drops the outdoor temperatures way below the design temperatures we might usually see.

This once-a-decade condition may have given HVAC contractors and designers who size systems using the CSA F280-12 standard some sleepless nights and busy days. While the winter is now behind us, it is worth looking at a few details about F280-12 as some of those (formerly) chilly homeowners will be looking to replace furnaces this summer, in preparation for whatever next winter brings.

Size is a moving ng target

Man Managing expectations extremes in ex

The good thing about F280-12 is that, when used correctly, it willll correctly l size the furnace for the home’s heating needs. The bad d thing about F280-12 is that, when used correctly, it will correctly size the furnace ce for the home’s heating needs eds “at design conditions.”

A friend o of mine purchased a new home in London, Ont., just prior to last winter. The home has an design temperature of -18°C, and F280-12 outdoor o loss calculation for the house indicated a the heat lo heating loa load of 54,000 BTUH. A 96% efficient 60,000 BTUH furna furnace was selected to keep him warm.

When the polar p vortex hit, we saw several days of -20°C to -25 -25°C and the furnace ran non-stop. While it maintained an indoor design temperature of 22°C, perspective, he observed his from the homeowner’s hom HVA system as having a furnace that never shut off, HVAC HV tthat th hat a ccould ould no not catch up after a thermostat setback that was w wa as alr a already lready p programmed, and that took more than an hour ho h our tto o raise tthe temperature 0.5°C.

The outdoor temperatures ures found in the standard are based on the coldest days of winter, which only occur ccur for about 2.5 per cent of the heating season. When those conditions happen, a furnace urnace will run longer than ever er before.

Some people may thinkk of this as a drawback, but actually, y, it causes the furnace to run at itss highest possible efficiency.

This Th T his is is is something somethin contractors, and homeowners, will have get Proper equipment sizing and selection is tto og et used to. P et a te tterrific errific way to rreduce our home’s energy consumption.

There T Th here will be times time when this equipment may not have the extra ex e xtra capacity nee needed for the outside conditions, however.

Of course, when the outdoor utdoor temperature exceeds the he design conditions, there is a possibility ossibility that the furnace will be undersized ersized for the conditions – like what might occur during a polar vortex.

A And nd this is not ne new. This problem has been around forever, but b ut extreme cold conditions c only happen every so often, so we forget.

Tom Cates is an instructor with HRAI’s technical HVAC training programs.

To learn more about HRAI’s training opportunities, visit hrai.ca. To reach Tom, or HRAI, email training@hrai.ca.

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We use F280-12 because it does a fantastic job at sizing equipment at a specific design condition, which happens most of the time but when we exceed these design conditions it will cause the system to function differently, and we need to educate ourselves and our customers about these differences.

2019/20 CALENDAR

OF

SPOTLIGHTS PO T THE Marketplace

EVENTS MCA Canada Innovation Conference April 15-16, 2019 Toronto, Ont. www.mcac.ca HRAI Symposium April 23, 2019 Hamilton, Ont. www.hrai.ca

Canadian Hydronics Conference September 24-25, 2019 Ottawa, Ont. www.ciph.com MCA Canada’s 88th Annual National Conference October 2-5, 2019 Nashville, Tenn. www.mcac.ca

MCEE April 24-25, 2019 Montreal, Que. www.mcee.ca

ASPE Technical Symposium October 24-27, 2019 Pittsburgh, Penn. www.aspe.org

Desco Parade of Products May 2, 2019 Kitchener, Ont. www.desco.ca Solar Canada May 8-9, 2019 Calgary, Alta. www.cansia.ca

GreenBuild November 20-22, 2019 Atlanta, Ga. www.greenbuildexpo.com

VACUUM PUMPS WITH RUNQUICK™ OIL CHANGE SYSTEM Fieldpiece is leading the charge in properly performing system evacuation with its new vacuum pumps featuring the RunQuick™ Oil Change System. Available in an 8 CFM DC motor (model VP85), or in a 5 CFM AC motor (model VP55), these revolutionary pumps make evacuation easier and faster. The VP85 features a variable speed DC motor to protect against voltage drop and for faster starts in colder weather. Available at distributors now.

The Buildings Show December 4-6, 2019 Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ont. www.thebuildingsshow.com

CIPH ABC June 16-18, 2019 Charlottetown, PEI www.ciph.com

2020

ASHRAE Annual Conference June 22-26, 2019 Kansas City, Missouri www.ashrae.org

AHR Expo February 3-5, 2020 Orlando, Fla. www.ahrexpo.com

ICR 2019 August 24-30, 2019 Montreal, Que. www.icr2019.org

CMPX March 25-27, 2020 Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ont. www.cmpxshow.ca

HRAI Annual Conference August 25-27, 2019 Niagara Falls, Ont. www.hrai.ca CHES National Conference September 22-24, 2019 Saskatoon, Sask. www.ches.org

Plastic Pipes XX September 21-23, 2020 Amsterdam, Netherlands ppxx.eu

GOT AN EVENT? SPREAD THE WORD! If your organization has a conference, trade show or other event coming up, send details to adam.freill@mechanicalbusiness.com

fieldpiece.com READY-TO-INSTALL SLIDELOK® COUPLING Anvil International’s Gruvlok® uvlok® Figure 74 SlideLOK® coupling is the most rigid ready-to-install coupling on the market. Featuring a slide action to ease assembly and reduce installation time, the coupling has been designed to be used with roll groove or cut grooved steel pipe, grooved light wall pipe, grooved-end fittings and valves.

SlideLOK comes with a patented pressure-responsive EDPM gasket that provides four separate sealing surfaces for added protection.

See it all online at www.mechanicalbusiness.com

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Compiled by Mechanical Business

BY THE NUMBERS

FEMALE HIGH-FLYERS The trades are not the only vocations with a gender imbalance, as the employment ment figures for female pilots at commerciall airlines show.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

7.4% United 7% Lufthansa 5.9% British Airways 5.5% Air Canada

A recent survey found that while almost half of Canadians think they exercise enough, very few people actually do.

COLD FRONT HITS PARTS OF EUROPE 50% Respondents who reported

Europe has faced quite the cold snap over the past year, and not every residence was as prepared for a cold winter as Canadians tend to be. Just how many people in this sampling of European countries couldn’t adequately heat their homes last year?

completing the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity each month.

17% Canadians who met the physical activity guidelines.

49 Minutes of exercise people said they did each day.

36.5% 28.9% 25.7% 20.4%

23 Actual minutes of exercise each day.

Bulgaria Lithuania Greece Portugal

HIGHWAYS THROUGH HELL WATCH FOR DANGER Of all dangerous goods incidents reported to authorities in 2017, almost all involved just four dangerous goods classes.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Class 3 flammable liquids (61.3%) Class 2 gases (15.9%) Class 8 corrosives (12.3%)

Techs may think Canadian roads can be tough, but drivers risk more than just delays in the countries with the world’s highest road traffic mortality rates per 100,000 population.

45.1 Venezuala 36.2 Thailand 35 Malawi 32.1 Saudi Arabia 6 Canada

Class 5 oxidizing substances and organic peroxides (3.1%)

190.94 114 126

The average speed of a fixed internet connection in top-ranked Singapore, measured in mega bites per second. Canada ranked seventh in the world, at 108.75 mbps.

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BACK IN BLACK Introducing our newest finish - Matte Black (MBL).

Available on a number* of our fine products.

Black is back!

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Two Wires? No Problem.

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WiFi Thermostat 564 The new Invita™ WiFi Thermostat uses the two existing wires to connect to the mechanical room, eliminating: • Pulling new wires • Patching and repainting walls • Batteries • Unreliable power stealing • Unreliable wireless signals

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