HYDRONICS A few things about hydronics

A few things about system design and installation

There really is no excuse for improperly designing and installing a hydronic system. Since the world has moved online, we have been treated to pictures of all types of jobs from around the planet. If you visit any of the chatrooms or Instagram regularly you will see botched or compromised jobs. Not only sloppy systems or poor workmanship, there are many installations that bump right up against what many pros consider dangerous, or at the very least, not in code compliance. I’d like to think all hydronic jobs are designed and piped to do the job efficiently and safely, and get installed correctly and that installers are following the manufacturers’ guidelines at a bare minimum. That being said, over the many years I have been pulling wrenches, the bad installs are not going away, or even down in numbers. Here is a handful of avoidable mistakes when starting a hydronic system design and/or installation. Perhaps this list of to-dos looks overwhelming. It does take time, written procedures and communication to implement these best practices. So, start now and don’t stop. If your employees are all on the same page the job, and outcome, will be proper and predictable. May these suggestions become your company’s standards. “If you do not have the time or “If you do not have the time or willingness to do the first design willingness to do the first design steps, hire it out.” steps, hire it out.”

Don’t guess

on design. We are living in the information age. Answers are just a click or call away. But also know there is plenty of bad advice and information to go around. I recently acquired an empty steel barrel from a neighbour who has a cabinet shop. These 50-gallon drums contained lacquer thinner, and he had dozens that are non-returnable, and not easily scrapped or recycled. There was a trace of liquid in the sealed drums and plenty of fumes still coming out when I opened it. So, I thought I would Google and YouTube search for the safest way to remove one end to make a wood scrap storage container. One fellow suggested a cutting torch. However, another wisely advised a clever, spark-free pneumatic shear. Choose your YouTube experts carefully. If you do not have the time or willingness to do the first design steps, hire it out. Suppliers, reps and manufacturers may help with load calculations and system design. The shopping list to start assembling your parts and pieces might also be included. Retired plumbers and mechanical folks often start consulting businesses. Call around to get a feel for what a design consultant can supply and your comfort level with their experience and abilities. Therefore, if you are inclined to ask for help or an opinion on a system, first you need to qualify the source. The horse’s mouth, to use an old analogy, is often considered to be the manufacturer of the product. For the most part, the factory tech support lines are handled by qualified people. However, in these days of labour shortages, not every position is filled by a knowledgeable, experienced support person. If it sounds like they are reading from a script when you have them on the line ... they probably are.

Meet with the owners and understand their needs and wants. Over the years I have misjudged the amount of DHW a family needed. I had to correct a few on my nickel as it was not clearly defined on the plan or builder’s quote. I assumed one family’s DHW needs were the same as the next. Or that they would live within the parameters of what the system I installed would provide. Within reason, you have to give the customer what they want. Engage in a conversation directly with the people who will be living or working in the building. Sometimes a general contractor will dissuade you from speaking directly with the owners. That is bad protocol. Insist on face-to-face (or via

Don’t guess on

sizing. I’m referring to the boiler, tube sizing, circulator selection, venting, and so on. Modulating boilers and variable speed circulators give you more flexibility in sizing selection. There is always a “best size”

Avoid stocking up on parts, pipe and fittings, until you have visited the jobsite and have a clear plan. A plan can be as simple as a hand drawn sketch. A tape measure and some pictures of the location will keep info at your fingertips. Don’t tie up cash and shop space with soon-to-be-outdated inventory. Stocking up on anything may be an oxymoron these days.

Manufacturers offer tools to help with sizing components, there is no reason to eyeball it or guess.

Labels can save

needless callbacks. The critical shutoffs and service valves and switches should be labelled for the owners or next service person. Label makers are inexpensive and very compact these days. They have a place at work and home.

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.

Consult with the other

trades that are involved. Mechanical space or rooms have been shrinking. Builders want mainly living space under the roof and not many think about how much room is required to handle all the plumbing and mechanical needs. These days it is rare to see a new construction home that doesn’t include air conditioning. If this is in the form of a ducted, central system, they are real space hogs.

Avoid working with builders who want every job “value engineered.” While that term began as a sound concept, it has been reduced to mean cheap. Avoid contractors (and owners) who want rock bottom pricing with the promise of additional jobs. Learn to say no when the situation is compromising your trade and acumen.

Document everything.

This is for your future reference, the next tradesperson, and potential liability issues. Your smartphone is a powerful documentation device. Pictures, videos with voice over, can be stored in Dropbox or Google Drive. Infrared stills or videos are a nice touch for showing off radiant and knowing where tubes are located. Drones are also a great tool to document tube layouts. In some cases, I have made a paper overlay of tube layout. If a radiant floor is to have nail-down hardwood, a paper map will indicate exactly where nailing is possible or where floor-mount receptacles can be placed.

Avoid the “dine and dash”

work ethic. Hydronic systems often need some final tweaking after the building is occupied. Your bid should include some callback time to make the final adjustments. In some cases, a full heating season is needed to get controls such as outdoor reset perfected. High-efficiency boilers need routine checks and maintenance. Consider adding a service contract along with your bid. Homeowners like to have a person who they trust to take care of any issues. The technician that was involved from day one is the best set of eyes to have on a job if problems arise.

By Andrew Quattrociocchi

Pipe transitions

Combustible DWV versus non-combustible DWV: can’t we just all get along?

The use of PVC and cast-iron piping in the drain, waste and vent (DWV) market has been an issue for as long as I can remember. Having said that, not all installers have adopted PVC piping for the full DWV piping system yet and vice versa with cast-iron pipe. As a result, using a combination of certified DWV materials such as IPEX System XFR PVC and Bibby’s traditional cast-iron piping has become very common in today’s construction industry. Building codes and recognized firestop testing standards do not adequately address this common industry practice.

Building Officials are often required to interpret the Code and make judgement calls for many installation configurations. I’ll try to help clarify the use of “hybrid” DWV systems.

Common Application

The most common application for transitioning between combustible and non-combustible piping materials would be transitioning from a cast-iron DWV stack to 1-1/2-in. System XFR branch laterals to service common plumbing fixtures such as sinks, floor drains, urinal traps and water closets as shown in Figure 1.

In Ontario, the Ontario Building Code (Part 3) is silent on the topic of transitioning between combustible and non-combustible piping, although it is recognized in the Ontario Building Code (Part 7) that connections of dissimilar materials are permitted (Section 7. 3. 3. 6) and states:

(1) Adapters, connectors or mechanical joints used to join dissimilar materials shall be designed to accommodate the required transition.

In the National Building Code (Part 3), the language is also vague and does not cover this topic adequately. However, none of the Codes prohibit pipe transitions. The test standard for penetrations in fire separations and fire-rated assemblies, CAN/ULC S115 Fire Tests of Fire Stop Systems, does not address common pipe transition components such as combustible pipe couplings (MJ couplings) or branch laterals within the test assembly setup. In the test assembly setup, a continuous pipe (interpreted as one homogeneous material) extends 300 mm below and 915 mm above the slab. This 915 mm dimension has often been misunderstood as a value for construction to allow for transitions beyond this dimension, however, this premise is incorrect. It has been clarified by the S115 standards committee of Underwriters Laboratories of Canada as a dimension used solely for the purpose for the construction of the test assembly (see ULC Standards Bulletin 2013-23, Appendix A).

In fact, the bulletin* mentions that the penetrating item within the 915 mm for the purpose of the test in the standard is to be continuous. In other words, it does not even account for gaps (or transitions) in the pipe assembly created by commonly used combustible MJ pipe couplings.

Photo credit: Courtesy Kevin Yong-Ping

FIGURE 1 Common pipe transition in a DWV piping system

*The bulletin is a good read, short and to the point: https://canada. ul. com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2014/06/Standards_Bulletin_2013-23_S115-11_EN. pdf.

Differing viewpoints

The perception in the field among industry professionals can vary widely. The combustible pipe manufacturers will tell you one thing and the cast-iron manufacturers will tell you another. In my general opinion, and hopefully among building officials, this is much ado about nothing, as most municipalities recognize this is a common method of construction that has occurred for many years.

In rare cases, there are preconceived perceptions about the behaviour of the assembly in a fire condition. One hypothesis is that a fire in the compartment below will heat a vertical cast-iron (metallic) stack so much it will transfer heat and “melt” the PVC on the unexposed side and spread the fire.

Another hypothesis is that hot gases from a fire in the compartment below will travel through the vertical cast-iron stack and will evaporate any water in a P-Trap, thus enabling the easy spread of smoke and gases from the fire (see Figure 2). In addition, some people believe the closer the transition is to the slab the more likely it is that the hybrid system will not maintain the integrity of the fire separation in a fire. In the end, a code change proposal #1365 was submitted and reviewed by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes utilizing the very same bulletin put out by ULC.

The outcome: a code change to the NBC, including language on pipe transitions, was successfully adopted for the next printing of the 2020 NBC.

That’s it for this edition of Quattro’s Corner. See you next time. Agent Q signing out.

FIGURE 2 Perception of fire behaviour in branch transitions

Andrew Quattrociocchi, C.B.C.O., is the deputy chief building official for the Township of Oro-Medonte, a director with the Ontario Plumbing Inspectors Association and author of the Photographic Code and Guide through ORDERLINE. If readers have questions or a funny photo they would like considered for an upcoming edition of Quattro’s Corner, send an email to Andrew at quattroscorner@hotmail.com.

The Newly Re-Designed PR-500 is the Most Sensitive Trap Primer

On The Market

Precision Plumbing Products is proud to introduce the re-designed “Low Flow” PR-500 the most pressure sensitive brass body pressure drop activated trap primer on the market. Operating at 3 psi, this trap primer will not waterlog.

Factory ISO 9001 Lead Free NSF/ANSI 372 CSA B125.3-18 Plumbing Fittings PPP Revit Library Available

Our Trap Primers are proudly manufactured and assembled in our plant in Portland, Oregon since the 1960s.

Air Quality Sensing Air Quality Sensing

in enclosed parking facilities

Maintaining a healthy indoor environment has become extremely important in commercial building design and operation. While it is commonly thought of as an issue for building occupancy patterns, it is also important in areas associated with commercial spaces. Underground parking garages must also be considered as part of the solution to provide a quality building environment.

Automobile exhaust contains toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. These gases can cause health problems, including respiratory difficulties even at low concentrations over a prolonged period. Let us not forget the tremendous fatal danger these gasses pose at high concentrations. Not only will this affect people when they are in the garage, but it also acts as a pathway of pollutants to adjacent spaces. Therefore, it is essential that the sensors used in these gas monitoring systems are accurate at a wide range of concentrations but especially effective at a low concentration where chronic exposure is most dangerous.

Many provincial building codes require proper ventilation for enclosed storage or repair garages. In the Ontario Building Code, it is found in Section 6.2.2.3. There is further detail provided there regarding minimum and maximum mounting heights. You can find similar information in BC Building Code section 6.3.1.4. Cities even list requirements for carbon monoxide detection systems such as Toronto’s Municipal Code 629. When gas monitoring systems were first developed many cities had no codes enforcing these life-saving measures.

Figure 1 Common parking garage mechanical system

HOW MUCH AIR?

The mechanical ventilation system in enclosed parking garages is usually sized and designed by a mechanical engineer. The point of reference for the design is found in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2019 Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. ASHRAE 62-1 speaks to a fixed exhaust ventilation rate of 0.75 CFM/sq. ft. of floor area. For example, a 20,000-sq. ft. garage with a typical eight ft.-high ceiling would require approximately 5.6 air changes per hour. That is a large volume of air being changed in the space. All the cars in the garage aren’t necessarily running simultaneously so that amount of ventilation is not needed 100 per cent of the time. In fact, excessive ventilation can waste energy and cause other potential problems such as introducing cold air which can freeze any exposed piping. The most common mechanical system utilized in parking garage applications is exhaust fans and motorized dampers to control air flow, as shown in Figure 1. The goal is to minimize fan run time and energy consumption as much as possible while satisfying the air change

requirement. When gas monitors are used in conjunction with the exhaust fans and motorized dampers this becomes a type of demand control ventilation. As the concentration of gas increases, the ventilation demand increases. Many gas monitor systems use multiple programmed levels of concentration to initiate higher levels of ventilation. Higher levels of concentration also trigger higher levels of alarms from the gas monitors. The relays onboard the gas monitor are used to start fan motors on the exhaust fans and open the outside air dampers. The sequencing and programming are left to the system integrator as per the manufacturers installation instructions but in accordance with the maximum concentrations set out in the local building code. The Ontario Building Code sets the concentration of carbon monoxide at no more than 100ppm when measured between 900mm and 1800mm from the garage floor for gasoline-fueled engine vehicles. It also states a limit of no more than 3ppm of nitrogen oxide when installed as per the manufacturer’s instructions. (Section 6.2.2.3 item 1a and 1b)

Most commercial buildings today utilize a Building Management System (BMS). The garage sensors are integrated into an existing BMS. The most common type of integration utilizes the interoperable BACNet standard. In addition, a standard communication wiring configuration such as MSTP should be available. BACNet MSTP is widely-used, inexpensive and familiar to system integrators.

The most common location for gas monitors is on the pillars that provide garage support. Local jurisdictions often require the CO sensor to be four ft. off the floor and the NOx gas detector be mounted at half the ceiling height. Installation cost can be significantly reduced if both sensors are in the same device. The next step is to select the pillars to mount the monitors on. Circles can be placed on the garage floor plan to represent the coverage area of each sensor – a 48 to 50 ft.-radius is common. It is permissible to have overlapping circles on the floorplan to optimize sensor coverage. If questions arise as to the proper location or coverage, the gas monitoring system contractor, BAS system integrator, or sensor manufacturer can verify the layout.

The garage ventilation system may be part of the building commissioning process. The gas monitoring system contractor may need to work with a third-party commissioning agent to verify the ventilation system works properly. The gas monitoring system contractor should be able to provide a commissioning certificate if they are factory-trained on the system being installed. Keep in mind that gas monitoring systems are not a “set it and forget it” type of system. At a minimum they should be checked on an annual basis by a gas monitoring contractor who is factory-trained for the installed system. System operation must be validated and recalibrated. The sensors in these gas monitors do eventually lose their effectiveness.With proper maintenance you can be assured they are operating safely for the occupants.

Multi-level alarm indication

Keypad programming

Integrated siren

Laying out a parking garage for gas monitor-sensor placement

After installation and integration

Dual sensors CO & NOx

Relays Bus-network BACnet network

OPTIONS AND MORE OPTIONS

An ideal garage ventilation sensing and control system needs to be as flexible as possible to cover different site sizes, applications, and specific building requirements. Be sure to consider the following:

•Choice of built-in relays or networked control • Cost effective in both small and large applications • Ease of integration with existing BAS • Local communication network if needed • Multiple area sensing via smart gas monitors • Standalone gas monitoring and control where needed • Easily replaceable sensing elements for maintenance purposes • Keypad display for easy setup and configuration • Local or remote network alarming

Rick Ellul is regional sales manager - Central and Western Canada with Belimo. David Alliband is general manager of Belimo Sensors Inc. in Montreal.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY SCORECARD DEMONSTRATES A CANADA-WIDE DROP IN SAVINGS

On November 18, 2021, Carleton Universitybased research organization, Efficiency Canada, released the third annual Provincial Energy Efficiency Scorecard. When it comes to energysaving policies, British Columbia, Quebec, and Nova Scotia maintained their first, second and third place rankings, respectively, while Newfoundland and Labrador dropped below Saskatchewan into last place. The Scorecard outlines federal policy recommendations to support and encourage better provincial energy efficiency performance, which will be vital to meeting national climate targets. The full report benchmarks Canadian provinces across 54 separate metrics, such as energy savings from public utility programs, electric vehicle registrations, building code adoption, and industrial energy management. Summary reports have also been produced to highlight provincial performance. COVID-19 related factors such as supply chain disruptions, contractor shortages, and interruptions caused by pandemic-related restrictions challenged program administrators in meeting budget and savings targets which were established pre-pandemic. Efficiency Canada research shows that the pandemic disrupted energy efficiency programs, particularly in participation levels. At the same time, the energy efficiency sector as a whole demonstrated resilience in face of these challenges. However, it is policy changes such as Ontario’s cancellation of residential electricity energy saving programs and the shut-down of Energy Efficiency Alberta that explain a downward trend in annual incremental energy savings amounting to roughly 38 per cent since 2017. “Canada is coming out of the COP26 Climate Summit with the resolve to reach net-zero emissions. The Scorecard is a tool for policymakers and advocates to benchmark performance and review best practice policies. Unfortunately, the data shows that provincial energy efficiency progress is stalling,” said the report’s lead author, James Gaede.

Scorecard results

The Scorecard gave the top rank to British Columbia for the third year in a row. The province is one of the few that managed to hit savings and spending targets in 2020, despite the pandemic. In the case of British Columbia, time-limited adjustments to incentive levels by both utilities and the government appears to have largely negated any detrimental impacts from the pandemic. And, as more Canadians get vaccinated, the ensuing recovery offers abundant opportunities to ramp up efforts and gain back the ground lost during the pandemic, and then some. BC also led the country in the percentage of vehicle sales that were electric or plug-in hybrid (8.4 per cent) in 2020 and remains the only province with a commitment to a net-zero emissions code for new buildings. Quebec maintains its second-place position, leading in the transportation category with the most comprehensive charging network in Canada and a plan to eliminate the sale of fossil fuel passenger vehicles by 2035. Newfoundland and Labrador fell below Saskatchewan into last place. However, the province has plans to promote greater electrification of transportation, while maintaining energy efficiency programs, which should result in energy efficiency policy improvements. The rankings of Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island remained the same, from the previous year’s rankings. PEI achieves top scores in fossil fuel savings and spending per capita, as well as investments in low-income energy efficiency. While Ontario leads the nation in grid modernization, budget caps directed by the provincial government have reduced energy savings and had a big national impact. The results demonstrate that all provinces have significant room to improve. On a scale with 100 available points, the highest score this year is 55 and the lowest 13.

Province Strengths Opportunities Reversing the downward trend of Canadian energy savings

The report authors highlight four key areas where the federal government can support and catalyze better provincial energy efficiency performance: • Take leadership to stop the stalling of building codes • Transform building retrofits • Expand scale and scope of low-income energy efficiency • Promote energy management systems in industry They note that energy efficiency is a policy area that should unite all provinces rather than creating regional conflicts. Recent commitments on the part of the federal government could help to address falling spending and savings at the provincial level. Between the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s Commercial Building Retrofits Initiative and Natural Resource

Turn-key vehicles, ready when you need them.

With 10 locations across Canada, our dedicated team of fleet management professionals can help you find the right trucks and vans for your business needs, wherever and whenever you need them.

Take advantage of our full suite of vehicle management tools and services to help lower your overall vehicle expenses while maintaining a safe and efficient fleet.

www.jimpattisonlease.com

victoria | vancouver | kelowna | calgary | edmonton | winnipeg | toronto | laval | montreal | halifax

Canada’s Greener Homes Program, nation-wide annual spending on energy efficiency could double. This additional spending could complement existing provincial programs and help to achieve deeper and wider energy savings. For this to occur, it will be important to ensure that federal and provincial program administrators coordinate efforts to leverage up participation and the scale of improvements undertaken. There is a danger that the provinces might react to federal funding by ramping down provincial support, as was seen in Manitoba. The 2030 target for all new buildings to be net-zero energy-ready is rapidly approaching and the Liberal Party campaigned on a plan for new buildings to be “net zero emissions” by 2025. Yet, the updated national model codes − formally titled the “2020” versions− have yet to materialize. The Construction Codes Reconciliation Agreement aims to reduce variation in provincial building codes and encourages provinces to adopt the latest codes. But Efficiency Canada also fears it could perversely cap ambitions as provinces and municipalities are moving towards higher performance net-zero energy ready codes and/or zero-carbon codes. To achieve a net-zero emissions economy, building performance standards must set requirements on the energy use performance and/or greenhouse gas emissions of existing buildings. “Cutting energy waste is the first chapter in Canada’s climate plan and we have seen new federal policy initiatives over the past year. However, some of the stalling at the provincial level is due to federal delays in areas like publishing national model building codes. With a new mandate to aggressively reduce emissions there is an opportunity for federal policy to complement and accelerate provincial action,” said Efficiency Canada policy director, Brendan Haley. Efficiency Canada produces the Scorecard annually and manages a detailed provincial policy database.

Read the full report here:

• Lifetime Warranty On Valve Bodies • Canadian Made • Actuators For Any Application • Retrofit Solutions • Simple ‘In-Situ’ Maintenance

Find out more at Spartan-Pd.com

By Carolyn Cooper

Tradesperson’s Name: Vanessa Lam Nickname: Val Company: Arpi’s Industries Job title: Service technician Born in: Toronto, ON Lives in: Calgary, AB Age: 35 Spouse: Donna Son: Caleb, two

Vanessa Lam: Vanessa Lam:

Life-long learner Life-long learner

Like many young people finishing high school, Vanessa Lam had no idea what she wanted to do for a career. After moving from Toronto to Fort McMurray, AB to pursue job opportunities, her brother-in-law suggested she lend a hand at his HVAC company. “I had no idea what the trades were because I was never exposed to them,” recalls Lam. “And literally, my first workday I was helping to replace a furnace and I thought to myself, ‘This is so cool.’ And from then I just decided to pursue it.”

While working in the industry Lam began studying at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), and eventually relocated to Calgary, where she joined Arpi’s Industries, a provider of HVAC and plumbing services to Calgary area residents. Lam services everything from furnaces to air conditioners and rooftop units, and has even worked on an indoor swimming pool mechanical room, something she says was a key learning experience.

Lam says the advantage of being at a large company is learning from a team of colleagues. “There are days when we’ll be working with another tech, whether that be a journeyperson or a second- or third-year tech, just to kind of feed off of each other. Those days are when I’ve learned the most.”

Lam admits to having a constant need to learn more, especially as new products and technology appear. “We’re getting into heat pumps now, something that we were not really exposed to, because Calgary has very severe temperatures,” she explains. “But due to climate change and advances in technology, it’s something we’re looking at.” The company is also expanding into solar power and geothermal energy.

One challenge Lam continues to face is the surprise she says some customers express when she shows up to service calls. “There have been calls where the customer had assumed that I was the office staff calling to confirm the service appointment,” she says. “And although at times it still picks away at me, the feeling I get from being able to solve the issue and hearing them say how thankful they are is an indescribable feeling. And they will ask for me to come back the next time. But I also get a lot of customers who are happy to Lam also encourages young people looking for a dynamic career to consider the skilled trades. “Getting into trades changed my life, and it doesn’t just benefit me, it benefits my family. Now I’m the go-to person when things in their homes break down, and the feeling that you can help your family in that way is amazing.”

In the mechanical industry since: 2013

Schools and programs: Graduated from SAIT and became a Certified Red Seal Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Journeyperson in 2019

Favourite teachers: Bill Keating, Tyson Frank and Dominic Auger at SAIT

Favourite class: Shop class

The most useful tool in your toolbox:

Klein personal work light and multimeter

Favourite tool in your toolbox: Klein ¼ in. electrician mini ratchet set

Tool that you wish you had? Thermal imager

Best advice you’ve ever received: Don’t judge a book by its cover

The current work ride: GMC Savana cargo van

Service area: Calgary and surroundings areas

Any area you like to get dispatched to? Any area but ideally closer to home at the end of the day is always great

Favourite part of the job? Seeing the customer’s smile when you fix the issue

If you were granted one wish: That COVID never existed

Biggest pet peeves: Being unprepared

Favourite performer: Sam Smith

Favourite book: The Chrysalids Favourite car (or other vehicle) of all time: Favouritecar(orot Audi R8

Favourite movies: Marvel Avengers, Limitless, Inception

Favourite sports: Badminton, volleyball

Favourite video game and preferred gaming system:

Overcooked on Nintendo Switch

Favourite season: Summer

Favourite food: Homemade Vietnamese dishes

Favourite outdoor activity: Charcoal barbecue with family

When I was a kid, I wanted to be … an architect

Last book you read: Delirium

Last movie you saw: Don’t Look Up

One place in the world you would like to visit: Maldives