21 minute read
HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC Unsophisticated test yields great results
UNSOPHISTICATED TEST YIELDS GREAT RESULTS
Anumber of years ago, a colleague of mine and I were teaching building science in Russia to a number of contractors. The indoor air quality (IAQ) section of the training was provided by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) research division. The division had done great work on identifying and resolving IAQ problems in houses.
One image in the training was that of a skunk to highlight the opportunity of using odours to identify air quality issues. The training participants were confused by the picture. Our interpreter told us no one knew what the animal in the picture was; apparently, there are no skunks in Europe. Our intent to conjure up the memory of a commonly-known smell to focus attention on air quality failed. There was no shared experience with an odour that is so familiar to most North Americans. Even my threeyear-old grandson surprised me one fall evening when he crinkled up his nose and said “EWWH, skunk.” Indeed, this training experience underscored one of the major problems in trying to resolve odour problems in houses. Everyone has a different sense or experience with smells and we often struggle to find a common language to describe the odours we smell. I have written before about the challenge of resolving odour problems for clients and the first step is always to determine if we can agree on what it is each person is smelling. Undoubtedly mechanical contractors get calls about odours in houses, especially in the fall when heating systems start up, or in the spring at the start of air conditioning season. Be aware that the way you describe odours may be different than how your client perceives it. Moreover, because the sense of smell varies greatly among humans, you may not even be able to detect any discernible odour, even when your client is adamant about how strong an odour might be. We all need to respect the differences in the sense of smell and be open to trying to resolve odour concerns that don’t affect your olfactory system in the same way they may be affecting your client.
Gord Cooke Gord is a professional engineer who has spent 35 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 gordc@buildingknowledge.ca.
Sniffing around
There are useful strategies for ferreting out odour complaints in houses. I always start by asking a series of questions to determine where the smell is most prevalent, what time of day is it most noticeable, and what other events, activities or conditions coincide with the odour? For example, the owners of a one-year-old home recently reported an annoying smell in their master bathroom and in the kitchen. They had experienced it enough times to be able to link it to times they were showering in that bathroom, and cooking on the stove top in the kitchen. My mind went to possible moisture issues. It was easy to duplicate the conditions in the bathroom. We turned on the shower and waited, but there was no smell. After about 10 minutes the client realized the window was steaming up and instinctively turned on the bathroom fan. Within seconds he asked “Do you smell it now?” It took some sniffing around but eventually all four of us, the homeowners, the builder and me agreed we could smell something, although we each had different words to describe it. Most importantly, we all agreed it was coming from the electrical box located on an exterior wall. We took a quick trip to the kitchen, turned on the range hood and found the same odour, again from the electrical plug on an outside wall. The negative pressure created by the exhaust fans was drawing in an odour from the outside wall. Start by asking a series of questions to determine where the smell is most prevalent, what time of day is it most noticeable, and what other events, activities or conditions coincide with the odour?
Typically at this point my clients presume there is some magic black box that can be used to sniff and analyze air samples and determine what is in the air. There are such devices, called gas chromatograph–mass spectrometers, but they are very expensive and are used in critical laboratory investigations. In this case, it was more practical just to open up the wall around the plug and confirm there were no moisture or mould issues.
Using a technique described to me by Virginia Salares, our mentor at CMHC, we took samples of each building material in the area – insulation, drywall, poly vapour barrier, acoustical caulking, and even the foam gasket from the electrical box that is designed to seal the wire penetrations. We put each one in a separate zip lock bag and exposed them to sunlight, to heat them up just a bit. Everyone then smelled the bags. We all agreed that the foam gasket was the main culprit, although we never did come up with a common term to describe the smell. It seemed the gasket material itself or the adhesive meant to adhere the gasket to the electrical box had deteriorated. We checked the gaskets from the outlets that smelled and compared them to outlets that didn’t smell, and the homeowners agreed there was a noticeable difference. The two electrical boxes were changed, the wall thoroughly sealed up and the odour problem was resolved. This simple case highlights useful strategies for resolving odour problems. Start by trusting your nose and, more importantly, your client’s nose. Noses are more sensitive and far less expensive to use than trying to find a specific air quality monitoring device.
Characterize odours
Interestingly the N95 masks, that are now so commonly used, are helpful in odour investigations. Wear the mask while in a home or office and lower it briefly as you move through the space to characterize different odours in different places. The masks help to delay your nose from becoming too used to specific odours. The most effective resolution is to find and remove the source of the odour. If it is impractical to remove the offending material, the next best solution is to seal or isolate the material. In the scenario described earlier, if the insulation had been the culprit, it would have been impractical to remove all the insulation, so a thorough air sealing of the wall cavities would have been the right approach. Ventilation is the next most effective strategy, and it can be configured so as to create pressure differences that discourage odour transmission between spaces. Being keenly aware of the smells you encounter and respecting the noses of your clients will help you help your customer improve the air in their homes.
HVAC/R Products
Air purifier
The AtmosAir 800 series provides air purification and odour remediation in spaces without an existing HVAC or air distribution system. The series features a locking, wall-mountable enclosure equipped with an ionization system, blower fan, distribution ducting, and an air flow rating of up to 1,000 CF. The units can be custom-designed and sized for various commercial and industrial applications. www. atmosair.com
Veriable frequency drive
Franklin Electric introduces SubDrive Connect Plus, its newest variable frequency drives (VFDs) for residential, agricultural and commercial applications. The unit provides a full-featured constant pressure solution for water pumping systems in submersible and aboveground applications using three-phase motors up to 30 hp. The VFD includes soft-start pump protection, builtin lead/lag and alternation capacity up to eight drives, dual set point, pipe fill mode to reduce water hammer, and phase conversion for applications with 230V singlephase input power. franklin-electric.com
The Tag-It asset management program is part of the Regal internet of things (IoT) offering. It enables faster maintenance and simplifies the MRO procurement process through its Perceptiv intelligence platform for monitoring and diagnosing critical equipment 24/7. The Tag-It program allows users to scan a QR code for product information and identify units to ensure they obtain the right parts. regalbeloit.comDigital
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Rooftop system
Daikin has upgraded its Rebel Applied rooftop system with enVerid Sorbent Ventilation Technology (SVT), creating a packaged total air-quality system that combines sorbent media with a configurable rooftop unit. The system removes CO2 in buildings, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other contaminants using sorbent filtration that captures pollutants while allowing oxygen and water to pass through. www. daikinapplied.com
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HVAC/R Products
Heat recovery ventilator
InspirAIR commercial HRV from Aldes has a nominal capacity of 500 to 1,500 cfm, with a MERV 8 filter, two-horsepower motor, and 24V transformer for controls. The unit, with the company’s high-latent transfer enthalapy core, features a double-wall cabinet with one-inch insulation, with 22-gauge galvanized steel interior and exterior, and is available with additional heating coils and internal bypass. www. aldes-na.com
Air & sediment separator
Bell & Gossett has expanded its CRS coalescing-style air and sediment separator line. The line, which can be used in any HVAC system, helps improve heat transfer and energy efficiency by breaking entrained air and suspended solid impurities out of system fluid. The line now includes more sizes, connections and configurations, as well as benefits such as lifting lugs to make moving and installing easier, threaded connection, optional skim valve and stainless steel coalescing media. bellgossett.com
Thermal camera
The Flir T865 is the latest T-Series high-performance thermal camera from Flir Systems for electrical condition and mechanical equipment inspections. The camera offers a ±1°C (±1.6°F) or one per cent temperature measurement accuracy, and a temperature range of -40°C to 120°C (-40°F to 248°F). The camera is available with multiple lens options, and portable and handheld fixed mount options for work in harsh conditions. www. flir.ca
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By Carolyn Cooper
Name: Ryan Kingsley Company: Northern Gas Installers Job title: Journeyman plumber and gasfitter Born in: Sudbury, ON Lives in: Red Lake, ON Age: 35 Spouse: Taylor Campeau Pets: Three dogs who are rescues from Northern communities - Jiggs, a husky shepherd mix; Finnley, a mastiff lab mix; and Mya, a shepherd mix – and Mr. Slithers, a five-ft. long albino king/corn mix snake. In the mechanical industry since: 2006 Schools and programs: Graduated with honours from Algonquin College’s plumbing program in 2011, completed apprenticeship program with UAE Local 100 and became a journeyman plumber in early 2012.
Ryan Kingsley:
Hooked on Sunset Country
Ryan Kingsley admits that when he was first offered a job at Northern Gas Installers (NGI) in Red Lake, ON, a town of 5,000 people just 100 km from the Manitoba border and an 18-hour drive from his hometown of Sudbury, he wasn’t sure if he would enjoy living in the remote community.
“I’d never heard of Red Lake before, so I Googled it. And I said not a chance!” he recalls. “But they have a shortage of plumbers, and they continued to call me and finally I said I’d go try it out for two months. That was seven years ago.”
Kingsley credits the diversity of the work and the region’s famous hunting and fishing scene with keeping him in Red Lake. The municipality is located in the heart of the lake-studded Sunset Country.
“I love being in the bush. I hunt and I fish all the time. People pay thousands of dollars to come visit the town and spend a week and I get to get paid thousands of dollars to live here, so I absolutely love it,” he says.
NGI provides propane, natural gas, plumbing and solar products and services to the surrounding region, and Kingsley works on a huge variety of projects, including with the region’s mining and logging companies, and fly-in First Nations communities. “One day I’ll be putting a furnace in, the next day I’m doing a water heater, and the next I’m flying in a helicopter going to a remote location, putting in a drill camp for an exploration company, or going in a float plane to a reserve to build a water filtration system.”
Although the remote work is always interesting, it does present certain challenges. “I have to make sure whenever I’m going to build anything for the Northern communities that I have my trailer loaded, I need to know every single part that I need, because there’s no stores to go to,” he explains. “A lot of times when I’m building camps for the drillers, or for any exploration, I go up and there’s nothing at all. So, we’re setting up the camps, putting in septic tanks, drilling wells and actually installing the heat trace and insulating everything because it has to be able to withstand -50°C.”
In First Nations communities, Kingsley does everything from installing heaters and stoves, to plumbing houses that have come as a kit and brought up on the ice roads
during winter. “We’ll put the kits together, we’ll do full HVAC systems and full plumbing systems. And we do a lot of work for the nurses and medical teams at the band office.”
Another challenge is the shortage of plumbers in the area, and Kingsley encourages young people interested in the trades to consider smaller communities where there are more opportunities to learn a wider variety of skills. “If you want endless employment and the opportunity to work anywhere in the country, the mechanical trade is the way to go,” he says. “Right now, I have two really good apprentices, and I wouldn’t be able to do my job without them.” Kingsley also makes a point of only training local residents to keep skills in the community. “I had enough people come from out of town to take my training, get their tickets and leave right after.”
Although he’s not giving up his day job, Kingsley and his girlfriend Taylor Campeau recently purchased the Water Buffalo, a local coffee shop and water filtration business, which they are taking over in January 2022. “The Water Buffalo has been here for over 20 years, and it’s all locally roasted coffee and baked goods by my local baker,” he adds. “Everything about the business has to do with Red Lake.”
Favourite teacher: Don McMillan at Algonquin College
Favourite class: Plumbing theory
Best advice you’ve ever received: To enter the trades
Advice for young people considering entering
the trades: If you’re looking for a career you can enjoy and take pride in, becoming a Red Seal tradesman is a great option. You have the ability to work anywhere in the country and earn a good wage
The current work ride: A Ford F350 Super Duty
Service area: All of Northwestern Ontario
Any area you like to get dispatched to, and
why? Setting up remote drill and exploration camps. It requires a unique skill set to prepare and manage materials to complete jobs efficiently and service clients where access is limited
Favourite part of the job? I really enjoy teaching my trade to young people and apprentices to raise the next generation of tradespeople to do a good job and to show pride in their skills
Tool that you wish you had?
A mini excavator
The most useful tool in your
toolbox: A pair of Knipex and a Klein multi-bit screwdriver Best concert you ever attended? Thomas Rhett
Favourite magazine: Mechanical Business
Favourite local restaurant? The Thirsty Moose
Favourite TV show: Forged in Fire
Favourite movie: The Longest Yard
Favourite season: Summer
Favourite place to be:
Home
Hobbies: Fishing, hunting, hiking and just being outside
One place in the world you would
like to visit: Italy
Last book you read: The Ontario Plumbing Code
Last movie you saw: Black and Blue
Pet peeve: Poor workmanship
One word that describes you:
Outdoorsman
If I had a super power it would be... I already have one, I’m a plumber!
My rule of thumb is... If you’re not going to do it right don’t do it at all.
By Brooke Stewart
THE RESULTS ON-DEMAND PRICING DATA CAN HAVE ON PROFITABILITY
The erratic commodity pricing market has significantly impacted how often and by how much the prices of components used every day in mechanical bids are changing. Your estimates are reliant on having accurate, up-to-date pricing from suppliers; when that pricing is constantly moving, bids, and profitability and win rate, are at risk. To illustrate that point, monitoring the effects of the erratic market on managed content items in April 2021 showed: • Copper building wire changed price 1,754 times. • One manufacturer item in the database reported 1,111 price differences. • The average price deviation across all manufacturer items in the database was 131 per cent. With every price change comes the possibility a bid will be wrong, causing you to under or over bid, and putting profitability targets at risk. Ensure item pricing is up-to-date and that you can easily shop for better pricing on comparable items fast, to present the best bid price to win the job, but to also make it worthwhile. There is an upside. You may already have access to on-demand pricing data in your estimating or project management software and can take action now to implement the necessary steps to ensure the accuracy of estimates. No matter how volatile the market decides to be today, tomorrow or the next day you can have confidence in your bid at bid time and through procurement. Let’s run through the pre-construction timeline and look at each stage of the workflow where pricing data can create new opportunities to save time, money and headaches when used with estimating software.
ON-DEMAND PRICING DATA A risky climate can be a good reminder we really don’t need to create more work for ourselves in the day-to-day, there are plenty of forces out of our control willing to do that for us.
PUTTING TOGETHER THE ESTIMATE:
CAREFUL SELECTION OF MANUFACTURER-SPECIFIC ITEMS The most reliable pricing data is sourced directly from the manufacturer and includes much more than item costs. You can often get access to product images, size, average market pricing, pressure rating, installation instructions and warranty documents, and so on. These additional details about the product included in the “component data” means you can make more informed decisions about the items that you ultimately choose for the project. Obviously, price isn’t the only determining factor to whether you’ll ultimately procure the part from your preferred supplier, or a new player who might be offering a really good deal. You’ll be able to shop around for the best fit for your customer’s needs and proactively identify replacement components, if needed, with a quick search in the content database connected to your estimating software.
The key is to make sure you’re using a fully-managed manufacturerspecific component library; not a spreadsheet put together four weeks ago. Those figures may be outdated and are not a reliable source for deciding the competitiveness of your next bid. Value engineering capabilities in estimating software also make it easy to quickly change and compare material price and labour impact.
Pricing volatility provides an extreme environment in which to do business, but it doesn’t become any less important to have complete confidence in facts and figures, including the latest updates to pricing, on any given day.
YOU WON THE BID: BEGIN PROCUREMENT FROM SUPPLIERS
Once the bid has been submitted and the job has been won, it’s time to find additional profit margins wherever possible. You may be able to use the pricing data from the estimate to find extra cost savings during procurement. Bid pricing can be connected to suppliers in real-time when integrated with an estimating system. Once you’ve identified a supplier for a manufacturer component, you can update your estimates with supplier pricing, on-demand. Stale pricing is not just a problem before you bid. Just like pricing volatility impacts manufacturer component prices in the bid, it will also impact supplier pricing during procurement. This is where pricing data can truly make or break profitability in connection with item purchasing. When you use pricing data with the most up-to-date estimating solutions, you can confirm you have the lowest price for an item by obtaining and comparing pricing from multiple suppliers to lock in the best overall price on items. Sync with estimating software to create value engineering opportunities, and to test how using alternate materials could reduce overall cost of goods. Company-specific discounts may even be applied directly to your estimates.
PLAY A ROUND OF GOLF −
INSTEAD OF WASTING PRECIOUS HOURS CHECKING AND DOUBLE CHECKING YOUR ESTIMATES
Don’t rely on error-prone, manual data entry. When you’re working with poor data, the costs can be high. Poor data quality can ripple through a project and significantly impact profitability downstream––requiring change orders, unnecessary time and energy to fix mistakes, workflow disruptions, and can even damage your reputation. Consider this simple and very real example of what happens to topnotch contractors when they rely on manual updates to estimates instead of using fully-managed, third-party pricing content. The numbers speak for themselves: If a $1,000 estimated item is manually updated, and the last zero is left off by accident, the cost is recorded as $100. If your project requires 10 of these items, you’re charging the client $1,000 and the cost to you is $10,000 − leaving you $9,000 in the hole for a simple data entry error. There are many new and innovative ways technology can add value for contractors. Look for solutions offering flexibility with design applications, analytics, collaboration and connecting stakeholders further down the supply chain. There’s never been a better time to explore how the latest connected construction technology can help your business weather the storm.
Brooke Stewart is a senior product manager with Trimble MEP, North America. Based in Toronto, ON, Stewart has been with Trimble for 16 years. Her current role focuses on the MEP Estimating Solutions Portfolio. mep.trimble.com
JOBSITE JARGON
Match the terminology you hear in the field to the correct definition or function by January 6, 2022 and enter for your chance to win a REED PPRK4 Clean Ream Extreme kit. Send your answers to kerry.turner@mechanicalbusiness.com or enter online at mechanicalbusiness.com. In the event of a tie, the first entry in will be given the win, so don’t delay!
EXAMPLE:
1) Water Closet: Another term for toilet
Answer 1, H
JOBSITE JARGON 1) Water Closet 2) NPT (National Pipe Thread)
3) AAV (Air Admittance Valve) 4) ABS Pipe/Fittings 5) Flood Level Rim 6) Air Break (Drainage System) 7) Backwater Valve 8) Sewer Gases 9) Combined or Combination 10) DFU (Drainage Fixture Unit) 11) PSM (National Pipe Straight Mechanical thread) 12) Potable Water
A) A complex mixture of toxic and nontoxic gases which may include hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides B) Male and female threads are straight without taper C) Water free from impurities present in amounts sufficient to cause disease or harmful physiological effects, and conforming to the bacteriological and chemical quality requirements or regulations in the jurisdiction D) A common thermoplastic polymer used in non-pressure DWV systems E) Male thread is tapered and the further you thread the pipe into the fitting, it becomes tighter and creates the seal. The same taper is mirrored inside the fitting with the smallest diameter at the base of the female thread F) A building drain that conveys both sewage and storm water or other drainage G) A piping arrangement in which a drain from a fixture, appliance or device discharges indirectly into another fixture, receptacle or interceptor at a point below the flood level rim and above the trap seal H) Another term for toilet I) A measure of the probable discharge into the drainage system by various types of plumbing fixtures J) Provides a method of allowing air to enter the plumbing drainage system without the use of a vent extended to open air, and preventing sewer gases from escaping into a building K) A device or valve installed in the building drain or building sewer pipe where a sewer is subject to backflow, and which prevents drainage or waste from backing up into a lower level or fixtures and causing a flooding condition L) The edge of the receptacle (fixture) from which water overflows
