September 2012 by Plumbing and HVAC

F ll Heating

INSIDE Worker shortage numbers questioned Plumbing industry leaders meet Book aims to demystify plumbing code Finding success without burning out

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■ Contents

Fall Heating

Departments Hot Seat .........................................5 Working with numbers

Industry News ..............................6 Projected worker shortages questioned

People & Places ...........................41 Habitat Ride raises $17,500

Coming Events.............................43 CIPHEX West seminars announced

Shop Management......................45 A blueprint for success

Products & Technologies Heating ........................................10 Hot Water Heating .....................17 Heat Pumps..................................21 Refrigeration ...............................29

N.S. gas network expands

Slowly but surely, pipelines laid across province

Features

Plumbing ......................................33 Faucets & Fixtures .......................35

Coil manufacturer goes green 38 Customers demand that manufacturers “walk the talk”

Cover photo: The impact of dwindling fuel supplies is already being felt in the HVAC industry. Please see our article on page 13.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Heating with refrigeration 29

Clean and flush

CO2 heat pump systems show promise

Critical step often missed in hydronic heating September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

Hands Up!

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■ Hot Seat

September 2012 Volume 22, Number 6 ISSN 1919-0395

Publisher Mark Vreugdenhil (416) 614-5819 mark@plumbingandhvac.ca

About those numbers This industry needs to find a better way to get young people involved, because there are young people out there that would like to become part of it but are having a very hard time. We’ve been talking about the impending skilled worker shortage as the baby boomers retire for over ten years now. The Construction Sector Council, which tracks manpower needs for the construction industry, predicts that 29,000 workers will be needed by 2020 in the mechanical industry and 319,000 in the construction industry as a whole. These figures have been well known in the industry for some time. However, looming worker shortages have also become big news in the mainstream media. As a result, the average person out there has been convinced that learning a trade is a solid career path, which is exactly what this industry has been trying to promote. This should be good news. Unfortunately, it runs up against some pretty harsh realities. There is a real disconnect between the worker shortage projections and the lack of opportunities for young people currently filling pre-apprenticeship programs. Many contractors today are running pretty lean and are not hiring. And when they do hire, they want experienced and licensed workers that can go to work right away with minimal supervision. One refrigeration instructor told me recently that less than 40 percent of his graduates actually find work in the industry and only about half of those end up working the tools, with the remainder finding work in sales with a wholesaler, manufacturer’s rep or manufacturer.

The latter is certainly not a bad career path – in fact from my own trade experience it’s probably the better one – but it’s not what these young people who were encouraged to pursue a trade had in mind. And given all the publicity around worker shortages, none of these young people expected such difficulty in finding work in their chosen trade. The problem is obvious, but the solutions are not so easy. In a world where competitive bidding is the norm margins are thin and that doesn’t leave time or money for training. In residential projects, having crews organized into journeyman and helper/apprentice teams can make sense, but not so much in large ICI projects. The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA) looked into the issue and reported that the hype we are reading in the mainstream media may be somewhat overblown and misleading (as reported elsewhere in this issue). Whether their conclusions are accurate or not, it should cause everyone in this industry to pause and step back from the big picture and think about ways to find jobs for the young people that do step forward and at their (or their parents’) expense enroll in pre-apprenticeship programs. If the skilled worker shortages do turn out as dire as the predicted scenarios would have them, small steps by individual employers can go a long way to preventing long-term pain for the industry.

Editor Simon Blake (416) 614-5820 simon@plumbingandhvac.ca Design and Production Tim Norton production@plumbingandhvac.ca Production Manager Lilianna Kantor (416) 614-5815 lily@newcom.ca Circulation Manager Pat Glionna Corporate Services Anthony Evangelista

PLUMBING & HVAC Magazine is published eight times annually by NEWCOM Business Media Inc. and is written for individuals who purchase/ specify/approve the selection of plumbing, piping, hot water heating, fire protection, warm air heating, air conditioning, ventilation, refrigeration, controls and related systems and products throughout Canada.

NEWCOM Business Media Inc. 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M9W 5C4 Tel: (416) 242-8088 • Fax (416) 614-8861

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. A member of: Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating Canadian Circulation Audit Board Mechanical Contractors Assoc. of Canada Ontario Plumbing Inspectors Association American Society of Heating Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada Refrigeration Service Engineers Society of Canada

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■ Industry News

Report challenges projected worker shortage Skilled labour shortages will be “sporadic and short lived,” say accountants By Simon Blake report released July 24 challenges the long held belief that the construction industry will suffer a serious shortage of skilled workers over the next ten years as older workers retire. “Each province and occupation ages at a different pace. This indicates that the impact of the retiring baby boomer population on shortages of skilled trade workers may be marginal in specific trades,” said Rock Lefebvre, vice president of research and standards for the Certified General Accountants

Association of Canada (CGA) and coauthor of the report titled Labour Shortages in Skilled Trades – the Best Guesstimate. In fact the report states: “In 2011, young workers exceeded the number of those close to retirement in many skilled trades including: plumbers, pipefitters and gas fitters, electrical trades carpenters and cabinetmakers…” The opposite is true for machinists, heavy equipment operators, machinery and transportation mechanics, it added. And because skilled worker shortages tend to be short-term, they are “best

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Plumbing & HVAC – September 2012

dealt with through short-term solutions that can generate positive outcomes for Canadian employees and businesses,” said Lefebvre.

It’s complicated The CGA report goes against the grain of industry warnings in recent years. The Construction Sector Council (CSC), an industry and federal government funded think tank that provides a scenario of construction industry manpower needs for the entire construction industry, predicts that 319,000 skilled workers will be needed by 2020 based on current construction projections. This includes an additional 100,000 workers to meet the needs of increased construction activity due to several mega projects and infrastructure renewal along with 219,000 new workers to replace those reaching retirement age. But it’s complicated, said CSC executive director Rosemary Sparks. The needs vary across the regions and different trades. “The CSC has been working with industry to provide detailed information to assist in planning for future needs,” remarked Sparks. The CSC projects labour requirement for the pipe trades (which includes plumbers, steam fitters, gas fitters, sprinkler fitters and refrigeration workers) at 29,000 between 2012 and 2020. This includes 13,000 due to increased construction activity and 16,000 to replace retiring workers. Based on past history, the CSC expects 15,000 new workers aged 30 years or younger will enter the industry, leaving a requirement for 14,000 from immigration and other sources. “We still believe the demographics are going to have a huge impact on the entire economy, not just construction,” added Sparks. She noted that the CSC figures are established by working directly with provincial industry committees

(contractors, owners, labour, governments and training providers) and are “driven to some extent by the major construction projects that will likely have a significant impact on the labour requirements for the industry.” But there-in lies part of the problem, says Lefebvre. He believes industry and government tend to be over optimistic on future projects and growth. “There’s assumptions being made, and sometimes those assumptions don’t necessarily crystalize as might have been imagined.” However, noted Sparks, “There can be changes in projects and it is for this reason that we produce an annual scenario-based forecast. This allows us to continuously move the scenario forward with more up-to-date information.”

Manpower council funding cut The mechanical industry’s most reliable source of information on manpower is in jeopardy after the federal government cut the program under which it operates. The federal Sector Council program provided funding for the Construction Sector Council with industry providing a relatively small share. Without the federal money, industry must pick up the entire cost. “We’re working with industry to develop a new model to sustain the labour market information program,” remarked CSC executive director Rosemary Sparks. “We hope by the fall we’ll have that sorted out and will let the industry know how we are going to go forward.”

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Looking for solutions

Refrigeration apprentices compete in the Skills competition at the MEET show in Moncton. Human Resources and Development Canada (HRSDC) also tracks the Canadian workforce through the Canadian Occupational Projection System. Lefebvre would like to see that expanded to cover provincial and

regional differences. “If we had one recommendation it would be let’s be more precise in determining which specialties are needed where. I think that’s lacking.”

Lefebvre is the first to admit that the CGA paper doesn’t provide all the answers. “I admit that our paper is very limited. It’s not what we consider a full wholesome research paper.” It looked at only five trade categories: carpenters, auto and truck mechanics, construction millwrights and industrial mechanics, welders and related machine operators and electricians. And it doesn’t account for regional variations. “I wish we had more solutions in the paper. We didn’t really help clarify. We just provided the other side that maybe we don’t have to sound off all the alarm bells. “One of the other things we noticed is that the frictions (manpower shortages) tend to solve the problems. In Alberta, for example, people migrate and there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue to happen.” However, a big part of the problem is that contractors are reluctant to hire apprentices. Many young graduates from pre-apprenticeship programs across the country are can’t find jobs. “If there’s such a demand, why are these young people falling between the cracks,” wonders Lefebvre. “We’re not trying to discredit anyone. We’re not suggesting the industry doesn’t know what they are doing,” said Lefebrve. “We’re just saying that we should take a more objective look at (skilled manpower shortages) and if we are going to help the trades let’s isolate what we need where instead of just sounding off the alarms that we’re short of skilled trades people…”✚

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■ Industry News

Rebuilding relationships critical to economic recovery, CIPH delegates hear The failure of U.S. banks and the resulting damage to the relationships between business leaders and their bankers has resulted in a slow recovery in the U.S. and continues to put a damper on business in Canada and around the world. “Watching Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, AIG, Citibank and the Bank of America, it is hard to trust banks and the financial industry as a whole. And that feeling of distrust pervades the business environment today and affects relationships we are trying to build,” said Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating chairman Kevin Fullan (Flocor), as he introduced the conference theme – Building Healthy Relationships – to about 220 delegates and companions at the CIPH Annual Business Conference at Chateau Montebello in Montebello, Que. June 24-26. A still fragile economy in Canada means that many companies are operating lean, leaving skilled workers doing menial tasks because the first to be let go in a downturn are the support staff, remarked Linda Duxbury, a professor of business at Carleton University in Ottawa. “You would do better if you hired one or two people just to do the clerical work,” she said. “Role overload” is causing widespread burnout, resulting in substantially reduced productivity. One of the most engaging speakers was multi-

Olympic gold medal winning wheelchair athlete Chantal Petitclerc. Paralyzed at age 13 from the waist down when a barn door fell on her, “I was quick to decide I was not going to be a victim,” she said. Getting into sports was key. But “natural talent can only take you so far.” She had to develop self-discipline, which didn’t come easily. “Excellence happens when we pay attention to all the little details,” she remarked. Opening breakfast speaker Senator Don Plett, a longtime plumber (Landmark Plumbing & Mechanical, Landmark, Man.), noted that plumbers have “finally been given the recognition we deserve (after all the cruel jokes),” thanks to World Plumbing Day, which occurs every year on March 11. “Clean drinking water and basic sanitation should not be a luxury,” he added, complimenting CIPH for “keeping the issue front and centre.”

Kevin Fullan, left, passed the chairman’s gavel to John Hammill.

New executive CIPH delegates elected a new executive. John Hammill (Moen Canada) becomes chairman of the board for 2012-13. Robert Whitty (Bartle & Gibson Co. Ltd.) moves into the vice chairman’s role while Paul McDonald (Bradford White Canada Inc.) was named second vice chairman. The new Ed Hardison Memorial Delegates Golf

Trophy, named in honour of the longtime CIPH president, made its debut at this year’s conference golf tournament. The next CIPH Annual Business Conference will take place at the Marriott Halifax Harbourfront Hotel in Halifax June 16-19, 2013.. ✚

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â&#x2013; Heating

Nova Scotia gas network expands Over 300 kilometres of pipeline laid By Art Irwin

Heritage Gas has focused on hooking up commercial, industrial and institutional properties in Nova Scotia.

eritage Gas Limited continues to expand its network of natural gas pipelines in Nova Scotia. Established in 2003, the company obtained the franchise to distribute natural gas in Nova Scotia and now has approximately 3,600 customers in Halifax, Dartmouth, Amherst and the Halifax International Airport area. Heritage Gas is owned by AltaGas Utility Group Inc. headquartered in Calgary. Since its beginnings, Heritage Gas has invested close to $180 million in Nova Scotia and laid approximately 300 kilometres of natural gas pipeline. Earlier challenges included the installation of a natural gas pipeline beneath the Halifax Harbour joining Halifax and Dartmouth, which enabled gas to be distributed to the Halifax peninsula and provided gas distribution to the universities and hospitals. Gas distribution to Oxford, Nova Scotia is presently being completed. Oxford Frozen Foods, one of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

largest processors of blueberries, has the capacity to process over three million pounds of wild blueberries a day during the harvest season. Their warehousing can accommodate over 150 million pounds of storage. In addition to this anchor customer, gas is being distributed to other local businesses and homes in the town as well. Heritage has applied to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board to add the community of Hantsport to its network and deliver gas to that area by 2013. Agreements to deliver natural gas to Minas Basin Pulp & Power Company Limited and Canadian Keyes Fiber are already in place.

Distribution by road As well, Heritage is designing a compressed natural gas (CNG) loading and unloading system that will allow it to transport natural gas using specialized trailers instead of a very costly pipeline. Operating under a rigorous safety regime set out by Transport Canada and the provincial governments, the transportation of compressed natural gas is used in other regions in Canada. In mid July, the Nova Scotia Government announced it had given approval to truck compressed natural gas throughout Nova Scotia. By early next year, a number of other larger customers could be receiving natural gas which could reduce their energy costs by as much as 50 percent. Irving and the Floating Pipeline Company have indicated they are interested in getting into the business. This venture will not be feasible for the residential sector because the cost of a compression station could be as much as $150,000.

Bedford extension In 2010, Heritage Gas completed its extension to Bedford, which cost approximately $17 million and added 30 kilometres of new pipeline. Natural gas is now available to customers in Fairview, Clayton Park, and the new Halifax Regional Municipality arena and recreational facility in Bedford. Many commercial and residential customers are presently being served in these areas. Mount Saint Vincent University converted to natural gas with financial assistance from the Gas Market Development Fund, which was established with funding from the Sable Offshore Energy Producers. The conversion cost approximately $490,000, with the province contributing approximately $367,000 from the fund.

Conversion rebates available There are rebates and conversion assistance available under the Natural Gas Equipment Rebate Program through the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. The program was designed with advice from the Nova Scotia

Plumbing & HVAC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2012

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Natural Gas Association and is administered by Heritage Gas. The purpose of the program is to encourage residents and businesses in Nova Scotia to convert to natural gas from oil, propane, and electricity using the most efficient equipment available. The program is in effect until March 31 and available to residential and commercial businesses with consumptions less than 5,000 gigajoules of natural gas annually. An efficiency rebate is included if equipment meets the criteria listed in Fig. 1. All residential single-family dwellings, duplexes and townhouses with individual addresses must include an EnergyStar rated central heating system.

April 1,2012 to March 31, 2013 Annual Volume (G)

Base Rate

Efficiency Rebate

Maximum Total

0 - 500

$ 1,375

$ 625

$ 2,000

501 - 1,500

$ 3,000

$ 1,000

$ 4,000

1,501 - 2,500

$ 5,750

$ 1,250

$ 7,000

2,501 - 5,000

$ 7,550

$ 1,450

$ 9,000

Fig. 1: Rebates are available to help Nova Scotia home and building owners convert to natural gas. construction does not qualify. Heritage Gas bills have two components. The delivery service portion covers the cost of building, operating and maintaining the natural gas distribution system. The bill also includes the cost of natural gas supply, which is at cost without mark-up. The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board does not regulate natural gas supply charges on the bill.

There are rebates and conversion assistance available under the Natural Gas Equipment Rebate Program…

Schools to be added Commercial businesses are defined as those that own, manage or lease buildings in sectors such as retail, hospitality, office and multi-unit residential. Public institutions such as educational, health care, non-profit, municipal and provincial government buildings are also included. The maximum level of assistance cannot exceed 75 percent of the proposed eligible expense. New

A $14.3 million dollar steam plant is being constructed for the complex, which includes 300 residential housing units presently being heated with oil. Three new steam boilers will be housed in a 13,000 square foot building to serve 85 buildings. Nova Scotia is connected to the North American natural gas grid, currently with access to over 100 years of reserves. Production of natural gas in Nova Scotia is from the Sable (Island) Offshore Energy Project. ✚

Heritage Gas is currently working with the Halifax Regional School Board to connect a number of schools, reported company president Jim Bracken. The company hopes to add 500 new customers this year, bringing to total up to 4,000 customers by the year’s end. The most important project this year is a threekilometer pipeline to Canadian Forces Base Shearwater.

Arthur A. Irwin operates Irwin Energy Consulting Services in Halifax. He can be reached at irwin.a@ns.sympatico.ca.

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■ Heating

Energy economics changing How will we heat our homes in 50 years? By Bruce Nagy Today: As of now about 80 percent of homes and businesses in the world are heated by oil and gas. About 67 percent of the world’s electricity comes from coal, oil and gas. But even the most optimistic prophets don’t predict more than 100 years supply of any of these fuels, and most admit it’s more like 3050 years at affordable prices. That likely includes the current shale gas celebration in the U.S., which investors are now seeing as a bit of a sham. Consumption of fossil fuels is still increasing. If Asia keeps growing at the current pace, the energy landscape will have to change a lot in the next 20-30 years. What will take the place of oil and coal? Tomorrow: For install trends of mechanical equipment used to heat and cool North American buildings in the next few decades, a lot will depend on natural gas. The efficiency of natural gas fueled equipment continues to improve and, given most of the current load requirements, the capital cost for gas appliances has not yet been matched by renewables. Affordability of natural gas and building efficiencies will be the key factors.

Shale gas realities Fiction? American politicians would rather not create panic by talking about shrinking oil reserves, and they have used trouble in the Middle East as a rationale for discovering new U.S. energy sources. So it’s not surprising that something like shale gas might suddenly become a miracle cure. However, the shale gas revolution is based on newish technology that right

now creates a higher cost model than traditional extraction. American investors jumped in because they were told it was profitable, but according to several petroleum industry analysts, the business cases that were used to prove this made questionable assumptions about gas field yields. Now many shale projects are reaching peak production after just a few years, with dramatic fall-offs after that. This is a serious problem for investors, unless extraction becomes more effective and costs go down. If mistakes have been made then the statement ‘100 years of cheap natural gas’ contains two inaccuracies. It might not be cheap and there might not be a 100-year supply.

Nuclear costs high The economics of nuclear energy are in even worse shape. Once a plant is built it supposedly provides a lot of power very inexpensively. But due to chronic overruns, investors stopped taking cost estimates for new nuke plants seriously around 1980. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office says the actual cost of building 75 nuclear power plants in the U.S. exceeded industry quoted estimates by more than 300 percent (actual cost about $3000 per kW, not including waste storage). In 2007 Moody’s Investor Service increased estimates to $5,000-$6,000 per kW and Keystone Center researchers found surprisingly high operating costs of 30 cents per kW. Waste-to-energy, biomass CHP, big wind and huge solar farms are all more competitive and quicker to build.

New options In the 1960s and 1970s the U.S. and Germany tested another kind of nuclear that uses thorium rather than plutonium as a fuel. There has been some recent interest in resurrecting its possibilities. India has some reactors under construction and continues to conduct research. China has started a program. Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive chemical that is chiefly refined from monazite sands as a byproduct of extracting rare earth metals (Wikipedia). It is less expensive, more efficient, safer and more abundant than plutonium. It leaves very little radioactive waste and reactor meltdowns are reportedly easy to avoid. The likelihood of a terrorist (or country) using the technology to make a bomb is almost zero. Thorium reactors might even be less expensive. The problem is, we don’t know. We are just starting detailed, costly research.

Much of the world’s electricity is still generated by coal-fired plants.

Biomass Several kinds of wood products, waste products and agricultural biomass are making a huge impact on the generation of electricity and are also gaining in popularity as fuels for heating buildings. Theoretically biomass is one of the only base load renewable energy sources with widespread availability, considered by some as inexhaustible. It currently supplies about 14 percent of global primary energy with technologies now

Please see ‘renewable’ on page15

Renewable energy technology continues to draw new investment. www.plumbingandhvac.ca

September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

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■ Heating

Renewable energy

energy coefficients are all good; and although the process requires large amounts of water, the water is recycled, reused and not polluted by the process. The technology is about four or five years from significant implementation.

Continued from page 13 spreading from Europe to every corner of the world. Traditional biomass products like ﬁrewood, charcoal, manure, and crop residues provide the main source of household energy for two to three billion people worldwide. It now involves grasses and woody plants, leaves, wood, wood chips, rice husks, peanut shells, sugarcane fiber, garbage, and waste. It is also now much more common as a fuel in many kinds of electric power plants (and large institutional or district heating plants). According to Pike Research, a global clean technology research and consulting firm (www.pikeresearch.com), worldwide biomass power generation capacity will grow to at least 86 gigawatts (GW) by 2021 from 58 GW in 2011. That represents a total investment of $104 billion. The main ecological concern is greed and the breaking of rules. For example, making wood pellets from trees killed by mountain pine beetle or from forest slash that would normally be burnt wastefully are both environmentally sensible, but clear-cutting forests is not.

Biofuels Ethanol received a lot of attention a few years ago as a transportation fuel until it was realized that the energy input coefficient didn’t make much sense and neither did displacing food crops to make it. Nonetheless, it’s still big business in some areas. In Brazil where it is made

Renewables power

Information about fossil fuel reserves can sometimes be misleading. from sugar cane it is very successful, but sadly they reportedly clear-cut boreal forest so they can have room to grow the cane. Investors now are excited about the prospects for ordinary algae from ponds and lakes. The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $24 million in research, so this is serious. Algae absorbs CO2 while growing, can be generated pretty quickly using comparatively little acreage in controlled circumstances, and converted to a relatively clean burning transportation fuel. The economics and

Investors are now really committing to electricity from renewables. According to the business and financial market news website Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com) and the United Nations, global investment in renewable power and fuels increased 17 percent to a new record of $257 billion last year. U.S. investment leapt 57 percent to $51 billion. In 2010 China was the leader, investing $48 billion, while rooftop projects in Germany and Italy together reached $60 billion-worth of investment, up more than 90 percent from 2009. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) global wind power capacity generation reached 238 gigawatts at the end of 2011, up from 18 GW at the end of 2000. Photovoltaic solar (PV) generation was roughly 67 GW by the end of 2011, compared with just 1.5 GW in 2000. The IEA’s 2012 World Energy Outlook projects a 300 to 400 percent increase in electricity from renewables by 2035. Eventually renewables are expected to provide half the world’s energy.

Hydro electric Hydro creates 17 percent of the world’s electricity. Due to long pay back periods, high capital costs, and

Please see ‘Renewable’ on page 36

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September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

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■ Hot Water Heating

CLEAN and

FLUSH Critical step often missed in hydronic heating systems By Roy Collver

A mechanical flushing machine will quickly clean out hydronic systems.

leaning out a hydronic system is an important, but often forgotten, step in protecting system components and maximizing efficiency. There are two different reasons to perform this procedure, and they each require a slightly different approach. When a system has just been installed, it has to be flushed to remove any debris, solder flux, pipe dope, oil, etc. This step should never be skipped, and the stories are many when it comes to the kind of stuff found in some brand new systems. I personally have dug twigs and leaves out of a Y-strainer, wood splinters out of pump impellers, and once – a glass marble out of an air separator. I have seen strange gel plugging a basket strainer, and dealt with noisy boilers due to oil and grease coating water-side heat exchanger surfaces. In just about every case, I was there because the system wasn’t working properly. In every case, when I asked whether the system had been cleaned and flushed, the answer was: “No, it’s a brand new system – why would it need to be cleaned and flushed?”

Cleaning systems If you are the installer and you have taken reasonable precautions you can likely get by with a clean water flush and dump of the system – but good practice would

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dictate using a cleaning agent of some kind. The other times you may have to clean and flush is when an older system gets fouled by sludge, rust, lime scale, algae, etc. All kinds of nasty stuff can show up, including chemicals and glycol that has “gone bad” (usually faded down into an acidic state – very hazardous to your system). Part of a regular maintenance check should be to take a fluid sample and check the pH and chemical inhibitors. Should there be any chemicals in the system, you will need to know what they are. Some modern hydronic chemical suppliers will provide you with a test kit. This should be a key decision point in deciding which chemical supplier to work with. Just as good are the suppliers that have a lab with quick turn-around where you can send a sample for testing. Other ways to determine if a system needs to be cleaned include draining a bit of water from low spots, if possible, and looking at what comes out. There should never be any grit in the fluid. I am a great believer in Ystrainers and cartridge filters – and the newest dirt separators are brilliant. All of these devices will help capture junk in your system, but just as important, they can be the proverbial canary in the coal mine. If they plug up you know the system needs cleaning.

Dirty system indicators Other indicators that a system needs cleaning include: 1) Noisy boilers: For fixed-fire boilers, the noise increases as the boiler heats up. With the new

Please see ‘green’ on page 19

September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

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■ Hot Water Heating

New green chemicals aid flushing Continued from page 17 modulating boilers, noise will start at some mid-fire point and become louder as the burner modulates to higher firing rates. Many high mass/high water volume boilers will not warn you, however, and the first indication you might have is water on the boiler room floor from a cracked pressure vessel. 2) Seized or noisy pumps: Crud gets onto the bearing

I am not a big fan of adding chemicals to hydronic systems, but I now consider it a necessary evil given the nature of today’s mixed metal systems. surfaces and the circulator fails. 3) Leaks: Relief valves, pump seals, piping joints, radiators, air vents – just some of the components that may spring a leak due to fouling or corrosion. 4) No heat or reduced heat in some loops, radiators or other heat transfer components: Junk builds up in piping or terminal units and either stops flow completely, or reduces it enough to restrict heat transfer and performance. The most common customer complaint that should trigger a “gummed up system” investigation is a cold radiator tale. 5) Valves won’t close off: Zone valves, gate valves, compression valves, relief valves – any valve with a seat – may suddenly fail to completely shut off when it should. There’s a pretty good chance there is crud on the seat.

What next? So where do you go from here? The procedures for cleaning and flushing are pretty simple, and common sense should prevail: Step 1: Assess the extent of the problem. This means taking water samples, checking the system for leaks and blockages (cold loops and radiators) and documenting the issues. At this point you should detail the problems to the customer, show them the deficiencies, and then walk them through the remedial action procedures. Step 2: Find a chemical supplier who understands hydronic heating systems and has a “suite” of hydronic treatment chemicals that will: • Clean the crud out of the system. • Passivate the system after cleaning. • Provide ongoing protection after the system is refilled. Step 3: Follow the supplier’s instructions to the letter. Step 4: Show the customer how much better the system is after you have “saved” it; and then sell them a preventative maintenance program that will include monitoring the chemicals to make sure the problems

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don’t re-occur. Just for the record – I am not a big fan of adding chemicals to hydronic systems, but I now consider it a necessary evil given the nature of today’s mixed metal systems.

New chemicals Cleaning ferrous metal systems used to be pretty easy: Dump in some TSP, heat, circulate, dump down the drain and re-fill with tap water. Those days are over, both for environmental reasons and because there are multiple metals in a system, some of which may not like TSP. The new cleaning chemicals are environmentally friendly (can be legally flushed into sanitary drains), non acidic, and multi metal compatible – but they are NOT designed to be left in the system. That’s where the “flush” part of a clean and flush comes from. Again, make sure you follow manufacturer’s instructions as to how long to circulate the chemicals, at what temperature, and how to dispose of them. Most will have a testing procedure so you can check to make sure all of the cleaning chemicals have been flushed out and/or neutralized. When replacing a boiler, it is a real dandy idea to clean, flush, and THEN put in the new boiler – but often you don’t have that option because the old boiler won’t

hold water anymore. Which brings me to describe one of the niftiest gizmos I have seen in awhile. It is called a Power Flush unit, and it is a real no-brainer. The quickest way to explain it is to point you to a web site of one of the chemical manufacturers. www.fernox.com. They have a short video showing how their unit works – other manufacturers also have similar devices. Basically, the technician removes the main circulator and connects the flushing unit to the supply/return piping. A cautionary note – this procedure may reveal and/or cause an older system to spring one or more leaks. It is important to explain this to your customer and to have someone monitor the system for leaks during the procedure to limit damage should a leak occur. Explain to your customer that they are far better off dealing with this situation pro-actively. The leaks will happen eventually anyway – probably while they were down in Florida … ✚ Roy Collver is an author and consultant on hydronic heating based in Peachland, B.C. He can be reached at hoth2o@shaw.ca

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■ Heating

AIR to AIR The fundamentals of specifying and installing heat pumps By Bob Bettles and Brian Guttormson

he heat pump in its simplest form may be described as a “reversible” air conditioner. In reality it is much more. Today’s heat pump systems provide high efficiency cooling, dehumidification, heating for part of the winter and supplementary heat for most of the winter months. Solid-state controls monitor ambient temperatures, outdoor and indoor coil temperatures and administer defrost cycles during heating to provide a most efficient system. In order to properly apply a new system to an existing dwelling or a new structure, several things must be completed. A heat loss/gain calculation must be done to properly size the appliance. An undersized system will run too long in the summer months and, while dehumidifying the structure, the temperatures will not be reduced

sufficiently for occupant comfort. An oversized system will short cycle in the summer, reducing indoor temperatures but not dehumidifying the air. Occupants will complain of cold and damp conditions. An oversized system will allow better heat pump winter heating to occur. Systems are now available with two-stage compressor operation. This allows the equipment to be slightly oversized for the cooling capacity, thus gaining additional heating during the winter.

Duct sizing critical Duct systems must be sized for proper distribution throughout the dwelling. While a fossil fuel appliance may operate with a 40 to 60ºF Delta T, the heat pump system will run a 15-20ºF Delta T. This lower discharge air temperature will result in longer operating cycles. Diffusers must be located to not “blow cold air” on the occupants.

The outdoor unit should be installed at least 12 inches above grade for defrosting. Once the heat loss and duct designs are determined, equipment sizing may then be completed and applied. The cooling side may be oversized slightly to gain additional heating benefits. If a two-stage condenser is selected the dehumidification benefits may offset the initial equipment expense. The equipment manufacturer must submit all model combinations to the AHRI committees for rating and efficiency approvals. These combinations are listed on the www.ahridirectory.org website and should be consulted prior to final quotations on a project proposal. The rule of thumb that matches a two-ton outdoor section with a two-ton indoor section doesn’t apply.

Please see ‘Size’ on page 23

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September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Size it right Continued from page 21 It must be remembered that the indoor coil in the winter will become the condenser; as such the indoor coil must be carefully matched with the listed combinations.

Sizing and matching Heat pump ratings are based on two known factors. In the manufacturerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spec sheets and also on the AHRI listing, if the capacity is listed at 47ÂşF (8ÂşC) and 17ÂşF (8ÂşC), these values may be plotted on a straight-line graph page from upper right to lower left. The heat

This valve switches the heat pump between cooling and heating modes.

pump output capacity will level out to an almost flat line around 0ÂşF (-17ÂşC) Heat loss values may also be plotted on this same page, with the zero value of heat loss on the lower right of the page, again in a straight line to the heat loss value in the upper left corner of the page. The intersection of these two lines is known as the thermal balance point, where to the right of this point the heat pump will provide all of the heat required for the dwelling and to the left of this point additional heat is required to satisfy the structure loss. (Please see Fig. 1)

Electric systems In an all-electric system the electric heat elements may then be staged on with an outdoor temperature sensor in five kW increments as the outdoor temperature drops. Usually in this all-electric system the electric package will become the prime source of heat around 10ÂşF (-12ÂşC). The electric heat package is sized for the total heat loss of the structure in spite of the fact the heat pump section, even at design conditions, may provide a slight percentage of heat. In a fossil fuel system added to an oil or gas fired appliance, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;economic balance pointâ&#x20AC;? will dictate the balance point cutout temperature where the backup appliance becomes the prime source of heat for the dwelling. In Fig. 1 the dwelling heat loss is 50,000 BTUH at â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Âş 10 F, plotted with a two-ton heat pump. The thermal balance point is 36.7ÂşF. Thermostat selection for a heat pump application

Introducing

Flexibility in Perfect Form

Fig. 1: The thermal balance point occurs where the heat pump output and heat loss intersect. must take into account the balance point selection and thermostat internal response at or near the thermal balance point as the heat pump capacity drops off. Outdoor temperature sensors are no longer an option, but must be included in the control package.

Economic balance point While the thermal balance point may be easily calculated, most manufacturerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charts are based on a consistent hydro energy cost. Contractors in some areas may find with a fossil fuelled appliance for backup heat, the economic balance point for the changeover to the fossil fuelled appliance may be quite a bit higher! And in

Please see â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;defrostâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on page 25

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September 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Plumbing & HVAC

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■ Heating

The defrost cycle Continued from page 23 some cases with our time-of-use hydro billing the projected savings may not be as high as promised!

Defrost algorithms During the heating cycle of the heat pump system the evaporator coil (outdoors) will build-up a layer of frost. This frost layer will eventually restrict the airflow through this coil and will require a defrost cycle to occur. Several methods are used depending on the equipment. It may be as simple as time and temperature. In this method the outdoor ambient temperature is monitored and below a pre-determined temperature the unit is then

forced to run for a pre-determined time frame, (30, 60 or 90 minutes) until defrost will occur. Some units may have a demand defrost cycle where the unit must run until the coil and ambient temperatures reach a pre-determined differential temperature. In this style an air pressure switch may monitor the amount of restriction in the system before allowing defrost to occur. During the defrost cycle, the refrigerant flow is reversed by the unit’s reversing valve and hot gas from the compressor is directed to the outdoor coil to melt down the frost on the coil surface. The outdoor fan is also stopped to allow a shorter defrost cycle. When the coil temperature has increased to a

A FEW KEY DEFINITIONS The coefficient of performance (COP) is a value based on heat pump output versus $1.00 of electric heat. For example, a COP value of 3 indicates a heat output equal to $3.00 of heat for $1.00 of energy consumed. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) is the cooling output in Btu(s) (British thermal units) during a typical cooling-season divided by the total electric energy input in watt-hours during the same period. The higher the unit’s

SEER rating the more energy efficient it is. Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is a measure of how efficiently a cooling system will operate when the outdoor temperature is at a specific level (95ºF). The higher the EER, the more efficient the system Heat Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) is the most commonly used measure of a heat pump’s heating efficiency. The higher the HSPF, the more efficient the heat pump.

predetermined level, the reversing valve shifts back to the heating mode, the outdoor fan is restarted and the heating cycle continued. Water discharged from the unit will build up below the outdoor section and freeze. For this reason the outdoor section must be elevated at least 12 inches or more above the grade level. In summary, the use of an “air source” heat pump will assist in the heating costs if part of an all-electric system, but when selling as an add-on to an existing fossil fuelled appliance the savings may not be as great as hoped for! Do your homework before the job rather than chasing your tail after because you were the best (lowest?) price on the table! (We will delve further into residential heat pump technology in the next issue.)✚ Bob Bettles HVAC author and trainer Robert (Bob) Bettles is technical service adviser and product trainer for B&B Trade Distribution Centre. He can be reached at bbettles@bandbtrade.com. Brian Guttormson HVAC author and trainer Brian Guttormson is technical service advisor for Trent Metals Ltd. (Supply). He can be reached at techsupport@tmlsupply.com.

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September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

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â&#x2013; Heating Boiler reset control The new Taco FuelMizer outdoor reset switching relay is a microprocessor-based control designed to regulate the supply water temperature of a single boiler, based on the outdoor temperature for energy savings of, typically, 14 percent, although some installations have seen as much as 30 percent, reports the manufacturer. It includes functions such as automatic reset, ratio calculation, warm weather shut-down, minimum boiler temperature settings and boiler differential settings. Contractor friendly with logical layouts and intuitive, easily customized controls, the FuelMizer will not affect the boilerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warranty. Taco Canada u www.taco-hvac.com

Boiler with DHW The Slantfin VSL-160 gas-fired condensing boiler is available with a domestic hot water generator. It achieves 93 percent AFUE efficiency and features a stainless-steel premix burner and an ASME stainless-steel heat exchanger. The optional DHW generator features a 2.6-gallon expansion tank, circulator, DHW heat exchanger, and diverter valve. Slantfin u www.slantfin.ca

Efficient two-stage

DHW boiler add-on

The new Lennox Elite Series EL296V high-efficiency gas furnace is designed to help homeowners reduce utility bills without sacrificing comfort. This 96 percent AFUE two-stage unit features a low profile cabinet that can be installed in conventional or direct-vent applications. An easily accessible inner blower door and slide-out blower, front-facing screws and selfdiagnostic technology simplify service calls. Lennox u www.lennox.com

The new CombiPLUS Kit from Viessmann provides an easy way to add on-demand domestic hot water (DHW) capability to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vitodens 100 condensing space heating boiler. Slightly bigger than a large shoe box, the CombiPLUS Kit can be mounted underneath or beside the boiler as part of a new installation or as a later add-on. It generates up to 3.6 GPM, eliminating the need for a DHW storage tank in many lower-load applications. Viessmann u www.viessmann.ca

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■ Refrigeration Specific applications

Heating with

refrigeration A look at CO2 heat pump systems By Greg Scrivener

At this point you might be wondering why anyone would actually do this. In order to generate the heat in our example, the discharge pressure had to increase from 800psia to 1200psia. Roughly speaking, on medium temperature refrigeration circuit this increases the compression ratio from 2:1 to 3:1 and we know that an increase in compression ratio decreases compressor capacity and increases energy consumption. You also might have noticed that 100°F is low enough of a temperature that a full condensing heat reclaim unit on an R507 system would generate a lot of heat as well. To address these two issues: First, whether it’s worth using more compressor horsepower to generate heat is entirely dependent on specific installations. Electricity costs, heating fuel costs, temperature requirements and many other factors go into this decision. It turns out though that with proper controls, the returns are pretty appealing for most transcritical CO2 installations, and in some cases it is possible to cover the entire heating load of a facility using reclaimed heat. The second issue, the 100°F temperature choice, was arbitrary. That temperature was chosen to illustrate clearly what happens in the supercritical region of the pressure-enthalpy diagram. The theory is identical for higher temperatures, temperatures at which condensing HFCs is not practical.

Complicated controls The controls used in heat reclaim applications are complicated and an improper control scheme can easily mean the difference between saving energy and not. There isn’t enough room in this article to go through all of the details of a particular control scheme but we will touch briefly on a few different ways that controls can be used to optimise a heat reclaim application. The first and most important thing to remember is that the goal in any control scheme is to match the amount of heat required and the temperature required to the temperature/heat produced as close as absolutely possible. Any heat generation over and above what’s required can destroy the efficiency of the heat reclaim system. This might sound simple, but in practice it is not always easy to achieve. Knowing when the efficiency of heat reclaim is lower than other alternatives is difficult to determine, and becomes perhaps even more difficult as we move through the different strategies that can be employed to maximize heat reclaim. The first step in transcritical heat reclaim is to increase the discharge pressure as required in order to supply heat at a temperature and pressure suitable for the load. This strategy is employed often and is relatively easy to control. At some point it becomes impractical to increase the pressure further for efficiency and design reasons (this is usually in the realm of 1200 psi). Using our example from Fig. 1, this type of control would be able to reclaim just over 60 percent of the heat. The other 40 percent of the heat would have to be dissipated in a gas cooler.

he last couple of articles in this series have discussed using CO2 to refrigerate; in this article we will shift the focus to heating. As it turns out, CO2 (carbon dioxide) refrigeration systems can be used very effectively to produce heat in either a heat pump or in heat reclaim application. The main benefit of CO2 comes from the ability to operate in the supercritical region of its thermodynamic properties. In a subcritical vapour compression cycle the condensing temperature and pressure are completely locked together and cannot be decoupled. For R507 refrigerant condensing at 300 psig almost all of the heat (other than a small amount of de-superheating) has to be rejected at 115°F. There is no choice in the matter. In transcritical systems, things are a little different. In order to examine why things are different in the transcritical cycle it’s useful to take a look at a CO2 pressure enthalpy diagram to get a visual picture. Fig. 1 shows the standard subcritical refrigeration cycle in blue and the extension into the transcritical cycle in green. If, for example, we require heat at 100°F in order to satisfy our heating process or load then obviously the heat is only useful if the refrigerant temperature is higher than 100°F. The schematic also shows the amount of heat (shown highlighted in red) the two different cycles can supply at 100°F; the transcritical cycle has almost five times more useful heat because of the difference in the transcritical temperature-pressure relationship. This difference is very significant. In systems using typical HFC refrigerants most of the heat is available at temperatures that aren’t useful Four Mayekawa EcoCute CO2 heat pumps enough to accomplish any process or water provide heat recovery in this Quebec City heating. application. (Mayekawa photo)

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Boosting heat reclamation The next strategy is to either slow or cycle off some of the gas cooler fans. This effect is difficult to describe, but because the gas cooler can no longer dissipate the same amount of heat, the refrigerant enters the high side expansion device (recall from the previous article that this is a component of all transcritical systems) at a warmer temperature. This causes a decrease in the net refrigerating effect of the system so this strategy can only be employed if the system has more refrigerating capacity available. Fig. 2 illustrates the change on a pressureenthalpy diagram. As you can see, the amount

Continued page 31

September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

Noble Delivers. (Thanks, Vito.) More parts. More brand names. More branches. More service. PLUMBING • HVAC • HYDRONICS • INDUSTRIAL • FIRE PROTECTION • BUILDING MAINTENANCE As a driver with Noble, Vito is always ready to go the extra mile. “I know that people are depending on me to get them the parts they need, when they need them. So, if that means sometimes I have to leave earlier or drive longer, I do it, that’s the job.” That’s the Noble Difference and you’ll ﬁnd it in everything we do.

At Noble, we have a ﬂeet of more than 150 trucks, we have more than 50 branches, we carry more than 70,000 SKUs and we’re committed to having more of the parts, equipment and products that our customers need as stock-on-hand. So, if you’re looking for more, try Noble.

You need it? We got it. www.noble.ca 1-800-529-9805 OR 905-760-6800 BARRIE BELLEVILLE BRAMPTON BROCKVILLE COQUITLAM CORNWALL GRAVENHURST GUELPH HAMILTON KINGSTON KITCHENER LANGLEY LAVAL LONDON LONGUEUIL MAPLE RIDGE MARKHAM MILTON MISSION MISSISSAUGA MONTRÉAL NEWMARKET OAKVILLE OSHAWA OTTAWA PETERBOROUGH SECHELT ST. CATHARINES TORONTO VANCOUVER WINDSOR

■ Refrigeration Continued from page 29 of heat reclaimed from each pound of refrigerant doesn’t increase, but the percentage of heat reclaim goes up dramatically to 90 percent in our example. The only way to get the heat reclaim to 100 percent is to bypass the gas cooler completely so no convective heat transfer occurs. At this point every BTU of heat that is being taken from the refrigerated space and generated in the compressor is being reclaimed, although the price of being able to reclaim this heat is an investment in higher compressor capacity and more electrical usage.

Sustained high temperatures

Fig. 1: The standard subcritical refrigeration cycle is shown in blue with extension into transcritical in green.

CO2 can sustain temperatures so high that one commercial industrial heat pump manufacture can produce 190°F water. CO2 hot water heating units have coefficients of performance over 4.0 in the heating mode and up to 8.0 if the cold water is used. For example, Mayekawa’s EcoCute which has been available for a number of years and is popular in Asia can have hot temperatures of 194°F and cold water temperatures as low as 14ºF. These heat pump units have a number of applications; in Canada they have been applied well to industrial applications that have a use for both the cooling water and a heating requirement all year. CO2 heat pumps and advanced heat reclaim setups are not uncommon in some parts of the world and they are starting to show up in a number of North American markets. In particular, the knowledge of advanced heat reclaim controls will be important for the technicians who will, ultimately, determine how efficient the system will operate throughout most of its life. CO2 as a refrigerant is rapidly becoming one of the most popular refrigerants in supermarkets. Look for it to extend its reach quickly into the small industrial market and perhaps, with a little bit more product development, we will start to see CO2 used in the small commercial market. I think that in Canada where transcritical systems are efficient in all of our climate zones, the increased use of CO2 is inevitable. ✚

Greg Scrivener is project and design manager for Polar Refrigeration Service Ltd. in Saskatoon. He is a journeyman refrigeration mechanic, a licensed gas fitter, holds RSES CMS designation in commercial refrigeration and is a mechanical engineer in training. He can be reached at gscrivener@polarservices.ca.

Fig. 2: Gas cooler fans increase the percentage of heat reclaim, as shown in this pressure-enthalpy diagram.

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www.judo-online.com September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

SOMETIMES YOUR HANDS COULD USE A HAND.

Touch it on. Or go hands-free.

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Touch2O.xt™ Technology for the bath. A simple touch anywhere on the spout or handle turns the water on and off. For an even cleaner experience, when your hand moves close to the faucet, Touch2O.xt Technology intuitively activates the ﬂow of water. On display exclusively at trade locations. Another way that Delta is more than just a faucet. For more information, visit deltafaucet.ca/touchbath

■ Plumbing Book Review

Manual aims to end plumbing code confusion By Simon Blake very tradesman should have a copy of the codebook for his particular industry. But interpreting the “code language” can sometimes be difficult and, worse yet, the local inspector may have a different interpretation from the journeyman. These misinterpretations can bring defect tags and loss of time and profits for plumbing contractors. Such is the case with the model National Plumbing Code, which is adopted in whole by most provinces and at least in part by others like Ontario and B.C. in provincial plumbing codes. As a result, the Corporation of Master Pipe Mechanics of Quebec, which represents all mechanical contractors in that province,

This new manual should go a long way to solving plumbing code confusion.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

decided to create a “picture book” for its members. It illustrated each section in the 2010 National Plumbing Code, which is the latest version of the code, with detailed schematics. The demand was so great from their own members that CMMTQ decided plumbing contractors in other parts of the country would find the book useful too, so they put out an English version titled Explanatory Drawings, 2010 National Plumbing Code. The drawings are clear and simple. Compiled by CMMTQ technical director Henri Bouchard with a lot of input from member contractors, there are few words, but where explanation is required it is there. It is easy to use as each schematic is numbered to correspond with the relevant section in the plumbing code. The book is not designed to replace a copy of your local provincial plumbing code, but to be used as a companion. Its value is immeasurable in clearing up confusion and preventing misinterpretation. For more information or to order a copy, go to www.cmmtq.org or call 1-800-465-2668. ✚

September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

METAL. ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHAT WE DO. We have 40 years of experience manufacturing sheet metal and venting products for the residential and commercial HVAC market. With a renewed focus in service and product development, we will continue to introduce specialized sheet metal solutions to meet our customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs today and tomorrow.

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■ Faucets & Fixtures Art Deco inspired The art deco movement of the 1930s provided inspiration for the new Charlotte Bath Collection from Brizo (Masco Canada). Bold symmetrical lines along with rich details like the scalloped handles on the bathroom faucets add a layering detail seen in ornate art deco buildings. With this collection, Brizo also introduces its new Cocoa Bronze finish. The collection includes bathroom faucets, shower components and accessories. Brizo u www.brizo.com

Remote maintenance

Quicker installation

The Commander handheld programming unit from Chicago Faucets allows users to easily program, monitor and troubleshoot the company’s HyTronic and E-Tronic electronic faucets. Without touching the faucet, facility managers and maintenance personnel can adjust operating modes, sensor range, monitor battery levels, identify serial numbers, settings and usage information and access the troubleshooting guide and product information. Chicago Faucet products are distributed in Canada by Dobbin Sales. Dobbin Sales u www.dobbinsales.com

New Roman tub valves from Moen save time and money by accommodating a wide variety of tub deck construction and materials. Fixed valves are pre-soldered on 10-inch centres. They are available with copper-to-copper and PEX/cold expansion options and can accommodate deck thicknesses ranging from 1/8- to 1-7/8-inches. Only one drill is needed for 1-1/4-inch hole sizes. The Dura-Grip mounting system ensures the valve won’t move after installation. A brass test plug is included. Moen Canada u www.moen.ca

Trade only The new Champion toilet from American Standard is available exclusively through wholesalers as part of the company’s PRO Advantage line. Features include the company’s PowerWash system that scrubs the bowl with each flush, EverClean surface to minimize cleaning and four-inch flush valve along with 2-3/8” glazed trapway. It achieved a 1,000g MaP flush efficiency score at 1.28 gpf. The Champion includes installation tools and is WaterSense certified. American Standard u www.americanstandard.ca

Precise Control Victaulic provides a complete line of balancing products that accurately control building temperature while optimizing energy efﬁciency.

All-in-one design

Eliminate ﬂuctuations in temperature.

Eliminate occupant complaints and costly remedies.

Reduce energy costs.

The Advocate Lavatory from Bradley provides a sink,

soap, faucet and dual-sided hand dryer all in one unit. Having soap, water and hand dryer all within immediate reach provides convenience for the user and helps keep washrooms clean and tidy. Bradley won a Platinum ADEX Award for this unit in the 2011-12 ADEX Awards, an international design competition that attracted 1,500 product entries. Bradley Corp. u www.bradleycorp.com.

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Victaulic is the exclusive North American representative for Tour and Andersson products. To learn more about the product line, visit:

www.victaulic.com/balancing

September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

â&#x2013; Heating

Renewable energy

maximize the use of hydropower and minimize adverse environmental effects.

Continued from page 15

Good business

environmental disruption, development of largescale hydroelectric facilities has stalled in North America. Small-scale and micro-scale hydropower, however, shows great promise for further development. Only two percent of the more than 75,000 dams in the U.S. are currently used to generate electric power. Researchers are studying advanced turbine technologies that will help

Are renewables profitable? The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest producer of wind energy, Spain-based Iberdrola SA, blew away analystsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expectations last year with a whopping $4 billion in profits. Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy guru and author Tom Rand reports that year over year investment growth for solar was 65 percent from 2005-2010. (In the U.S. solar employed more than 100,000 people in 2010-2011, compared with 82,500 for the coal industry).

Renewables economics should continue to improve as technologies are refined. In 2011 PV module prices fell by close to 50 percent, and onshore wind turbine prices dropped by 10 percent. Through district heating and cooling projects, geothermal capital costs are dropping.

Key role for HVAC industry The HVAC industry is predicted to enjoy healthy growth in North America. Analysts all agree that retrofits will be a huge business for the next 10 years at least. In new construction current energy savings are between 30 percent and 50 percent with contemporary efficient building envelopes; except with the Passivhaus green building standard (now in the code in Germany) which saves about 80-90 percent. Needless to say, when all buildings are built to the Passivhaus Standard, the HVAC-energy discussion will be much different. Is your business ready for the changing energy landscape? â&#x153;&#x161; Bruce Nagy is a Toronto-based freelance writer that reports on green technologies and solutions. He can be reached at bruce.nagy@rogers.com.

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Freezeless AND Anti-Rupture? What’s the difference? A freezeless faucet has the shut off mechanism well within the heated portion of the home – but what if a garden hose or other device is inadvertently left connected to a faucet during freezing temperatures? Water in the tube fails to drain, this water then begins to freeze and pressure in the tube is increased as ice forms and tries to compress the water trapped in the tube. The tube ruptures and the next time the faucet is used the wall fill with water. Woodford Model 19 Freezeless Faucets have a patented pressure relief valve which allows for expansion during freezing temperatures, saving the faucet and preventing a costly repair or call back. With Woodford’s Model 19, you’re protected – even from other people’s mistakes!

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Represented in Canada by: Quebec – Agence Laverdure-Huppe Inc. 450-661-4238 Ontario – Armco Agencies Inc. 905-238-8448 Northern Ontario – Les Ventes Bergeron Sales 613-445-4170 British Columbia – Hy-Line Sales Ltd 604-856-5648

Alberta – Preferred Sales & Marketing 403-547-5237 Atlantic Providences – J. Wright Sales 506-459-5719 Saskatchewan – WestCan Mechanical Sales 306-347-2700

■ People & Places

Coil manufacturer

goes green

New Madok building incorporates leading edge environmental and manufacturing technologies By Simon Blake

Trevor Pickering expands tubing ends on a new coil so that U-bends can be brazed in place.

oday it’s not enough for manufacturers to make water or fuel efficient products. Thanks in large part to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building program, buyers want to know what the company itself is doing to make this planet a better place to live. This includes both sustainable manufacturing processes and green systems in the buildings in which the manufacturing is occurring. These things were very much in mind for the owners of Madok Manufacturing (www.madok.com) in Brantford, Ont. when they realized they needed a new facility to house their expanding business. “We wanted enough space to expand and grow, but given the industry that we are in we thought we should go as green as possible,” remarked company president Allan Antcliffe, P.Eng. And expand they did, building a state-of-the art 25,200 sq. ft. facility at 82 Morrell Street in Brantford.

The new building offers plenty of space for future expansion.

But they kept the old 5,000 sq. ft. building and converted it exclusively to applying anti-corrosion coatings to coils. (The company has the exclusive license in Canada to apply Heresite baked phenolic anti-corrosion coatings through a seven-step dipping and baking process.) The company was founded in 1976 to manufacture heating and cooling coils both for OEMs and for custom and repair applications. Antcliffe joined the company 18 years ago from Keeprite. Vice president and general manager John Beck came over from Garland Canada, a commercial food service equipment business. Beck also joined Madok as Antcliffe’s business partner, with a clear mandate to grow all aspects of the business. Last September Madok purchased the assets of Custom Coils Canada and added its 3/8” OEM coils to its half-inch and 5/8” product offering. All this meant the existing plant was just not big enough. Fortunately, there was a piece of land available right next door. So Antcliffe and Beck worked with Robertson Building Systems (www.robertsonbuildings.com) of nearby Ancaster, Ont. to design and build a new state-ofthe art 25,200 sq. ft. facility with financial help from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). About 2,000 sq. ft. is devoted to offices with the remainder for manufacturing and warehousing.

Designing green Any manufacturer that is designing a new facility from scratch has an advantage in incorporating sustainable technologies over one that is trying to retrofit an existing building. The new Madok facility is a tightly sealed steel building with additional insulation in the walls and roof. Other green features include: High efficiency two-stage infrared heating and rooftop cooling systems, with an HRV and high efficiency furnace in the office area along with ondemand tankless water heaters. Large eighteen-foot diameter “Big Ass” fans – that really is the brand name – circulate air in the shop. And there’s one very low-tech piece of green design – the windows actually open. As well, the large windows supply lots of natural light. A rainwater collection system feeds dual-flush toilets, low consumption urinals, the coil test tanks and an outdoor lawn irrigation system. Motion sensors throughout the building turn the high efficiency lighting on and off.

Plumbing & HVAC – September 2012

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

A grey water system feeds toilets, urinals and lawn irrigation.

Allan Antcliffe, left, and John Beck wanted their spacious new facility to be as green as possible.

Efficient manufacturing The additional space allowed more efficient manufacturing processes and a more comfortable work environment for employees. This has paid dividends both on the OEM side and the custom coil side. “There are occasions when a truck will pull in (with a coil in the back) and they say ‘Make me one of these – we need it yesterday!’” laughs Antcliffe. And typically those coils are ancient so there are no drawings or specifications available. Sometimes they turn these jobs

around in as little as 24 hours. Both custom and OEM coils are leak tested in large tanks to 325 psi, with coils designed for R410a refrigerant tested to 600 psi. Antcliffe worked with the BDC to streamline manufacturing operations and today Beck and Antcliffe guide their business with lean enterprise principles. The changes along with the new building allowed the Canadian Custom Coils business to be seamlessly integrated into the plant, with that company’s former general manager Terry Murison becoming business

development manager at Madok. The incorporation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system improved communication within the company and is helping Beck and Antcliffe manage the rapid growth. ERP is an office management software system that integrates and co-ordinates information from all sectors including sales, manufacturing, accounting, etc. These changes leave Madok Manufacturing well positioned to grow its business in the future. Few would say that going green doesn’t pay these days. ✚

The Preferred Choice At Bradford White, our goal is simple – to build the best water heating products for home, business and industry. And who better to know if we're meeting this goal than the very people who make a living installing and servicing our products - professional contractors. Year after year, independent studies show that Bradford White ranks as the most purchased and recommended brand of tank type water heaters among contractors. The reasons they give - Quality, Selection, Innovation, Support and Loyalty. We are strictly Wholesale Only. We don't sell against you in the retail market, and we don't create other brand names to sell around you. We make water heaters for sale through authorized distributors and for installation by qualified professional installers. Visit us online to learn more about Bradford White products and why professionals rank us as their #1 choice in water heating.

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September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

even exchange

Honeywell has solutions to replace R-22. The pressure is on to phase out R-22. Now is the perfect time to switch to a Honeywell Genetron non-ozone-depleting alternative for your A/C or refrigeration application. For A/C, consider Genetron ® 407C or 422D. For Refrigeration, consider Genetron ® Performax™ LT, Genetron 422D, 404A or 507. Talk to your Honeywell distributor today to understand your options and hand-pick the R-22 replacements that will work for you.

Brenntag Canada Inc. Exclusive distributor of Genetron® refrigerants in Canada Ontario & Western Canada: Tel. No. (416) 243-9615 Fax: (416) 243-9731 Quebec & Maritime Provinces: Tel. No. (514) 636-9230 Fax: (514) 636-8229 To learn more, visit www.genetron.com. © 2012 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.

■ People & Places

Habitat Ride raises $17,500 A beautiful day greeted 64 motorcyclists July 21 for the third annual Ride for Habitat in southern Ontario. By the end of the day they had raised $17,500 to help Habitat for Humanity build homes for low income families. This year’s ride featured four winding scenic routes through the countryside, beginning at Habitat ReStores in Woodbridge (Toronto), Kitchener/Waterloo, Hamilton and Belleville, Ont. and ending up at Bayview Memorial Park on Lake Simcoe in Oro, just north of Barrie, Ont. This year’s top individual fundraisers were Milt Tillich of Zoeller Inc., who raised $2,250, and Martin Luymes of the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI), who raised $1500. Tillich won a custom Harley Davidson faucet from Oakville Stamping and Bending (OS&B)for his efforts. For the first time expenses for this year’s event were entirely covered by sponsors so that all of the money raised by riders could go directly to Habitat. Sponsors included Grundfos Canada, Plumbing & HVAC Magazine, Taco Canada, Lifebreath Indoor Air Systems and Tim Norton & Associates. HRAI and the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) also supported the event. Organizers are hoping that similar rides occur in other Canadian cities so that it becomes a national event. A B.C. ride was scheduled for Aug. 24.

The

People Sean Giberson (Taco), left, has been named chairman of the Canadian Hydronics Council, replacing Bill Hooper (Xylem). Mirolin Industries Corp., Etobicoke, Ont., has named Steve Baker to the position of sales manager for Western Canada, based in Airdrie, Alta. The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada has made a number of appointments. John Shearham has been named director of operations and services. Lutcie Ponnudurai Steve Baker has been appointed program assistant. Raj Chinnapa is technical sales specialist and Grace Gravina is marketing and communications specialist. The Morgan Group, Markham, Ont., has appointed Mark Aris as southwestern Ontario sales representative. Daikin Industries Ltd., Osaka, Japan, has acquired Goodman Global Group, Inc., Houston, Texas, for $3.7 billion. This is a significant move into the John Lutcie Raj Grace North American Shearham Ponnudurai Chinnapa Gravina residential market for Daikin, which did the same in the commercial market with the purchase of McQuay International in 2006.

The

Companies Flexcon Industries, Randolph, Massachusetts, has appointed Les Agences J.P. Sylvain, Boucherville, Que., as agent for its line of expansion tanks in Quebec. ECCO Supply, Edmonton, has opened two new HVAC wholesale locations, bringing its number of branches to 14 from the west coast to Thunder Bay, Ont. The newest locations are at 7900 Evans Road in Chilliwack, B.C. and 1145-65th Avenue N.E. in Calgary. This is the second Calgary location. McKeough Supply, Brantford, Ont., will open a new wholesale Profit Centre at 240 Nebo Road in Hamilton, Ont. in September. Victor Hyman has been named branch manager. Allied Technical Services, Toronto, invites architects, engineers and interior designers

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Jeff House of Jess-Don Dunford Ltd. enjoyed the ride on a new motorcycle this year.

to show off their plumbing specification skills in The Great Spec Race. For more information, visit www.thegreatspecrace.com. InSinkErator, Markham, Ont. has announced this year’s winners from its Rent-AFloor Program – Sean Mantle from Andrew Sheret Ltd., Abbotsford, B.C., Scott Kozlik from Bartle & Gibson in Chilliwack, B.C. and Tamara Matlo, Bartle & Gibson in Airdrie, Alta. Each won an Apple iPad. In a new twist this year, participants were invited to complete two “throwdown” training sessions, one internally and one with contractors, aimed at dispelling myths around food waste disposers.

COMMERCIAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE MISSISSAUGA Reporting to the Director of Trade Sales, the successful applicant will represent all Masco Canada brands (Delta Faucet, Hansgrohe, Brasscraft, Master Plumber) to Commercial Specifiers and Institutions. These Specifiers include: Architects, Mechanical Engineers and Contractors; as well as other segment influencers in: Healthcare, Education, Property Management and Hospitality. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES • Develop, maintain and grow relationships with the key Specifiers in Ontario, Quebec and other areas as required • Work closely with these Specifiers to produce Masco Canada specifications for projects • Target new accounts by developing and maintaining relationships with Hospitality, Property Management, Fast Food, Healthcare and Institutional segments and Service Contractors. • Assist in the development of a database of Specifiers, Segment Customers, Influencers and products required. • Assist the Sales and Marketing Teams in developing specification packages for each segment and individual segment customers KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS • Post-Secondary education in a related field preferred • Intermediate MS Office • Technical aptitude • Bilingual - French/English preferred • Two to three years direct sales experience • Professional presentation skills • Excellent written and verbal communication skills • Ability to travel as required If you are looking for a great opportunity please forward your resume and salary expectations to: Human Resources Department 350 South Edgeware Road, St. Thomas, ON N5P 4L1 recruiting@mascocanada.com

www.mascocanada.com Thank you for your interest; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone inquiries or agencies, please.

September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

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tel: (203) 221-9232 s E MAIL info@ahrexpo.com

■ Coming Events

CIPHEX West seminars announced An extensive line of seminars and workshops has been announced for the first major mechanical trade show in Vancouver in many years. Covering everything from grey water to social media, the education sessions will take place at CIPHEX West at the Vancouver Convention Centre Nov. 7-8. As mentioned in the last issue, mechanical engineer John Siegenthaler will speak on “Hydronics for low energy and net zero houses” along with “Hydronicallyenhanced heat pump systems.” Longtime HVAC controls trainer Carol Fey will present sessions on “Quick and basic troubleshooting” on Wednesday and then “Technician selling” on Thursday. Other sessions include “Introduction to rainwater harvesting in British Columbia” by Al Moutter, who is accredited by the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association. Dennis Pang will do a presentation on “Tweet your way to success – using social media to market your contracting business and attract new customers.” Chris Mitchell, technical director for Clean Energy Developments in Calgary, will talk about “Cost optimization and cost savings for integrated geothermal systems. Tess Menges, from the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises of Public Works and Government Services Canada, will explain how to cut through red tape in “How to do business with the federal government.” On the second day Rick Harry will present a half-day water treatment introduction course. Stephen Knapp of

the Canadian Copper and Brass Development Association will talk about “Copper triple headers: the latest sustainable applications, design velocities for water systems and new joining techniques.” Bill Hooper of Xylem Applied Water Systems (formerly Bell & Gossett) and Rod Parker of Grundfos Canada Inc. will present a seminar on “Pumps for hydronic systems.” The Beautiful Heat hydronic marketing group will offer a session designed to help contractors use program materials and leads to sell more hydronic heating systems. P&HVAC columnist Steve Bagshaw, Navien’s Mark Williamson and a representative from Rheem Canada will present “Tankless 101” – covering tankless DHW systems. This year’s event will focus on sustainability, new products and new technologies. Visitors will see displays from manufacturers of plumbing, heating, ventilation, air con-

A person can always count on learning something new at a trade show. ditioning, refrigeration, geothermal heating, solar/hydronic combi systems, fire protection, industrial pipe, valves and fittings, luxury bath and kitchen as well as water treatment products from Canada, the United States and overseas. For more information, call 1-800-639-2474 or visit www.ciphexwest.ca.

HRAI’s Career Connections: the only job site dedicated to your industry.

www.plumbingandhvacrjobs.ca

Events

Calendar OCT. 10-12: National Design-Build Conference, Canadian Design-Build Institute, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, St. John’s, Nfld. Call (613) 236-9455 or visit www.cdbi.org.

NOV. 7-8: CIPHEX West, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver. Visit www.ciphexwest.ca or call Elizabeth McCullough at 1-800-639-2474.

NOV. 12-15: Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) National Conference, Maui, Hawaii. Call (613) 232-0492 or visit www.mcac.ca.

s g n i t s o p b Jo as e l t t i l s a r fo $105!

NOV. 28-30: Construct Canada, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building. Visit www.constructcanada.com or call (416) 512-0203.

Brought to you by:

With support from:

DEC. 3-4: Solar Canada 2012, Canadian Solar Industries Association, Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Call 1-866-522-6742 or visit www.cansia.ca. www.plumbingandhvac.ca

September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

■ Shop Management • • • • •

How to be successful without working yourself into an early grave

By Ron Coleman

BUSINESS BLUEPRINT W

hen I ask contractors about the best way to run a project wouldn’t the same process work for contracts they have ever worked on the running your business? If we ran our businesses with a typical answer includes the fact that the vision of the outcomes we want, identifying the client had a clear vision of exactly what he wanted. challenges and putting processes in place to overcome As a result, everyone on the project knows there are those challenges wouldn’t we be much more successful? four key challenges – budgets, timelines, Here is a blueprint for turning your business into the specifications/standards and the importance of success it should be: maintaining relationships with all involved. By overcoming these four challenges the client gets their Step 1 - Outcomes vision fulfilled and the contractor gets the outcome they It is not about the money. want. It’s a real win/win situation. Money is not an end in itself. Money is a means to an When these challenges are dealt with upfront in a fair end. We should not make our decisions based on the and reasonable manner, it is not difficult to put in place amount of money we will make. We should base our a process for ensuring that the challenges are overcome. decisions on the value our products and services bring to It is very easy to see the those who we are privileged to other side of the coin. Most serve. When the value is there projects that don’t run our customers will pay us smoothly have failed in enough money to reach our You likely don’t have meeting at least one of those outcomes. Remember you are challenges and sometimes the knowledge necessary to in this for the long haul. Being even all four. In fact, if any of cheap or unethical may get you achieve your outcomes and the first three are not achieved more work but it won’t make it is highly unlikely that the you might as well come to you more money. last one can be achieved. Identify your outcomes – I am often surprised at grips with the truth now. make sure you get a good how rarely the correct balance between money and processes for a successful fun. Don’t put one off at the project are followed, despite the fact that most expense of the other. I know we are supposed to live until contractors understand how this process should work our late 80’s, but too many of us become ill or die young on any project to each stakeholder’s advantage – from without experiencing many of the pleasures of life. installing a hot water tank to a multi-million dollar Write down some of the things you would like to be mechanical system. doing now and over the next few years. Here are a few Now, let’s take this a step further. If that is the ideal suggestions for lifestyle outcomes:

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Spending more time with my spouse Spending more time with my kids Where would we go for six weeks? Spending more time with my grandkids Spending more time with my mother-in-law (only joking!) • Golfing with my buddies • Fishing trips • Weekend in Las Vegas • More time in the garden • More time on my hobbies • Doing volunteer work For your business outcomes focus more on profit and less on volume. Also focus on building a team of people

Please see ‘religious’ on page 46

INDEX to

ADVERTISERS AHR Expo ....................................................42 Allpriser .......................................................13 Aqua-Tech .....................................................7 Bradford White Canada ...............................39 Brant Radiant...............................................21 CIPHEX West ** ..........................................16 Dahl Bros. ....................................................21 Desco* ........................................................33 Delta Faucet.................................................32 Don Park......................................................34 Eco King ......................................................11 Fantech........................................................23 Fujitsu..........................................................20 General Pipe Cleaners ..................................12 HVAC/R Careers...........................................43 HG Spec ......................................................19 Honeywell/Genetron Div. ............................40 ICP/KeepRite ................................................25 Invensys .......................................................46 IPEX ...................................................4, 26, 47 Judo Water Treatment..................................31 Lochinvar .....................................................18 Madok Mfg. ................................................28 Masco Canada.............................................41 McKeough Supply* .....................................36 Mitsubishi Electric ........................................24 Mobilio ..........................................................5 Napoleon.......................................................8 Noble...........................................................30 NTI...............................................................22 Plumbing & HVAC** .............................33, 36 RaptorCutting Tools .....................................36 Redmond-Williams* .....................................16 RIDGID.........................................................48 Saniflo ...........................................................9 Taco Canada ..................................................2 Urecon...........................................................6 Victaulic.......................................................35 Viessmann ...................................................14 Watco Mfg. .................................................27 Wolseley ......................................................44 Woodford Mfg. ...........................................37 Zurn Industries.............................................15 *Ontario only ** West only

September 2012 – Plumbing & HVAC

■ Shop Management

The religious fervor approach Continued from page 45 who will manage the business for you. Build a business that you can sell. Remember, it’s all about balance.

Step 2 - Knowledge You likely don’t have the knowledge necessary to achieve your outcomes and you might as well come to grips with the truth now. Only rarely will you ever know everything about your business and its environment. Because of this you need to surround yourself with people who have bits of the knowledge that you are missing. One piece of knowledge that is simple to identify but not easy to achieve is time. So one of your primary goals should be to get free to work on your business. You are already probably working far too hard, so working even harder it not the answer. You need to identify the tasks you do all day, document them and start to delegate them. Stay in control by developing checklists for them so that you and they can easily monitor their progress and success. You need to cut down to no more than 30 hours per week for “doing the work of the business;” this should leave you 10 to 20 hours per week to “work on the business.” This is the time you are investing in the future

for long-term gains. Until you free yourself up you will not be able to grow the business. This is the first critical step in achieving your outcomes. History has shown time and time again (going back as far as Henry Ford) that constantly working more than 40 hours per week for you or any of your employees does not improve productivity. Everyone needs time to reenergize. While you need to stay in control, doing it all yourself is not the answer. By cutting down to a 40-hour week you will recharge your batteries and have the energy and creativity necessary to move forward. How productive can you be when you are tired and worn out? But you do need to stay in control. Give your people the authority and responsibility to manage your business. Identify your Critical Success Factors & Key Performance Indicators and monitor them regularly. Review each person’s progress and help them stay on track.

it is rarely urgent. Other people, particularly employees and customers, have very important things that need to be done and when these items get to you they are usually very important to them and urgent for you. Once you start letting urgent matters that are not part of your goal process take precedence you are going off track. It is essential that you realize this and get back on track quickly. The toughest part of building a successful business is committing to the process with religious fervor. Passion won’t see you through the process; hard focused work will. It is just like completing a successful construction project. A key part of achieving your goals is to become a teacher to your employees. This is one of the most important steps that you will ever take in your life. People will remember you because of what you taught them. Become a teacher and teach each person who is going to help you achieve your outcomes; teach them their role in your life cycle; teach them skills that they can use for both your benefit and theirs. Make their education a win/win situation too. ✚

Step 3 -Your Commitments

Ronald Coleman is a Vancouverbased accountant, management consultant, author and educator specializing in the construction industry. He can be reached by e-mail at ronald@ronaldcoleman.ca.

This is where “the rubber meets the road.” This is where most people fall off the wagon. This is where all the distractions and pressures from everyone else cause us to fail. Separate the urgent from the important. The process of achieving your outcomes is very important, however,

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Plumbing & HVAC – September 2012

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www.plumbingandhvac.ca

MAKE ONE LESS LIST.

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