November/December 2015

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The new

trade trucks

INSIDE

Mid-size model highlights cargo van lineup

Q Refrigerant disposal program marks milestone Q NB Power announces heat pump rebate Q Ont. plans changes at College of Trades Q How to protect your online image

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

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Tools & Trucks Issue

Q Contents

Departments Hot Seat .........................................5 Difficult service diagnosis

Industry News ..............................7 Pioneering refrigerant management

People & Places ...........................34 Habitat Canada honours CIPH volunteer

Coming Events ............................35 AHR Expo returns to Orlando

Shop Management .....................38 Accounting for warranty costs

Products & Technologies Trucks for the Trade ....................12 Heating ........................................21 Ventilation ...................................26 Refrigeration ...............................28 Tools & Instruments ....................30 Plumbing......................................31

Guaranteed payback Combining multiple technologies to maximize efficiency

Features

Correction: the cover photo for the October issue showed boilers at a Lonsdale Energy Corporation district energy mini-plant located in North Vancouver B.C. We apologize for any confusion caused by our error.

Common service mistakes

28

Need for speed often results in call-backs

Cover: A new mid-sized van is the big news in trucks for the plumbing and HVAC/R industry for 2016. Please see our article on page 12.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Heat exchanger CSI Analyzing and preventing failures

21

Special needs bathrooms

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People skills and plumbing knowledge go a long way

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Hot Seat

November/December 2015 Volume 25, Number 8 ISSN 1919-0395

Publisher Mark Vreugdenhil (416) 614-5819 mark@plumbingandhvac.ca Editor Simon Blake (416) 614-5820 simon@plumbingandhvac.ca

Diagnostic difficulty The old adage “the customer is always right� applies just as much in the plumbing and HVAC/R world as it does in any other business – if not more-so.

In this issue of Plumbing & HVAC refrigeration columnist Greg Scrivener talks about common mistakes that refrigeration service techs make. It’s good reading – whether you’re a refrigeration tech or not.

One of the points he makes is that when a customer calls to say there’s a problem, 99 percent of the time there really is a problem. The fact that the technician can’t find a problem doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

Customers don’t call a contractor easily – the first thought is “this thing isn’t working right� and the second thought is always “how much is this going to cost me?� At no point do they expect a technician to come over and tell them there’s nothing wrong.

But diagnosing today’s HVAC/R systems isn’t easy. To do the necessary tests and solve a difficult problem requires experience, thought and the one thing that most technicians don’t have – time. They are often under extreme pressure to fix the problem quickly and move on to the next call.

As a result, they often address the symptoms without finding the real issue.

They replace a pressure switch in a furnace, for example, without finding what caused the fault code. “It’s not the switch,� as heating columnists Bob Bettles and Brian Guttormson have pointed out on a number of occasions.

Add to that the sophisticated electronics on many of today’s heating and cooling

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

appliances. Diagnostics are not easy – or quick in many cases. During a joint manufacturer, wholesaler and contractor meeting at the annual meeting of the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) last August in Windsor, one contractor asked the manufacturers why there isn’t a tool similar to the one automotive mechanics use – a fault code reader – that plugs into the electrical system of any car and diagnoses faults.

It’s a good question. The problem, reported one engineer, is that there is no common control protocol among different brands of HVAC/R equipment as there is among auto manufacturers. That is something the industry could address.

But the biggest thing that contractors need to – and most do – understand is that a good diagnosis takes time. Few things are simple or straightforward these days.

Allowing the technicians an extra hour or two on the job is a lot less expensive than a call-back and the resulting damage to the contractor’s reputation. Most contractors know that, but old habits die slowly and, well, time is always in short supply.

And with that I would like to wish all of our readers and advertisers all the best for Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year!

National Sales Manager Mark Mierkalns (416) 614-5832 markm@plumbingandhvac.ca Design and Production Tim Norton/Janet Popadiuk production@plumbingandhvac.ca Circulation Manager Dorothy Lai

PLUMBING & HVAC Magazine is published eight times annually by Marked 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.

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Q Industry News

Pioneering refrigerant management Industry driven stewardship program faced numerous hurdles

By Simon Blake A unique program created by the Canadian HVAC/R industry to dispose of used refrigerants is marking its fifteenth year of operation. Refrigerant Management Canada was launched on Jan. 1, 2000.

The concept of an industry stewardship program for the disposal of surplus refrigerants was unheard of when first proposed to the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI), remarked Warren Heeley, HRAI president, at the RMC annual meeting held in Mississauga, Ont. on Nov. 12.

“It was a great deal of work because it was such a groundbreaking project,” he added. “At our first meeting with our members affected by the proposed program, they said it wouldn’t work.”

At the time, government regulated stewardship programs targeted things like discarded consumer electronics, appliances and used tires. “The air conditioning and refrigeration industries had nothing in common with the retail industries,” noted Heeley.

Marie Li-Ying was elected RMC chair, taking over from Robert Flipse.

However, under the Montreal Protocol, which set a phase-out timeline for ozone depleting substances (ODS) including refrigerants, the industry – or someone – had to find a way to dispose of surplus chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and, later, hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants. It was important to have the process industry driven to maintain control of how refrigerants were handled and, added Heeley, “RMC was industry driven because it was the right thing to do.”

A learning experience Initially, RMC officials thought that disposing of refrigerants would be the easy part and that their primary role would be to focus on collection – getting contractors to recover refrigerants and turn them into their wholesaler for disposal through RMC.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

The adoption of ISO tanks for shipping used refrigerants solved one problem.

However, in practice it turned out to be just the opposite, remarked Heeley. “The disposal process was a nightmare.”

Disposal companies were totally unfamiliar with disposing of used refrigerants. Initially, they were shipped to the Swan Hills Treatment Centre in Alberta.

“The first shipment of refrigerants that was fed into the kiln at Swan Hills caused the valves to disintegrate because of the fluorine content.”

And there were problems with the racked cylinders that used refrigerants were originally shipped in too, which led to the adoption of ISO tanks designed for shipping hazardous materials in bulk. These are stainless steel tanks held within a six-metre (20 ft.) ISO frame for ease of handling.

However, there were still initial problems with the ISO tank valves and degradation of the insides of the tanks, which hadn’t been employed to ship used refrigerants before. Those problems were solved and the RMC program has served as a model for similar programs in other countries.

The way forward Since it started, RMC has collected and destroyed over 3.1 million metric tonnes of refrigerant, reported RMC chair Robert Flipse (Gordon Latham Ltd.). Recovered

Industry sales dip Sales through industry wholesalers were down 5.7 percent or $34.5 million dollars during October compared to the same month last year, reports the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH).

However, B.C. and Ontario saw small increases, with Ontario up 0.9 percent and B.C. up 2.9 percent.

The West is really starting to feel the effect of low oil prices, with Alberta down 18.5 percent and the “West” (Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario from Thunder Bay west) down 17.8 percent.

refrigerants are now going exclusively to the U.S. for disposal. “The program is just hitting its stride,” he added.

The latest pollution prevention (P2) plan from Environment (and Climate Change) Canada will allow hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants to be brought under the RMC mandate, once it is enacted by the federal government. Levies for HFCs that the industry pays for disposal and volumes must still be established, reported Flipse. RMC must also decide whether it will accept used refrigerants from other industries – the automotive sector for example.

RMC relies on the levies for its funding. The success of the program means that the volume of CFCs and HCFCs being turned in for disposal is dwindling. In fact, over the past year income from levies was $3.6 million, down from $3.99 million the previous year, reported Flipse. However, operational expenses were also down 24 percent due to a reduction in the use of disposal services.

RMC members elected a new executive at their annual meeting. Marie Li-Ying (Honeywell Fluorine Products) was elected chair. Flipse moves into the past chair’s role. Corey Soulis (WWG/Totaline) is secretary treasurer and Warren Heeley remains president. There are also eight directors and two observers.

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t w w w. refrigerantmanagement.ca.

Quebec was down one percent while the Atlantic provinces were down 5.7 percent.

Year-to-date sales are also lagging behind 2014 by O.2 percent or $10.2 million compared to October, 2014.

B.C. is having a strong year with product sales, year-to-date, up 10.4 percent compared to 2014, while Ontario and Quebec are both up slightly.

All product categories were down in October compared to October 2014 except HVAC/R, which was up 3.4 percent.

For the full report, please visit www.ciph.com.

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

7

Q Industry News

NB Power introduces heat pump rebate New Brunswick Power has rolled out a new heat pump rebate and promotion program that includes a $500 rebate on the purchase of a high efficiency heat pump. Other aspects of the program address many of the concerns expressed by industry over a previously proposed rental program, reports the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI).

The rebate became effective Oct. 1 and provides a $500 point-of-sale, after-tax discount for Energy Star

certified heat pumps with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 18, and a heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) of 8.7, as well as cold climate ductless mini-split heat pumps.

HRAI still has some concerns about how NB Power selects its “participating contractors,” reported Martin Luymes, HRAI director of programs and relations.

However, NB Power did address HRAI concerns that unqualified people were installing heat pumps by

requiring that, after April 1, contractors will need to meet additional certification criteria to stay enrolled in the program. As well, homeowners will be encouraged to ask contactors to show their trade license, similar to the marketing message used in the Heat Pump Quality Assurance program created in Nova Scotia with input from HRAI. “The goal, as always, will be to ensure NB Power is an ally in the promotion of properly installed systems rather than an active market participant. HRAI will continue to monitor this program and assist NB Power in moving forward,” said Luymes.

Utility aims to reduce peak demand

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NB Power updated members of HRAI’s Atlantic Chapter on the company’s plans on Oct. 21. While it has abandoned the rental program after considerable opposition from HRAI, the Mechanical Contractors Association of New Brunswick and other industry groups, the utility’s goals haven’t changed.

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These results would suggest that there is little need for utility incentives in a market already showing significant heat pump sales.”

NB Power reported that it had conducted three surveys of distributers, contractors and homeowners over the summer.

The results showed that heat pump sales have remained steady despite the cancellation of a previous rebate program, 90 percent of heat pumps sold are Energy Star certified high efficiency models, at least 30 percent meet Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) Tier 3 requirements that are even more efficient and up to 55 percent of homeowners are willing to pay more for a system that offers better energy savings and a faster payback.

“These results would suggest that there is little need for utility incentives in a market already showing significant heat pump sales (HRAI’s statistics confirm this),” remarked Luymes. “But the utility is so concerned about meeting peak demand with already strained power generation capacity that it has concluded that it is in the public interest to keep incentivizing homeowners to buy high-efficiency products.”

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Q Industry News

Changes coming for Ont. College of Trades Ontario is planning changes to the College of Trades following a year-long review.

Launched in April of 2013, the College governs trade certification and apprenticeship in the province. Tony Dean, a former Secretary of the Cabinet and a former tool fitter and millwright with the Dunlop Tire Co. in England, was asked to review the College of Trades and make recommendations to deal with some of the issues brought up by the industry and tradesmen. Over the year, Dean talked to several hundred tradespeople, employers and industry and trade boards representing more than 70 trades.

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The Ontario has announced that it will introduce changes to the law governing the College of Trades during the spring legislative session to implement Dean’s recommendations.

The Ontario College of Trades has 237,000 active members in more than 150 trades, including the construction, industrial, motive power and service sectors.

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A T RUST E D HISTO RY. AN I N N OVAT IVE FUTUR E.

Supportive coverage needed for oil heat Dear Editor, As the owner of a third generation oil company, I look forward to reading the Plumbing & HVAC Magazine to gain insights into the challenges and innovations other like minded companies are facing. Your publication does an excellent job at representing and promoting the field in an unbiased manner with professional journalistic integrity.

However, I take exception to your editorial comments in the September issue following the Canadian Oil Heat Association (COHA) conference (All hands on deck, page 7), and particularly to those in the October edition (Uncertain future, page 5). As a member of COHA, I feel the views expressed in your articles place the oil industry in a defensive versus a supported position from your publication.

It is greatly appreciated that you highlighted the initiatives that COHA is proactively working towards.

COHA is at the forefront and active in fostering positive developments and support within our industry operations. Our collective goal is to create, assume, and sustain an influential role in educating legislative bodies, insurance companies, public communication channels, as well as consumers about our positive attributes and activities to secure the future of oil heating, while providing safety and comfort efficiently to our customers.

It is my hope that, as you follow initiatives and communiqués regarding our industry, that you see the positive direction in which the industry is moving. I look forward to reading future issues of your publication, and coverage of these exciting developments.

Patty Bell Flying D Fuels Waubaushene, Ont.

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Q Trucks for the Trade The new Mercedes Metris, front, offers a mid-size alternative to the Sprinter and other full-size vans.

New cargo vans for 2016 A mid-size model highlights latest offerings

By Simon Blake When General Motors cancelled its popular Astro and Safari cargo vans back in 2005, few contractors expected to wait 10 years for a replacement and nobody would have expected that replacement to come from Mercedes-Benz.

But the company’s new mid-sized Metris van seems to be aimed squarely at the service contractor working in busy metropolitan areas, the same market that has been nursing their existing GM mid-size models along or making do with newer vans that are either too small or too large.

The cargo van market tends to see steady evolution rather than a lot of new models. In recent years it has been busier than usual with the introduction of various European style vans.

Return of the mid-sized van The new Mercedes Metris was announced in March and became available in October.

12

Designed from the ground up as a cargo van, the power-train layout is conventional, to Canadian contractors, with rear-wheel-drive and a seven-speed automatic transmission. A 208 horsepower fourcylinder turbo-charged gas engine provides the urge.

A 25,000 km maintenance (oil change) interval should keep operating costs relatively low. It should be noted, however, that Mercedes recommends 91 octane (high test) for better performance and fuel economy.

The Metris has over twice the payload and about 40 percent more cargo volume than the small vans currently on the market. The cargo bed length is 283 cm (9’3”) with a width of 168 cm (5’6”), so plywood can be stacked flat if need be. The interior height is 137 cm (4’6”).

Payload is 1,135 kg (2,500 lbs.) and towing capacity is 2,250 kg (4,960 lbs.)

The Metris features the traditional configuration of barn-style rear doors and a sliding side door on the passenger side.

The van includes all the electronics that have become almost commonplace including Bluetooth and iPod interface, etc. A rearview camera and navigation system is optional.

Standard safety features include Mercedes’ Attention Assist and Crosswind Assist. Attention assist is aimed at driver fatigue. Sensors monitor driver behavior and, upon detecting signs of

Plumbing & HVAC – November/December 2015

tiredness, remind the driver to take a break.

An optional cold weather package includes heated seats and an auxiliary electric heater.

After a major upgrade in 2014 and the introduction of the four-wheel-drive model in 2015, the Mercedes Sprinter offers relatively few changes for 2016.

A 93-litre fuel tank is now standard and, for the four-wheel-drive models, ZG3 all-wheel-drive with low range, which improves slow speed performance on rough terrain, is also standard.

Ford’s Euro-style van The European styled full-size Ford Transit van has proven popular since Ford introduced it in 2014. It may look European but Ford emphasizes that it is made at its Kansas City plant. The factory churned out over 100,000 of them for the North American market in 2015.

It returns for 2016 in two wheelbases, three roof heights and 58 different configurations in total, up from 47 in 2015. This type of flexibility allows contractors to tailor the Transit for their needs.

Dual sliding doors are now available, an option probably more popular with delivery drivers than mechanical contractors. Rear barn-style doors open up to 237 degrees.

Electronics become even more sophisticated for 2016. Ford’s new SYNC 3 communication system features faster performance, better voice recognition, a more intuitive smartphone-like touch screen and easier to understand graphics. A rearview camera is now standard.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

The Ford Transit full-sized van has been well received by contractors.

Bluetooth is now standard even on low-end radios in the Ram Promaster City.

Numerous configurations allow the contractor to tailor the Ram ProMaster to his/her requirements.

The second generation Transit Connect has undergone minor tweaks for 2016.

The standard engine is a 3.7-litre V-6. There is also a 3.5-litre five-cylinder Power Stroke turbo diesel and 3.5 –litre EcoBoost gas engine that provides a stumppulling 400 ft. lbs. of torque.

All engines operate through a six-speed automatic transmission and rear wheel drive. Rack and pinion steering provides a car-like driving experience.

Ford continues to refine its second-generation Transit Connect small van. It is available in two wheelbases, has a 1,620 lb. payload and can tow as much as 2,000 lbs.

The standard engine is the 2.5 litre Duratec four cylinder that delivers 29 mpg on the highway. A 1.6litre EcoBoost engine delivers 30 mpg.

Sophisticated electronics and a rear view camera are

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

optional on the Transit Connect. The Ford Telematics system allows a centralized dispatcher to monitor several vehicles in real time.

Back in the market Chrysler re-entered the commercial cargo van market in a big way with its full-sized ProMaster van in 2014 and smaller ProMaster City van in 2015.

Most of the changes for 2016 are aimed at the passenger or RV upfitter market – things like more windows, 20-amp auxiliary switches on the instrument panel and a second battery package.

The ProMaster is available in two roof heights, three wheelbases and four body lengths, along with chassis

cab and cutaway versions.

Payload capacity, depending on model, is up to 5,160 lbs. and the towing capacity is up to 5,100 lbs.

The standard engine is a 3.6 litre Pentastar V-6, rated at 280 horsepower with 260 ft. lbs. of torque.

Also available is the three-litre four-cylinder EcoDiesel 1-4, rated at 174 horsepower and – this is key for pulling power – 295 ft. lbs. of torque. The V-6 operates though a six-speed automatic while the four uses an electronically controlled “six-speed automated manual” transmission. And unlike other vehicles in this category, the ProMaster features front-wheel-drive.

That feature, along with vertical sidewalls, makes the ProMaster extremely easy to upfit and customize to the contractor’s needs. With no driveshaft or rear differential, the floor is lower. Front wheel drive also allows a tighter turning radius.

Introduced last year, the 2016 ProMaster City small van returns with minor upgrades, including better allseason tires and standard Bluetooth.

Power is provided by Chrysler’s 2.4-litre fourcylinder Tigershark I-4 engine, which produces 178 horsepower and 174 ft. lbs. of torque. This is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission for 29 mpg on the highway and 21 around town.

Payload is 1,883 lbs. and cargo volume is 131.7 sq. ft.

Vertical sides aid the installation of shelving but, like a lot of small vans, sliding doors on both sides can prove a hindrance. A cargo floor length of 87.2 inches is just a little too short to lay a 4x8 sheet of plywood flat. Rear

Please see ‘Traditional’ on page 15

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Trucks for the Trade

Tools HVACR Professionals Trust There’s a comfort level for some contractors with GM’s traditional Savana and Express.

The interior of the Chevrolet City Express and the almost identical Nissan NV200 is roomy for a small van.

Traditional comfort Continued from page 13 barn style doors are split 60/40, with the larger door on the driver’s side.

Both vans are available with Chrysler’s U-connect electronic system that includes Bluetooth, GPS navigation, and Internet access.

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A traditional approach Despite the proliferation of Euro-style vans, a visit to any job site shows that contractors still have a high comfort level with the traditional cargo van. General Motors will continue to offer its long running Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana for 2016.

Upgraded electronics and Internet options, single pane mirrors, six D-ring tie-downs and a dual isolated battery system are all new for 2016. Also new is a navigation radio with GM IntelliLink “infotainment system.”

The new OnStar 4G LTE system provides a mobile hub for the driver and passenger to connect to the Internet, effectively making the van a Wi-Fi hotspot.

GM full-size vans are available in standard and long wheelbase versions. The standard engine is a 4.8 litre V-8, with an optional six-litre version. Also available is the 6.6-litre turbo diesel. All operate through a sixspeed automatic transmission. A locking differential is also available.

A crew cargo van package expands seating to five for contractors that need to travel with a larger crew.

The Chevrolet City Express is also back for 2015.

It is produced for GM by Nissan and is based on the Nissan NV200 small cargo van. It offers 122 sq. ft. of cargo space and a payload of 1,500 lbs. A two-litre 131 hp four-cylinder engine drives the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission.

The cargo area offers 6’10” from the rear door to the seats and 4’6” between sidewalls. Rear doors are split 40/60 with the larger door on the curb side. Both open 90 and 180 degrees. There are sliding doors on both sides.

Making inroads Nissan is a relatively new player in the cargo van market but it’s NV 1500, 2500, 3500 full-sized vans and it’s

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Vertical sidewalls make upfitting the full-sized Nissan NV easy.

NV200 small van have become common sights on Canadian job sites.

The large NV van will continue in 2016 with few changes from 2015. For contractors that want to stand out amidst a sea of white vans, the NV is now available in red.

The large NV rear-wheel-drive cargo vans are offered with either a 261 hp 4.0 litre V-6 or a 317 hp V-8, both operating through a five-speed automatic transmission.

Rear doors are split 50/50 and open 243 degrees for easy loading. There are numerous interior and exterior mounting points to make upfitting easy. Standard and high roof versions are available.

The specifications for the small NV 200 cargo are basically the same as the Chevrolet City Express, above.

The cargo van market has changed dramatically in recent years with multiple players offering large and small vans. But in the mechanical contracting industry many contractors still struggled between too big and too small. The new mid-size van from Mercedes may go a long way to solving that problem. Other manufacturers are likely to be watching carefully.

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15

Q Building Green

On the upper level of the Biodome, the sheet metal tradesmen had lots of room to work.

Twin 450-ton heat pumps provide heat at the Biodome.

Energy and payback

$1.3 million in annual savings, and will completely recoup the total retrofit investment of $8.1 million some time next year.

guaranteed Quebec contractor combines multiple technologies to maximize energy efficiency

By Bruce Nagy Energy savings and payback were contractually guaranteed at a unique indoor zoo in Montreal. The project has been recognized with an international award from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and an ASHRAE award for its modern approach.

Originally built as the Olympic Velodrome for cycling at the 1976 Olympics, it was reborn in 1992 as the Montreal Biodome, an indoor zoo for 4,500 animals and 500 kinds of plants. Around 2005 the management team wanted to upgrade mechanical systems and save energy while avoiding nightmares like the Olympic Stadium next door, which the city was still paying for 35 years after it was built.

A design-build company from Quebec City came knocking. “We said we’d guarantee energy savings through a more integrated approach and organize meetings of mechanical, architectural and energy

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Complex environment

experts from our own ranks and the client team to plan the retrofit,” reported Olivier Matte, training and awareness coordinator at Ecosystem (www.ecosystemenergy.com). The Quebec City company was also recognized by the AEE for a similar retrofit in a number of schools belonging to the Samares School Board, north of Montreal (to be profiled in a future issue).

The company won the contract and eventually cut energy costs by 52 percent, exceeding the promise of

Before the retrofit, the Biodome bought steam heat and chilled water from the Olympic Stadium. It did so year round because of the need to keep a polar environment cold, a tropical rainforest hot, and two other exhibit areas and all the common areas warm. Little or no excess zone energy was being managed internally or recovered at ventilation exhaust points.

The roof contained 58 huge, but aging skylights partly blocked by old fluorescent lighting gear. It would become a better source of solar radiation. This heat along with the heat emitted by animals and HVAC equipment simultaneously serving different seasons, offered the potential for modern energy management.

Off-peak demand management

Biodome’s Jean Bouvrette, left, and Ecosystem’s Olivier Matte, worked together on the project that eventually saw a 52 percent savings in energy costs.

Early tests revealed a sizable underground aquifer about 60 feet below the Biodome, which became an openloop water source system. Today, less fresh make-up air is needed and more than 80 percent of heat energy is recovered and recirculated. A 250-ton Trane RTWD electric heat pump manages the cooling for the polar area, while two 450-ton Trane RTHD heat pumps provide heating (with an extra 450-ton unit for back-up).

Both functions are supplemented with help from the water source system, which acts as a heat sink in summer and heat source in winter.

“A 30 HP pump moves water from the underground aquifer to the heat exchangers at an average of 500 GPM through a 12-inch diameter pipe. The daytime

Please see ‘Energy’ on page 19

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

17

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Q Building Green Optimized controls

One of the biggest challenges at the Biodome was providing different indoor climates for different species.

Energy storage optimized Continued from page 17 peak is about 1000 GPM,” reported Jean Bouvrette, Biodome technical services director. He confirms the facility has been exceeding the guaranteed energy goal every year.

The pump is checked and sometimes replaced every two years at a cost of about $6,000. The building was designed to accommodate the crane for this purpose.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

When discovered, the aquifer was 14 ºC. It now averages 16 ºC in the summer and 24ºC in the winter.

The water volume level has been monitored from the beginning and is virtually unchanged. When the outside temperature is between 0ºC and -5ºC the water source system is not needed.

Instead energy is shifted among the four areas and pool temperatures adjusted to match conditioning load requirements.

Equipment control sequences are optimized and sophisticated central controls implement a peak demand strateg y using sensor data and calculations of the effects of pools as energy sinks, plus energy time and location shifting. They anticipate and adjust heat/cool delivery, with the help of variable speed pumps and fans, hydronic coils and heat recovery ventilators. They deliver to each area accurately for required loads, although it is sometimes efficient to vary from this slightly with the large volume pools: “With only a 0.5 ºC temperature variation in these big pools, you can store a lot of heat or cooling without affecting the living species,” says Matte.

So the underground aquifer is used for seasonal storage while the ponds are used for daily/night time energy storage.

“The beaver dam and salt-water tank need to be about 9ºC. Efficiencies are optimized by switching these systems on during the cooler night hours. This allows us to store some heat that we will later use during the peak demand daytime hours.”

Six 12-foot diameter sand filters keep the pools clean. The previous system used pumps continuously running at maximum speed and a restrictive fouling level valve. The valve was removed and pumps are now driven by variable speed drives. They respond to more precise requirements, based on pressure readings that indicate fouling levels.

The original acrylic skylights were replaced with clear polycarbonate.

Lighting fixtures that were blocking them were moved. This increased solar radiation. The team also installed a cooler, more efficient lighting system.

The approach used on this project was innovative both technically and in terms of the contractually guaranteed energy savings. Awards were well deserved.

Bruce Nagy is a Toronto-based freelance writer that reports on green technologies and solutions. He can be reached at bruce. nagy@rogers.com.

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Heating

Correct furnace setup critical for longevity and comfort

By Bob Bettles and Brian Guttormson

HEAT EXCHANGERS This heat exchanger has developed a crack and pinhole, probably due to overheating.

myths and magic

S

Safe operation of fossil fuel appliances has been a challenge over the years. Times have changed, as we mentioned last issue, from an open fire with a flap in the roof to current condensing high efficient products with plastic exhaust. Early mild steel welded heat exchangers of oil design were a heavy weight product; some were actually converted with gas-fired burners.

Stack temperatures, in some cases, in excess of 350ºF did produce heat, but not efficiently.

Lightweight sectional clamshell heat exchangers were the workhorses of the industry. These furnaces were very simple in design and safety controls. The electrical circuits were a one-size-fits-all design; a fan/limit control from one brand would fit most of its competition.

Gas valves and blower motors were also generic.

Efficiency levels were advertised at 80 percent; what they failed to mention was that to achieve this 80 level required a run test of 30 minutes or longer!

Furnace and distribution system sizing, in many cases, was by whatever was on the truck; bigger was better! This resulted in most cases with oversized equipment that would never run long enough to hit the steady state lab numbers. Compounding this oversize issue were the spring and fall heating calls with the equipment not reaching steady state but in reality condensing within the primary exchangers.

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Flawed design

were open combustion with ribbon burners at the lower end. The products of combustion would pass up through this heat exchanger to enter the open draft hood assembly. Connected to this draft hood was a metal vent pipe to a vertical chimney flue.

Depending on the manufacturer, in an effort to scrub more heat from the flue products the walls of these heat exchanger sections had dimples, creases or even parallel curves added to gain more surface area. These creases actually created a stress point.

A failure at these points would open up to allow the products of combustion to leak in the furnace cabinet, the circulation fan would then circulate this contamination through the dwelling.

This open crack in the heat exchanger, when the fan was in operation, would result in a flame impingement resulting in the production of CO. The high levels of CO would eventually spill into the dwelling with the homeowners unaware of the cause. If the vertical chimney flue was restricted, the flue products could spill into the occupied areas as well. Later furnaces, after several issues, had “rollout” and “spill” switches added, saving many lives.

With the requirements for higher efficiency furnaces, engineers added vent blowers to draw the flue products through the heat exchanger and to the chimney by creating a negative pressure.

As simple and basic as these units were, they did have a design flaw or two. The clamshell heat exchangers

Please see ‘Annual’ on page 23

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

21

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Q Heating

Annual inspection a must Continued from page 21 The next generation of high efficiency products reduced the temperatures of the flue gases to the point that a secondary heat exchanger was required to collect and drain condensation to an active drain.

Checking CO levels

Stress cracks were found in this sectional heat exchanger, probably also due to overheating.

Regular maintenance and annual inspections must be completed on any fossil-fuelled appliance. Today’s high efficient furnaces do have fail-safe controls, but these should never have to open. Flue gas analyzers may be used to confirm safe and efficient operation of the appliances. As with older open draft-hood boilers, which require annual inspections (in Ontario) with carbon monoxide (CO) min/max levels recorded on a report, condensing furnaces should also be checked as well for CO values.

Furnace and distribution system sizing, in many cases, was by whatever was on the truck; bigger was better!

However, a thing to remember when testing a condensing furnace is that there is no “set-in-stone” value for CO. On average, a natural gas unit will run in the 20 to 30 parts per million (ppm) of CO. A long run will see the levels reduced possibly down to 10 ppm. A propane unit will run in the mid 70’s up to 100+ ppm on the CO scale. ANSI testing levels will accept a 400 ppm maximum.

New manufacturing methods Updating the times even further, manufacturers have gone to the next level within their factories, stepping away in most cases from welding heat exchangers one by one and also from the auto zip welders running down small assembly lines creating a zipper like blue line to hold the clamshell sections together. Today heated exchangers are crimped, rolled and even pressed together. Other new heat exchanger designs look similar to an automobile muffler – basically a round or oblong

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

The fire pot failed on this oil furnace. tube with flue gases entering at one end and leaving at the other.

Regardless of the design, they all have dimples in the tubes or clamshell sections to slow the flame and flue gases and provide better heat retention. If the heat does not move into the duct system due to the incorrect temperature differential or temperature rise, as detailed in the manuals, the heat exchanger will overheat.

The symptom of this is usually a smell that is caused by the creation of aldehydes (the burning of metal). This is often mistaken by junior mechanics and homeowners for a CO issue, but if not immediately attended to and corrected the heat exchanger will soon fail.

Please remember the products you are selling today must be maintained regularly and commissioned properly. Every manufacturer includes in the Installation Manual a start-up sheet that, at minimum, requires the technician to check temperature rise, firing rate and maybe even static pressures. Remember, your friends from Fuel Safety may ask for this during an audit!

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.

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

23

Q Heating Efficient residential split systems

High efficiency boilers

A new family of air conditioners, heat pumps and air handlers from the Coleman Division of Johnson Controls offer significant energy savings while including many contractor-friendly design features. These include smaller footprint, easy top and side access, indoor unit with front-mounted controls and slide-out blower, outdoor unit with sealed swing-out control box, factory installed liquid line filter drier, conveniently located service valves and standardized design.

Johnson Controls/Coleman www.colemanhvacdealer.com

The new Bosch Buderus SSB Series high efficiency stainless steel boiler line includes eight models with inputs ranging from 85 MBH up to 1024 MBH with 5:1 turndown. They feature a proprietary ASME SA-240 stainless steel type 316L heat exchanger and an integrated premix burner and a pneumatic air-gas system for optimized combustion. There are numerous venting options, a controller with weather compensation, mod-bus connectivity, two-wire cascade link and a factory installed low-water cutoff.

Bosch www.boschheatingandcooling.com.

WORK LESS MAKE MORE Success Group International is a North American organization dedicated to providing the tools necessary to help mechanical contractors succeed.

Tools include: Financial Control Systems t Employee Hiring & Retention Turn Key Marketing t Financial Guidance Before I called Success Group International in 1999, I was $250,000 in debt. I didn’t know how I was going to pay the bills. Darrel met with me and helped me transform my business and my life. By 2005, I had no debt, a thriving business, and the systems that Darrel helped me put in place have transformed me from working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day to 4 days a week, 8 hours a day. Calling Success Group International was the best business decision I ever made.”

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Plumbing & HVAC – November/December 2015

Above-floor heating panels The new RAUBOARD ab ove-f lo or panels allow the installation of hydronic radiant floor heating between a finished floor and the subfloor or on walls underneath the gypsum board – or over an existing floor. These lightweight plywood panels feature a low, half-inch profile and are designed to put out more heat than other panels currently on the market.

REHAU www.na.rehau.com

Optimum humidity The new Electrode Humidifier from Honeywell is designed to maintain optimum humidity levels.

The homeowner simply “sets and forgets” the unit’s HumidiPRO digital humidity control, which makes automatic adjustments when the weather changes to reduce excess condensation and frost on windows. It also can be manually adjusted to boost moisture when needed. It works seamlessly with Honeywell’s VisionPRO 8000, Prestige IAQ and Lyric thermostats, giving contractors maximum flexibility to integrate it into a new or existing system.

Honeywell www.honeywell.com

Brazed plate heat exchangers SWEP announces a milestone; its brazed plate heat exchangers are the first to be certified by the U.S.-based Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), verifying that product performance meets specified ratings. The company’s heat exchangers offer high efficiency, compact design, robust construction and a low life-cycle cost.

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Q Ventilation A neighbour’s wood burning appliance can be a real challenge for the customer’s indoor air quality.

Solving the

IAQ dilemma

What do you do when the “fresh� outdoor air isn’t so clean? #Z 3PZ $PMMWFS

26

After reading my article in the September issue of this magazine; Brian Baker, president of Custom Vac Ltd. in Winnipeg, wrote me with some of his thoughts. He mentioned some important points; number one being that bringing outdoor air into a space to “freshen� it only works when the incoming air is actually fresh – this is often a challenge.

Any time you add a fresh air supply to a building, your number one job should be to try to identify what contaminates might be drawn in along with the air and then determine how to clean things up. Is the air intake next to a dusty road, a gravel crusher, a bunch of idling school buses, etc.? Those are easy ones to identify, but seasonal pollution sources unfortunately can be hard to spot at times. Local knowledge is invaluable, and once again I will hammer on the point that you do your homework and ask the right questions of your customer.

Wood smoke, diesel and gas combustion fumes, and agricultural burning (to name a few of the nasties) are particularly difficult to deal with because of the small size of the particles and because of the accompanying toxic chemicals and gases that come along for the ride.

Two items from our web site (www.plumbingandhvac. ca) were front and center last month: t "4)3"& VSHFT VTF PG IJHIFS FÄ?DJFODZ Ä•MUFST

Plumbing & HVAC – November/December 2015

FINER FILTERS COST MORE AND PLUG UP FASTER

CHEAPER - BUT THEY ONLY GET THE BIG CHUNKS

FILTER MERV RATING 17 - 20 (HEPA) 13 - 16

9 - 12

5-8

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DUST - POLLEN - BUGS DUST MITES - LINT MOLD SPORES - BACTERIA - PET DANDER LUNG DAMAGING DUST SMOKE - VIRUS - ODOURS

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1.0 to 3.0

3.0 to 10

> 10.0

PARTICLE SIZE IN MICRONS Specify the right filter for the application. t .POUSFBM UBSHFUT XPPE CVSOJOH BQQMJBODFT These two pieces go hand-in-hand with this article, the upshot being that ASHRAE is urging us to use MERV 13 or finer filters when dealing with contaminates such as smoke and other combustion fumes. Meanwhile, Montreal city council wanted to ban wood burning

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

appliances to make its air more breathable, but settled for tighter emissions standards instead.

I personally like a nice cozy wood fire and I am not advocating a total ban – but we need to clean them up and restrict them in places where they can cause health problems.

The old stink-pot airtight stoves (the ones that issue that toxic, gagging, heavy smoke) simply have to go. They are unacceptable in high-density urban environments. Emissions standards have to be tightened and enforced, and somehow a standard for fuel quality has to be established and enforced as well – it’s a tall order.

Homeowners take different approaches to preparing for winter.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

that exhausting inside air and replacing it with outside air can only improve things.

I agree with him except when there is an unusually high temporary pollution source. For temporary situations, you can just stop bringing in outdoor air – it would be nice to have a sensor that could do it for you but I don’t know of an affordable solution there, so it gets back to the building owner/occupant shutting things down until the problem corrects itself.

The average foam filters that come with air exchangers are somewhere between a MERV 2 and (rarely) up to a MERV 8. That’s for a good clean new one and every time you clean them they lose some efficiency. Adding an in-line MERV13 or better filter to No one said it would be easy an HRV is not very practical because these devices don’t Here’s the rub, however – very few manufacturers have options for bigger fans. It is hard to find pressure of HRV/ERV or intake ventilation appliances would drop information for many filters, but I can tell you that recommend adding bulky and if you added a filter box to your restrictive MERV 13 or HEPA normal HRV / ERV – even if filters to their units. Finer filters you up-sized it from say a sixincrease static pressure drop, round duct to a 12-inch Whatever else you inch seriously de-rate the airflow of filter and back down again, you the appliance and demand more do – make sure every filter are going to lose serious airflow. of their fans – both in power To get your CFM back up consumption and wear and that needs to be serviced is to what you need, you are tear. Deep pleated filters reduce going to have to over-size your easily accessible. the problem but are too bulky appliance to account for the to retrofit in place of the stock extra blockage – more money. If filters. you have a hydronic or electric I really don’t like adding baseboard heating system more air filters. They may be necessary, but they are with dedicated ventilation ducting, this might be your also an ongoing maintenance issue – a common cause only option short of installing a stand-alone HEPA air of a system’s poor performance when not looked after. filtration device.

Whatever else you do – make sure every filter that needs If you are installing your exchanger into a forced-air to be serviced is easily accessible. system, and dumping the fresh air into the return air If you are trying to scrub out incoming smoke, you duct, you then catch a break because your furnace or air need a MERV 13 or better filter (some IAQ experts insist handler likely has a robust fan that you can kick into a only a HEPA filter will do). These things are expensive – higher speed. This is a practical solution because higher and they will plug up fast if the pollutants are really bad.

MERV rated filters, electrostatic filters and electronic If vehicles are showing visible signs of non-compliance air cleaners are readily available for most air handler/ to emission standards, or people are burning prohibited furnace sizes. Look to the deeper two or even four-inch stuff like creosote laden railway ties or used oil – the pleated filters for something that will run with minimal customer can call the authority having jurisdiction to static pressure losses for a longer time period. stop the problem at the source. Otherwise, they are on their own.

Become a filter expert So now we get to a good money making opportunity Finding solutions for a heads-up contractor. Become an air filter expert Enough of that, let’s look at practical solutions for – it is a growth industry as respiratory problems contractors: become more common. Buy filters in bulk and develop Step 1 – Identify the potential pollutants and how they supply or planned maintenance programs to help your are likely to be tolerated by the user. customers.

Step 2 – Select a measured approach to the problem and It can be difficult for your customer to find the right present it to the user. Maybe just moving an air intake high efficiency filter. You can supply and change filters for to the other side of the building can avoid ingestion of them at a reasonable price – and they can stop worrying the pollutant. Maybe a temporary shut-down during about whether the filter needs changing or not. high pollution times will do the trick. We know extra filtration will work, but it is something to look at when Roy Collver is an author and other approaches fail. consultant on hydronic heating Grant Blackmore of Eden Energy in Guelph based in Parksville, B.C. reminded me that the bad things in the outdoor air are He can be reached at going to get into the indoor air whether you have an air hoth2o@shaw.ca exchanger or not. Meanwhile, without the air exchanger, the bad things generated inside the building are just going to keep adding to the problem. The bottom line is

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

27

Q Refrigeration

Common service

S E K A T MIS and how to avoid them #Z (SFH 4DSJWFOFS

Changing temperatures and pressures in an industrial valve station can cause leaks that happen only under certain circumstances.

When I first decided to write a column on ‘common mistakes’ my thoughts went immediately to installation problems that I see with an unfortunately high frequency. Things like proper pipe slope, TXV bulb placement and amateur insulating techniques came to mind. However, after giving it more thought, I decided instead to focus on the human factors involved with the service side of the business. As a former service manager, I watched many of these ‘mistakes’ play out many times.

MISTAKE NO.1 IN A HURRY There is phenomenal pressure on technicians to work quickly, to wrap up service calls quickly and move on. I know, because I was both a service tech-

28

Plumbing & HVAC – November/December 2015

nician and a service manager for years. The problem is that being too rushed results in an increase in call backs and warranty claims. Contracting companies obviously see this, but for some reason the attitude and pressure remains. There is an ideal area between working really fast and doing unacceptable work and doing amazing work at a snail’s pace but, if I owned a contracting firm and had to choose, I would take the snail over the call backs any day.

The reason is simple; you can’t measure the true cost of a call back, it’s impossible. Sure you can measure the dollar value of the time, the equipment damage or additional repairs, and even the lost opportunity, but you can’t measure the effect on your reputation.

You never know what a particular call back will cost you. Contracting companies have lost customers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars per year over call backs. I have seen large customers leave over a seemingly benign call back. Why? Because they were annoyed; maybe it wasn’t the first one, maybe they lost product or customers of their own… it doesn’t matter.

The bottom line is that we aren’t always the best judge of what’s important to our customers and we don’t get to choose what they do. What we can control is getting things fixed properly the first time.

I have been told by a number of contractors across Canada that call backs are going up and that it’s becoming harder and harder to get things fixed right the first time; I have a hypothesis as to why this is: As an industry we haven’t done a good enough job training technicians to work as a team instead of individually. Service mechanics work alone most of the time yet technology and equipment is changing and evolving at such a staggering pace, it’s impossible to keep up. In the 70’s or 80’s it was possible to carry almost everything you’d need on a service truck. Today, in refrigeration and commercial HVAC, you would need a semi-trailer or more (can you imagine the truck charge?).

This isn’t really a comment on the amount of stuff

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These relief valves have rupture disks and indicator gauges so that the technician knows if the valve has opened and re-seated.

but more so on the amount and diversity of information a technician is expected to understand and remember.

There isn’t even a comparison. Sure we now have cell phones with Internet and many techs carry tablets, but these resources are no comparison to a well-functioning team and proper mentorship.

MISTAKE NO. 2 NOT LISTENING When a customer complains about something to do with their systems, there is something wrong. That doesn’t mean it’s obvious or easy to fix but, 99 percent of the time, something is wrong. “It just sounds different than it used to”, “it’s not quite cold enough”, “there is more condensation in the freezer”, “there was a weird smell when the unit came on”, “I used to be able to freeze more product”, etc.… We’ve all heard customers say these things. Our mistake is that often we don’t trust them. Maybe we’re embarrassed when we can’t find anything wrong.

More times than not, if you ignore the information the customer gives you, you will be there again on a call back (see Mistake #no.1). Obviously we’re not perfect, sometimes we just can’t find anything wrong.

Please don’t make up a problem. If you make something up and end up back on a call back, it really doesn’t look very good. Believe the customer and spend a little bit of extra time thinking about what could cause the symptoms they described and you’ll be way further ahead.

Sometimes the problem looks really simple, but why did someone leave this machine room exhaust fan turned off?

vessel levels change depending on ambient conditions and load, but this doesn’t change the fact that refrigerant cannot simply vanish. I’ve never successfully repaired a leak by ignoring it. It has never worked.

Sometimes there are leaks that leak only sometimes under some conditions… they still leak though. One out of a million times you might have a leak that quit leaking. For example, there may have been a relief event and the valve re-seated properly. Without a rupture disk or refrigerant sensor in the relief piping, it’s really hard to know where the refrigerant went. Hard, but not impossible.

The bottom line is that we aren’t always the best judge of what’s important to our customers and we don’t get to choose what they do.

Some leaks are incredibly difficult to find and we are often tempted and pressured to add refrigerant to get the system up and running. Don’t do it, the result will be a call back and you’ll probably have to give away some free refrigerant while you’re there.

MISTAKE NO.4 MISTAKE NO. 3 CAN’T FIND THE LEAK Refrigerant is not magic juice. If it was there before and isn’t now, either someone took it out or there is a hole. Those are the only two possible things that could have happened, period.

Sure, in complicated systems it is really challenging to know how much refrigerant is there because pressure

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

ASSUMING THE FAILED COMPONENT IS THE PROBLEM There are many components in a refrigeration system that can fail and they are all interconnected. A solenoid valve is often connected to a relay, which in turn is connected to a temperature control. If you arrive to a freezer with a failed solenoid coil, your first reaction is probably “awesome, a nice quick job”.

Stop and think about why the solenoid coil failed.

Was it getting the right voltage all the time? Was it cycled rapidly? Did it get too hot? I have seen relays and temperature controls fail and damage solenoid coils. I’ve seen the coils installed in locations where the ambient temperature is so high it’s not even safe to work in. I’ve seen solenoids fail because of short cycling of the refrigerant system under certain load conditions. More to the point, however, I’ve seen solenoid coils changed in all of these cases without any consideration to the root cause. Guess what happens then? Yup, a call back.

You may have been able to discern a theme throughout the mistakes we’ve discussed. The difference between being a decent service technician and an exceptional one is your ability to find problems and fix them properly the first time. This requires patience and a lot of it.

It also requires that you develop a strong team or network you can get help from. You can’t know everything, so make connections. Know who to call and don’t be afraid to call them. Choose what you want to be good at and become an expert by learning as much as you can in that area and then be willing to help others when they phone you.

Contractors who are successful in building these teams and reducing these types of mistakes are the ones who are most likely to be prosperous. No warranty and an excellent reputation… how much better could it get?

Greg Scrivener is a refrigeration consultant for Cold Dynamics in Edmonton.

He is a professional engineer, journeyman refrigeration mechanic and holds RSES CMS designation in commercial refrigeration. He can be reached at greg.scrivener@colddynamics.com

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

29

Q Tools & Instruments Plastic pipe welding

Entry-level thermal imager

The Roweld plastic pipe welding line from Rothenberger USA includes heated tool butt-welding machines, socket welding and extruder welding units, plastic pipe cutters and numerous accessories. These are used primarily with polypropylene piping in the industrial, construction, clean room and fitting manufacturing environments, the manufacturer reports.

Rothenberger USA www.rothenberger-usa.com

The R2050 80 x 80 pixel thermal imager from Reed Instruments is offered at a low price point as an entry-level camera loaded with features. These include high resolution screen, less than 0.1C thermal sensitivity, -20 to 350C temperature range, 32X digital zoom, video and audio recording, durable construction tested with two metre drop test and a lithium ion battery. It comes with software, earphones, carrying case and other accessories.

Reed Instruments www.REEDInstruments.com

Consistent bevels The new Ridgid B-500 Transportable Pipe Beveller is designed to produce a consistent, high-quality bevel in less than two minutes without flames or sparks. This compact unit mounts to the end of pipes four inches or greater in diameter, with a maximum wall thickness of a half-inch, as well as on flat plates up to a half-inch thick. Interchangeable heads allow bevels of 30 degrees, 37.5 degrees or 45 degrees. Speed monitoring with LED indicators assist the operator in keeping the beveller moving at an optimal pace to ensure a consistent, machined finished bevel in a single pass.

RIDGID www.ridgid.com

Easy pipe thawing General Pipe Cleaners’ Hot-Shot pipe-thawing machines thaw metal pipes in minutes to eliminate tearing up floors, breaking through walls and digging around pipes in frozen ground. The Hot-Shot 320 thaws up to 100 feet of 1-1/2-inch pipe and the powerful Hot-Shot 400 with dual-level output thaws frozen lines up to 175 feet long in 1-1/2-inch diameter lines. The operator simply attaches pipe clamps to the frozen pipe section, plugs the machine into a 115-volt receptacle, and in a few minutes, the frozen pipe is thawed out.

General Pipe Cleaners www.drainbrain.com

Wireless test tools The Fluke Connect Assets system changes the way equipment maintenance is documented, reported, and managed. It is a cloud-based wireless system of software and test tools that gives maintenance managers a comprehensive view of all critical equipment — including baseline, historical, and current test tool measurement data, current status, and past inspection data — enabling them to set up and sustain a preventive maintenance (PM) or condition-based maintenance (CBM) system easily with minimal investment. It features a wireless one-step measurement transfer from more than 30 Fluke Connect wireless test tools.

Fluke www.flukeconnect.com

30

Plumbing & HVAC – November/December 2015

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Q Plumbing

Special needs

bathrooms

Diplomacy, skills and specialized product knowledge go a long way #Z .BSL &WBOT

I

I doubt that the average practitioner of any of the “lesser trades” is ever sworn to secrecy about their customer’s personal matters like a plumber is.

There are some plumbing jobs that go way beyond simple piping installations. Some jobs draw the plumber into the most private aspects of their customer’s lives, requiring a certain kind of trust akin to doctor/patient confidentiality.

As an “Ensuite Specialist”, I encounter these situations often and I have been made privy to some information which I’m quite sure is not shared with just anyone. To meet their specific needs, the customer must divulge some very intimate details…. and here they are!

Just kidding, I’m saving those stories for my “tell all” book! (We can hardly wait – Ed.)

Ours is a trade that deals with sensitive issues regarding personal hygiene and I’ve found it pays to be a good listener.

Building custom bathrooms for people with special needs is my passion and it gives me great satisfaction to preserve the dignity of those clients without full mobility. At the very least, they would like to use the bathroom by themselves.

Ours is a trade that deals with sensitive issues regarding personal hygiene and I’ve found it pays to be a good listener.

Recently I had the opportunity to help a family that needed a solution that would allow the aged patriarch to stay in his own home instead of a retirement home.

He was a proud man that did well in business and raised

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

With all the fixtures wall-mounted and a floor drain, this wet bathroom is easily cleaned with a hose. a fine family but had lost control of certain bodily functions.

Small, seemingly insignificant details for able-bodied persons were insurmountable barriers for this man and they were taking a toll on his loved ones and caregivers.

Creating a “wet” bathroom By communicating his special needs, we were able to create a space especially for him. I refer to the new design as a “wet” bathroom or “RV”(recreational vehicle) style. Luckily this space was big enough so the user did not have to straddle the toilet while showering.

I gutted the room and poured a concrete base over a rubber liner. The cement was sloped front to back and I installed a floor drain where the tub used to be.

The whole room was tiled and made waterproof so it could be completely hosed down without risk of water damage to the rest of the home.

The vanity was switched to a wall hung basin complete with steel carrier that would support the user’s entire weight if need be. I mounted an eight-inch deck faucet with pullout spray on the lavatory and installed a variable height cradle on the wall beside the sink so the spray nozzle could be hooked on it and used as a shower.

For extra safety, I installed grab bars around the entire room which double as towel racks. I often wonder why

grab bars aren’t required by code in all bathrooms… it just makes sense.

This bathroom was located in an area of the home that was “sunken” which allowed me to swap the original, floor mounted water-closet for a wall mounted one with only minor modifications to the existing piping.

Installing the wall carrier for the toilet was difficult but well worth the effort.

With all fixtures wall mounted, the whole floor was wide open for easy cleanup and it looked great. I hear this type of design is typical in many parts of Europe and Asia but rare here.

My electrical associate installed waterproof light fixtures and an in-line fan, then mounted the switches outside of the room for safety reasons.

Independent living Another custom job involved a wheelchair bound young lad that felt it was time for him to cut the apron strings and be his own man. The first step was moving the existing plumbing so the doorway could be widened to permit easy access. Grab bars were used around the room and the “floating” vanity was mounted at a height that perfectly matched his needs.

When the job was done, his parents were so proud of their son – so grown up and mature. Tears were shed and we now share that special bond unique to our trade.

Although this is my work and I get paid well for my services, these types of jobs are often rewarded with a hug and a friendship that lasts much longer than the money made doing them.

Mark P. Evans is a contractor, master plumber and heating technician based in Waterloo, Ont. He can be reached at mark. evans@live.ca

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

31

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Q Plumbing

Product Profile

Convenient thermostatic faucet installation This new hands-free thermostatic lavator y faucet from Delta Commercial Faucets is designed for appl i c at i ons re qu i r i ng thermostatic temperature regulation.

The mixing valve and solenoid are contained within the body of the faucet and the supply lines are factoryinstalled, making installation quick and simple. Outlet temperature limits can be set easily from above the deck by the installer and a top mixer allows the user to adjust the water temperature to comfort. These faucets are backed by a five-year warranty.

Delta Commercial Â&#x2039; www.deltacommercialfaucets.com

Commercial shower solutions The new Sanishower from Saniflo Canada is designed to add an extra bathroom to commercial applications such as boutique gyms, spas or office spaces without having to do major renovations to install a new drain system. This small drain-water pump can be installed in smaller spaces or above-floor. It connects to a shower, sink, urinal or even the inside of a pedicure chair, and is small enough to fit underneath a raised showerbase or under a cabinet.

Saniflo Canada Â&#x2039; www.saniflo.ca

Multi-layered tubing Viega FostaPEX is a multi-layered PEX tubing with the flexibility of PEX and the stability of rigid piping, giving it a professional look while still bending easily. It has a low coefficient of expansion compared to standard PEX products. Designed and certified for all potable water applications along with radiant heating/ cooling projects, it is available in ½-inch to one-inch sizes.

Viega Â&#x2039; www.viega.us

Hot water recirculation Taco has expanded its family of DHW recirculation products. Products for new construction piping with a dedicated return line include Plumb nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Plug (digital or analog), Smart Plus and TacoGenie. For retrofits using the existing plumbing, Tacoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hot-Link and TacoGenie (with optional undersink installation kit) use the cold water line to complete the recirculation loop.

Taco Â&#x2039; www.taco-hvac.com

The Original â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Still the quietest and the most efďŹ cient Jet Towel high speed hand dryer, invented by Mitsubishi Electric in 1993, is the obvious choice for business owners, property managers and end-users. The latest 8th generation features industry-lowest operating sound at 58 dB(A), lowered power consumption at 570W, and fast hand-drying time of 9 - 11 seconds. Available in standard and mini-type, Jet Towel exhibits No waste paper

WKH TXLHWQHVV TXDOLW\ DQG HĎ&#x201E;FLHQFLHV WKDW \RX would only expect from Mitsubishi Electric.

Low operating cost

For more information, visit www.JetTowel.ca

Easy maintenance

User friendly

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

November/December 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Plumbing & HVAC

33

Q People & Places The

Companies

CIPH chair Siân Smith congratulates Case de Jong as his wife Margaret and CIPH president Ralph Suppa look on.

Habitat honors longtime industry volunteer It’s not every day a person has a street named after them, but the president of one of Canada’s largest stainless steel sink manufacturers found himself in that position on Nov. 5.

Habitat for Humanity Canada honored Case de Jong for his work on behalf of the organization over the years.

De Jong spearheaded the initiative to get the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) involved with Habitat.

He got the idea after seeing a television show in 1992 about a Habitat build in Winnipeg. He proposed the idea to other members of CIPH and support built quickly. Members set a goal of $100,000 for the first

campaign in 1994 and raised $125,000.

“People said we would never achieve that number,” said de Jong. “What amazes me is that (the partnership) has achieved far more.” Members have raised over $10 million in cash and products to date, making CIPH by far Habitat Canada’s biggest supporter.

Over the years CIPH members have directly participated in a number of home builds, the latest being the 13-unit town home complex in Burlington located on what is now De Jong Lane.

“I was the catalyst, but I had to have a lot of support.

We’ve always had that in CIPH,” remarked the somewhat humbled De Jong.

On Oct. 30 Taco Comfort S o l u t i o n s , Cranston, Rhode Island, signed an agreement to acquire pump manufacturer Askoll Sei, Dueville, Italy. Above, Taco CEO John Hazen White, Jr., left, and Askoll president and founder Elio Marioni sign sale documents.

NCI Canada, Aurora, Ont., has moved its head office to 2305 Wyecroft Road, Oakville, Ont. Viega, Wichita, Kansas, is now offering its training programs in French, previously available only in Quebec, and Spanish across North America.

Wolseley Canada, Burlington, Ont. has relocated and expanded its St. Catharines, Ont. branch and added plumbing. The new 13,000 sq. ft. location at 139 Cushman Rd. is almost twice the size of the previous building at 146 Cushman Rd. Shane Oneschuk continues as branch manager.

The Wolseley team in St. Catherines are, from left, Paul Morgan, Steve Thomson, Jim Humphries, Shane Oneschuk, James Bent, and Barry Rohaly.

Spectrum Brands Canada, Mississauga, Ont., which includes Pfister plumbing products, has appointed a number of new sales reps. Equipco Ltd., Coquitlam, B.C. will represent the company in B.C., Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Great Lakes Marketing, Breslau, Ont., will cover Southwest Ontario. Aquaro Sales Agency, Montreal, will represent Pfister in Quebec. Scott Snyder Sales Group, Dartmouth, N.S., is the Atlantic Canada rep.

Flow Sales, Etobicoke, Ont. will continue to cover the remainder of Ontario while R.M. Bellamy Sales, Edmonton, has Northern Alberta.

The

People

Groupe Deschenes celebrates 75 years On Oct. 7 Groupe Deschênes Inc., headquartered in Montreal, invited over 2,500 staff and guests to celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary with gala evenings across Canada from Vancouver to Quebec City.

The nine evenings were all connected and participants in each location could see each other on a video screen. Above, Desco vice president and general manager Jon Leeson speaks at the Toronto event.

34

Plumbing & HVAC – November/December 2015

The ECCO Group, L a n g l e y, B.C., announces the retirement of general manager H i l t o n Hartwell after 44 years Hilton Shaine of service. Shaine Hartwell Nobert Nobert has been appointed vice president and general manager of ECCO Heating Products Ltd. He will assume Hartwell’s duties.

Nolrad International, Maple, Ont. has named Michael Grbic to t he p osit ion of vice pre s i d e nt a n d P a u l Paul Silverberg as national Michael Silverberg Grbic sales manager.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Q Coming Events

A mid-winter break

Events

Calendar

North America’s largest HVAC/R show returns to Orlando North America’s largest trade show for the HVAC/R industry will give contractors an opportunity to escape to sunny Florida for a few days in January.

The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) will take place at the Orlando County Convention Center in Orlando Jan. 25-27.

Once again the focus is on new products and technologies, with over 80 percent of the almost 2,000 exhibitors planning to introduce new or upgraded products, systems and technologies at the show.

Spanning categories from indoor air quality to software, and addressing the interests of contractors, engineers, wholesalers/distributors, facility managers and owners/ operators, these innovations are expected to touch every corner of interest from across the HVACR industry, remarked Clay Stevens, president of the International Exposition Company, which organizes the show.

“We are impressed by the ingenuity, inventiveness and problem-solving capabilities seen in the incredible variety of the 2016 exhibition line-up. It’s apparent that manufacturers have been hard at work in redefining the limits of HVACR innovation, as well as fine-tuning –

JAN. 19-21: Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), Las Vegas Convention Centre, North and South Halls, Las Vegas. Visit www.KBIS.com or call 1-800-843-6522.

JAN. 25-27: AHR Expo, Orlando County Convention Centre, Orlando, Florida. Visit www.ahrexpo.com or call (203) 221-9232.

Exhibitors like Uponor had a busy three days at the 2015 AHR Expo. and in some cases altogether reinventing – what have already been deemed as bar-raising developments.”

Visitors will see the latest products and technologies in air conditioning, refrigeration, controls, building automation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, heating, ventilation and indoor air quality, plumbing, hydronic heating, software, tools and contractor supplies and many other industry-related technologies and services.

The AHR Expo began 85 years ago and is typically attended by about 60,000 people. It is co-sponsored by ASHRAE and AHRI, and is held in conjunction with ASHRAE’s Winter Conference.

For more information or to register, visit www. ahrexpo.com.

MARCH 16-18: CMPX 2016 (Canadian Mechanicals and Plumbing Exposition), Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building, Toronto. Visit www.cmpxshow.com or call 416-444-5225 or 1-800-282-0003.

MAY 18-19: MEET Show 2016 (Mechanical Electrical Electronic Technology), Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, N.B. Visit www. meetshow.ca or call (506) 658-0018 or toll free at 1-888-454-7469.

ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER

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www.plumbingandhvac.ca

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

35

Q Shop Management

Why your online reputation matters Feedback and reviews becoming increasingly important #Z ,FO .D-BVDIMJO As marketing and advertising has shifted over the past few years, so too has the way customers find and purchase your services.

The Internet has made business very transparent.

Potential customers can find just about any piece of information they want and a large majority are researching your business heavily before they call.

According to Google, users are now researching eight to 10 different pieces of information on a business before they decide to contact them. This information and content can range from blog posts to service pages, but recently there’s been a major shift to reading online reviews.

In fact, over 80 percent of people are now looking into reviews online and many state it’s one of the most important factors when deciding which business to call.

In the past, search engine positioning, creative headlines and advertising cheap prices were typically what would drive online leads and calls.

However, as the market has shifted and grown more intelligent, users are clicking on company websites with five-star feedback ratings and calling them after they’ve read about the great experiences from previous customers.

Many customers are looking for quality service and products but also want to know they’re not dealing with a fly-by-night company that will disappear after payment.

INDEX to ADVERTISERS AHR Expo ........................................................... 35 Cash Acme ......................................................... 11 Chrysler .............................................................. 10 CIPH Habitat Gala .............................................. 32 CMPX ................................................................. 36 Fieldpiece............................................................ 15 FLIR....................................................................... 2 Ford ...................................................................... 4 General Pipe Cleaners ........................................... 9 Hilmor ................................................................ 16 IPEX .................................................................... 20 Liberty Pumps ..................................................... 25 Lochinvar ............................................................ 22 Mitsubishi Electric ........................................... 6, 33 Napoleon ............................................................ 14 RIDGID................................................................ 40 Saniflo ................................................................ 39 Stelpro ................................................................ 30 Success Group International ................................ 24 Victaulic ................................................................ 8 Viessmann .......................................................... 18 Zoeller ................................................................ 19

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Not always positive On the surface, online reviews seem to be a win-win situation. However, as with any platform where customers can voice their opinion, not all feedback is positive.

The main problem with any open review system is that it’s negatively biased. For the most part, when a business provides a quality service that’s completed on time and on budget, customers aren’t ranting and raving about their amazing experience. In the customer’s eyes they got what they paid for and there’s no need to let others know.

However, when an issue comes up, whether it’s with a technician, equipment or something beyond your control, an angry customer is the first to voice their displeasure and let everyone know about their experience.

This becomes very misleading for other potential customers who are interested in working with a business that has negative online reviews.

A very common situation we come across is plumbing & HVAC businesses that have one or two negative online reviews from unhappy customers (or even competitors).

A couple of negative reviews certainly don’t reflect the quality of service that business provides.

However, because the satisfied customers do not actively share their experience, a user reading through the online feedback is left with the impression that this business probably isn’t the best option for them.

Reputation management So how can you even the playing field and make sure your satisfied customers will provide their feedback and share their positive experience?

The best way is to implement a reputation management system. A reputation management system is used to help drive in reviews from your customers and allow them to easily leave feedback.

There are multiple ways a reputation management system can be set up, some more advanced than others.

The system can be a simple page on your website walking people through a three-step process for leaving feedback, or it can be more complicated such as having your technicians check in using their smart phones and sending feedback requests through a phone application.

With our clients we often find that a page on the website with simple instructions works best. Send an email reminder with a link to the page that walks them through the review process.

For companies that have more customers and volume, an automated system works best. Programs like Nearby Now allow your technicians to use their smart phones to check in and request reviews from the application.

This helps keep the review process more organized and ensures you get a review request out for every customer.

Which websites?

We often get asked, what website should customers leave their reviews on?

There are many options available. Google, HomeStars, Yelp and even Facebook all allow reviews to be posted.

If you find you’re getting a lot of business from a particular website, then it’s often best to focus your reviews there. However, Google will naturally give the most exposure to reviews on the Google Business pages. Not only will this build more exposure to your reviews but, as mentioned before, it’s a large factor in determining where your website ranks in Google.

The most important factor is that it’s very easy for customers to leave their feedback. Rarely will they post a review if at any point it becomes too complicated or confusing.

Figure out the best approach to have your customers leave feedback, whether that’s through an automated system or a page on your website, with three-step instructions.

You’ll not only benefit from more local exposure but it gives potential customers an honest assessment of your services.

Ken McLauchlin is the founder and owner of HVAC Marketing in St. Catherines, Ont., an online marketing agency specializing in the HVAC and Plumbing industries. He has worked with many mechanical contractors and is also the author of the HVAC Online Marketing Handbook. He can be reached at Ken@HVACMarketing.ca.

November/December 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

37

Q Shop Management

Accounting for

warranty costs

#Z 3PO $PMFNBO Ever try comparing your estimating gross profit to your actual using your financial statements? If you did, the likelihood of getting a real comparison is low. Accounting information is usually recorded in a different manner than estimating.

I don’t believe I have ever seen a set of financial statements that can be used to compare actual to estimate because we rarely allocate our costs to direct cost and overhead accurately. If one out of 100 mechanical contractors do this accurately I will be very surprised.

There are a variety of reasons for this.

Direct costs The one I believe to be very useful and very rarely used is the accounting treatment for warranty provisions.

However, before I go into that let me tell you some of the other reasons that hinder our ability to really understand what should go into direct cost.

In calculating the direct cost of labour the estimator includes allowances for elements such as WHMIS, job site safety and training. Where does your accounting department code these costs? How do both the estimating and accounting departments deal with unproductive labour?

Another element of labour that causes confusion is the allocation of payroll burden, employer’s portion of EI, CPP WSIB/WCB, and benefits. Are they a direct cost or an overhead? Your estimating will automatically allocate the payroll burden correctly but often the accounting department will treat the total burden as direct cost or overhead. They should be apportioned to direct labour and overhead labour.

This can be done by a manually created journal for accounting programs that don’t facilitate the allocation.

Without doing this, you can’t calculate a correct gross profit.

Also, some direct costs get treated as overhead because they are difficult to allocate to jobs. Estimating should include an allowance for shop and field supplies and small tools. These are often recorded as overhead in accounting.

Likewise, project insurance is a direct cost, not an overhead. Clarification also needs to be made regarding the allocation of supervision costs.

Monitoring warranty costs The one other element of cost that usually gets missed is the correct accounting treatment of warranty. Every job - a new install, a retrofit or a service job – requires the contractor to provide at least some labour warranty.

The estimating department should allow a provision for this cost.

The accounting department needs to track the actual

38

to the estimate. Because the warranty covers a period long after the job costing has been closed off, the actual warranty cost can’t be booked to the job cost and reviewed by management.

In order to overcome this and to see how efficient our installation labour is, we need to monitor the expenditure on warranty. We need to compare the provision to the actual.

How do you treat warranty expense/provision in your business? t %P ZPV KVTU CPPL JU UP KPC DPTUT TPNFXIFSF t %P ZPV CPPL JU UP KPCT UIBU IBWF QSFWJPVTMZ DMPTFE t %P ZPV CPPL JU UP PWFSIFBE t %P ZPV IBWF OP JEFB There are several ways of calculating warranty t 1FSDFOU PG UIF TBMF WBMVF PS QFSDFOU PG FTUJNBUFE cost of sales of the job t 1FSDFOU PG MBCPVS BU DPTU PS QFSDFOU PG TFMMJOH QSJDF t 1FSDFOU PG NBUFSJBM FRVJQNFOU BU DPTU PS QFSDFOU PG selling price Where the supplier provides, say, a 10-year guarantee, the warranty is likely only on materials, not on labour.

Likewise, on a service call you likely provide a one-year warranty on labour.

No matter which of the above methods you use there is only one technically correct way of recording warranty if you want to track how accurate your provision is.

Allowance for warranty The method that I am recommending will require a simple adjustment to your corporate tax return as The Canada Revenue Agency does not allow warranty provision as a tax deduction.

Warranty, like any other cost, should be subject to markup for overhead and profit.

Labour Materials Equipment Sundry items Total estimated cost Warranty provision Estimated job cost Mark up for overhead Mark up for profit Selling price

3% 35% 11%

$5,000.00 $1,000.00 $7,000.00 $500.00 $13,500.00 $405.00 $13,905.00 $4,866.75 $535.34 $19,307.09

In this example I have taken warranty provision at three percent of job costs. I added the warranty provision to my job costs BEFORE adding markup for overhead and profit. That way I am marking up warranty the same as any other cost.

For a company with a $60,000 annual warranty provision marking up by 35% + 11% would generate additional profit of over $23,000 per year. That’s almost a quarter of a million dollars over 10 years!

Plumbing & HVAC – November/December 2015

Assume annual job costs Warranty provision Mark up for overhead Mark up for profit Recovery for o/h & profit

$2,000,000 3% $60,000 35% $21,000 11% $2,310 $23,310

Most companies cannot compare their accounting records to their estimating records accurately for a variety of reasons. Most of these reasons cause small differences in percentages and have a serious cumulative impact on the company’s bottom line.

When the job is completed and the final job cost report is to be done you should process this journal DR. CR. Job cost expense warranty $405.00 Warranty provision (B/S) $405.00 Being provision for warranty on this specific job – three percent of job costs This completes the job costing and the comparison between actual and estimated costs can be done accurately.

Dealing with a claim So, what happens when an actual warranty cost is incurred?

In this example a timesheet comes in with five hours’ warranty work and our labour cost is $60 per hour.

Warranty provision (B/S) Wages payable (B/S)

DR. $300.00

CR. $300.00

Being warranty incurred.

You can do this on a job-by-job basis or you can just lump it all into one account. The objective is to keep a running total on your warranty account. Each time you review it you will determine if you have a provision left or if you have used up all your provision.

If, after a year you have a provision left you could take some of it to profit. If you have used it up you need to check to see if your workmanship needs attention or if you need to add an extra provision by increasing your warranty allowance on each job.

This is the only way you can control the management of your warranty expenditure accurately. It does take effort, but it provides additional control and will generate more profit.

If you have difficulty implementing this system, do send me an email and I will give you some complimentary guidance – ronald@ronaldcoleman.ca.

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.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

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1-800-363-5874 saniflo.ca

7 Available in round front and elongated (ADA compliant) bowl styles

A PUMP COMPANY SINCE 1958

1.28 GPF

NEW

©2015, RIDGID, Inc. The Emerson logo and RIDGID logo are registered trademarks of Emerson Electric Co. or RIDGID, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks belong to their respective holders.

ENGINEERED TO BRIGHTEN AND TIGHTEN

INTRODUCING THE FIRST BASIN WRENCH WITH A LIGHT. The RIDGID® Telescoping Basin Wrench is the first of its kind to feature an integrated light and a contoured grip for maximum comfort. The pivoting removable T-handle allows access to tight workspaces and provides the option to use a 3/8-inch ratchet or breaker bar for additional leverage.

VISIT RIDGID.COM/BASINWRENCH OR CALL 800.769.7743 FOR MORE INFORMATION.