July/August 2015 by Plumbing and HVAC

Hot water challenge Publication Mail Agreement #40063170. Return postage guaranteed NEWCOM Business Media Inc. 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, Ontario M9W 5C4

Meeting Pan Am requirements required all-out effort

INSIDE Q CIPH members elect ďŹ rst female chairman Q Manitoba announces major training initiative Q NB Power abandons rental heat pump plan Q Striking the right salary/commission balance

JULY/AUGUST 2015

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Q Contents

The Green Issue

Departments Hot Seat .........................................5 Green isn’t new anymore

Industry News ..............................6 Changing of the guard at CIPH

People & Places ...........................34 Contractor holds employee motivation day

Coming Events ............................35 CIPHEX Road Show seminars announced

Shop Management .....................37 Establishing a salary/commission balance

Products & Technologies Hot Water Heating ......................15 Ventilation ...................................18 Refrigeration ...............................21 HVAC/R Roundup ........................25 Drain Tech ....................................26

Today’s locators

Better tools make the job quicker and easier

Features

Pipes, Valves & Fittings ...............29 Trucks for the Trade ....................31

Training boost

Manitoba invests in the trades

Cover: Gavin Strachan, left, and Dave Bacic played key roles in building athlete’s housing for the Pan Am Games. Please see our article on page 10.

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Sustainable ﬂeets

Hybrid, electric cargo vans under development

Green makeover

State-of-the-art HVAC at historic Halifax market

July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Hot Seat

July/August 2015 Volume 25, Number 5 ISSN 1919-0395

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

Green isn’t new anymore This annual “Green Issue” may be the last. When we started this at least ten years ago, “green” used to mean new, innovative and exciting. It was an exceptional building or home that featured the latest green technology. That’s not so anymore. “Green” is not creating the same buzz it once was because, well, pretty much everything in our industry is green. It’s the new normal. Even the most basic forced air furnace is 90 percent efficient – and that’s pretty good. Standards like Energy Star, WaterSense and LEED were created to encourage builders to maximize building and equipment efficiency. Now some of these high performance standards are referenced in codes as the minimum. LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) has now created a platinum category because it needed something higher than gold. None of this means the industry’s work is done. We have the equipment and knowledge to design extremely efficient systems, but it will be many, many years before every home and building in Canada is operating at peak efficiency. And while constant efficiency driven code changes are causing major headaches for the industry, a bathroom fan can still serve as whole home ventilation in a tightly sealed modern structure. As green becomes common it changes the approach that contractors take to sales. While talking about

equipment efficiency is still key, it’s not the sales tool it once was. That many of the government efficiency rebates have disappeared doesn’t help either. But, regardless, customers expect equipment to be efficient, to be environmentally responsible – they would be surprised if it was anything but. Green is just one part of the ‘sales kit’ that also includes things like comfort, equipment longevity, serviceability and, of course, price! So the question we face at this magazine is do we continue to do one issue per year that really focuses on green technology? The answer is probably not, because just about everything we write about involves energy or water efficient equipment. But as always, the magazine’s role is to show what’s possible – to keep our readers informed about those technologies and practices on the cutting edge that, likely sooner rather than later, they will be dealing with. In most cases that involves some form of “green” technology. I guess green has become the new normal around here too!

Design and Production Tim Norton/Janet Popadiuk 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) 614-2200 • Fax (416) 614-8861

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POSTMASTER: Send all address changes and circulation inquiries to: Plumbing & HVAC Product News magazine, 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M9W 5C4. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40063170. Postage paid at Toronto, ON. Annual Subscription Canada: $40.00 plus applicable taxes, single copy $5.00 plus applicable taxes. Annual Subscription United States: $60.00 U.S. Annual Subscription foreign: $90.00 U.S. Copyright 2015. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in any manner without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

We acknowledge the ﬁnancial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. 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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July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

Q Industry News

Changing of the guard version which described the organization’s scope as “the plumbing and hydronic heating industry in Canada.” This change in wording brought some objection from hydronic heating manufacturers. “It dilutes the category,” remarked Ken Webster, national sales manager for Viessmann Manufacturing, Waterloo, Ont. “Hydronic hot water heating is our area of expertise.” However, “we will always be the leader in hydronics,” noted McDonald. “The goal is to expand and enhance who we are.”

Strong speaker lineup

Siân Smith presents outgoing CIPH chairman Paul McDonald with the traditional ceremonial gavel marking the end of his term.

Industry takes significant step as CIPH elects first female chair By Simon Blake Every 20 years or so organizations see a generational shift as the last group to replace the “old boys network” finds that they have become just that and a new group steps forward to lead the organization into the future. It doesn’t happen all at once, but nevertheless the previous generation finds themselves easing out of their executive responsibilities as the organization goes in a new direction. The 251 delegates and companions that registered for Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) Annual Business Conference June 14-16 witnessed just such a change when Siân Smith was elected the 68th board chairman during the group’s annual meeting at Le Château Frontenac (Hotel) in Quebec City. Not only does Smith represent a generational shift, but she is the first woman to serve as CIPH chairman, she is the youngest ever CIPH chair and she is fluent in French and English. The 42-year-old married mother of two joined the industry with Emco in 1999 and today serves as senior director of strategic procurement for Noble Corporation, a wholesaler headquartered in Concord, Ont. Her goals include setting the stage for the

Plumbing & HVAC – July/August 2015

organization’s continued growth, continuing to work towards harmonization of codes and standards, and helping the supply chain adapt to changing technologies and demographics. And one personal goal is to inspire others to challenge the status quo in what continues to be a maledominated industry. “While I often hear leaders in our industry recognizing the unquestionable progress we have made in terms of the fading presence of the ‘old boys club’ mindset, we still have a long way to go to reach gender equality in terms of both numbers and behavioral acceptance. The good news is that each of us has the ability to make an immediate impact in this area by being more open minded and actively seeking change in our hiring and coaching practices.” Supporting Smith, outgoing chairman Paul McDonald (general manager, Bradford White, Mississauga, Ont.) moves into the role of past chairman and treasurer. Bill Palamar, president of Weil-McLain Canada Sales Inc., Burlington, Ont., was elected ﬁrst vice chair. Joe Senese, vice president operations – Ontario, Groupe Deschénes, Toronto, was named second vice chair.

An expanded mission Also at the general meeting, members voted to expand the CIPH Mission – the statement that defines the group. The new Mission is to “promote the responsible growth and prosperity of members… in the plumbing, hydronics, heating, industrial pipe, valves & ﬁttings and waterworks industry in Canada,” replacing the previous

These are not easy times for wholesale distributors, warned Dirk Beveridge. “We live in the age of disruption. We didn’t ask for it, but this is where we find ourselves,” remarked the president and CEO of Fourth Generation Systems, a sales, marketing and leadership development firm. The industry is seeing the merger of three economies, he added. These include the traditional economy, financial capitalism – speculation – and the creative economy, which includes the digital world. However, he advised delegates not to get hung up on details. For example, when looking at new technology, “don’t worry about the technology; think about how it can change the business model,” he suggested. The next speaker reinforced that point. “I believe in the internet of all things. I also believe in return on investment,” said Ross Shafer, Emmy winning comedian and television host. He advised delegates, in working with customers, to “listen more and talk less.” “The brand that matters most to customers is the customer’s brand,” he added. “You need to know as much about your customers as you can.” It wasn’t all business related, but some of the advice fit nevertheless. Mylène Paquette, who rowed a boat across the Atlantic ocean despite a fear of sharks even in her mother’s swimming pool, said: “It is not legitimate to advise people to face their fears when you are not facing your own.”

Continuous change The entire industry has seen dramatic change in the past 10 years. As a result, “the supplier, contractor relationship has become much closer,” remarked Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada chairman Gaetan Beaulieu (Beaulieu Plumbing & Mechanical, Edmundston, N.B.), one of several representatives from associations allied with CIPH. That change doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. CIPH members will have a chance to get together again to compare notes and discuss strategies at next year’s Annual Business Conference, which will take place June 26-28 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta. For more information, visit www.ciph.com.

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In Brief NB Power abandons heat pump rental plan

The new 100,000 sq. ft. facility is expected to train an extra 1,000 students annually.

New Brunswick Power has abandoned a controversial proposal to create a heat pump rental program, reports the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI). Last fall NB Power sent a “request for expressions of interest” to HVAC/R equipment suppliers for the provision of the program. HRAI contractors said this crossed the line that separates a regulated monopoly energy market from the competitive HVAC/R market and, as a result, HRAI ofﬁcials met with NB Power and suggested alternatives. In early July, NB Power announced that it would not proceed with the rental program and is developing a new program that will promote the beneﬁts of heat pumps that are suited to cold climates to homeowners, reported HRAI.

Major step taken towards plumbing code harmonization

This detailed artists rendering shows the shop/lab area.

New facility will boost trade training in Manitoba Manitoba has announced the construction of a new skilled trades and technology centre at Red River College in Winnipeg that will train up to 1,000 students each year. “Manitoba is building like never before and jobs in the skilled trades will be in greater demand as our economy expands,” said Premier Greg Selinger. “We want to provide students with the training they need to begin a great career and build their futures right here at home.” The $60-million 100,000-sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility will boost trades and technology education space at Red River’s Notre Dame Campus by more than 30 per cent.. It’s a key component in the province’s skills training strategy which is designed to increase Manitoba’s workforce by 75,000 highly-trained people by 2020, the premier added. “This new facility will allow us to continue to enhance and expand our offerings in skilled trades

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education and further allow us to build on our work in many technology sectors,” said interim Red River College president David Rew. “Not only will the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre further expand our applied learning environment, but it fosters a collaborative approach among many of our program areas that will have a positive impact on our pre-employment training, applied research projects and overall student success.” The facility will house new laboratory and shop space and classrooms to train students in high-demand trades and technologies such as HVAC, electric and carpentry. It will also support technology and innovation in other related industrial sectors, such as mechanical and manufacturing. The new building is expected to exceed the requirements of the Manitoba Green Building Policy. Akman Construction will construct the facility, which is expected to support 566 jobs during construction.

Water efficiency flow rates in the 2015 version of the National Plumbing Code will be largely harmonized with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense standard, reports the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH). Changes to the National Plumbing Code on Water Use Efficiency recommended by a Canadian Advisory Council on Plumbing working group will keep WaterSense flow rates referenced in the provincial codes but allow for alternate [higher] flow rate applications when the lower rates are impractical due to building design, drainage issues, renovations or retrofits. The new plumbing code is expected to be available in December.

Chinese court upholds Honeywell intellectual property rights Honeywell achieved a signiﬁcant victory in protecting its patents when a Chinese municipal court ordered a local chemical company to stop producing HFC-245fa, which is used to make insulating foam. The Zibo Municipal Intermediate People’s Court of Shandong Province, China ordered the company to immediately cease its infringement of Honeywell’s process patent. “This is the ﬁrst such ruling that Honeywell has obtained from a Chinese People’s court to enforce patents in China. This is an important issue for China, and one that the Chinese government clearly takes seriously,” said Jerry Xia, Honeywell’s chief intellectual property counsel for North Asia. “We spare no effort to safeguard our intellectual property, and we hope this ruling serves as a warning to other entities infringing or planning to infringe Honeywell’s patents.”

July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

Q Letters

Trade certification on wrong track Dear Editor: I watch in horror the Ontario regulators (Ontario College of Trades). There are lots of interests and even more fools to be had in this endeavor. I hope they have looked at the Quebec construction regulation history as a template for utter failure. I suspect not, however. I have worked in B.C. as a refrigeration mechanic since the early 90’s and now am an employer with apprentices. There is a point about apprenticeships that I wanted to make: First, the trade ticket qualiﬁes you for nothing. The schooling you get is okay but does not give you the information or experience necessary to work on things you haven’t seen before. I do a pretty broad range – store refrigeration, air conditioning (commercial and residential), heat pumps, chillers and some ammonia plant work. But there are whole sectors of my trade that I know nothing about. That little card in my wallet doesn’t qualify me. Second, if the work you are doing can be done by a ﬁrst-year apprentice, it isn’t complicated enough to regulate. More than likely what you are doing has a substantial amount of unregulated or underground

work and there is nothing that can be done about it. All the promise of a trade certiﬁcation does is make you more expensive than the other guy who can do the work equally as well.

The marketplace will ignore any regulatory or licensing structure that artificially increases the price by a substantial amount. Third, trade certification must be about application of safety regulations. There is a reason why electricians are certified, even if putting in a receptacle box is pretty simple and within the capabilities of someone who is handy. If it is done improperly people can die. Same as in my trade.

Fourth. This is important. The marketplace will ignore any regulatory or licensing structure that artificially increases the price by a substantial amount. When a fully compliant contractor is 30 percent higher than a non-compliant contractor, no amount of inspectors and enforcement will fix it. A serious look at what adds value in that 30 percent is needed from everyone involved. Fifth. I fully support logical regulation because we deal with things that can hurt people. A roof collapsing, a fire, electrocution, elevator falling to the bottom of a shaft, dangerous releases of pressure or chemicals; there are rules in what we do to prevent these things and we would be fools to ignore them. That is what trade certification should be about, nothing more, nothing less. People will pay for that, and these things require training and experience that are valuable. When government, unions and businesses conspire to make it more than this, it will hurt all of us. Derek Kite Kite Refrigeration Nelson, B.C.

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Q Building Green The Pan Am athletes housing complex is comprised of ﬁve buildings and 1870 suites. Each suite houses four athletes.

Winning gold

for PAN

ATHLETES HOUSING

High capacity hot water requirements had never previously been achieved By Bruce Nagy

Plumbing & HVAC – July/August 2015

At one time Canadian athletes would say diplomatically that they wanted to do well and compete. In recent years they have become more competitive, or have been coached to modify their self-talk and public statements. Now they just say right out loud that they plan to win gold. Dave Bacic is not an athlete, but he also states clearly that we should be the best. “Canada has already distinguished itself by giving the Pan Am Games something it has never received before.” Bacic is the electrical and mechanical project manager for the downtown Toronto Canary District athlete’s housing project, for EllisDon Corporation, Mississauga, Ont. He explains that the water heating requirements for these villages have never in history been met by any of the cities that hosted the Pan Am Games. “We were asked to make 70 percent of the system’s total capacity available instantly and repeatedly, for nearly 1900 suites, each housing four athletes,” says Gavin Strachan, manager of ﬁeld services for The Hidi Group of Toronto, mechanical engineers. “No one has ever done it.”

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This air handler features a built-in enthalpy-wheel style energy recovery ventilator (ERV).

The domestic hot water system has to perform well above normal load for a couple months for the Games and then must be adjusted for efﬁcient operation with the reduced loads of the various end uses. “It’s one thing to build the system,” added Bacic. “But we also had to figure out how to test for that requirement and prove we could somehow meet it.”

Gold medal challenge To complicate matters further, the hot water pumped up to the units is also used for heating. Balazs Farkas, principal, mechanical, at Hidi and the project engineer, also wanted to prove the Canary District could win gold, or rather LEED Gold. So the HVAC systems for the ﬁve buildings incorporate numerous energy efﬁciency features. Farkas explains that occupancy rates during the

Games are higher than for end uses. “Living rooms are utilized as bedrooms, bedrooms have bunk beds to accommodate the required number of athletes. Mechanical systems had to be designed to provide the required ﬂexibility…to handle the peak demand loads during the Games and still operate in an efﬁcient manner under the permanent, reduced loads.” Hot water demands are about 50 percent higher and cooling about 15 percent higher during the Games.

Ventilation technology

It took a team of nearly 50 people all working together at once on different ﬂoors in the buildings, just to test for that requirement. Adding to the challenge, the buildings have different end uses, different clients, different budgets, different mechanical systems, and lots of contractors including Sprint Mechanical Inc. (North York, Ont.), Urban Mechanical Contracting Ltd. and Lisi Mechanical (both in Etobicoke, Ont.).

Different end uses Gavin Strachan, left manager of ﬁeld services for The Hidi Group and Dave Bacic, mechanical project manager for EllisDon Corporation, played key roles.

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presented envelope efﬁciency concerns. Modern high-rise developers also need to worry about seismic events and disturbing residents with vibrating or noisy mechanical equipment, especially in market rate condos with top ﬂoor penthouses. This project included a consultant and devices to mitigate these problems. In execution, all these needs meant coordinating the efforts of numerous residential and commercial-industrial contractors, inspectors and consultants.

Two buildings will later become market rate condos with ground ﬂoor retail, two will be affordable housing (with two-pipe rather than four-pipe systems) and one will be a student residence for George Brown College. The complex also includes a YMCA with a swimming pool and a preserved heritage building facade that

Each residential suite contains a two-stage high efﬁciency hydronic fan coil with a built-in heat recovery ventilator (HRV). They’re positioned along the building facade in corners or adjacent to columns. The bathroom exhaust fan runs constantly at low speed. If the suite owner wants to circulate more air in the bathroom, the wall switch increases the fan speed. Also running at constant speed, the intake fan draws outside air, which is tempered by heat recovered from the exhaust air via the built-in HRV. The resulting mixture is recirculated at the required temperature set by the thermostat. Conditioned air is ducted to louvers located behind the fan coil units and supplied directly into the occupied spaces with very little extra ductwork. Units can be serviced and balanced through a handy access panel. “This is a relatively new product and, to our knowledge, they have not been used in this quantity on a single project before,” says Farkas.

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July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Building Green

All ductwork is heavily insulated.

Mechanical equipment is hung to minimize noise and vibration while also offering earthquake protection.

Extreme weather hampers construction Continued from page 11 gas, so heat recovery also takes place in the mechanical rooms. All of the central air handlers use enthalpy-wheel style energy recovery ventilators (ERVs). The decision to use hydronic systems saves energy because heating systems can operate at low water temperatures all year round, allowing the condensing boilers to, well, condense. Heat exchangers connected to the DHW system add to efﬁciencies; as do premium fan and pump motors for standalone air handlers, pumps, chiller compressors and cooling tower fans, variable speed hydronic pumps, and variable speed drives in air handlers. Pool building air feeds into a unit that recovers some of the pool heat. Central automation systems include occupancybased temperature setpoint reset in common areas and trending of select system control points for troubleshooting and energy planning. Domestic water booster packages contain multiple pumps and each is equipped with a variable drive allowing for optimal pressure control. Chilled water and heating water supply temperatures are reset based on demand. This allows heating and cooling equipment to operate at its highest efﬁciency under part load conditions. Cooling towers and chillers also feature airside winter free-cooling options using heat exchangers and bypassing compressors (In the YMCA section, motorized dampers are used). Building design includes modern envelopes and green roofs to reduce energy demand.

until the surcharge has passed through…” But not everything can be anticipated at the design stage. There were delays confirming Pan Am requirements, choosing EllisDon as the general contractor, verifying sub-contractor capabilities, team creation, and construction scheduling. This meant that a lot of design work was done on the ﬂy. In one case, an architect shaved a few feet off the size of a rooftop enclosure and there wasn’t enough room for the Italian AERMEC chiller unit. The manufacturer and installer solved the problem by moving the electronics to the side.

Last year we had two 100-year storms within a month, so climate change is affecting our calculations and the way we build. With so much to do in a couple of years and so many players, inspections were also challenging. “Some contractors were not accustomed to the level of scrutiny on a government project,” says Strachan. “One pipe insulation contractor was using wooden planks with the hangers. I found it and made them change them all.”

The ﬁnal test Challenges “Last year we had two 100-year storms within a month, so climate change is affecting our calculations and the way we build,” says Strachan. “Now as risers come down out of the building the pipe sizes increase until you get to the lowest level. Thrust restraints are applied at every change in direction to hold the mechanical joint ﬁttings

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The biggest challenge, of course, was the 70 percent hot water capacity test. The Pan Am requirement states that “…four athletes shower for ﬁve minutes each in their dedicated shower within one hour. Every shower in every living unit is used in the same one hour and must be capable of providing 40 litres of hot water at a consistent temperature of 40˚C (eight litres per minute).”

“It took a team of nearly 50 people all working together at once on different floors in the buildings just to test for that requirement,” says Bacic. That’s probably why other countries have not provided adequate systems. They simply didn’t know how to test, record results and commission the system to meet the standard. Like our Pan Am athletes, EllisDon, the Hidi engineers and HFM (Scarborough, Ont., the commissioning company), were determined to rise to the challenge. “We talked about walkie talkies and cell phones and none of those options would work to get the team to turn on all the showers simultaneously,’ says Bacic. “I supervised installation of all the fire alarms systems for Terminal 1 at Pearson Airport. It gave me an idea. We used the fire emergency PA, in combination with cell phones and then adjusted the setpoints and mixing valves, and used paint to mark the settings.” With the DHW system under the intense stress of above-average requirements, there were some leaks from hose connections, pipe ruptures, joint and coupling issues, at first. Contractors were all still on site and Bacic was able to get everything corrected quickly. “It was a blessing in disguise because it resulted in a better system for the end user clients. Not only did we meet the requirement, but in further tests we exceeded it in all the buildings. It’s never been done before. We made history.” It’s the new Canadian way: history-making achievements, LEED Gold, gold medals; we now expect to be the very best. Bruce Nagy is a Toronto-based freelance writer that reports on green technologies and solutions. He can be reached at bruce.nagy@rogers.com.

July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Hot Water Testing The Halifax Seaport Market is one of the ﬁrst buildings to achieve LEED Platinum status.

MAKEOVER Historic Halifax market takes environmental stewardship to a new level By Art Irwin The Halifax Farmer’s Market first opened in 1750 and is the oldest continually running market in North America. The market outgrew its original building and an old building at Pier 20 on the Halifax waterfront was renovated into the new Seaport Farmer’s Market, which opened in 2010. A dramatic green makeover transformed a cruise ship terminal into a vibrant new home. On any given Saturday, one can stroll into the Seaport Farmers Market to sample homemade cider, participle in a rooftop yoga class, buy handcrafted earrings, or listen to a rock band. The LEED Platinum - certified building attracts 12,000 visitors on the busiest days. The market was formerly sited at an old brewery a few blocks from the new location. Located adjacent to Halifax Harbour, the 56,000 square foot facility is a gateway to the seaport warehouse district. It is now home to 250 vendors selling Nova Scotia’s best local products and operates year round, seven days a week. All interior vendor spaces have access to electricity and half of those have access to hot and cold water. The Halifax Port Authority owns and developed the building, leasing it to the Halifax Farmers Market Cooperative. It is apparent that the building design not only encompasses but amplifies the Cooperative’s inherent philosophy and focus on environmental stewardship and the careful use of limited resources. Halifax company Lydon Lynch Architects was responsible for the design and they are located on the second floor of the facility. M & M Engineering of Halifax was responsible for the mechanical and electrical portion of the project. Campbell Comeau, also of Halifax, carried out the structural engineering.

Please see ‘Sustainable’ on page 16

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July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

Q Building Green

Sustainable heating and cooling Continued from page 15

Evacuated tube solar collectors provide DHW and supplement the geothermal system.

A large green space

helping attract people into the building. Besides providing daylight, the large volumes serve as visual corridors through the room, acting as a “transparent connection between the land and sea.” During the winter, ducts to each of the lanterns employ energy recovery ventilation to heat the incoming air when needed. The exterior is clad in double glazed argon ﬁlled glass and FSC cedar.

The existing steel structure was re-used and most of the concrete was crushed on site for re-use to reduce the need for both new materials and increase the diversion rate from the local landﬁll. The building features one of the largest green roofs in North America, populated with native plants and providing habitat for insects and birds. Green roofs help to reduce storm water runoff by containing water on the roof and they also help with cooling in the summer. Four “solar lanterns” dominate the front facade,

Three 30-ton geothermal heat pumps provide heating and air conditioning.

The design included ample solar DHW storage, with backup.

Plumbing & HVAC – July/August 2015

performed to evaluate day lighting performance. Four wind turbines are installed on the building to supplement electricity usage. Each has a capacity of two kilowatts.

Substantial energy savings

Energy modelling indicates that the facility will use 64 percent less energy than the energy code than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings Geothermal heating and cooling (MNECB) standard, with 15 percent of energy Sustainability was a key element of every part of the coming from renewable sources. design. The heating system consists of three 30-ton The 16-bay steel truss structure is a robust geothermal water-to-water heat pumps coupled to architectural statement, which is a further amplified in-floor radiant heating. Thirty excavated tube solar as the building extends northward to address a new thermal collectors are the main source of domestic civic square that links the market and the nearby hot water heating, but they also supplement the inoffices of the Halifax Port Authority to the harbour, floor heating system and provide as well to the southern pathway recharge to the eighteen 650 ft. to the Halifax Waterfront geothermal bore holes. In short, Boardwalk. Extra solar heat extra solar heat from the summer Lydon Lynch Architects is a can be stored in the geothermal long-term tenant of the building from the summer can be and is constantly assessing wells for use during the colder months. Cooling is supplied to the stored in the geothermal the building’s performance as office areas with ducted horizontal they monitor on a daily basis and console geothermal water-to- wells for use during the the various operations of the air heat pumps. building. A large flat screen colder months. Energy recovery ventilators monitor displays monthly (ERVs) with either heat wheel averages of the market’s energy or heat plate technology provide use and how this compares to ventilation. Variable speed drives are installed on fans a similar size building built in 1980. The reading is and pumps to minimize energy usage and optimize broken down to show monthly and daily percentages performance. A facility monitoring system keeps of energy generated by solar, wind and geothermal track of indoor air quality by sensing particulate energy use as well as water use and CO2 emissions. matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, The energy efficiency aspect of the building makes temperature and humidity. The HVAC systems a major contribution to the richness of experience respond to changes in these indicators to minimize that the market continues to deliver on a daily basis. energy usage and maximize air quality. Plumbing consists of low flow fixtures with rainwater from a fibreglass 10,000-gallon cistern serving water Arthur A. Irwin operates closets and other non-potable requirements. The Irwin Energy Consulting Sercombination of these technologies allows the building vices in Halifax. He can be reached at to be heated without any CO2 emissions. irwin.a@ns.sympatico.ca. Electrical systems include lighting, occupancy and daylight sensors, power, voice and data communication systems and fire alarm. A study was

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Q Ventilation Finding the best indoor air quality solution for your customer By Bob Bettles and Brian Guttormson

s u s r ve Many things have changed in the new home building industry. Early builders were quite happy with one-inch strapping on masonry walls with a strip of foil-backed vapour barrier. Today’s builders are faced with building codes requiring major amounts of thermal barrier in the wall cavity. Exterior wall sill plates must be gasketed to seal the wall section to the floor. Perimeter floor joist sections to the basement walls are also gasketed and sealed. Once these walls are built; a roof/attic section is added and another layer of sealing is added behind the interior finishing. The vapour barrier is sealed with tape, glued to the floor assembly. Any intrusions into the wall cavity for electrical circuitry is also sealed and taped to prevent leakage or infiltration from the exterior skin. They have now built an airtight box, sealed, taped and glued! Interior finish products, unlike natural products of the past, are a combination of chemicals manufactured into wood “products,” some of it made with recycled or reclaimed materials. The off-gassing from these products can result in an environment unfriendly to the human body’s respiratory system.

conditioning system in the home. Intermittent operation for short periods will change the air within the structure but continuous operation should be avoided.

Year round ventilation was based on a three-bedroom home of approximately 1200 sq. ft. and a family consisting of mom, dad and two kids. Most of these homes had nine foot ceilings, leaky windows etc. Today, within the same 1200 sq. ft. (or less), we have an extra bedroom and another body or two. This has resulted in a different method of sizing the ventilation equipment. Equipment ventilation sizing in Ontario, for example, is based on Ontario Building Code Part 9, Section 9.32, which not only takes into account the building internal volume, but also counts rooms as well. Any supplementary exhaust fans, if deemed as “principal” exhaust, are deducted from the HRV size requirement. HRVs are designed primarily for winter operation. During summer months, these units will add an additional latent and sensible load on the air

If your customer requires year round ventilation, an ERV would be recommended. The ERV (energy recovery ventilator) uses an enthalpic core to control the latent heat brought in from outdoors. The ERV core contains a membrane (as opposed to the airtight material in a heat exchanger), which allows the required heat exchange but is also permeable for water vapour. Thus, in humid summers, the supply air will be dehumidified in the ERV core and in winter the humidity in the stale air will be transferred into the supply air stream, thus maintaining the relative humidity indoors, which would otherwise be too dry. Some enthalpic ERV cores may not be suitable for winter applications if defrosting must be done. Moisture removed from the air will collect within the unit to be drained from the bottom drain pans. A water

Heat recovery ventilators The solution to this indoor air quality (IAQ) problem often involved a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). Sizing of these ﬁrst generation units was based on the premise that if the air was changed within the building envelope once every three hours, this would be sufﬁcient. This

HRV’s, pictured with the cover removed, are designed primarily for winter operation.

Plumbing & HVAC – July/August 2015

This diagram shows the typical airﬂow through the HRV.

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Air ﬂows in and out of the HRV must be balanced.

trap must be installed between the two drain ﬁttings and then directed to an open standpipe. If using thin walled vinyl tubing, be careful not to kink it.

Different installation methods There are several methods of installation, depending on the site location. These systems are described as dedicated, indirect and direct. With a dedicated system, a duct system is installed to pick up the stale air from within the building envelope. Inlets will be placed in the high moisture areas such as bathrooms, laundry and the main rooms of the house. If collecting air from the kitchen, this inlet must be at least ten feet from the stove location. Distribution of fresh air back into the envelope should be located where this air will not create a draft on the occupants as this air will be a lower temperature than the building. In areas with a low winter design temperature, an inline duct heater may be required. With an indirect system, the collection of stale air is done as in the dedicated system, except the fresh air side is directed to the return air duct of the forced air heating distribution system. This inlet to the They return duct should be at least 10 feet from the have now built furnace to insure the an airtight box, lower temperature of fresh air is tempered sealed, taped and the before reaching the furnace heat exchanger. glued! With a direct system, the stale air and fresh air ducts are both connected to the return air duct of the furnace system. We must remember that current building codes require HVAC duct joints to be sealed with an approved duct sealant to ensure no more than a two percent loss from the system.

Interlocked to the blower The furnace fan blower must be interlocked with the HRV to deliver fresh air to the occupied areas. This may be accomplished with a three-wire interface with a relay in the HRV to call for the furnace blower to start. This interface relay is standard equipment in most HRV units. The “G” fan wire is connected to the normally closed terminal (N/C), the common terminal is then connected to the “G” terminal of the furnace, the

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normally open terminal (N/O) is connected to the “R” terminal at the furnace. The interface relay, when energized, will break the feed to the thermostat “G” and make the “R” to “G”, turning on the furnace fan. Heat/Cool thermostat sub-bases, when set to the “Auto” position, have the “Y” and “G” terminals bridged to bring on the fan during the cooling call. If the “G” circuit is powered by an external relay, the air conditioning condenser will also operate. Inspectors in some municipalities may require the HRV be in operation during a heating cycle. This will require two more wires between the furnace and the ventilator to energize an internal relay and bring on the HRV. Airflows through the HRV must be balanced with a magnehelic gauge connected to a ﬂow station measuring the actual airflow to verify the flows are within less than a 10 percent variance. If this is a direct or indirect system, the furnace fan must be in operation while the balancing procedure is done. The ﬂow station is inserted into the two pipes to the outdoors, the magnehelic gauge is then used to measure velocity pressure as well as the static pressure within the pipe. The net results of these two factors then provide the actual cfm passing through the system. Most units are self-contained and will operate without any external controls. There are several optional remote controls available to allow the homeowner remote operation. Timer pads for washrooms, laundry room etc. will allow the system to run at high speed for 20 minutes for intermittent loads. A remote dehumidistat will monitor the actual humidity in the occupied areas and run the unit at high speed until the desired setting is achieved. 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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Q Refrigeration

Preventing liquid refrigerant from damaging the compressor

PUMP-DOWN The pump-down solenoid on a walk-in freezer liquid line is placed just before the evaporator.

controls

One of the most common control strategies for commercial refrigeration systems is called pumpdown. Small walk-ins and reach-ins usually just shut the compressor off when the case reaches temperature, but this is often not a desirable strategy for a lot of commercial equipment because we lose control of where the refrigerant is contained during the off-cycle. Liquid refrigerant, over time, will migrate to the coldest place in the system. Where is the coldest place in most systems? The evaporator, of course! The problem with liquid collecting in the evaporator is what happens on start-up. Our control of the refrigerant level in the evaporator is accomplished with the expansion device (usually a TX valve). There is always liquid refrigerant concentrated in the evaporator and, when the system simply shuts off, we risk liquid ﬂood-back that can decrease lubrication in the compressor bearings. If there is enough liquid we can get a liquid slug into the compressor cylinder, destroying the compressor. Systems with small limited charges and no liquid receiver often don’t have enough refrigerant for this to be a huge concern. But, in many systems, this is an unacceptable risk.

By Greg Scrivener

the compressor nor suction line get colder than the evaporator, then this type of control usually works. It is fairly uncommon to see the drop solenoid control strategy employed on new systems; instead it is more commonly added after the fact to systems that have liquid ﬂooding problems. The beneﬁt to using a drop solenoid strategy compared to a pump-down strategy is that you don’t have to have a system designed to hold the entire refrigerant charge on the high side. Additionally, the wiring is straightforward and easy to add to an existing system.

Better control

A pump-down system uses a solenoid in the liquid line as well. However, instead of shutting the compressor off when the case is satisﬁed, the solenoid closes and the compressor is allowed to run until the pressure drops in the evaporator and a low pressure control opens in the compressor control circuit, thereby pumping out all of the liquid. This gives us much better control over where the liquid goes during an off-cycle. In this case, the high side of the system must be able to safely hold all of the liquid refrigerant, which usually means that the system must Control strategies have a receiver. There are two solutions to this problem On systems where the evaporator and both involve the use of a solenoid Fig. 1: This simpliﬁed wiring might be warmer than the compressor valve in the liquid line. The first is diagram shows how the – for example, any system with a heated called a “drop solenoid” and the second electrical to the freezer can defrost or an outdoor condensing unit is called a “pump-down solenoid.” A be completely separate from in a cold climate – the pump-down drop solenoid is a solenoid valve simply the electrical for the concontrol strategy is essentially mandatory. wired in parallel with the compressor densing unit. An additional benefit is that the contactor control wiring that ‘drops’ electrical can be completely isolated and anytime the system is shut down. This doesn’t control separate for the evaporator and condensing unit. This any liquid that was already in the evaporator, but it is useful in locations with long refrigerant piping runs does prevent any additional liquid from migrating there and can decrease the electrical installation cost. This is from the high side. If the system is installed in such a way that neither Please see ‘Pressure’ on page 23

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July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

Q Refrigeration

Pressure control Continued from page 21 often one of the most vexing things you can throw at inexperienced electricians. “What do you mean you don’t need any wires between the temperature control and the compressor?” they say. I’ve gotten quite a few sceptical glances over the years. Figure 1 is a simpliﬁed wiring diagram in which the electrical to the freezer is completely separate from the electrical for the condensing unit.

Additional safety measures One additional safety measure can be implemented if the condensing unit wiring and defrost and pump-down wiring are actually interconnected – the compressor/defrost interlock. It is not only a huge waste of energy, but odds are that the defrost won’t even work unless the refrigeration system is shut down during a defrost.

tempting to do because it helps prevent the compressor from coming back on during an off cycle. On some systems there is enough liquid in the evaporator that the compressor pulls down to the cutout pressure and shuts off before the pumpdown is really complete. The pressure then rises and the compressor comes back on; this can repeat quite a few times on some systems. The reaction by most technicians is to prevent it by widening the differential on the pressure control, which usually means decreasing the cutout. The problem is, particularly on medium temperature compressors, this low setpoint is often outside of their operating range or performance envelope and usually should be avoided. Scroll compressors are especially susceptible to damage from operating in or near a vacuum. The proper cutout pressure should correspond to

This is useful in locations with long refrigerant piping runs and can decrease the electrical installation cost. Without an interlock, a failure in either the low-pressure control or the solenoid can cause both the defrost and refrigeration to run at the same time. This usually doesn’t damage the system unless it goes on for a long time, but it can certainly cause operation problems and ice build-up. The other problem is that without an interlock on systems where both the defrost heaters and compressor get power from the same source, the current draw may overload the wiring unless it was sized to handle both loads.

Low-pressure control Whenever you install or start up a pump-down system, it is necessary to set the low-pressure control. This is the area in a pump-down system that causes the most confusion and problems. The low-pressure control that cycles the compressor when the system is pumped down must be set correctly in order for the unit to run properly. Probably the most common error in setting up a pump-down system is setting the cutout pressure too low. Many pump-down systems are set to pump-down until the suction pressure is close to a vacuum. This is certainly

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This liquid line solenoid with a strainer protects an ammonia refrigeration plant. The pump-down style control strategy is one that most refrigeration mechanics are very familiar with as it is used in most commercial installations. It is the go-to strategy whenever we want to maintain control of liquid during the

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Setting cut-in pressure The proper cut-in pressure depends on the installation. For a medium temperature cooler, the pressure control is ideally set to cut in at a pressure that corresponds to 40°F because this helps ensure that ice is off the coil every off cycle and usually keeps the cooler from requiring additional defrosts. This works well for indoor condensing units but won’t work at all in the winter on outdoor units (in cold climates) because the suction pressure may not rise high enough thanks to the condensing unit sitting at a low temperature outside. In these cases, it’s necessary to set the control low enough to cut-in no matter what the outdoor temperature is, which is often quite a bit lower than the 40°F setpoint we’d like. In these cases, a time initiated defrost is required. For low temperature equipment, since defrosts are required regardless, it is a simple matter to set the cut-in low enough for any outdoor ambient temperatures and high enough to prevent the compressor from cycling on and off.

Greg Scrivener is president of Cold Dynamics, Meadow Lake, Sask. He is a journeyman refrigeration mechanic, holds RSES CMS designation in commercial refrigeration and is a mechanical engineer in training. He can be reached at greg.scrivener@colddynamics.com

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Q HVAC Roundup UV AC coil disinfection

Installer friendly duct insulation

The Sanuvox Saber Pro Wireless 24-volt ultra-violet puriﬁers use a 16” UVC lamp to destroy mold, bio ﬁlm and other microbial contamination on evaporator coils. A wireless LCD display provides real time system status and remaining lamp life. The kit includes a magnetic mounting bracket and second UV lamp. Sanuvox www.sanuvox.com

Efﬁcient condensing boilers The new Crown Phantom and Phantom X series boilers from Ward Heating Products achieve efficiencies up to 95 percent AFUE. The Phantom line is a wall mount boiler available in ﬁve sizes from 80 MBH to 180 MBH. The Phantom-X is a stackable floor standing model available in four sizes from 210 MBH to 500 MBH and supports multiple boiler lead/lag for up to eight boilers (up to four million BTU.) Both models feature stainless steel water tube heat exchangers and a modulating burner with a 5:1 turndown ratio. Both offer multiple venting options. Ward Heating Products www.wardheating.com

Ultra-light snips A technician’s tool belt can feel heavier as the day goes on. With that in mind, Malco Products has introduced its U l t r a L i g h t we i g h t Combination Snips. Available in metal or vinyl cutting versions, the metal-cutting model ULC10 makes clean, easy straight cuts, circles or squares in 26-gauge (0.56 mm) galvanized or (0.46 mm) mild steel as well as non-ferrous materials like aluminum pipe and coil. With a 10-inch (254 mm) polymer frame and three-inch (76 mm) inset replaceable blades, these snips weigh less than 10 ounces (283 grams). Malco Products www.malcotools.com

CertainTeed’s newly enhanced Sustainable Insulation SoftTouch Duct Wrap offers improvements in cutting and handling. It is now manufactured with recycled and renewable content including a plant-based binder that is formaldehyde-free and contains no harsh acrylics, dyes or unnecessary ﬁre-retardant chemicals. This generates much less dust for a low-itch product that’s easy on installers. It is available as an unfaced blanket or with an FSK, gray PSK or white PSK vapor retarder facing, which helps eliminate condensation on cold ductwork surfaces. CertainTeed www.certainteed.com

New light commercial line The new TempMaster light commercial HVAC product line from Johnson Controls includes a variety of tonnages, fuel sources and configurations, and meets industry standards for efﬁciency and performance. Manufactured in the U.S., “TempMaster gives our local representatives an expanded product line card to offer building owners who have been asking for more options without needing multiple vendors,” said Liz Haggerty, vice president and general manager, Unitary Products Group. Johnson Controls www.tempmasterHVAC.com

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July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

Q Drain Tech Today’s locators ﬁnd the trouble spot quickly and accurately, with minimal training for the user.

O Locating with

Over the years drain locating tools and systems have become compact, more reliable, more accurate and easier to use. But if the plumber is comfortable with the tools they have been using for 10 or 15 years, does it make sense to upgrade? Probably. “The new locators are not only easier to use, but more precise and they locate more frequencies,” remarked Marty Silverman, vice president of marketing for General Pipe Cleaners, McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. “If you have employees using your locator, you will reduce their training time.” Many of the older locators gave the user a number along with a bar graph that moved up or down depending on signal strength. The user had to adjust the signal strength or “gain” as they got closer to the target. There was math – triangulation from different points – involved to ﬁgure out how deep the pipe was. Basically the mapping display was one dimensional versus two dimensional, remarked Eric Huber, senior product manager for diagnostics, The Ridge Tool Co., Elyria, Ohio. “Some of the older ones won’t calculate depth for you. You had to do it manually,” he added. As well, the user had to be able to separate real signals from “ghost signals,” said Silverman. All these factors added up to a long learning curve. Manufacturers switched to digital technology about 10 years ago. “If you have one older than that, you deﬁnitely want to upgrade,” suggested Silverman. “You are now able to get directly to the target by following the arrows. It takes all the guesswork out of it.”

today’s tools

Does it make sense to upgrade from ‘old reliable’? By Simon Blake

Signiﬁcant updates While all locators operate by detecting an electromagnetic field, today’s models do so with a precision unheard of 10 or 15 years ago. They adjust the gain automatically. They adjust the signal depending on what the unit senses versus what the user programmed into it on the older locators. With the Ridgid Navitrak, for example, the signal will lead the user directly to the two nodes on the sonde, so

Plumbing & HVAC – July/August 2015

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Metal pipe can be energized with a transmitter so that the pipe itself becomes the antenna that the locator will hone in on.

The drain technician simply follows the arrows to the problem.

Compact, light and durable, locators have come a long way in the past 20 years.

he/she knows the transmitter is between those nodes, noted Huber. “Basically, you can locate the sonde from almost any direction.” And the locator does any math, such as calculating depth.

frequency allows accurate sonde locating in deeper applications from 5-15 feet, noted Huber. However, a wide range of frequencies is used for cable and pipe locating. A higher frequency is used if greater precision is required, but it won’t go as deep as a lower frequency. There can be other pitfalls too.

lines, noted Silverman. “For that material, it seems to do a better job.” Some camera heads with transmitters allow the user to energize the entire camera line, thus allowing the contractor to locate the pipe along its entire length. However, it does require an external transmitter to put the signal through the push cable.

Some of the older ones won’t calculate depth for you. You had to do it manually.

Avoiding pitfalls

Transmitting the signal The contractor is typically trying to locate either the transmitter or sonde built into the camera head. A sonde is a ferrite (magnetic) core wrapped with a certain amount of copper wire to generate an electromagnetic signal. The length of the copper wire determines the frequency. Generally, the larger the sonde, the more powerful the signal. Many operate off the camera’s power supply and there are also batteryoperated versions, which have become more powerful with recent improvements in battery technology. Most manufacturer have standardized on 512 Hertz (Hz) for their camera transmitters and sondes, which means that there is generally no issue with using one manufacturer’s locator with another’s camera and/or transmitter. This relatively low

“If you were locating a gas line and you put 480 K/ Hz on it, it would tend to bleed off into other nearby lines or cables,” said Huber. At the other end of the spectrum, “some manufacturers go as low as 16 Hz. They do that in an attempt to go deeper,” he added. Thirty-three K/Hz is typically used to locate gas

Locating metal drains and piping can be more difficult. Cast iron, for example, blocks the signal to some degree so that that the sonde or camera head may be detected only down to 10 to 12 feet in depth versus 20 feet or more for plastic or clay pipe. A transmitter can be clamped to a metal pipe with a ground stake at the other end so that the entire pipe becomes an antenna, but that wasn’t always a precise way to locate, noted Silverman, “That pipe underground radiates a signal to everything else that is metal such as buried rebar and utilities. The signal was bouncing everywhere and could be very difficult to locate.” However, today’s locators make the process dramatically easier because they will only detect the pipe or cable that the transmitter is connected to. Metal is really the only material that can block or deflect radio waves. Locating pipe buried in concrete or under ice is no different from locating pipe in soil. The type of soil does, however, make a difference, with the signal passing more readily through heavy wet soil or clay – the moisture helps transmission – than a dry or sandy soil.

Taking care of the equipment

The entire pushrod can be energized so that the contractor can follow and mark the drain along its entire length.

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Today’s locators are sophisticated electronic devices and contractors need to emphasize to their employees to treat them with care. However, says Silverman, “As we know, employees seldom treat tools like their own.” General Pipe Cleaners has drop tested its new Gen-Eye Hot Spot locator from a height of one metre at every possible angle. So not only are today’s locaters more precise and easier to use than the old ones, but they are considerably more durable. It may be time to upgrade.

July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Pipes, Valves & Fittings Automatic ﬂow control

No-hub restraints

The ICSS compact inline automatic flow controller for drinking water applications from IMI Hydronic Engineering comes factory set within plus/minus five percent of a specified flow rate. All wetted parts are stainless steel and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 372 for minimal lead content. It is less than half the height of typical controllers. A union nut allows the valve to be separated for field service. IMI Hydronic www.imi-hydronic.com

Holdrite’s 117 Series no-hub restraints are designed to prevent separation of nohub pipe fittings at joints during high thrust conditions. Available for pipe sizes from two to 15 inches, they are built with stainless steel, black iron and/ or galvanized steel components. They come in complete kits and install without special tools or field cutting. Building information modeling (BIM) draw ings are available. Holdrite www.holdrite.com

New gas valve line Efﬁcient pump The Viridian 3452 variable speed ECM circulator for commercial systems from Taco is designed for chilled and hot water applications, offering up to 34 feet of shut-off head and 52 gpm flow. All settings are accomplished with a user-friendly interface. The permanent magnet ECM motor saves up to 85 percent electrical energy compared to conventional pumps, reports the manufacturer. Taco www.taco-hvac.com

PEX fire protection fittings The new Viega PEX Press fire protection fittings and mounting bracket are designed for NFPA 13D fire sprinkler installations. They are available in 3/4 and one-inch and in four configurations including straight adapters, elbows, tees and wall tees. The versatile mounting bracket can be used with all sprinkler pendant styles and every sprinkler configuration. Viega www.viega.us

ODE Valve Canada has introduced a new series of manual reset and automatic gas solenoid valves. Multiple AC and DC coil voltages are available. They are housed in an NEMA 4 rated enclosure with brass or aluminum valve bodies. The ambient temperature rating is -15°C to 60°C with a pressure rating up to 1000 psi. They are CSA/UL approved. ODE Valve Canada www.odevalve.com

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July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Trucks for the Trade

The cargo vans of the Hybrid conversions making their mark as electric vehicle technology improves By Bruce Nagy Gas prices are creeping back up again and under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements, light trucks and passenger vehicles are to become 50 percent more efficient during the next 10 years. That means your new cargo van may be getting 40 mpg by 2025, but what if you need a new truck next year? Do you gamble on oil prices and stick with a gas engine? Dip your toe into the next generation with a hybrid? Buy your favourite van and convert to propane or natural gas? Or order a plug-in electric of some kind? They still haven’t invented a GPS that can predict what’s around the corner for fleet vehicles that make sense. “Everyone is trying something different,” remarked Scott Brandeberry, vice-president of Lancer Auto Group LLC in Salt Lake City, Utah. “We do conversions for HVAC technicians to propane, compressed natural gas (CNG) and XL Hybrid packages. For now I think the future of trade vans will be a mix of different fuels, different solutions…when you go from gas to propane you save about one dollar (US$) per gallon. If it’s CNG you save 70 cents and with XL about 50 cents.”

Plug-in electric/hybrid vans from Via Motors address electric vehicle “range anxiety.”

energy to the electric motor, helping propel the vehicle under acceleration. Dave Watkins of Watkins Heating and Cooling

in Springboro, Ohio, has 15 trucks on the road and is enthusiastic about the XL solution. “When fuel costs spiked we tried some natural gas solutions. The fuel savings were good but the added manpower for refueling and maintenance wiped out the savings. It’s like diesel – too much maintenance. So we tried XL with Chevy 2500s. It was an immediate revenue generator.” “I’m not paying my technician $30 an hour or losing his $180 dollar billing rate while he’s standing there refueling. We pump gas less often, we’re getting better than advertised savings and we do fewer brake jobs…I thought there might be problems with torque, but the drivers say it has more power. So we buy the 4.8 litre engine plus the hybrid kit and have more power than a six-litre.”

Parallel hybrid systems Boston’s XL Hybrids (www.xlhybrids.com) supplies a regenerative braking and telematics package that allows customers to convert trade vans from major manufacturers and save 15 to 20 percent on fuel and a little on brake maintenance. The XL system adds an electric motor, lithium ion battery pack, and sophisticated control software to the vehicle without making signiﬁcant modiﬁcations to the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) internal combustion engine or transmission. This “parallel hybrid system” saves fuel through regenerative braking, a process by which the electric motor helps slow the vehicle when the driver brakes, charging the battery. The battery then releases the

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Plug-in electrics

Unicell’s Roger Martin, right, and brother Paul, president of DEL Equipment, have used many years experience in the truck industry to develop an electric delivery van.

To meet MPG savings projected by the EPA, fleets will soon have to move beyond regenerative braking. “Plug-in hybrids are the next step in greening commercial fleets,” said David Weishuhn, president of Blue Flame Heating and Air Conditioning in Toronto. Weishuhn has 10 trucks on the road and has a long history of using more efficient vehicles like Toyota Prius hybrid and Tesla electric car for personal transport, but he’s still waiting for a fleet van solution. “Plug-ins will make sense soon…it won’t be long now. The technology we’re using for electric cars is scalable. We just have to work out the business case for trucks.”

July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Trucks for the Trade

XL uses a â&#x20AC;&#x153;parallel hybrid systemâ&#x20AC;? that operates seamlessly alongside the cargo vanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing driveline.

On-board power generation Via Motors in Orem, Utah has designed a plug-in hybrid van that addresses the cost equation and the range anxiety that technicians develop when depending on electric vehicles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our VTRUX has a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;range extenderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on-board gas generator to recharge your electric battery while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re driving. It gives you at least 400 miles (640 km) of range and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more efďŹ cient if you drive less,â&#x20AC;? said Via president Alan Perriton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You effectively get 70 percent more efďŹ ciency because the engine runs at a sweet spot of 2800 RPM.â&#x20AC;? The VTRUX costs more than a Chevy van, but Perriton says the business case works. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fleet owners turn over their trucks every five or six years and in Canada right now the savings create a breakeven payback in three to four years.â&#x20AC;? The company expects strong growth as gasoline costs stabilize and battery costs drop. Perriton predicts battery cost decreases of as much as 70 percent in the next few years. VTRUX torque seems to be adequate for HVAC technicians at 415/210 Nm with a payload up to about 2800 lbs. Patented heat plates keep the battery warm in winter. The battery pack will only deplete 20 percent in the ďŹ rst eight years, lasting a total of 13 or 14 years, said Perriton. The driver can plug into a standard outlet or charge twice as fast with a 240volt outlet (or charge station). Purchase incentives are available in Ontario, Quebec and B.C.

Pure electric Meanwhile, Unicell, a truck and van body manufacturer in Toronto, has been working on a pure electric delivery van prototype for almost 15 years.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in talks w ith several parties and we are getting close to commercialization,â&#x20AC;? reported Roger Martin, Unicell president and CEO. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have successful pilot tests with Purolator, interest from UPS, and support from Transport Canada and Sustainable Technology Development Canada,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also have a good business case for ďŹ&#x201A;eets, a product that saves delivery time compared with existing trucks; and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proven to be safer. But it has still taken all this time to get to commercialization. It shows you how rough the electric truck road can be.â&#x20AC;? Even with proof of concept complete, Unicellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovative Quicksider will not be sold until a production plant can be created, costing millions of dollars. Investors have to be persuaded that they are betting on the right technology; which is not easy right now because a lot of electric vehicle efforts have fared poorly in recent years. The good news for innovators like Unicell is that all the experts seem to agree that although we are mostly working with hybrids for now, costs will fall and technology will improve and city trucks in the future will be electric.

An electric future The big ďŹ&#x201A;eets like FedEx, UPS, Johnson Controls, GE, Coca Cola, Frito Lay and AT&T are all testing electric vehicle variations. The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major OEMs are planning investments. In June last year, Tesla declared its company patents open source. This was signiďŹ cant because in the global vehicle world, Tesla is revered for having the most experience with electric vehicles by far and, until now, a lock on (expensive) technologies that take their vehicles

The Unicell Quicksider electric van has shown considerable promise in tests. hundreds of miles on a single charge. Tesla has partnerships with the likes of Toyota and Apple, is building the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest battery factory in Nevada, and will soon release an affordable pureelectric family sedan. In October, after Tesla released its patents, GMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product development director told investors it is working on an all-electric car that will go 320 kilometres on a single charge. Sales of electric vehicles in North America have recently been doubling

and tripling each year and charging stations are popping up across the continent (See www.plugshare.com). There are 300,000 electric vehicles on North American roads now and we may add as many as 100,000 during 2015. In the long-term, we have a clearer idea of where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going, but predicting whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s around the next corner will continue to be a challenge. Maybe we should just turn off the GPS and try to enjoy the ride.

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Q People & Places The

People Ontor Limited, Toronto, has appointed Nelson Menezes as sales representative and hydronics specialist. Continental Fan, Mississauga, Ont., Nelson has named Jennifer Menezes Heerschap to the position of national sales manager - WPD Fan Division (wholeJennifer sale products) for Canada. CertainTeed, Mississauga, Ont., has Heerschap partnered with celebrity carpenter Kate Campbell to help educate homeowners and building professionals about thermal efﬁciency. Wolseley Canada, Burlington, Ont., has appointed Kate Andy Schoepke to the Campbell newly created role of director, strategic sourcing and product management. ASHRAE, Atlanta, Georgia, has named T. David Underwood, P.Eng., Andy Oakville, Ont. president. Douglas C. Schoepke Cochrane, P.Eng., engineering sales manager, Carrier Enterprise Canada, Mississauga, Ont., has been named Region II director and region chair. Erich Binder, president, Erich Binder Consulting, Calgary, has been named director-at-large.

The

Companies

Liberty Pumps has announced a major expansion of its plant in Bergen, New York, effectively doubling its size by adding 123,000 sq. ft. The addition boosts manufacturing space, warehouse area, the research and engineering lab, sales and training areas. It includes expanded machining operations, a new powder coat line and a 20,000-gallon test pit. Construction began in April and is to be completed at the end of August. Flow Design, Inc., Dallas, Texas, is now IMI Hydronic Engineering. The company’s products are represented in Canada by Emerson-Swan, Milton, Ont. Michael J. Warne is national sales manager – Canada, at 647-5269028 or visit www.imi-hydronic.com. CertainTeed Insulation Canada, Mississauga, Ont. has signed a Canada-wide distribution agreement with Goodfellow Inc., a lumber distributor headquartered in Delson, Que. U.S. drain cleaning equipment manufacturer Spartan Tool, Mishawaka, Indiana, has appointed

Plumbing & HVAC – July/August 2015

Communication skills were tested.

Skills rally preps techs for AC season An Ontario contractor has come up with a unique way to get his technicians ready for the air conditioning season. AtlasCare, Oakville, Ont. set aside an entire morning April 29 to have the company’s 50 technicians compete in the second annual “Skills Relay” and barbecue. Beginning at 7:30 a.m., technicians were divided into teams to compete against each other in the job skills they use every day, along with fun things like ﬁshing. As well, suppliers displayed new products, there were tool give-aways, new safety shoes, new trucks awaiting technician feedback and, at the end of the competition, a barbecue. Now if only the southern Ontario weather would heat up!

Joe Johnson Equipment (JJE), Barrie, Ont. as its exclusive Canadian distributor. The Canadian toll-free number is 1-866-648-7257 Distech Controls, Brossard, Que., has been named the Provincial Laureate, SME Exporter category, at the 21st National Bank’ SME Awards. The award is presented to companies that have made a major contribution to Quebec’s economic growth and prosperity. The Master Group, Boucherville, Que., has expanded its distribution network to Québec City’s South Shore with the opening of a new branch at 1984-5th Street in Lévis, Que. The new 12,000 sq. ft. building includes a 4,000 sq. ft. showroom. Call 418-834-5565. Milwaukee Tool Canada, Toronto, Ont., provided $10,000 in tools to firefighters from Burnaby, B.C., members of Burnaby Firefighters Local 323, who flew to Nepal on April 27 to assist in earthquake rescue efforts. “Working under tight time constraints in remote areas without electricity was made much easier with Milwaukee’s cordless tools,” remarked firefighter Jeff Clark. W o l s e l e y Industrial Canada Inc., Burlington, Ont., has acquired

the industrial supply business QIP Equipment Ltd. (QIP), Montreal. QIP has 29 employees and branches in Montreal, Burlington, Ont., and Saint John, N.B. As well, Wolseley has added its full HVAC/R line to its plumbing branch in Halifax. The Building Owners and Managers Association of Newfoundland & Labrador (BOMA), St. John’s, Nfld., has presented Trane Atlantic, Mount Pearl, Nﬂd., with a Pinnacle Award for Innovation and named Trane Atlantic the Company of the Year. The awards recognize excellence in property management, operations, resource conservation and environmental awareness.

Wolseley Halifax’s Joseph Pritchard, left, and branch supervisor Robert Boutilier at the recently renovated Halifax Plumbing and HVAC/R branch.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

Q Coming Events

CIPHEX Roadshow seminars announced The Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH) has announced an ambitious seminar schedule to take place during its CIPHEX Roadshow crossCanada trade show series planned for this fall. “We have a strong education program,” said Elizabeth McCullough, CIPH general manager of trade shows. “Topics vary by location and include plumbing code changes, rainwater harvesting, disinfection practices, regulations regarding water heater efficiency requirements, an interesting session about hydronic heating and research regarding the impact of thermal comfort on student achievement as well as a great new sales training seminar for hydronic (hot water) heating”. The series of one-day trade shows kicks off in Burnaby, B.C. on Oct. 15, travels to Edmonton Oct. 20, visits Regina on Oct. 22 and then, for the first time, will take place in Brandon, Man. on Oct. 28. The final event will take place in St. John’s, Nfld. on Nov. 18. Every event will include a session by the Canadian Hydronics Council titled Heat up Your Hydronic Sales: Tips to Grow Your Business. As well, the following sessions are planned: A seminar on rainwater management and harvesting by Dean Barrett of Barr Plastics will headline the Burnaby show, which will take place at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre. The Edmonton event will take place at the Ramada Edmonton Hotel and Conference Centre. Sidney Manning, Alberta chief plumbing and gas administrator/inspector, will let contractors know what they can expect in the 2015 National Plumbing Code and how it will affect Alberta. In Regina, at the Queensbury Convention Centre, A.O. Smith’s Dave Hammond will explain how to

prepare for the next generation of water heaters. New efﬁciency requirements will bring a number of changes. The second seminar in Regina will cover “a hydronic path to comfort, energy efficiency and student achievement.” Terry White, a member of ASHRAE and facilities consultant for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, will explain how comfort levels in schools can have a signiﬁcant effect on student achievement. Water treatment will be front and centre at the

Keystone Centre in Brandon with a seminar on disinfection practices for drinking and process water, presented by a panel of industry experts. At the Holiday Inn St. John’s, Philip Rizcallah from the National Research Council Canadian Codes Centre will explain the changes in the 2015 National Plumbing Code. All seminars are free, but participants must be registered for the show, which can be done at www. ciphexroadshow.ca. Show hours are from 1 p.m. to 7.p.m. Please visit the show web site or call 1-800-6392474 for more information.

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Events

Calendar

Victaulic works with your business from design through construction to ensure your project runs as efficiently as possible.

AUG. 26-28: HRAI Annual Meeting and Conference, Caesars Windsor, Windsor, Ont. Please visit www.hrai.ca or call 1-800-267-2231.

• Estimating • 3D Modeling for multiple platforms (Revit, CADmep, etc.) • BIM Coordination Packages can help to reduce man-hours, calendar days and unexpected costs

SEPT. 24: Bardon Fall Trade Expo, 3-9 p.m., Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, Belleville, Ont. Call (613) 966-5643 or visit www.bardonsupplies.com.

• Product Speciﬁcation and Selection Services • Value Engineering such as accommodating system movement, vibration attenuation, system ﬂexibility, alignment ease etc.

OCT. 15: CIPHEX Burnaby, Delta Burnaby Hotel, Burnaby, B.C., 1 p.m. Call 1-800-639-2474 or visit www.ciphexroadshow.ca for more information.

victauliccps.com • 905.884.7444

OCT. 20: CIPHEX Edmonton, Ramada Edmonton Hotel, Edmonton, 1 p.m. Call 1-800-639-2474 or visit www.ciphexroadshow.ca for more information.

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Q Shop Management

PERFORMANCE-BASED SELLING

Establishing a salary to commission ratio that works

By Ron Coleman In the last issue we looked at hiring and managing sales people. In this article, we will look at how to pay and retain them. One of the problems with a good sales person is that your competition wants him or her. The last thing you want to do is recruit someone, train them and then see them go to the competition. You need to lock in all your key employees. This increases the value of your business signiﬁcantly (and reduces your personal stress level).

Fig. 1: balancing base pay and commission A

High

Low

High

Expected Remuneration

120,000

60,000

Base rate guaranteed

30,000

commission based

90,000

30,000

Keep them working with you

Sales

1,000,000 700,000

Certainly people, particularly sales people, are motivated by money. It is important that a good sales person is competitive and wants to earn big dollars. However, there are many other factors that you must take into account. Providing a good working environment with lots of support will do more to retain the right people than money will. Fair remuneration plus a great working environment is what retains key people. Always make it a win/win relationship.

Average Commission

9.0%

8 9

Commission agreement

Commission rate sales up to

700,000

From

700,000

Maximum remuneration

Why they leave

Exit interviews are an excellent source of information about why people leave a company. Obviously, though, it’s too late to turn that person back into an employee. Usually the signs that someone is unhappy are there but are often ignored because we are too busy focusing on other elements of the business. To ensure you don’t miss the signs of employees being dissatisﬁed you should be interacting with them on a regular basis. This means having impromptu talks with them, regular valuations and constant monitoring. Monitoring key performance indicators and providing support to help employees meet them on a regular basis is critical. When the employees see you care about them and are mentoring them for success along with paying them fairly, the likelihood of them leaving is slim. An excellent method of monitoring sales people, which is a real win/win, is to help them develop processes for improving their closure rate. It is very satisfying and both they and the company make a lot more money. A higher closure rate is the best way for everyone to make more money. That way you monitor the process and not the person.

If they want to, powerful employees can make your life difficult in three key ways. They can bully other employees including the boss, they can make unreasonable demands for time off and additional remuneration and they can constantly threaten to leave. It is critical for the success of the company that these exposures be limited. The best way of doing this is, starting from day one, to limit their power. In order to reduce the sales person’s leverage there are certain things you need to do. Firstly, make sure that all the key information that they have is recorded in a good customer relationship management (CRM)

www.plumbingandhvac.ca

4.3% 1,000,000 11.0%

12 13

It’s a jungle out there

4.3%

33,000

30,100

63,100

Plus base rate

30,000

Total remuneration

60,100

93,100

The commission rate on line 7F is low because of the base salary. Line 4 is line 2 minus line 3 Line 6 is target sales Line 7 is line 4 as % of line 6 Line 10 is the commission rate that will meet line 4F Line 11 is the commission on the sales between $700K and $1 million to meet target Line 15F is the target for the low commission Line 15G is the target for the high commission

program that you have access to. It must be updated at least once per day. Not only does this give you better control, but it provides better customer service because it allows other others to support your customers when the salesperson is not available. If a customer phones in there are other people, including the person who answers the phone, who can communicate intelligently with the caller. This will add value to your relationship with the customer and show them that the relationship goes far beyond that of his relationship with your sales person. Another advantage is that it will increase the value of your business because of the excellent process that is in place. Document the sales process. Get your sales person to do this step by step. If possible, get them to tape a sales process from start to ﬁnish. I know that this sounds like a lot of work, but building a successful business is not easy. Train other salespeople in the same process. Think like a franchise and have a solid consistent process.

Remuneration Good sales people tend to be competitive and want to be rewarded for results. Using a combination of base salary plus commission tends to get the most successful results.

I am not aware of any standard commission rate for sales people in this industry. Here are some guidelines: Q Make an estimate of how much sales you expect the sales person to generate. Q Establish if they are one-off sales such as a retroﬁt job or repeat sales such as planned maintenance programs. If they are one-off there is less residual value, so the commission needs to be higher. Q Determine what would be a fair rate of remuneration for the sales person. Normally you will need to provide a base pay. Q Then establish a commission that will not be too difﬁcult to earn but will be enough to keep the sales person at a reasonable remuneration. The commission necessary to gain a good rate of pay will depend on the sales person exceeding expectations. Fig. 1 shows an example of how this might work.

Reviewing commission rates In order to validate your commission rates you should review the following: Q Can your pricing structure carry these costs or do you need to increase prices?

Please see ‘Fair’ on page 38

July/August 2015 – Plumbing & HVAC

Q Shop Management

Fair for the employee and employer Continued from page 37

No single answer

Q Does the sales person have any inﬂuence over markups? If so, make part of the commission based on getting the higher mark-ups. Q Do different types of sales have different margins? If so, adjust to encourage the sale of higher margin products. Q If sales create residual value, take that into account when determining commission.

I did ask a few HVAC contractors how they rewarded their sales people. There wasn’t one consistent answer. Five HVAC contractors responded to me on a brief survey on how they deal with commissions. Here are the results of those surveys: Contractor no. 1: “We offered a high base commission and no salary. Our sales target is $800,000 and commission is built into our selling price. Equipment sales generate a commission of eight percent as these are lower margin

WORK LESS MAKE MORE

sales. Other sales generate a commission of 12 percent.” Contractor no. 2: “We are paying a flat rate of 10 percent commission with expected sales of $1,100,000.” Contractor no. 3: “Our previous sales person had a base of $35,000 and a five percent commission but his performance was below expectations. Our best performance is when we pay a flat 10 percent on sales.” Contractor no. 4: “Last year our sales person earned $82,000 in commission plus a salary of $23,000. He earns five percent commission. He does not quote on service or planned maintenance. He also has the use of a company vehicle plus gas.” Contractor no. 5: “The sales person sells at book price and gets eight percent commission. Over book price is shared 50/50 with the company. (If the sale is) under book price, the first $ 100 is a 50/50 split with the company. After that, the salesman’s commission is reduced by the undersold amount.” As you can see from these five summaries, there is little consistency. Certainly the process is very commission (performance) based. I believe in building processes around good people. Be flexible and focus on desired outcomes. If all parties are looking for the same outcomes, it should be easy to develop a win/win situation for the long-term. Remember that you are in business to (sooner or later) sell the business for as much as possible. Having the right sales team on board will make that a lot more likely.

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

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.

Tools include: Financial Control Systems • Employee Hiring & Retention Turn Key Marketing • 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.” – Jack Devetten, Ace Plumbing, Calgary, AB Call us today to book a no obligation presentation of how we can help you take control of your business!

Success Group International 888.307.1114 • www.yoursgi.ca Canada’s oldest mentorship group

Plumbing & HVAC – July/August 2015

INDEX to ADVERTISERS

Aqua-Tech .......................................................... 29 Bibby Ste. Croix ............................................ 15, 17 Bristol Sinks ........................................................ 28 CIPH Road Show ............................................... 36+ Carrier Canada .................................................. 23 Chrysler ................................................................ 2 Fieldpiece............................................................ 19 Fujitsu ................................................................. 20 General Pipe Cleaners ......................................... 12 Hilmor ................................................................ 22 ICP Canada ........................................................... 8 IESO.................................................................. 36* LAARS ................................................................ 32 Lochinvar ............................................................ 30 Mitsubishi Electric ............................................... 24 Mobilio ................................................................. 5 Napoleon .............................................................. 4 Navien .................................................................. 9 RIDGID................................................................ 40 Success Group International ................................ 38 Taco .................................................................... 39 Victaulic .............................................................. 35 Viessmann .......................................................... 14 Zoeller ................................................................ 25 Zurn Industries .................................................... 33 * Ontario only

+ outside Ontario

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