Mechanical Business November/December 2016 by Mechanical Business

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CONTENTS O F

80HYDRONICS With energy savings always being a top priority among home and building owners, we take a look at how ECM technology has enhanced the efﬁciency of circulator pumps. Greg Dalgetty

CIPHEX West Visits the Coast

46CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER Canadian comedian Howie Mandel is known for practical jokes, television game shows, his distaste for germs and his love for his new toilet. (No, really!) We approached Howie, while testing out his new throne, to discuss his new loo, as well as his openness about mental health issues. Adam Freill

38EVENT IN PICTURES If you weren’t able to check out CIPHEX West in person, not to worry—we’ve got you covered!

FACILITIES AGREEMENTS:

24PROJECT PROFILE The Edmonton Oilers opened a new chapter in the storied franchise’s life this year as they moved their crew of budding superstars into a facility that’s the envy of the league, and several other professional sports leagues as well. Adam Freill

LEVERAGING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS & TOOLS

40PLUMBING Clogged drains and backed up toilets are common plumbing problems. Maintenance agreements with commercial and non-proﬁt facilities can help you grow your business. Marty Silverman

On the cover: Mental health is the leading cause of workplace disability in Canada. Toronto native Howie Mandel is one of many Canadian celebrities who are working to make talking about mental health more acceptable as part of Bell’s Let’s Talk Day. Cover photo: Courtesy of Bell Canada

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T A B L E F E A T U R E S 26CONTROLS

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PLUMBING Plumbing for Suds Pressure Zones Fred Bretzke There’s nothing quite like having foam shoot out of a ﬂoor drain every time you run your brand-new washing machine. Ladies and gentlemen, you have entered the Suds Zone.

HYDRONICS The Whys of Hydronic History Dan Holohan Hydronic heating has come a long way since the days of gravity hot water heating. Here’s a look at how some of the equipment—and how it’s installed—has evolved over the years.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC Radon and Opportunities for HVAC Contractors Gord Cooke Radon is a bigger problem than many Canadians realize. Fortunately, there are several ways of mitigating radon inﬁltration.

MARKETING A Charitable Balance: It’s All in the Plan Doug MacMillan Charitable donations aren’t just a great way to help those in need—they’re also a fantastic way of promoting your business.

HYDRONICS Component Crazy Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr There’s no shortage of components to select for your hydronic system. But which ones are right for you?

ASK ROGER Leave the Accounting to the Professionals Roger Grochmal You’ve started up a business, developed a client base and now you need new staff. So why are you still doing your own books?

REFRIGERATION Oil Change Time: Screw Compressor Systems Phil J. Boudreau During the life of a screw compressor, it will be necessary to change the oil. Here’s some helpful advice for the next time you have to drain and replace the oil.

Protecting Your VFD Investment Jonathan Mosterd

62FIND THE FIX Primary/Secondary/Maybe?

66ROAD WARRIOR: GEORGE LLOYD Greg Dalgetty

72REFRIGERATION Conversion Corner: HFC Q&A Jim Thomas

74PLUMBING Commercial Kitchens Have Their Own Standards Denise Deveau

P R O D U C T S 29,30,54,73HVAC/R 36,82Hydronics 44,78Plumbing 68Stuff you need

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CONTENTS

Simpliﬁed BAS Solutions for Small Commercial Buildings Melissa Schumann & Leon Hawkins

52HVAC

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D E P A R T M E N T S 8From the Editor’s Desk 10News 18Proﬁle: John Goshulak 87Tool Tip 88The Info Page 89Calendar 90By the Numbers M e c h a n i c a l

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FROM Content Media Group Inc. 19 – 1525 Cornwall Road Oakville, ON L6J 0B2 Canada Tel: 905.465.2919 Fax: 905.465.2913 www.mechanicalbusiness.com November/December 2016 Issue Published 6 times per year. Editor: Adam Freill, ext. 224 adam.freill@mechanicalbusiness.com Associate Editor/Web Editor: Greg Dalgetty, ext. 225 greg.dalgetty@mechanicalbusiness.com National Accounts Manager: Jeff Superle, ext. 221 jeff.superle@mechanicalbusiness.com Controller: Liz Mills liz.mills@mechanicalbusiness.com Art Direction: JJM Graphic Ltd. davem@jjmgraphic.com Circulation Manager: Shila Naik (905) 272-4175 shila.naik@mechanicalbusiness.com Publisher: Bruce Meacock, ext. 222 bruce.meacock@mechanicalbusiness.com PM:41536047 ISSN 1916-0674 MB (Print) ISSN 1906-0682 MB (Online)

We acknowledge the ﬁnancial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Submissions: Copyright in material submitted to the magazine and accepted for publication remains with the author, but Mechanical Business and its licensees may freely reproduce it in print, electronic or other forms. Mechanical Business also reserves the right to edit said submitted materials to suit the editorial needs and mandate of the publication. Notice: Mechanical Business is published for owners, managers and decision makers with mechanical contracting ﬁrms and the sector’s supply chain partners in Canada. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, Mechanical Business, Content Media Group Inc., its staff, directors, ofﬁcers and shareholders (‘The Publisher’) assume no liability, obligation or responsibility for advertised claims, for errors and/or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. Manufacturers’ instructions take precedence over published editorial. The publisher reserves the right to publish a printed correction in a subsequent issue for editorial errors, omissions and oversights. Subscriptions are available for $90 plus taxes in Canada and the U.S. Single copies are $15.00. Outside Canada and the U.S., the rates are $150.00 (annual) and $25.00 (single copy).

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EDITOR’S

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Learning from Others I’ve always used the various tradeshows, conferences and other industry events that I attend as a way to get a barometer of where the industry stands, as well as to do research from some of the best resources I can ﬁnd: you, our reader. So I paid particular attention when our September/October 2016 cover person, Tye Leishman, dropped by our booth during the recent CIPHEX West show in Vancouver (check out the details of the show on page 38). Tye mentioned that he had just met with a business development and best practices organization, and that he was impressed with what he had seen. He’s not the ﬁrst contractor I’ve heard from who has found value in such organizations, be they formal or informal in nature.

Merry Christmas from the Entire MB Team As 2017 comes into view, the crew that puts Mechanical Business together would like to take the opportunity to wish our fantastic readers, advertisers and supporters a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. Enjoy the holidays, and we look forward

Our resident business management guru to catching up with you again in 2017. Roger Grochmal (whose current column can be found on page 64) has written about the beneﬁt of peer-to-peer learning opportunities many times. Something that I admire about Roger is that he’s not afraid to admit that he can’t know it all. That’s why he surrounds himself with a strong team that he can trust will guide him to the paths that will carry his company forward. And he reaches out to other contractors to learn what’s worked, or hasn’t worked, for them. He’s also always willing to share. His attitude reminds me of something that I heard Wayne Gretzky say a number of y g To p p years ago. paraphrase him, The Great One explained that one of the things that pushed him to improve everyy day was tthe fact that on any given night there was someone a littlee better better than him im. Now, Wayne had more good nights on the ice than him. a y other an othe h r NHL play any player, but even he knew there were people out there that he cou could learn from. And that’s what made him the busiin best in his business. S metiimes we forget that there are others who are willing So Sometimes t to share what they know, so we slog through challenges or try implementi implementing systems without the advice that’s there for the asking. So Sometimes all we need to do is ﬁnd a mentor and pick their brain for a little while.

From time to time, Content Media Group Inc. makes subscribers’ names available to reputable companies whose products or services may be of interest to readers. If you would like your name excluded from these mailings, please notify the publisher.

Perh Perhaps ﬁnding a good mentor, or a mentorship gro group, would make for a good New Year’s R Resolution.

I might just have to try that one myself.

Proud members of:

Until next time,

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News www.mechanicalbusiness.com

SAIT Celebrates 100 Years IPVF Council Tours Recycling Plant

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) celebrated its centennial year in October. Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi declared October 16 SAIT Day and the Langevin Bridge and Calgary Tower were lit in SAIT colours—red, purple and blue—until midnight. “SAIT has an incredible history of innovation and putting students ﬁrst,” said SAIT president and CEO David Ross. “It’s an approach that began 100 years ago and is what we do to this day.” The college celebrated with a free barbecue, a giant cake, guided tours and ﬁreworks.

Members of the CIPH IPVF council enjoyed a tour of the New Forest Mills recycling plant in Scarborough, Ont., in late October. New Forest Mills operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, recycling approximately 1,000 metric tons of cardboard per day. Tour attendees saw raw recovered cardboard re-pulped in over 1,000 gallons of water per ton of material, before being formed, pressed, dressed and ﬁnished. ciph.com

Pictured from left to right: Heather Culbert, chair of the SAIT board of governors; Joe Ceci, Alberta’s minister of ﬁnance; Lois E. Mitchell, lieutenant-governor of Alberta; and David Ross, president and CEO of SAIT. sait.com

Noble Show Draws a Crowd

AHR Expo Coming to Sin City The 2017 AHR Expo takes over the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 30 to February 1. Co-sponsored by ASHRAE and AHRI, the show is expected to attract 60,000 industry professionals and will feature close to 2,000 exhibitors. It will also offer a variety of free educational sessions, as well as numerous courses, continuing educational sessions and opportunities for accredited testing. ahrexpo.com

Hundreds of contractors packed the aisles of the Paramount Conference and Event Venue in Woodbridge, Ont., for the 2016 edition of Noble’s BIG Heating Show in October. The event featured more than 60 exhibitors and ﬁve complimentary educational seminars. Attendees received door prizes, and eight lucky contractors went home with furnace package giveaways. noble.ca

Follow Us on Twitter! It’s MB’s Twitter Roundup Caught the Twitter bug? We’ve got you covered with tweets about everything that matters to the mechanical trades in Canada. Follow us @mechbusiness.

HRAI

City of Toronto

AHR Expo

CIPH News

@HRAI_Canada

@TorontoComms

@ahrexpo

@ciphnews

Before turning your #heat on, schedule a check-up.

Did you know #CityofTO Water collected & treated over 385 billion litres of wastewater in 2016? Learn more http://toronto.ca/ budget #TOBudget

Who will win the 2017 Product of the Year? Find out at the #AHRExpo.

NEW - CIPH Women’s Network launched. “Connecting & Empowering Women in Plumbing & Heating” Stay tuned.

November 2, 2016

November 4, 2016

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October 18, 2016

November 2, 2016

Look for this link on our website!

Worst Washrooms

HFC Agreement Reached The UN and all 197 signatories to the Montreal Protocol reached an historic, and legally binding, commitment to limit global HFC use in October, eliciting congratulations from numerous refrigerant manufacturers and industry associations. “Honeywell congratulates the Parties to the Montreal Protocol for the successful negotiation of the groundbreaking amendment to phase down the use of HFCs,” said Marie Li-Ying, Honeywell’s business manager for fluorine products and the chair of Refrigerant Management Canada. “The amendment is one of the most significant steps the world can take now to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.” Li-Ying affirmed her company’s commitment to helping countries reduce GHG emissions by adopting environmentally friendly refrigerants. “We are investing nearly $900 million in R&D and new capacity, and forming strategic commercial partnerships, to provide the broadest possible portfolio of solutions available today to help countries achieve aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” she said. honeywell-refrigerants.com refrigerantmanagement.ca

What’s the Worst Washroom You’ve Ever Seen? Have you ever been in a washroom so horrible that it deﬁed description? Well, no need to describe it—just send us a picture! Mechanical Business is collecting photos of some of the worst washrooms from around the world. So next time you run into an unsightly bathroom while you’re on vacation, on the jobsite or out on the town, grab your smartphone and take a picture. Your snapshot could end up in the pages of Mechanical Business! (Just be careful not to drop your camera on the washroom ﬂoor…) To submit your photo, visit mechanicalbusiness.com and simply follow the WORST WASHROOMS link on the homepage. While you’re there, tell us a bit about the washroom. Here’s a look at this issue’s winner. No toilet seat? No problem. No way of accessing the toilet tank? No problem. No barricade between the toilet and the urinal? No problem. There’s just enough room for two in this Vancouver loo. Thanks for the photo, Travis Collins! Think you can top this? Then visit mechanicalbusiness.com and submit your photo today!

Cutting the Cord Prompt Payment Bill Delayed The Senate adjourned debate on Bill S-224, the Canada Prompt Payment Act, in October. Currently at second reading, the bill was introduced by Manitoba Senator Don Plett, a former plumbing contractor. If passed, it would ensure that contractors and subcontractors working on federal government construction projects are paid in a timely manner. Plett introduced the bill at second reading in April, saying at the time, “Delay in payment is the number 1 reason small and medium sized businesses in the construction industry are going out of business in Canada.” Pictured here, Plett (centre) introduced the bill at second reading. parl.gc.ca

Milwaukee Tool’s Cut the Cord contest is currently underway, offering contractors the opportunity to win a variety of weekly and monthly prizes, as well as a grand prize tool collection valued at $10,000. Entrants are invited to submit photos of their Milwaukee tools at cutthecordcontest.ca. They can then share their entries with family and friends to get the most votes. A Milwaukee M18 cordless tool kit will be awarded to the entry with the most votes. The contest runs until January 31, 2017. cutthecordcontest.ca

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AtlasCare Raises Funds for MS AtlasCare Heating and Cooling’s 2016 Golf Fore MS tournament helped raise more than $60,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada’s Peel-Dufferin chapter this fall. Mechanical Business was one of the sponsors of the event, which attracted close to 100 golfers. The funds raised will go toward covering the cost of mobility aids, as well as funding other services and programs for MS patients in the region. Congratulations to all involved on supporting a great cause! From left to right: MB columnist and AtlasCare CEO Roger Grochmal with Marlene McLeod (an AtlasCare employee for 35 years) and company president Michael Grochmal. atlascare.ca

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Goodman Celebrates at New Facility The ﬁrst Goodman air conditioning unit rolled off the assembly line at the new Daikin Texas Technology Park just outside Houston in October. Hundreds of Goodman employees gathered around to see company president and CEO Takeshi Ebisu afﬁx a badge to the AC unit, commemorating the event. goodmanmfg.com

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PPI Supports Student Competition The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) has announced it will continue its sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Race to Zero Student Design Competition for its 2017 edition. The competition invites students throughout North America to work with builders, developers and industry partners to meet stringent design requirements and create marketable, affordable design concepts. MB contributor Lance MacNevin, director of engineering for PPI’s Building and Construction division, will once again serve as a juror for the 2017 competition. Pictured here, MacNevin (left) with the 2016 competition winners.

The Watts Water app provides access to product information for Watts, Febco, Powers and other Watts Water brand products. It features a built-in UPC barcode scanner to quickly access product information and documentation. wattswater.com

DealerFirst Mobile App Goodman’s DealerFirst mobile app is designed to provide contractors with a variety of service, sales and business tools for Goodman products. The app can be used for warranty claim management and includes product and diagnostic information, as well as support tools. The app is available for Android and iOS devices go.goodmanmfg.com/dealerﬁrst

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Movers & Shakers www.mechanicalbusiness.com

Master Ma ster Group Adds Ad Branches The Master Group has acquired d two Johnson Controls Unitary Produ ucts Group (York) branches in Ontario. Thee branches, located in Oakville and Markham m, now operate as The Master Group In nc., and increase the company’s points of sale to nine in Southwestern Ontario o, and 29 across Canada. master.ca

Goodman Opens p Quebec Branch Goodman opened a new branch in Quebec City in November, located at 155 Rue Fortin, suite 140. Managed by Guillaume Talbot, the branch can be reached by phone at 418-478-3495 or by fax at 418-527-0614. goodmanmfg.com

Ecco Supply Distrributing RedZone Ecco Supply is now the exclusivve distribu utor of RedZone products in Western C Canada. RedZone offers hydronic furnaces designed for both space heating and domestic hot water applications.

Wolseley y Opens p New Ontario Branch Wolseley Canada has consolidated its Vaughan, Ont., plumbing and HVAC/R branches into a new location in Concord, Ont. The branch, located at 1290 Creditstone Rd., units two and three, features an updated counter and merchandising area.

eccosupply.ca redzone-products.com

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Fortis Comes to Canada Fortis faucets are now available at select showrooms across Canada. Distributed under the Spectrum Brands banner, the kitchen and bathroom faucets are Italian-made.

Eden Energy Distributing GeoStar

fortisfaucet.com spectrumbrands.com

Zurn on the Move Zurn Industries has relocated its warehouse and ofﬁce space to 7900 Goreway Drive, Unit 10, in Brampton, Ont. The move only affects products previouslyy serviced out of Zurn’s Nashua Drive location in Mississauga, Ont. The company’s Filamat Composites facility remains at 880 Rangeview Road in Mississauga and all order pick-ups and shipments for Green Turtle products will continue out of the Rangeview Road location. zurn.com

Roth Names New Rep Roth has appointed Barrett Sales to represent the company’s hydronic, plumbing, solar and oil storage tank products in Atlantic Canada. Roth has been in the North American marketplace for 14 years, with two manufacturing plants in upstate New York. Barrett Sales can be contacted at 506-693-8630.

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edenenergy.com

Watts Purchases PVI Watts Water Technologies has acquired PVI Industries, a commercial water heater manufacturer based in Fort Worth, Texas. The acquisition will complement the product portfolio of Aerco International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Watts based in Blauvelt, New York, that manufactures high-efﬁciency commercial boilers and water heaters. Both companies will now be part of Watts’ new Heating and Hot Water Solutions business platform, operating out of Fort Worth and Blauvelt. wattswater.com pvi.com

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Eden Energy Equipment is now distributing WaterFurnace’s GeoStar residential and commercial geothermal heat pumps in the province of Ontario. To learn about GeoStar equipment, contact Eden Energy at 800-665-3336, ext. 124.

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aerco.com

BUILT FOR THOSE WHO KNOW.™

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People in the news www.mechanicalbusiness.com

BRAD CORNELISSEN has been appointed OS&B’s regional sales manager for Eastern Canada. In his new role, Cornelissen will oversee all OS&B business in Southwest Ontario, Northern Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. He’ll report to Bob Evans, the company’s vice-president of sales.

Uponor North America has welcomed DENA MAYNE as the company’s new vice-president of offerings and marketing. She brings a wealth of international business experience to her new role, having served in several marketing leadership roles for 14 years. Mayne will be based in Uponor North America’s headquarters in Apple Valley, Minn.

DAVE ROGNE has joined Masco Canada as the regional sales manager for Western Canada. Dave has been involved in the building industry for 29 years, and is responsible for sales of Delta, Brizo, Hansgrohe, Axor, Brasscraft, Master Plumber, Waltec and Franklin Brass products from Manitoba west to British Columbia.

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Spectrum Brands Canada’s wholesale plumbing division has welcomed EMILY MILFORD-CLARE as its new associate national account manager, representing the Fortis and Pﬁster plumbing brands. In her new role, MilfordClare will work with wholesalers and establish relationships with the builder community across Canada.

Sanhua International has welcomed JENNIFER BOYAJIAN as the new aftermarket sales manager for the company’s North American commercial team. In her new role, Boyajian will be responsible for the design and execution of a comprehensive aftermarket sales strategy as Sanhua expands its new business development efforts in the wholesale channel.

Fujitsu General America has hired MATT PETERSON as the company’s new president and CEO. Peterson will oversee Fujitsu’s heating and cooling business, including both split system heat pump and VRF systems, throughout North America. He has extensive experience in HVAC sales and marketing and has held several senior roles in the industry.

MARCEL VERRET has joined Stelpro as a sales representative for the company’s HVAC distribution channel. He has over 25 years of experience in sales, including several years of experience representing Stelpro products through a sales agency. Verret’s territory covers Eastern Quebec.

Aerco president JAMES DAGLEY will now also serve as the president of Watts Water Technologies’ newly formed Heating and Hot Water Solutions business platform, following the Watts acquisition of PVI Industries in November.

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LINNA LUU has joined Raven Supply as an estimator and project coordinator. Luu has experience working in the oil and gas industry with a focus on research and development.

Hired someone lately? Let the mechanical world know through the pages of Mechanical Business. To have your company’s personnel announcements included, free of charge, in an upcoming edition of Mechanical Business, simply send a note and a few details, to greg.dalgetty@mechanicalbusiness.com.

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Proﬁle John Goshulak: A True Hydronic Ambassador

John Goshulak, vice-president of sales and marketing with WeilMcLain Canada, was introduced as the most recent steward of the Carlson-Holohan Industry Award of Excellence at the AHR Expo in Orlando earlier this year. And while he himself was surprised at the honour, the recognition comes as no shock to those in the hydronics field who can attest how fitting a choice he is. The biennial award recognizes industry professionals who selflessly give of their time, knowledge and efforts to grow and improve the wet-heat industry, which John has done in spades. A mechanical engineer, Goshulak has spent pent the past 32 years in the

How did you get started in the industry? I took mechanical engineering at U of T, and I got a placement with a consulting ﬁrm as a summer job. When I got behind a drafting table laying out mechanical systems, and got to know how they work, it was actually quite interesting. More than 30 years later, I’ve been in HVAC and boilers the whole time.

BIO Name: John Goshulak Title: Vice-President, Sales and Marketing Company: Weil-McLain Canada Location: Burlington, Ont. Age: 55 Born in: Toronto Currently resides in: Etobicoke, Ont. Joined the industry: 1984 Family: Wife Debra, son Peter and daughters Emily and Larissa

Q A

What do you enjoy most about the industry?

FAST FACTS

What I love is dealing with people ople and helping them to be more comfortable. ortable. I love trying to solve people’s heating problems.

1. John did his ﬁrst triathlon in 2009, and has competed in several since, at a number of distances, including the Olympic length course.

Tell us about the Carlson-Holohan han Industry Award of Excellence, and what it means to you.

And through all that, he still ﬁnds time to spend with family and friends, train for his next triathlon, and even take calls from journalists.

2. He loves to travel with his wife, especially to exotic Far East destinations like Thailand and Vietnam – where the food is great.

3. He bought a Model S Tesla because It’s a really big deal. It was a total tal he sees the technology as a positive step surprise. When I look at the listt of toward changing how we treat our planet. previous recipients, wow! For them hem to say that I belong alongside them, m, I am extremely honoured. These aree the guys that I look up to. I never thought of myself lf in their league. It ling that they would is a lot of pride, and it is humbling select me. The award is really important. mportant. It’s our industry’s legacy.

What advice would you give to yourself if you could go back and talk to yourself ourself as a ﬁrst-year engineering student?

Start earlier. Find the time. M e c h a n i c a l

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Photo: Ron Kuzyk

Q A

heating industry, twice serving as chairman of the Canadian Hydronics Council, as well as chairing the Beautiful Heat Campaign and CIPH’s Hydronics Marketing Group, and putting in countless hours on the CSA B214 Installation code for hydronic heating systems. Currently, he’s the chair of a CSA technical committee representing Canada in international meetings examining depressurization in buildings.

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Fred Bretzke is a full-time pipe trades instructor with SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary and the general manager of A&B Plumbing & Heating. He can be reached at fred.bretzke@sait.ca.

By Fred Bretzke

PLUMBING

PLUMBING FOR PRESSURE ZONES I

remember when I was a young newlywed. We were renting a 60-year-old bungalow in southwest Calgary shortly after I had received my journeyman ticket and Red Seal. It was in February, just around Valentine’s Day, and I knew I had to remember two things: make sure all the mechanicals in the house were working and buy a Valentine’s gift. There were two significant problems my wife began to complain about after we moved in. Our clothes didn’t seem as bright and clean as they should be, and she also thought the dishwasher was broken, because we always ended up with stained dishes. shes. (Maybe that was because I always bought the cheap detergent.) I did what any good husband and would do: I agreed with her, butt didn’t do much else. At some pointt I finally broke down and bought the he most expensive laundry and dishwashing shwashing soap I could find, just to appease her. But as time went on, our clothes and dishes were still till dirty, even with the expensive nsive soap. Now this was starting ng to bug me, so I commenced ed my plumbing investigation. n.

sussing

OUT THE SUDS As a plumbing P.I., my first step when I decided to get to the root of our appliance problems was to take a look at the basement laundry in more detail. I knew the laundry tailpiece was just lying on the floor draining into the floor drain. It made a pile of soap suds around the neck of the floor drain, but so what? They were only suds, I thought. I put the new washing machine through a few cycles just to see if it was working properly. As it went through the rinse cycle it did seem to push o out some suds and the water wasn’t that dirty. I then went we to the dishwasher and ran it through a few cycles. The were still stained. As I looked under the sink, I noticed that glasses w the dishwasher’s dishw 3/4” black rubber hose was not installed into the continuous waste under the sink. The drain hose disappeared into continuo the cabinet cab floor and then ran into the basement. In the basement, I took a few ceiling tiles out to expose the ceiling. Lo and behold, I discovered the hose pipe hooked into cei a P-trap below the floor, which was then piped into the stack in the basement. Th There were no leaks or backups, but I did remember that ev every time I installed a dishwasher I had to install the drain hose as high as possible under the counter and hook it into ho the continuous waste upstream of the kitchen P-trap. th continues on page 22

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PLUMBING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

SAVINGTHE DAY To complete my story, I decided to reinstall the hose correctly above the ﬂoor and tie it into the food disposer, which was installed upstream of the kitchen P-trap. After that, I ran the dishwasher through a cycle full of dirty glasses and—voila!— out they came shiny and crystal clear. My wife would be so happy. Maybe I wouldn’t have to buy her a Valentine’s gift after all!

that a dishwasher’s hose ed must be installed as high as possible, ible, it must be the same for a washing machine. ne.

By now I was in Superman detective mode, so I ﬁgured I might as well get in my wife’s good books and ﬁx the washing machine problem too. I might not even have to get her a birthday gift, let alone something for Valentine’s Day!

So I broke out the ﬂoor and installed a wye in the branch. I ran a new 2” ABS BS drain over and put a stand pipe e complete with P-trap up the wall 36” high. This modate our new would accommodate washing machine’s ne’s wash cycle, keeping the water ater volume nice and full, and nd letting the pump push the e water up the hooked drain hose and down the 2” standpipe.

I returned to the scene of the crime, where a brand-new washing machine sat defiantly in the dark concrete corner right in front of a suds-spewing floor drain. I figured if the code said

Sure enough, it worked. Clean dishes, clean clothes, and I even bought my wife a Valentine’s gift with all the money I saved buying cheaper soap!

I learned that the reason we install dishwasher hoses as high as possible is to prevent the dishwasher from gravity draining. Otherwise there won’t be enough water volume during the rinse cycle, hence, dirty or stained glasses.

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NATIONAL PLUMBING CODE:

SUDS ZONES IN BUILDINGS In a commercial building, we would typically multi-storey wet-vent washing machines as they are only two-fixture units, and you are allowed to wet vent up to four-fixture units per storey above the first storey, as per the 2015 National Plumbing Code.

Where a domestic dishwashing machine equipped with a drainage pump discharges through a direct connection into the ﬁxture outlet pipe of an adjacent kitchen sink or disposal unit, the pump discharge line shall rise as high as possible to just under the counter and connect: a) on the inlet side of the sink trap by means of a Y ﬁtting, or b) to the disposal unit.

But this would become a problem as new washing machine pumps would discharge soap suds 40 times the diameter of the wet vent, up and down the pipe. This meant that if you installed a 3” wet vent, the soap suds would travel up and down the wetvented stack for 10 feet after leaving the washing machine.

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If any other plumbing appliances were installed in that suds zone area, they would leave suds backing up through sink drains. This would not only present a cosmetic issue, but the suds would eventually solidify and plug all the vents. The 2010 Canadian National Plumbing code included a new table—2.4.10.12. Maximum Permitted Load from Fixtures with a Semi-continuous Flow—to size the fixture unit load and P-traps for commercial washing machine drains based on their litres-per-second pumping output. This meant larger pipes would be installed for high-output pumps. Other recommendations were made in the appendix of the code (A-2.4.2.1.(4) Suds Pressure Zones). This advises that highsudsing detergents used in clothes washers produce suds that tend to disrupt the venting action of plumbing systems and spread throughout lower drains. One solution is to create a suds zones stack separate and downstream from all other stacks. This serves to keep the washing machine multi-storey wet-vented stack separate from all other fixtures and stacks. It’s also advisable to keep all fittings, such as wyes and 45s, as streamlined as possible, increase your building drain one size larger than normal and, finally, install check valves on all the washing machine fixture outlet pipes that are tied into that suds zones stack.

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PROJECT PROFILE By Ada m F r e i l l

Oilers

RINK

TURNING HEADS IN EDMONTON

oung NHL phenom Connor McDavid is lighting things up in his ﬁrst year as the captain of the Edmonton Oilers, but even he might understand if a visitor to Rogers Place pays more attention to the building than the team.

The new home of the hockey club is an impressive 819,200 sq. ft. structure that sits on 9.5 acres of land and features a pair of NHLsized rinks, seven levels of seating for 18,347 fans, a 30,000 sq. ft. dressing room for the team, and a 400-ton ice plant designed to create some of the best ice anywhere. That’s a big step up from the team’s former arena, the 497,700 sq. ft. Rexall Place. The new structure, which is the centerpiece of the city’s new 25-acre ICE District, actually approaches the size of a stadium, rather than an arena. Of course, Rexall Place has a great reputation for quality ice, but the team working the ice system at the new building is creating its own buzz for ice quality.

Rogers Place, By the Numbers 24

“We know what the history of Rexall’s ice quality has been,” says Jason Rimmer, the assistant manager of engineering with Oilers Entertainment Group. “We have our own target to try to be the best in the NHL – of course everyone wants to be the best in the NHL.”

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Tempering the Ice One of the most striking differences when skating on a pro-level ice surface, in comparison to most local rinks, is the hardness of the ice. At Rogers Place, the ice undergoes a unique tempering process that helps with the quality of the surface. “We warm the slab and the ice up to just below the melting point,” explains Rimmer. “We normally target 29°F in the slab. “We flood the ice, and flood and scrape and flood and scrape it. You are trying to saturate the ice, and you keep doing it until the ice doesn’t absorb any more moisture.” At that point, the ice crew brings the ice temperature down to 22ºF at a very controlled rate – generally about 0.4 degrees per hour.

BUILDING GOOD ICE

OF THE RINKS

At the heart of the ice plant at Rogers Place are four screw compressors that deliver a total of 400 tons of refrigeration that is split between the two rinks, the NHL surface and the attached Downtown Community Arena (also NHL-sized). The main surface sits on a slab containing almost 10 miles of 1-1/4” schedule 40 steel tubing on four-inch centres, while the community rink uses 1” polyethylene piping. The ice plant is an ammonia-based system, with a heat exchanger in place so that glycol runs through the slab piping for both 200-ft.-by-85-ft. rinks. Creating good ice starts by getting good information about system conditions, so sensors are included on the supply and return for each rink, and the system also makes use of in-slab sensors for each surface. “In the NHL rink we installed an additional eight sensors that we’ve just put on the top of the slab, and we also have two infrared cameras on the NHL rink, and one on the community rink,” adds Rimmer. “The advantage with our sensors is that we can tie them right into our DDC system. That way we can control right off those sensors, and we can base it on the lowest, the highest or an average temperature reading of those eight sensors.”

Got BTUs?

Photos: Troglodyte Photography/Corey Hochachka

ANATOMY

Creating a fresh ice surface from a bare slab is a process that can take several days as thin layers are built up to reach a target ice thickness of an inch and a half. The engineering crew cools the slab floor to between 15 and 16°F before hitting it with water. That allows each layer to freeze fairly quickly between building the layers. “It can take about four days, depending on how much of a hurry you are in,” says Rimmer. “We had a week to build it on our first go-around.” During a game, a typical flood will go through 100 to 130 gallons of 140°F water, but even that takes a bit of engineering control. “When we are running a game here, we will throw 300 tons at the NHL rink during the pre-cool before the period ends, so that when the water hits during the flood we are freezing as quickly as possible,” explains Rimmer. Good ice requires a combination of slab temperature control, and appropriate ambient temperatures and humidity. “Our targets are 22°F on the surface for the ice, 40 per cent relative humidity, and 57°F for air temperature.” And while most arenas fight the issue of having too much humidity, that’s not an issue in Edmonton. “For us, our biggest advantage is that we live in Edmonton and it gets drier than the Sahara in the winter here,” says Rimmer, who explained that the team is monitoring the ice during this first season to determine whether they might need to add a humidification aspect to the existing HVAC system. The arena is equipped with a dehumidification system, but mainly for shoulder seasons. “With most hockey rinks, humidification is the last thing you want to add, but that is a reality of being in Edmonton,” he states. With the compressors rolling, “When the humidity gets too low, you start there’s waste heat that has to sublimating your ice and the ice shrinks, go somewhere, and rather than and you could potentially have challenges allowing that to dissipate into from that too. the atmosphere, the engineering “That’s something that we’ve talked team is finding creative ways to about and we are going to go through the use that heat energy. first year and see how it goes. If it does get too low, we are going to look at some “Right now we are taking the humidification options for next year.” waste heat and recovering it into the parkade,” explains Rimmer. “It has been proposed to incorporate our domestic hot water into our heat recovery as well. With all four compressors operating, we are generating more than six million BTUs per hour, so that’s some substantial heat, which should result in some substantial savings.”

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BUILDING AUTOMATION Melissa Sc hu m a n n a n d L e o n H awkin s

SIMPLIFIED BAS SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS E

ven as building automation systems (BAS) become increasingly utilized in larger commercial buildings, they are often overlooked as an option for small- and medium-sized commercial facilities. In some cases, it is because they are perceived as too expensive or complicated for the application. However, automation is becoming a more viable option to consider for a range of building applications. Wireless technology now makes it easier than ever to manage all types and sizes of buildings more intelligently and efﬁciently, optimizing business performance. This makes the detail and sophisticated control of a BAS a cost-effective and easy-to-use solution for smaller buildings, including commercial properties, hospitality and retail applications. Building automation provides an ongoing connection to how the building and its systems are performing — both for building owners and contractors. Contractors can leverage building automation to improve service calls and provide insight to building owners down the road.

OPTIONS FOR LIGHT COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS There are numerous options to consider for controlling HVAC systems in light commercial buildings. They include programmable thermostats, web-enabled thermostats and simplified building automation. Each of these technologies should be evaluated before arriving at a decision. • Programmable thermostats are easy to install and offer low hardware costs. However, conventional thermostats are individual units that cannot be integrated with other devices or building systems such as lighting and security. Units are programmable, but each unit must be manually adjusted when changes are needed. • Web-enabled thermostats can offer interoperability but are often largely focused on residential automation proprietary controls rather than commercial building open standard protocols. This can limit the ability to integrate with other HVAC systems, or other types of systems such as lighting and security. Also, this technology is similar to programmable thermostats, in that each schedule for each piece of equipment must be adjusted individually. • Simplified BAS solutions available on the market are built on platforms that support traditional open standards for commercial applications. This makes integration easier, so multiple building systems such as HVAC, lighting and security can be managed and adjusted via one single interface through the BAS. These systems can offer a range of functionality and control, including customizable alarm notifications, 365-day scheduling, area control, and optimal start and stop features. Available BAS technology also enables the utilization of energy management solutions, for a link to additional services that make it easier to monitor building data and gain insights into building performance and usage to drive better service and improvement efforts.

continues on page 28

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BAS BENEFITS DRIVE EFFICIENCY Among the numerous options, BAS systems provide an easyto-use single point of control for multiple building systems and zones, so building owners and managers can run their buildings smartly and more efﬁciently. Available BAS solutions also allow remote access to these control capabilities, for web-enabled enabled access to building systems from nearly anywhere.

Contractors can get remote building access — with customer permission — that allows them to see issues or problems prior to a service visit, so they can prioritize service work for the most critical issues and come prepared with any necessary parts for maintenance. A BAS also enables contractors to receive email alarms and alerts, so they can notify customers of issues before impact occupant comfort. they imp Utilizing wireless communication technology with a simpliﬁed BAS solution can shorten the installation ccycle and help keep projects on track and on budget, putting this type of building technology within reach for more facilities. It also offers greater ﬂexibility for the future, as technology and capabilities change.

HVAC rooftop equipment is becoming more advanced with new technologies, which helps optimize performance and significantly improve the bottom line. Taking advantage of these highefficiency, variable-speed technologies in rooftop units is made easier with advanced building controls. This helps drive savings and allows building owners to get the most out of the new technology in rooftop units. Simplified BAS solutions also provide greater insight and enable access to a wealth of data regarding what’s happening in a building. For contractors, this additional connection to the building and its systems provides an opportunity to act as a proactive partner in maintaining and servicing the b building ildi — for faster troubleshooting and efficient resolution of issues.

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Melissa Schumann is Trane’s product m manager for system controls. Leon Hawkins is the automation and controls business leader for Trane Canada. For more information on this topic, email Leon at leon.hawkins@trane.com.

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HVAC/R V Produc o uctss Two-Stage Furnace Armstrong Air’s A962E gas furnace has a 30,000 BTUH capacity and is compatible with the company’s Comfort Sync thermostat system. It features a variable speed blower and twostage heating designed to adjust to conditions inside and outside a home.

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York’s YLAA air-cooled scroll chillers are available in sizes ranging from 55 to 200 tons, and can be used for water-cooled applications ranging from 120 to 1,000 tons. They feature a brazed plate heat exchanger and microchannel condenser, and are compatible with BACnet, Modbus and N2 BAS systems.

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC HYDRONICS

B y Go B y r Dan d C o Ho o kelo han

Dan Holohan is an author, speaker, steam heating expert, and founder of heatinghelp.com, a highly regarded industry site that shares information about heating systems old and new. He can be reached at dan@heatinghelp.com.

whys HISTORY THE

OF HYDRONIC

e’ve come a long way since the days of gravity hot water heating. The physics haven’t changed, but the systems sure have. Ever wonder how some of the equipment we install, and how and where we install it, has evolved over the years?

THE WAY WE WERE Trapped air was a challenge back in the day before we had effective air separators. The Dead Men would slope their big pipes upward to encourage the air that came out of solution (when the water got hot) to rise to the open expansion tank up there in the attic. They would usually pipe their cast-iron radiators in the bottom and out the bottom because, without benefit of a circulator, the hot water would rise to the top of each radiator as the colder water fell from the radiator and left through that lower exit hole. The only way to get the air out of those big castiron radiators was to manually vent them, and the Dead Men had to do that one floor at a time as they filled the system.

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Boilers wound up on the roof not because builders were afraid of ﬂoods, but because the buildings were tall. Having the boiler at the top of the system made sense because the pressure up there needs to only be about three psi – the same pressure you would need at the top of any hydronic system. That’s the pressure that allows you to vent air from the high point, and to keep the water from ﬂashing to steam, should it be hotter than 100°C. Put the boiler in the basement of that tall building and the pressure is going to be much greater. You may have to invest in a high-pressure boiler and all that goes with that. Of course, if you heat with oil, it’s going to be tough getting the delivery truck up on top of the building. Enter the use of natural gas.

continues on page 34

BOILER ON THE ROOF?

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continued from pageHVAC 32 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HYDRONICS

They ﬁlled those earliest systems through a funnel that was at the very top of the piping. Imagine having to carry that many buckets of water up all those stairs. And you think it’s a pain when you forget your smartphone in the truck and have to go back to grab it. Gosh.

PROPER PLACES

When city water pressure showed up, the Dead Men filled their systems from the basement, and they used an overflow pipe that ran from the open expansion tank to the basement. They’d fill until they got overflow, and then they’d have to dump some water from the boiler to bring the level in the tank to just the right spot. That gave the water a place to expand once it got hot.

Eventually automatic water feeders arrived and that gave installers a way to manually vent radiators without having to monitor the ﬂow of water into the system. Factories set the feed valves at 12 psi, because that’s what we need in a typical two-storey building. If the building is taller, you increase the pressure, and then pump up the compression tank’s air pressure to match that water-ﬁll pressure.

Altitude gauges showed up next, and these did away with the need for an overflow pipe. These were simply pressure gauges with a modified face. The Dead Men would measure the altitude from the manual fill valve to the centre of the expansion tank in the attic. They’d set the movable red needle on the altitude gauge to that height, and then they’d let the water enter. As it rose in the system, the water pressured the gauge. That second needle would move. When it met the red needle, the system was filled. Simple! Of course, if they added too much water to one of their systems, it would just overflow from the tank and out onto the roof. That was embarrassing but it did no more harm than rain on the roof. A bigger worry was the air temperature up there in the attic. During the dead of winter, the water in the open tank was liable to freeze, and that presented a danger since the frozen water blocked the expansion space. That’s why they moved the tanks to the basement around 1915, giving us what we came to call the compression tank.

They learned that the best place to install the feed valve was right at the compression tank because the tank is the one point in the system where the pressure never varies. Fill at that point and the circulator won’t be able to trick the ﬁll valve into feeding when the circulator starts.

Fast Fact: A column of water that is 70.4 cm (2.31 feet) tall will exert 1-psi pressure at its base, and that’s what the altitude gauge showed.

So an expansion tank is open to the atmosphere, and a compression tank is closed to the atmosphere. The water expands; the air compresses. The rest is history.

ANTIQUE AQUASTATS The first aquastat sat atop the boiler. It was a bellows that sensed rising pressure. Attached to the top of the bellows was a fulcrum attached to a short steel bar, weighted on both sides. Attached to the weights were chains that ran through ceiling-mounted pulleys. These chains controlled the draft above and below the firebox. As boiler pressure rose the bellows expanded, shifting the weights, which moved the chains that closed the dampers. The fire died down; the pressure sank. The bellows contracted, shifting the weights once again, and moving the chains to open the dampers. Up rose the coal fire!

B y Go r d C o o ke

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Always pump away from the compression tank. That way the circulator will always apply its full differential pressure to the system. That busts up trapped air bubbles and brings them back to the air separator. Your days of bleeding radiators will be over, and that’s nice. The air separator belongs either where the water is hottest, or where the pressure is lowest. This is because of Henry’s Law, which tells us that gases dissolve in liquids in proportion to pressure and temperature. So the air separator can be near the boiler (the hottest place), or up at the top of the system (the lowestpressure place). But since all the water has to pass through that big supply pipe at the boiler, this is the most sensible place to put your air separator.

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Hydronic Products Retrofit Kits Belimo’s ZIP Pack retrofit kits feature the company’s ZIP economizer base, sensors, energy module for demand control ventilation (DCV) integration, a spring return actuator and retrofit brackets. The economizer features an LCD screen that display systems status information and assists in setup.

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Magnetic Separators Calefﬁ’s lineup of Dirtmag magnetic separators use a magnet to capture loose ferrous materials in hydronic systems caused by the corrosion of iron and steel. Dirt and magnetite is ﬂushed out the drain valve when the magnet is removed.

www. calefﬁ.com Only ECM circulators meet Europe's energy efﬁciency requirements.

Inline Circulators

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Established in 1981, Hood Chemical supplies Dow Chemical glycol (propylene and ethylene) with inhibitors. We offer free analysis and supply a written report advising the freezing point, pH, concentration of inhibitors, and appearance.

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Wilo’s Stratos Giga inline circulators ators feature ECM motors and stainless ss steel pump shafts. With a maximum mum ﬂow of 275 gpm and a maximum um head of 167 feet, the circulatorss have a temperature range of -20°C to +140°C and a maximum operating pressure off 232 psi.

www. wilo-canada.com

Gas Boilers Weil-McLain’s WM97+ boilers are available in 70,000, 110,000 and 155,000 BTUH sizes and offer AFUE efficiencies of up to 95 per cent. They feature built-in circulators and self-cleaning, stainless steel fire tube heat exchangers. Ideal for new and limited-space installations, they can be mounted on the floor or a wall.

www. weil-mclain.ca HiTech Dispensing Inc.

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Now you u can tak take p pe eace off mind i d on o the roa ad, with the Lochin hinvar ar CON·X·U CON·X·US ·X·US® mobile l a application. pplicat lication. FFrom ma anywh anywhere, ywhere e, anytim anytime, ytime yourr smartphone smar rtphone p or tablet table k keeps you in communication commun munication ti with with a standsstand d alone l e boiler, boiler or boiler er plants in mult multiple tiple locations. locatio locations. CON·X·US CON·X US gives ives you you control cont l and d monitoring monito mon oring g capability capabi cap ili ilityy at a lower llow wer costt compare compared ed to o exp expensive i buildi building g managem management nagemen nt system systems. y ystems A And nd d the CON·X·US C CON ON·X·US X US application applicatti provides p ovidess two-way tw two wo-way wayy comm co communications ommunic municatio nications so you can make required adjustments t t and nd receive receiv ive status tatuss alerts aler a rts from around the corner, or halfway around the world. Wherever you are, change setpoints, adjust outdoor reset curves, monitor pump status and more, to help ensure that your customers are not left in the cold!

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CIPHEX West Visits the Coast CIPHEX West, Western Canada’s largest heating and plumbing trade show, returned to the Vancouver Convention Centre on November 2 and 3. Attendees roamed the 30,000-square-foot showroom ﬂoor, taking in more than 200 exhibitors showcasing the latest in plumbing, HVAC/R, hydronic and geothermal products, as well as a special exhibit area spotlighting some of the newest technologies available to the trade. In addition to products on the ﬂoor, the event also featured a variety of educational seminars, and played host to the Canadian Hydronics Conference, featuring some of the best minds in the business. CIPHEX West will return to Calgary in November 2018.

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7 8 1. Xylem’s Tim Main takes the mic at the industry dinner. 2. Hydronics Alley was a popular meeting spot for wetheads. 3. Contractors get an up-close look at Milwaukee’s newest tools. 4. Attendees swung by the New Products Showcase to check out the latest in plumbing and heating technologies. 5. Brain trainer Brian Thwaits ponders the eternal question: Do you eat the red ones last? 6. Team tekmar took home some hardware for their Wi-Fi snow melting control. 7. Does this guy look familiar? Sept/ Oct MB cover man Tye Leishman stopped by our booth to have his photo taken next to…his photo! 8. Kevin Wong, the executive director of the Canadian Water Quality Association, moderates a panel discussion on mitigating lead levels in water. ciphexwest.ca

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165 years experience...

No one knows the PVF market or products better than Flocor. With a comprehensive line-up of Pipe, Valves, Fittings and Hangers, as well as market specific trained customer service and sales representatives, Flocor delivers quality and service where and when you need it most.

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PLUMBING

FACILITIES AGREEMENTS:

LEVERAGING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS & TOOLS Regular Business, Steady Proﬁts

air-clogged shower and tub drains. Backed-up toilets. Kitchen grease stoppages. They’re all common consumer plumbing emergencies. But commercial and non-proﬁt facilities – schools, restaurants, apartment buildings, hospitals, hotels, supermarkets, personal care homes, factories and more – suffer similar troubles, too. Maintenance agreements with facilities such as these can help expand your business. And plumbing contractors across North America are doing just that.

SOLVING KITCHEN CONUNDRUMS Serious kitchen drain stoppages at Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma menaced operations and sanitation. Worse, a parade of plumbers couldn’t cure the chronic quandary. Couldn’t, that is, until Larry Linn of Linn’s Plumbing sprung his drain cleaning equipment and expertise into action to spot, and solve, the true trouble. Using one of his lightweight, compact video pipe inspection systems, he ﬁrst pinpointed the problem: a broken cast-iron pipe.

Many larger facilities hire sizable maintenance staffs. Smaller ones, by contrast, employ few custodial personnel. Either way, unless their rosters include seasoned plumbing and drain cleaning professionals – and they maintain proper equipment arsenals – they probably can’t handle many of the common drain cleaning emergencies that arise in their facilities. That’s where you come in. Paraphrasing Ghostbusters, “You got the tools! You got the talent!” Many savvy plumbing and drain cleaning pros are establishing regular service agreements with schools, apartment buildings, healthcare providers and other facilities to handle recurring drain cleaning problems.

“Six other competitors just snaked debris around, never ﬁxing the underlying mess,” he says. Linn cleared the line with a heavy duty drain cleaner designed to clear roots and other difﬁcult clogs with 100’ of 5/8” innercore cable optimized for long, tough jobs.

The DVD recording of the collapsed line convinced Southwest Medical to replace, rather than repair, the kitchen conduit. In clearing the hospital drain, his heavy duty drain cleaner also retrieved a broken cable with cutter head from a competitor who irresponsibly left it there. “That made blockages even worse,” Linn notes dryly.

“Teaming both tools conﬁrmed our thoroughness and professionalism,” he says, smiling. “The construction supervisor was amazed at how quickly, and cleanly, we got that drain ﬂowing!”

His camera inspection system offers everything necessary to troubleshoot 2” to 10” lines. The self-levelling colour camera keeps pictures upright, letting customers clearly follow the action. continues on page 42

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PLUMBING

continued from page 40

The push-rods he uses are designed to protect wiring from cuts and abrasion, and recording options include DVDs, SD cards, or Wi-Fi to record on a tablet or smarrphone. His heavy-duty drain cleaner can be used on 3” to 10” lines up to 200’ in length. Linn has six of these heavy duty drain cleaners for his four crews. “It’s great for one-man use,” he says. He also likes the closed-drum design for medical and dental offices. “Cleanliness is critical to those customers – and to our reputation.” Having a proper array of equipment, plus experience solving similar clogs, also gives Linn a leg up on his competitors. He was able to beat the competition for the hospital kitchen job and still stay profitable. Not only that, but he promised completion in five days but wrapped up the job in three.

Sometimes a snake is the right tool, and sometimes a stream of water will do the trick, but another innovation that’s pulling its weight in the ﬁeld is a ligthweight hand-held device that safely, quickly and cleanly clears clogs with a powerful burst of compressed air.

Grease clogs can plague kitchen conduits. But the right drain cleaning equipment, Chris Fantauzzo contends, turns those problems into proﬁts.

That’s why Fantauzzo added a portable 3,000 psi, 4 gpm gaspowered water jet to his company’s mix of drain-cleaning and inspection solutions.

“We do a lot of fixed-rate commercial contract work,” he says. “So speed is important to maintaining our profitability: the longer we take, the less we make.” One regular Pro-Tech account, a large pastry shop, developed a third-floor grease clog that loosened, traveling to an inaccessible portion on the building’s ground level and backing up a large, 30-gallon sink. Since the air-powered device will work through standing water, he turned to it to fix the problem. “We just pumped up the unit and blasted the blockage away,” he recalls. That sort of performance considerably enhances Breton’s productivity in apartment situations. “We can service a 32-unit building in less than half the time it takes us to do the same work with cable machines, and it’s a lot cleaner, too! Managers and residents love it.” It’s great for restroom emergencies, as well. “It gets you through bad situations – fast,” notes Breton. “Our customers really like that!” Marty Silverman is the vice-president of marketing with General Pipe Cleaners. He can be reached at mjs@generalpipecleaners.com.

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And all those problems, he says, are commercial business opportunities.

To many a pro, it’s tailor-made for clearing recurring drain cleaning problems in, for instance, restaurants, schools and apartment buildings. Just ask Alain Breton, president of Pro-Tech Drains in Quebec.

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“Health inspectors want restaurants to clean grease traps regularly,” explains the owner of Mercer Drain Cleaning Service in New Jersey. Bar owners and municipal authorities are also among the types of customers who suffer from grease, sediment, sand and ice blockages.

Air to the Rescue

SOLUTIONS

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“When a drain cleaning cable goes through grease, grease closes behind the cable, still leaving the line clogged,” he explains. But the high pressure water jet hits soft clogs with a wall-to-wall stream of high-pressure water and ﬂushes them away. One of his competitors recently tried clearing a cast iron line, but the blockage returned a few days later. “The guy just snaked through a whole mess of toilet paper, which almost immediately re-clogged the pipe,” he recalls. “We blasted the blockage downstream with our water jetter and permanently removed the wad from the trap.” His gas-powered jetter has on-demand pulsation to help the hose glide easily around tight bends and down long lines. Water jets are indispensable weapons against grease, sand, sludge, and ice blockages. Fantauzzo tasks his gas-powered water jet for 4” and larger lines. He also owns a compact, portable electric water jet for smaller, 1-1/2” to 2” lines. His arsenal of tools also includes a portable video inspection system; multiple large line drain cleaners for tree roots and other stubborn stoppages; a mid-size drain cleaner for small ﬂoor drains, vents and stacks; and multiple hand-held power drain cleaners with automatic feeds to clear clogged sinks, tubs and laundry drains. Fantauzzo, like Larry Linn, teams tools for optimal productivity. His crews can precisely spot and diagnose problems with his inspection camera , and then use the right drain cleaner for the job.

PLUMBING

Products

High-efﬁciency Water Heater Bradford White’s eF series Power Vent condensing water heater offers thermal efﬁciencies of over 90 per cent. The 50-gallon, 76,000 BTUH unit features a vertical dual-pass heat exchanger and is designed to run on natural gas or propane.

www. bradfordwhite.com

Tankless Water Heater Laars’ Mascot ST condensing tankless water heater is available in a 199,000 BTUH size and offers 10:1 modulation. The natural gas or LP-ﬁred unit features a condensing stainless-steel heat exchanger with a selfcleaning design that allows condensate to ﬂow down along the tube walls and out through a condensate collection system.

Angled Ball Valves Eastern Foundry and Fittings’ angled ball valves are designed for a variety of applications, including water meters, commercial water heaters and boilers, fan coils, and radiant baseboard systems. They are engineered to reduce potential leak points, as well as the number of ﬁttings needed for installation.

www. eff-ﬁtting.com

High-Efficiency Children’s Toilet Gerber’s HE-20-601 high-efficiency PeeWee toilet is designed for use in daycares and schools. It features a 1.28 gallon flush from a dual-fed siphon jet. The gravity-fed toilet has a 10” rough-in, a 3” flush valve and a fully glazed trapway.

www. gerberonline.ca

www. laars.com

Water H W Heater C Connectors SharkBite’s ﬂexible water heater connectors are designed to connect hot and cold supply lines to water heaters in residential and commercial applications. Available with braided or corrugated hoses, they come in 12”, 15” and 18” lengths with optional integrated ball valves, as well as 24” lengths. They connect directly to copper, PEX or CPVC.

www. sharkbite.com

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M ee cc hha an ni ci ac l a Bl u Bs iun se isns e 1s 0s . 1102 . 1 6

Transfer Pump Milwaukee Tool’s self-priming M18 transfer pump is designed to provide 18’ of lift and 75’ of head. Capable of pumping water at 480 gph, it safeguards against dry-pumping by switching off when an application is complete. The pump comes with two 3/4” brass threads for hose connections.

www. milwaukeetool.ca

THERMOSTATIC CARTRIDGE

ADJUSTABLE LIMIT STOPS

TEMPERATURE ADJUSTMENT

ABOVE THE DECK CONVENIENCE. T H E R M O S TAT I C C O N F I D E N C E.

The new Delta hands-free thermostatic lavatory faucet is the smart choice for applications requiring thermostatic temperature regulation. The mixing valve and solenoid are contained within the body of the faucet and the supply lines are factory-installed, making installation quick and simple. Outlet temperature limits can be set easily from above the deck by the installer and a top mixer allows the user to adjust the water temperature to comfort. Now thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smart. DEMD-611LF

Backed by an exceptional 5-year limited warranty. deltacommercialfaucets.com

CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER By Adam Freill

Photos courtesy of Bell Let’s Talk, Canada’s Walk of Fame/David Lee, and American Standard

Join Howie and numerous other Canadian celebrities in promoting positive mental health during Bell’s Let’s Talk Day – January 25, 2017. letstalk.bell.ca

hen American Standard launched its ActiClean self-cleaning toilet earlier this year, the company linked up with much-loved germophobe and practical joker Howie Mandel. Mandel, who grew up in the Toronto suburb of Willowdale, accidentally found himself in the position of being an “ambassador of mental health” after revealing his own challenges during an interview several years ago. Since then he’s embraced the cause of positive mental health, and encourages others to be open about their own mental health issues, in hopes that society loses the stigma associated with it. “A lot of people have a soapbox. I happen to have a throne,” he joked during an exclusive interview with Mechanical Business, right after he inquired about being the centerfold in the magazine. “I never dreamed that I would be a model.”

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Being connected to a toilet was a natural ﬁt for the funnyman, but pitchman duties aside, he liked what he saw of the technology from the get-go. “I know they approached me because I have become a renowned germophobe,” he says, “but I would have one even if I didn’t have anything to do with k db f t th b d American Standard because I am irked by th the fact thatt anybody has to hold a brush and clean their toilet… In my house, everyone’s hands are clean because they don’t clean the toilet. They don’t have to.”

Removing the Stigma

Howie, the High School Foreman

Bring up the topic of mental health in a group and it’s not uncommon for an uncomfortable silence to occur, but it need not be that way, says Mandel. “I am a renowned proponent of removing the stigma of mental health issues,” he says. “Growing up in the ’50s, nobody talked about it, nobody really did anything about it, and I just think that [talking about it] is the answer to all of our problems.” Howie discovered just how prevalent an issue mental health is after divulging some of his struggles during a radio interview. “Accidentally, I blurted out what my issues were, but as it turns out I am not the only one with issues. Every human being has issues. You don’t have to be diagnosed with something that has an acronym or has letters in front of it. You just have to be a human being,” he explains. “I suffer from anxiety and depression, and I made jokes because laughing was just a lot easier than crying, but I battled, and it is a battle that I am involved in every day. “Life is a ﬁght, and I am having a good time in this battle, and it is well worth battling for, but we have got to talk about it – whether that is in a plumbing magazine, or with the guy next to you on the bus, or whether it is me on stage,” he says. “If we just talk, and we are all open, and we all know that we are all awkward, and it is weird and it is funny, and even if the beginning of the conversation is, ‘You know, they have a toilet where you can just push one button and walk away,’ we just have to communicate about how we feel about things and how we do things, and things will be better.

The seeds of Howie Mandel’s comedy career were sown long before he was discovered during an open mic night at a Los Angeles comedy club. His practical jokes were a contributing factor to his being asked to leave his school a little bit before graduation, and one of his best capers was his attempt to update his high school. “I authorized, through the Yellow Pages at the time, people to come out and measure and give bids on an addition to the library,” he says.

“We are all awkward. We are all weird. We are all mental. And we need to acknowledge whatever our mental issues are. They are just what make us human.”

From his classroom on the third floor, he marveled as a crew arrived on the scene. “I was looking down onto the field and I could see these guys measuring. And then I saw the principal wander out onto the field, and then this animated conversation.”

Soon enough, Howie was called down to the ofﬁce, where his principal asked: “Did you authorize a company to put an addition onto the library?” “I answered very seriously,” says the funnyman. “No, I am getting three bids. I am a little more responsible than that. I will not give my authorization without getting three bids.

“And there’s always help.” At work, many of us feel that our state of mental health needs to be hidden, but that just adds to the stigma, and doesn’t help the person who is struggling internally, Mandel notes. “If you hurt your back as a plumber, a million people will have a chiropractor, or you can go and get a massage, but if you just can’t function because there’s a lot of pressure, or you just became a parent, or somebody in your family was diagnosed with something traumatic, there’s nobody in place just to talk to,” he explains.

“And one thing leads to another, and now I am in the most popular plumbing magazine in the world. I wish that principal was around today because I would show up at his ofﬁce and slap this magazine down on his desk and say, ‘Ha!’”

“They tell you, ‘I need to get a retainer because my teeth are crooked.’ They’ll tell you their back hurts or their ankle hurts, but nobody will tell you, ‘I can’t function. I’m anxious and scared, so I can’t go to work today.’ They won’t tell you that,” he says. “I don’t understand the difference. We go take care of our dental health and 90 per cent of the time there’s nothing wrong – we just go for a checkup. But nobody goes and gets a checkup by just talking to somebody.

Did you know?

“Just like dental health, we have to take care of our mental health.”

Sunday, December 18th at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Howie was honoured with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2009. The 2016 edition of Canada’s Walk of Fame Broadcast Gala airs nationally on

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC

Gord Cooke is a professional engineer who has spent 20 years helping builders and HVAC contractors implement innovative technologies into highperformance homes. He has particular expertise in IAQ and airﬂow management in houses, and can be contacted at gcooke@ airsolutions.ca.

radon

OPPORTUNITIES FOR HVAC CONTRACTORS

’m sure many of you reading this have heard customers, clients, or even friends and neighbours mention the dreaded R-word...radon.

I’m also sure many of you have not. It’s remarkable how an issue so well-known and addressed in both the public sphere and in the building and housing industries in the U.S. and Europe has taken so long to gain widespread attention here in Canada. Regardless, it’s here now and it’s only getting bigger. Radon is an important issue for homeowners and builders alike, and it presents some great potential opportunities for HVAC contractors in the know.

WHAT IS

radon

Radon is a naturally occurring soil gas that is invisible and odourless. It is present in rocks, soils and water, and it gets released into the air – sometimes outside, where its concentration is negligible, or sometimes inside of our houses through our foundation walls or slabs. Inside, it can reach dangerous levels. The alpha particles emitted as radon particles break down are the real danger here, not the radon itself. Alpha particles that hit someone’s lungs can sometimes damage the cells. This may potentially lead to lung cancer. Radon is not an immediate danger, like a ﬁre or natural gas leak, but it is a danger more akin to the risks associated with years of smoking. To give a picture of the health risk, living in a home with concentration level of 300 becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3), not at all an unheard-of level, is the rough equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day in terms of damage to lung tissue. As of now, roughly 16 per cent of lung cancer deaths are attributed to radon exposure, though this is very likely an underestimate.

B y Go r d C o o ke

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ACCEPTABLE RADON LEVELS In Canada we measure radon concentration in becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3), which you can divide by 37 to convert to the U.S. unit of choice, picocuries per liter (pCi/L). The average home in Canada contains concentration levels of 41.9 Bq/m3 of radon, and the average outdoor concentration is around 10 Bq/m3 (that’s right – not even outside air is completely safe). According to a 2012 estimate, almost seven per cent of homes in Canada have radon levels of 200 Bq/m3 or more. This is the current actionable level (the point at which mitigation measures are recommended) set by Health Canada. This was lowered from 800 Bq/m3 in 2007. A more recent random sample of 131 homes in Guelph, Ont., revealed that 18 per cent had concentrations above the actionable level. For comparison, the Environmental Protection Agency’s actionable level is 148 Bq/m3, and the World Health Organization’s is 100 Bq/m3 – half that of Health Canada. A 2014 study concluded that approximately 233 lung cancer deaths per year could be prevented in Ontario if all houses with concentrations above 100 Bq/m3 were remediated. continues on page 50

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Behind Every Successful Contractor There is a Great Partner.

Goodman is mine. When it came time to find a strategic partner to help take his company to the next level, Mike Martino knew there was only one choice: Goodman. With Goodman on one side and “the best employees in the business” on the other, Martino HVAC became Ontario’s premier HVAC contractor. Service calls were significantly reduced and, along the way, Martino picked up many industry honours including the prestige of being named BILD’s “Trade Contractor of Year” an unprecedented three times. Martino won’t give you all the secrets to his success, but one he’s happy to share is the importance of a great product partner. As Mike puts it, “Goodman is mine.”

www.martinohvac.com

www.goodmanmfg.com www.goodmanmfg.com

HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC

continued from page 48

Radon

MITIGATION There are a few ways to mitigate radon in a building with high radon concentration levels.

Measuring

RADON CONCENTRATIONS There are areas that are much more prone to high radon levels than others, though concentrations can vary dramatically from house to house, and even fluctuate day to day and season to season. There is truly no way to know the level of radon in a home without measuring that specific home, ideally with a long-term testing device. With proper certification, HVAC contractors have the opportunity to act as specialists, focusing on measurement or mitigation (or both), using some familiar products and methods, as well as some new ones. In the U.S., which is years ahead of Canada on the radon scene, 33 states have already made radon measurement a requirement in each and every real estate transaction. (Yes, that is a great deal of measuring.)

There are a number of different methods & products that can be employed to measure radon levels.

There are a number of different methods and products that can be employed to measure radon levels. Basic measurement kits that show average concentration, such as the alpha track products from Radon Environmental Management Corporation (REMC), are relatively low in cost and simple to use. You just open the package and place the device in an appropriate spot on the lowest inhabited level of the house, then collect the device a few months later (or weeks later, in the case of short-term devices) to send it off to the lab and await the results.

Digital detectors are also available to provide on-the-spot readings (usually after 48 hours of measurement), but these only show averages in concentration, rather than peaks. Another type of measurement device uses air grab sampling, which allows the user to capture a sample of the air in a building and test it on the spot for fast and accurate measurements. This, however, only gives a representation of concentration levels at the moment of collection, and does not reﬂect the long-term average concentration levels, which is what is generally recommended before undertaking any mitigation.

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Most favoured among contractors, and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), is subslab depressurization (SSD). This is where air is drawn from under and around the slab via a pipe and inline fan and exhausted outside. Another option is to use the existing sump-pump hole and incorporate a sealed cover connected to the pipe and fan. To depressurize an existing home, a hole must usually be cut in the slab. As time goes, builders will likely be required to install at least a rough-in pipe for future radon mitigation if needed. This is now mandatory by code in most of British Columbia, and is coming to other areas as well. For example, it is one of the prescriptive options the City of Guelph requires of all new building permits applied for after August 31st, 2015, under its Radon Gas Mitigation Program. Three other areas in Ontario also require consideration of radon when building – the City of Elliot Lake, the Township of Faraday and the Township of Hyman, all areas with a history of mining. Watch for these changes in your area. Fresh air ventilation systems (HRVs and ERVs) can also be very effective in mitigating radon, as the process of exhausting stale, radon-ﬁlled air and diluting the air in the building with fresh air lowers overall concentration levels. This method is actually more common than sub-slab depressurization in much of Europe, and we may see it gain popularity in the future here in North America as it is less destructive to the building design, taking advantage of already existing air handling systems. When used in combination with a radostat detector it also has the beneﬁt of reducing operating costs, as the air exchange system is only activated when rising radon levels are detected, unlike an SSD, which operates continuously. There is much more to radon, and certainly many more products and mitigation methods than I’ve touched on in this article. If you are interested, I would highly recommend visiting the radon section of Health Canada’s website for more general information (www.hc-sc.gc.ca).

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B y Jo n at h an M osterd

Protecting YOUR VFD INVESTMENT

AS THE COST OF ENERGY continues to rise, so too does the increased demand for efﬁciency. One of the ways many manufacturers are improving efﬁciency is through the use of variable frequency drives (VFDs) for electrical motors. Compared to across-the-line starters or older DC drives, variable AC drives are able to save users money by providing better motor control to operate the system at lower speeds and unity power factor. Over time, the payback from these savings reduces operating costs and provides a return on investment. However, this is only possible by ensuring the lifecycles of these units are maximized and optimized.

Here are 10 ways to protect an investment in a VFD:

Know your application.

Protecting the VFD investment begins before a VFD is even purchased. Factors such as performance, speed or torque control, ﬁeldbus communications, or even inputs and outputs can often affect the model of unit needed. Taking the time to ﬁrst determine the needs of your customer can often differentiate between a successful project and one that keeps you up in the middle of the night.

Training and qualifications.

By taking appropriate training on the equipment you are installing, you can offer proper advice and a quality install to your customers. And knowledge of the systems is of utmost importance, especially in harsh environments. Manufacturers provide minimal standards for installation and often there are local electrical regulations which also need to be met. Further, being a trained and qualiﬁed installer allows you to ensure that drives are mounted correctly, all wiring is bonded and grounded properly, the installation allows for proper airﬂow, and all covers and protective barriers have been reinstalled correctly.

Jonathan Mosterd is the service manager with Danfoss in Stoney Creek, Ont. He can be reached at jonathan.mosterd@danfoss.com.

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Make sure the system is engineered properly.

The VFD needs to be sized according to load and ambient conditions to ensure that it can handle the torque required in all situations. Be sure to consult with the VFD manufacturer. They will have design resources available to support you.

Verify that your people doing the start-up and commissioning are wellversed in VFD operation.

Knowing and understanding how to properly enter the motor data, utilize PID controls and establish ﬁeld bus communications will help ensure that both budgets and deadlines are met during the installation.

Evaluate your environment.

If the location of installation is contaminated with dust, conductive residue, debris, moisture, oil, high temperatures, or other potential disruptors, you may want to invest in a VFD that is rated NEMA 12 or NEMA 4 to protect it from these variables. Also consider temperature, altitude and humidity, and compare them to the manufacturer’s speciﬁcations. The electrical environment is also important and often overlooked; existing harmonics, stray voltages, imbalances or line spikes can cause adverse effects to your new installation. Filters, reactors and isolation transformers are other items that may be needed to ensure a properly operating environment.

Train onsite staff.

Having a good working comprehension of variable AC drives will help maintenance staff to better understand what is considered normal and abnormal operation. By identifying abnormalities early, they could prevent unexpected failures and downtime, and the information they provide can help with troubleshooting when the unexpected does occur.

Select the correct motor.

Perform regular maintenance.

Not all motors are created equal. Due to the nature of the pulse-width modulation (PWM) waveform that a VFD generates to produce a synthetic AC waveform, there are often high voltage spikes. VFD-rated motors are equipped with extra insulation and are designed to handle this. Be sure to consult with your motor manufacturer regarding speeds, duty cycle, isolated bearings, ground brushes and environment. A good motor manufacturer will work with you to verify you are purchasing the best product for your application.

Like most electrical equipment, VFD manufacturers prescribe recommended maintenance intervals that should be followed. This will allow your customer to plan shut-down times so that you can clean and inspect the unit, identify potential problems and remove any items that may be preventing the equipment from properly dissipating heat. It also allows you to chart standard operating conditions and identify if things are starting to break down, such as the electrolytic capacitors.

Specify the correct fusing, cabling and filters.

Before ﬁnalizing the installation, be sure to consult the installation manuals that come with the VFD. These will provide valuable information regarding compliant fuses and cables sizes and types (such as VFD cable), as well as any external items you may need, such as a load reactor to prevent things like reﬂective waves. Further, use the correct wiring and wiring practices during the installation process. A VFD cannot maintain its NEMA 12 or NEMA 4 rating if wiring practices and components of the same rating are not used.

Invest in recommended spare parts and review them on a regular basis.

It is one thing to purchase a spare unit, and another to actually use it. Many VFDs today have electrolytic capacitors which, if left unused for more than a year, begin to deteriorate. This may cause the unused drive to spontaneously combust when ﬁnally installed. While it is important to have extra parts like fuses and control boards, as well as spare VFDs on hand, it is just as important to regularly test and inspect them to ensure they are in good operating condition and ready for use should you need them.

It is imperative that the installation process for a VFD be followed precisely and accurately. By spending the necessary time up front, investing in the correct products for the application and conducting regular maintenance, you can rest assured that your customers will reap the energy savings and operational efﬁciencies of a VFD for many years to come.

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HVAC/R Products P Gas Furnace WeatherKing’s W95T gas furnaces are available with input rates ranging from 40,000 to 115,000 BTUH. Offering AFUE efﬁciencies as high as 95 per cent, they can be vented with 2” or 3” PVC. With a low proﬁle of 34”, they are ideal for spaceconstrained installations.

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Ductless Installation Kit Aspen Pumps’ Aspen Xtra, distributed by Rectorseal, is a 39-item kit designed to assist contractors in installing ductless mini-splits and VRF/VRV equipment. It includes all the connectors, adaptors, brackets and supports needed for an installation, and comes in a clear-view re-stockable box.

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Duct Heaters Stelpro’s SDHx custom electric ductt heaters are available in insertion (SDHI series), ﬂange (SDHF series) and round (SDHR) models. They are manufactured for a variety of applications, pplications, and can be installed at the outlet of a VAV box, an air handler or fan coil unit, inside a commercial make-up air unit, or in an OEM application with a process air heater.

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Split-System Heat Pumps Tempstar’s SmartComfort TSH4 splitsystem heat pumps are available in 1.5 to 5 ton sizes and offer efﬁciencies up to 11 HSPF. They are designed to send plain-text self-diagnostic messages to a wall control to help service technicians troubleshoot system-related issues.

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Bitzer’s two-stage reciprocating compressors now run with R448A and R449A refrigerants, both of which are low-GWP alternatives to R404A. They can operate either with or without a liquid subcooler, and all models in the company’s semi-hermetic two-stage compressor series have been ﬁtted with thermostatic expansion valves.

Delta Cooling Towers’ anti-microbial cooling towers feature an HDPE resin engineered to mitigate legionella and resist bioﬁlm growth. They are designed to withstand chemical treatments and feature sloped basins and basin-sweeping systems to prevent stagnant water.

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Marketing with DOUG MACMILLAN

A Charitable Balance: It’s All in the Plan There is no shortage of great causes knocking on the doors off local businesses. Done well, supporting one of these causes is an age-old, mpany, win-win union. A brand builds its proﬁle as a caring local company, while charities get the funds they need to improve the wellbeing eing of the community.

Doug MacMillan is president of The Letter M Marketing in Guelph, Ont. To reach him, email doug@thelettermmarketing.com.

Work from a Plan Building a corporate social responsibility plan provides a framework for what matters to you and your employees, and will ensure that charitable decisions align with your brand. It should also identify measures to gauge return on investment. Folks will argue that supporting charity is about giving, not getting something back; however, every single decision an owner or manager makes must consider the impact on the company. If a business is stronger and more proﬁtable because of its community giving, it will have even more to give in the future… leading to an even stronger business, and an even stronger community. It’s neat how that works.

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Saying no is difﬁcult when every cause seems like an important one. Who are we to say that breakfast programs for kids are more worthy than assistance for people who care for an aging parent, or that a sports team deserves our support more than an arts program? Charities are skilled at pulling at heartstrings to get a yes regardless of whether it’s a good business decision. Yet, giving to charity should be a good business decision, even though we cannot say yes every time.

How to Give When it comes to corporate social responsibility, there are generally three ways for a business to give back. Understanding the pros and cons of each approach can help a business build a plan that is right for them.

Cash donations: Aside from being listed as a donor on n a website or annual report, the advertising recognition ognition of a donation is typically minimal. The return urn on this investment – other than helping an important cause – is a tax receipt to offset the donation. Such donations are typically made without fanfare. We give because it’s the right thing to do, and because the cause matters to us. We don’t see it as a marketing investment, per se.

Cash sponsorships: Businesses looking for more recognition in the market will usually make a sponsorship pledge. This can be money or in-kind services, in exchange for brand recognition in the charity’s marketing efforts. This may come in the form of a logo on posters, banners or event brochures; a profile on the charity’s website, newsletters and other communications; or other forms of recognition typically negotiated between the business and the charity. Tax-wise, these investments are recorded as marketing expenses that reduce a company’s overall taxable profits. By and large, this is the preferred route for businesses looking to show themselves to be a caring local company. As such, it is important to evaluate the likely impact of the exposure. If you spent the same amount on advertising, would you see the same level of profile in the marketplace?

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In-kind donations of time and talents: Most businesses need to put a cap on the amount of cash they can give to charity, but they can still provide considerable support to the community by volunteering or providing in-kind services. A plumbing contractor that retroﬁts a hospice’s aging plumbing system can treat that donation of its talents as a sponsorship and request comparable advertising value. An important bonus with this strategy: it is proven that employees experience greater job satisfaction and build new skills when they’re involved in employer-supported volunteering and community engagement. A well-constructed corporate social responsibility plan will identify its giving priorities in each of these three areas. While it’s a good idea to try to cover off all three to some extent, how much time or energy goes into each category will differ. Some companies are in a better position to give cash than time, and prefer to do this discreetly without applause. Others are aligning their branding strategies with giving and looking for maximum recognition to support their marketing efforts.

Picking Causes

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In setting priorities, it is important to deﬁne the exact causes you’ll support. We can’t help everyone, but a good plan helps a business know when to decline a request for support while knowing you’re still doing a lot to help others.

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Here are a few tips to help deﬁne the causes that will make the list:

Causes that matter to business owners, personally: We may have a certain passion or reason to support a community agency that has helped us.

Causes that matter to employees: Asking staff to recommend charities they’re involved with is a great way to connect the company’s causes with its people.

Causes that align with your business purpose: Giving to charities that promote trade careers for young people, for example, or supporting agencies that provide community housing may ﬁt with your core business.

Causes that support your industry: Associations and other groups provide important leadership, advocacy and skill development to further your business interests.

In all cases, some quick research should be conducted into the chosen charities to provide assurance your time, treasures or talents are being put to the best use. Review ﬁnancial statements, annual reports and speak with staff or board members to best understand their work and how the money is spent in the community. M e c h a n i c a l

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HYDRONICS

B y B o b “ Ho t R o d ” Rohr

Crazy

COMPONENT A

mong the many decisions that need to be made in hydronic design are component selections. Looking around, you may encounter an overwhelming selection of parts and pieces. But which components are needed, required or optional, and why? The goal when designing or installing any heating system should be efﬁcient, quiet, long-lasting performance that is properly sized to match the heat loss of the structure you are heating. To this end, we need a few basics on every hydronic or solar system, but there are also some addons that can make life, and servicing, much easier.

FLOW CONTROL AND ZONING

Certainly every component we discuss here adds cost and complexity to a job, and plenty of contractors are KISS-type guys and gals.

Zone valves can help manage the distribution system, but there are different schools of thought on how much zoning is required or needed. Many installers sell zoning as the

The choice to add a non-critical, yet helpful device will be between you and your customer. But also know that components make the system, and the system is a reﬂection of you and your expertise. Find the comfort zone with the selection and choices that suit you, and make your customer happy. Happy hydronicizing.

ultimate in comfort control, right down to a room-by-room ability to adjust temperatures for the most robust systems. Going overboard and creating micro-zones can lead to excessive boiler cycling, however, so there is a need to balance multi-zoned systems that have small zones. This is often accomplished with either a buffer tank or a large mass, high

AIR AND DIRT AND PERFORMANCE We need to have good air removal. Failure to eliminate all the big bubbles, as well as the micro air in a system, leads to numerous problems. Air causes noise, it reduces heat transfer, and with large air bubbles, you may end up with complete lack of ﬂow. Don’t get cheap in this critical area. Micro-bubble-style air purgers do an excellent job of ridding a system of all the potential problems.

volume type of boiler. The location of air removal devices is critical. Ideally, you want them in the hottest ﬂuid area, typically right out of the boiler, or the return side of a chiller. Expansion must be calculated and provided for if you want the system to operate as designed. Online calculators from various manufacturers can make the selection and sizing of an expansion tank quick and easy. continued on page 60

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continued on from page continued page 2858

Be aware that the very wide temperature differentials experienced with solar thermal systems will impact the expansion that needs to be accommodated. Tanks will end up being unusually large to accommodate a 100 degree, or more, temperature swing of the ﬂuids in the array. Dirt removal is another must-have. Heat exchangers in boilers are shrinking, so there is no longer any space to trap dirt and debris without affecting heat transfer. One method to catch and remove particles is the use of Y-type strainers. Dirt separators take it to another level by providing smaller particle removal and more space to trap and hold particles out of harm’s way. Media-type dirt separators will remove particles as small as ﬁve microns. I have seen the value that magnetic separation can add to a dirt separator. The magnetic function is a must, in my opinion, if you are embracing ECM technology in your pump selection.

SENSORS AND DATA LOGGING COMPONENTS With building automation becoming critical, it is advisable to start considering options to monitor systems. Many boilers now offer modules that let you monitor and data log remotely with a phone app. In some cases, adjustments can be made remotely. Contractors with jobsites scattered hundreds of miles apart are embracing Wi-Fi control and monitoring to cut down on nuisance callbacks. We may be getting close to a time when energy metering will be required. In multi-unit housing, the ability to charge the user for only the energy they use has some value, and should be of interest to the bill payers. The equipment to accurately measure and log this information already exists. In some of the European countries I have visited, the hot, cold and heating energy is metered, and d the tenants or unit owners can use a credit card to pre-purchase or add onto their energy consumption.

FINDING BALANCE Does every system benefit from having balancing valves? My thoughts are that they provide a fine-tuning mechanism for a system, so I encourage their use. Perhaps the best example of balancing value can be seen on hydronic or radiant manifolds. The valves and flow indictors allow you to make adjustments to achieve the correct flow to meet the design requirements. If you are using multiple loop lengths, for example, having a balancing function on the manifold will still allow you to get full performance, comfort and efficiency, despite having fluid travel different distances to each zone.

QUICK TIP Q Flo meters are sometimes included to Flow get a visual on flow rates and balancing adjustments. Solar thermal systems adj commonly use flow indicators. Many radiant com manifolds also provide visual flow indicators. ma

Commercial building design almost always incorporates balancing valves to fine-tune flow rates to the branches and heat emitters. Balancing contractors are often hired to dial in the system and document that it is performing to design. This holds true for domestic hot water recirculation as well. The valves allow the flow rates to multiple loops and circuits to be adjusted to prevent over pumping, noise, energy waste and potential erosion from excessive velocity. It can be worth taking some time to explore the various types of balancing valves to determine if they add value to your systems.

Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr has been a plumbing, radiant heat and solar contractor and installer for 30 years. A long-time columnist and trainer, he is manager of training and education with Calefﬁ North America. You can reach Hot Rod at bob.rohr@calefﬁ.com.

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Jeff House is an experienced industry professional and hydronics trainer. He handles the sales territory from the Niagara region to the Greater Toronto Area for Jess-Don Dunford, a manufacturers’ rep in Ontario. He can be reached at jhouse@jessdondunford.com.

Find the Fix

PRIMARY/SECONDARY/MAYBE? This is a schematic of a 54-unit apartment building boiler retrofit project that you’ve been n asked to provide a quote for. After careful inspection, you know that the boilers are 1,216,000 BTUH input with an output of 973,000 BTUH, as per the boiler rating plate. The building pump has a rating plate of 135 gpm at 21’ of head. Both boilers are vented together into an exterior brick chimney that is about 60 feet high. Based on this information: 1. Is the main 4” building piping the correct size for the boilers installed? a) Yes, 4” should work just fine. b) 5” would be the correct size. c) No, it should be 3” if the delta T is 20°F. d) It is a commercial job so it will work fine if velocity is a little over four feet per second. Besides, both boilers should only be on during the coldest days of the year. 2. Are the boilers’ pumps hydraulically separated from the main building pump? a) Yes b) No

3. Is this an example of primary/secondary piping? a) Yes b) No c) Maybe? 4. This piping arrangement has been running this way for the past 40 years. Would you pipe your new boiler system this way? a) Yes, why not? It has been running this way without complaints of no heat since it was installed. b) No, it is not maximizing system efﬁciency. It might be running, but it certainly isn’t working!

WIN! Email your answers to adam.freill@mechanicalbusiness.com. Please include your name and daytime phone number.

Looking for the September/October answers? If you need the answers to last edition’s quiz, you’ll ﬁnd them on our home on the web, www.mechanicalbusiness.com. Just click the “Looking for Answers?” button on our homepage.

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with Roger Grochmal

Leave the Accounting to the Professionals

ustomers pay an HVAC professional to install and maintain a furnace or air conditioner, or a plumber to install their shower, tub or sink, because they know we are knowledgeable, experienced and skilled experts in our trades.

Mindful of this, and as a savvy, busy and specialized professional, I need to ask, “Why are you still doing your own books?” Roger Grochmal is the CEO of AtlasCare in Oakville, Ont. To submit a question about your company, business practices, or the industry in general, send an e-mail to Mechanical Business Magazine’s editor, Adam Freill, adam.freill@ mechanicalbusiness.com.

Work-Life Balance Before we married, my wife

ountant could save you money, improve Engaging the services of a certified accountant ossibly arguments at the kitchen table. cash flow and save frustration – and possibly My core capability is not accounting. I barely scraped through it in school and swore I would never have to do it in my chosen profession. I always ney for myself, it would not be figured that if I was going to make money because I could do my own books. agement needs is sound Outsourcing your bigger financial management re good HVAC business advice. Smart homeowners hire actors hire good and plumbing contractors. Good contractors bookkeepers and accountants. In the end, you have to ask yourself: Are you a contractor or an accountant??

operated a bookkeeping service for a number of

WHY HIRE SOMEONE TO DO YOUR BOOKS?

small businesses, including contractors. So it should come as no surprise that she was the full-time accountant

The world of accounting is far more complicated and full of risks than it used to be. In addition, there are three critical stakeholders who have to be confident in the accuracy of your numbers in order to make decisions:

for my business for a few years, until we decided that she should stop working for me and I should hire someone else. It’s probably the principal reason we are still married.

1. You. A good set of books tells you if you are pricing properly so that there is some money left over at the end of the day. Hiring a bookkeeper frees up your time so you can focus on the things that make you money, like making sales, performing work and looking after customers. A competent finance professional can also provide steady metrics that give you an immediate understanding of how your business is performing, and where things can improve.

2. Banks, finance companies, equipment suppliers, leasing companies and warranty companies. Those who are extending credit need to have confidence in your financial statements and, by extension, the bookkeeping that lies behind them. If they don’t trust the numbers, they will demand personal guarantees that will keep you awake at night.

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YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE

3. Government agencies. A good bookkeeper keeps you onside. Many agencies like to audit contractors because they have found it fertile ground for revenue recovery. You can’t possibly know all the rules and regulations that apply to

Hiring a bookkeeper does not mean you can completely ignore your financials. You need to understand them and what they tell you about your business. It’s not just about having cash in the bank. You need to understand liquidity (your ability to pay your bills), various costs as a percentage of your revenue (there are benchmarks for these) and labour efficiency. Participating in a system like the annual HRAI financial statement benchmarking program can help provide you with benchmarks, along with comparisons to your peers. A good bookkeeper can use these to help you understand your broader financial situation.

your business. There are also opportunities for grants and tax credits that you will never know about if you don’t have

One activity that I still do is a review of all invoices for payment. I also sign all cheques. You will be amazed at what you will find out about your business when you do this. It’s a great way to stay in touch and ensure you are spending your money wisely.

a knowledgeable bookkeeper. Government remittances for things like payroll, called “super priorities,” are vigorously protected: timing is critical and excuses that you were “too busy on a tricky installation project” won’t cut it.

Suppliers aren’t perfect. They don’t always apply the correct discount and, in a time of volatile exchange rates, prices can change on you without you being aware. Keeping an eye on invoices ensures you have a real understanding of your costs.

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Road Warrior By Greg Dalgetty

What attracted you to the industry? I fell into it almost accidentally. But I’m mechanically inclined, so once I started getting my hands dirty I realized I liked it and wanted to continue doing it. Are you primarily a residential firm? Between 70 and 80 per cent of our work is residential, resi re side si dent de nttia al, l a and nd n d tthe he rrest estt is commercial. es com mme merc rcia rc ial. ia l. What is your service area? Ourr m O Ou ma main ain n ccatchment atchme at me ent nt a area rea re a is mostly mo osstl tly downtown down do wntown wn wn Toronto. To T oro oro ront on ntto. o. II’d ’d d ssay ay 5 ay 50 0 to o 60 60 per per cent pe cen ce ntt of of it it is is in n the he e ccity, city ci ity ty, and and then an th hen en tthere’s here here he re’s re’s ’s whatever wha hat ate teve er else ellsse e e comes com omes mes es up p outside ou o u uts tssid ide de tth the he ci ccity. ittyy. Wh What’s W hatt’s ’ y your our favourite ou e thing th hin ing ab ing about abou out working wo ork rkin ing g in the tth he tr he trad trade? ade? ad e? Meeting Me M ee ettin ng n new ew pe peop people op ple ea and nd n d llearning ea arn rnin ng ab about bou out ne new ew products. p pr rod odu ucttss. T uc Th There her ere ar are a re al always a lwa wayss new, wa ways new, ew, innovative ew inno in no ovati vati va t ve v products p pr prod rod oduc uctss ccoming o in om ing g ou out, ut, a and nd n d you you o g get ett a b better ette et tte t r bang ba b ang g ffor or yyour or our bu ou buck ck kw when hen he en yo you’ you’re u’re u’re ek keeping ee epi p ng u up p with with wi hw what’s hat’ hat’ ha t s new ne ew an and cu and ccutting-edge. uttttin ngg ed edge ge g e. What What’s W Wh hat at’ss tthe at’s he m most ostt me os memorable memo mora mo ra abl ble e project p oj pr o ecct you’ve yo ou’ u ve worked wo ork rked ed o on? n? Myy fi M first rrsst m ma major ajo or p project pr ro ojjecct was was a triplex wa ttrrip iple ex in n High Hig gh Park Pa P arrk k where w wher wh her ere e we we d did id d a tthree-zone hree hr e -z -zon one hydronic one on hy h ydro dron dr onicc ssystem. y te ys em. m Each Ea E ach ach ch u unit n t ha ni h had ad it iits ts ow own n ai air h air handler. ha and ndle ler. le r. That r. Tha hatt was was a pretty pr p ret etty tty ty b big ig p ig project roje ro oje ject ject ct ffor or me or me att the the he time. tim ime. e. Initially In niittiial ally all ly would be myy head, but I th tthought hou ought iitt w oug ould ou ould ld b e over overr m ov head he head d, b bu ut we did things and d di id tth h hin in ngs g sstep tep by te by sstep te ep an a nd itt worked worke orke or ed out o t really ou real re ea allly lly we w ell l . It w as o as ne n eo ho osse jjo obss w here he ere ew ed di idn dn’tt well. was one off th those jobs where we didn’t ge g et any an a ny call ca alll-b backs ackss b ac ecau ec eca ausse e everything evve eryyth hing in ng worked wo w ork ked d get call-backs because ou o u utt pe p perf erf rfec fec ectl tly. tly. y out perfectly.

Photos: Pho otos to : Darc Darcy D arcyy Coop arc Cooper C ooper oop er

What What’s W Wh hat at’s ’ss y your ou ur fa favourite avo ourritte tool to ool o in in your yo our ur toolbox? too olb box x? That T Th hat a w would ould ou uld db be e ou o our ur ne new w pi p pipe pe tthreader. pe h ea hr eade der. rr.. I p picked iccke icke ked d tthat th att up up la llast astt ssummer. umme um mer. me r W r. We’ve e ve e’ e been bee e n doing doin do i g some in sso ome me ccommercial co omm m er erci cial al g al gas ass work, wor ork, k, and and nd it it saves save sa ves us us a lot lott of of time ti ime a and nd dm money. on o ne eyy.

What d What do o yo you u do o iin n yo y your ur d downtime? ownt ow ntim ime? e? I do don’t d on’ n t ha have ave ve m much u h do uc downtime, down wnti wn time ti me, but me but I en e enjoy njo oy spending spen sp pe en ndi d ng ng ttime im me w with wi ith m myy fa family. fami m lyy. I have mi have a wife ha wif ife fe and a an nd tw nd ttwo wo ch cchildren: hil ildr dre en n: a four-year-old n: four fo ur-y r-y yea earearr-o olld da d daughter aug ght hter er a and nd nd a on o one-and-a-half-year-old n nee-an e-an eandd-aa-ha halff-y yearearr--o ea olld son so son. on n..

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What do you listen to when you’re driving to a jobsite? I listen to podcasts. The Fighter and the Kid is the latest one I’ve gotten into. Who’s your favourite musician? I’m a reggae-head, so I like a number of those guys, but my favourite is Buju Banton. What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to? I we went ntt tto o Reggae R gg Re ggae ae Sunfest Sun unfe fe estt in in Jamaica JJa ama ama maic ica ic ca earlier earl ea r ie rl er this th his is yyear. ear a .Ia always al lwa ayyss wanted wan ante n ed to o go, go, and an nd d this thi h s was w s my wa my first fi rst st time. tim me. e. It It goes goes all go all night, nig ight ht, and and the th he headliner head dli l ne ner goes go oe ess o on n at at 7:30 7:3 :30 or or 8:00 8:0 00 in the the morning. morrni nin ng. What’s What Wh at’’s at ’s your you ourr favourite favo fa vour urit ite e movie? mo ovi vie? e? LLord Lo orrd d of of the th he Rings—all Rin Ri Rin ng gs gs—a —all tthree hrree e of of them. tth hem m. Whatt’ss your What’s What you ourr favourite favo fa vour urit ite e TV V show? show sh ow?? Vikings. Viki Vi k ng ki gs. I st started tarrte t d watching watc wa tcchi tchi hin ng g that tth hatt about abo bout utt a month mon nth ago. ago go. o It’s Itt’ss pretty p pr etty et t good—and good oo od— d—an and d gory. go ory ry. ry. What’s W Wh at’s at ’ss your you ourr favourite favo fa vo our urit itte beverage? be eve vera rage ge?? I go got ot in iinto int nto to Scotch Sco cotc t h last la ast year. yea ear. r.. I really rea ealllly like liike e Glenfiddich. Glen Gl en e nfid fi d diicch h. What’s What’s What ’ss your you our ur biggest bg bi gg ges e t pet pet peeve? peev pe eve? ev e? Unreliable Unre Un re eli liab ble le p people. eo eopl op plle. e. I h have ave a ha av hard r time rd tim ime dealing with w wi ith th disappointment. dis isap isap appoin po ointm in ntm men e t. t. What Wh hat a are arre e you you ud doing oing oi n to ng to grow grow your you ourr business? busin bu ness? We’re W We e’r ’rre working wo w ork rkin ing in g very very ve ry hard har ard d to create crre eat ate a culture where w wh wher her ere we we ccan a attract an atttra ractt good ract goo ood people, pe eo op plle e, and we want wa antt to to have have ha ve that tha at translate tran tr anssllat an ate into in nto o the the h work work k we produce. p pr rod oduc oduc uce e. II’m e. ’m m ttrying ryyin ng to to learn lea earn rn more mor ore about ore ab bou out what what wh at other o ot the her er companies co omp m an a ie iess are are doing ar d in do ing g and an a nd the the business bu in n general ge g enera nera ne al in in tthis his hi is industry. in indu ndu dusttry dust ry..

Joining the Reserve There’s more to George Lloyd than being the proprietor of Lloyd HVAC Services—he’s also been in the Canadian Forces Reserve for close to 20 years. “I joined the Canadian Forces Reserve when I was 20,” he says. “I still do it now, but in a reduced role.” He got his foot in the door after his friends became reservists. “They were raving about it, so

I decided I needed to be a part of it too,” he recalls. “I’ve been doing it for a long time now, and I’ve developed good friends and relationships through it.” And he’s had some interesting experiences along the way. “I worked at the operations centre at headquarters during the Afghanistan war for a couple years. During the recession, that’s what held me over.”

Name: George Lloyd Company: Lloyd HVAC Services Job Title: President Age: 38 Home: Toronto Born in: Manchester, Jamaica

Controlling His Destiny

George Lloyd W

hen life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That’s what they say, and that’s just what George Lloyd did following the 2008 recession. Lloyd studied architectural technology in college and worked a variety of jobs— including memorable stints as a welder and an assistant sheet metal worker—before getting his gasﬁtter licence and entering the mechanical trades. “I met some guys while I was doing a course at George Brown College and they told me about their jobs doing residential HVAC work,” he recalls. “That sounded

interesting, so I went and spoke to their boss and got a job working with them.” But when the recession hit, work became spotty, so Lloyd decided to take matters into his own hands and start his own business. “I wanted to control my own destiny,” he says. “I decided to at least try it. If it didn’t work, I still had my skills and could work for anybody.” The gamble paid off. Lloyd HVAC Services opened for business in 2011, and George Lloyd hasn’t looked back since.

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STUFF YOU NEED Digital Multimeter with Thermal Imaging Flir’s DM284 digital multimeter and thermal imager features 18 measurement functions, including true RMS, LoZ and NCV. It displays thermal images in 160 x 120 resolution and includes a thermocouple input that allows users to view thermal and electrical measurements simultaneously.

www. ﬂir.ca

Soldering Shield The Soldersnake, available from GF Thompson, is a handsfree tool designed to protect walls, floors and other surfaces from flames and sparks during soldering. It clamps onto a nearby object and can be bent into position to protect surfaces. Extra heat is reflected back onto the joint being soldered.

www. gfthompson.com

Portable Beveller Ridgid’s B-500 transportable pipe beveller mounts to the ends of pipes that are 4” in diameter or larger with a maximum wall thickness of 1/2”, or on ﬂat plates up to 1/2” thick. It comes with interchangeable heads that cut bevels at 30°, 37.5° or 45°. LED indicators on the tool monitor bevelling speed.

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Battery Pack Milwaukee Tool’s nd RedLithium High Demand 9.0 Battery Pack is an 18-volt, 9-amp hour battery engineered for use with highdraw products and sustained runtime applications. It is compatible with all of the company’s M18 tools.

www. milwaukeetool.ca Follow Us on Twitter @MechBusiness

Laser Level Fluke’s 180LG is a selflevelling horizontal and vertical-cross line laser level with a working range up to 60 m. Engineered to survive a one-metre drop, it features a magnetic wall bracket designed for stable mounting.

www. ﬂuke.com

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Crimping rimping Tool Malco’s TurboCrimper Impact tool connects to an impact driver to crimp 0.41 to 0.71 mm galvanized round duct and 0.31 to 0.61 mm black stove pipe. It is designed to work with the impact driver operating in forward or reverse, to facilitate crimping for left-handed or right-handed users.

www. malcotools.com 1 2 . 1 6

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REFRIGERATION

B y P h il J. B o u d r eau

OIL CHANGE TIME:

Screw Compressor Systems D

uring the life of a screw compressor, it will be necessary to change the oil.

Energize the heaters a day or two before draining the oil. Also, be sure to energize all oil heaters in the compressor and any external oil separator that may be present. Once you are ready to start draining the oil, be sure to de-energize all oil heaters. Compact screws have an integrated oil separator and oil heater. In systems where the oil separator is external to the compressor, as is the case with many semi-hermetic and open-type screw compressors, the oil heaters will be located in the oil separator.

Recharging the Oil When recharging the oil, never charge oil directly into the suction or economizer ports. Any oil injection solenoid valves will generally be closed when the compressor is not in operation, but this should be veriﬁed. Also, take care to limit the amount of exposure of air to the oil as POE oils are very hygroscopic.

Drain Points With compact screw compressors, the bulk of the oil is drained from the integrated oil separator section via the oil service valve. Oil should also be drained from the motor section. Generally, the oil filter is changed with the oil. With compact screws, however, the oil filter inside the oil separator is a lifetime filter. The only time that this filter would need to be changed is when the oil has become very contaminated. With semi-hermetic and open-drive screw compressors, the oil is drained from the external oil separator, oil cooler and oil injection lines. In order for an oil change to have the most impact, it is important to drain as much oil as possible from the system. Also, with these compressor types, there will usually be an oil filter located in the oil injection line which should be replaced.

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In systems where the oil separator is external to the compressors, most of the oil can generally be charged directly into the top of the oil separator. The oil level is correct when the level is visible within the sight glass of the oil separator during operation. Keep in mind that the oil injection lines and oil cooler may have to be charged separately. As a general guideline, the total amount of oil required for recharging will be the oil separator charge, plus oil cooler charge if present, plus the charge needed for the oil injection lines. Before starting the compressor, be sure to energize heaters and allow enough warm-up time. Refer to the compressor manufacturer’s instructions to determine the minimum oil temperature requirements.

Screw compressors often use oil that has a considerably higher viscosity than the oils used in reciprocating and scroll compressors. Therefore, it is easier to warm up the containers of oil prior top charging.

Charge compact screw compressors so that the oil level is visible in the compressor sight glass during operation.

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Phil Boudreau is the Ontario sales manager for Bitzer Canada Inc. and provides training and technical support for Bitzer’s clientele. He can be contacted at pboudreau@bitzer.ca.

Reﬁllabl Reﬁ ble bl e cy yli lind nder nd errs av avai a la labl b e in Canada.

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REFRIGERATION

Jim Thomas, the owner of Refrigerant Services Inc., is inter-provincially certiﬁed in the refrigeration and air conditioning trade, and serves on several industry boards and committees. He can be reached at jthomas@rscoo.com.

Conversion Corner: Q&A with Jim Thomas Question: When are HFCs, such as R-404A, R-507A, R-410A and R-134a, being phased out?

Most likely, refrigerant manufacturers will gradually replace their imports of higher GWP refrigerants, like R-404A and R-507A, with lower GWP refrigerants such as R-407F , R-442A, R-448A, R-449A and R-452A which, in most cases, can be used in the same equipment and applications.

Answer: There are currently no regulations or proposed regulations to phase out HFCs. Environment Canada is proposing a phasedown of HFCs, similar to regulations proposed by most of the other developed countries.

The proposed product controls for ACR equipment containing HFCs beginning in 2020 are as follows:

Canada is proposing controls on the import and production of all bulk HFCs, based on their total CO2 equivalent value and in addition to product-speciﬁc controls on the import and production of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. The proposed phasedown of bulk HFCs is based on a reduction of baseline consumption, as described here:

TYPE

YEAR

Maximum GWP

Standalone Medium Temp Refrigeration Systems

2020

650

Standalone Low Temp Refrigeration Systems

2020

1,500

YEAR

GOAL

2019

Reduce by 10%

Centralized Refrigeration Systems

2020

1,500

2024

Reduce by 35%

Centralized Refrigeration Systems

2020

1,500

2030

Reduce by 70%

Domestic

2025

150

2036

Reduce by 85%

Mobile Refrigeration

2025

2,200

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Re-Think refrigeration. Re-Think with Oxford.

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From m

Smart Thermostat Honeywell’s Lyric T6 Pro Wi-Fi smart thermostat can be controlled remotely by the Lyric app for Android and iOS devices, as well as Apple HomeKit for control via Siri, Amazon Echo, Stringify and other mobile apps. The thermostat is designed to learn a home’s heating and cooling cycles to provide optimal comfort, and features optional ventilation control and dual fuel capabilities.

honeywell.com

Combined Heating and Cooling Condo Pack gas-powered, directvent heating and cooling units from Napoleon are suitable for low-rise and high-rise residential applications, as well as industrial and institutional applications. Featuring efﬁciencies of up to 96.8 per cent AFUE, they are available in heating sizes of 30,000 to 50,000 BTUH and cooling sizes of 1 to 5 tons.

EXPERIENCED To CERTIFIED For Designers For Building Officials

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Enhance ce your credibility & instill confidence with customers, utilities & building officials across Canada with HRAI’s Training & Certification Programs. Residential Mechanical Ventilation Installation - Level I Mechanical Ventilation Design - Level II Heat Loss & Heat Gain Calculations

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Air System Design Integrated Combo Systems

Thermo-Hygrometer Probe Testo’s 605i thermo-hygrometer wireless probe is engineered to measure relative humidity and temperature in rooms, ducts and chambers. It also calculates dew point and wet bulb temperature. It is designed to be used with a free app for Android and iOS devices that can communicate with up to six different probes.

www. testo.com

Commissioning Radiant Hydronics Design Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for Residential & Small Commercial

Small Commercial Heat Loss & Heat Gain Calculations Air System Design

Training for the Salesforce & Other Non-Technical Staff

Infrared Heaters

Introduction to Residential HVAC Equipment

Brant Radiant’s DX3 single-stage, low intensity tube heaters feature a stainless steel burner and black-coated titanium-stabilized or aluminized steell radiant tube exchangers. With a heating range of 50,000 to 200,000 BTUH, they are available in lengths of 20’ to 80’ and run on natural or propane gas.

Call 1-800-267-2231 ext. 231, visit hrai.ca or email sales@hrai.ca to get local Training Schedules or to Register.

brantradiant.com M e c h a n i c a l

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC PLUMBING

B yB Go y Den rd C ise o o Deve ke au

commercial kitchens HAVE THEIR OWN STANDARDS

he commercial kitchen may not be the most glamorous milieu when it comes to ﬁxtures and ﬁttings, but whether you are dealing with a large healthcare kitchen or an individual restaurant with limited resources, getting the plumbing specs up to standard is vital to commercial operations.

Every building manager or owner/operator is aware that specifications for commercial environments can be complicated, and infractions can lead to potentially serious consequences in terms of threats to health and safety and/ or loss of revenues. “A commercial kitchen is a specially designed maze of directly connected and indirectly connected fixtures and plumbing appliances,” explains Rainier Bratsch-Blundell, a plumbing professor at George Brown College. In his presentations, Bratsch-Blundell often spends time on drainage system requirements, including grease interceptors, common and required fixtures, indirect connections and commercial dishwashers. That’s in addition to other commercial kitchen requirements, such as hand wash lavatory basins, pot sinks and pre-rinse sinks. Of course, the first “must do” is simply following the plumbing codes for your region. “Anything built in Ontario has to be by the Ontario Plumbing Code,” says Jerry Monaco, president of the Ontario Plumbing Inspectors Association and a plumbing inspector for the City of Brampton. “And you can’t put anything in unless it’s CSA approved. That means everything from the fixtures to the grease traps and interceptors.” continues on page 76

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THE DISH PIT A particular area of concern for commercial kitchens is the dishwashing area, which happens to be the largest consumer of water, by far. Monaco advises operators to go top grade with everything, including the drains. “These need to be larger than required in a dishwashing area – anywhere from two- to fourinches. You don’t want anything to happen and have to spend extra money if it blocks up. It’s easier to maintain and clean a larger pipe.”

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continued from page 74 HVAC HIGH-PERFORMANCE PLUMBING

B y Go r d C o o ke

RAINIER BRATSCHBLUNDELL’S Plumbing Basics for Commercial Kitchens A STICKY BUSINESS A particular sticking point for many plumbing inspectors, because it is often not done properly, is the selection and installation of grease traps and interceptors. Grease traps have to be large enough to handle all the plumbing fixtures you have in the kitchen, says Monaco. “That means sinks, dishwashers, floor drains – anywhere grease has to go through. In a regular kitchen, traps are under the sink and not connected to floor drains. In commercial applications, traps have to be connected.” While the code says you have to have your grease trap as close as possible to the fixture, this distance can vary quite a bit. Many sites have grease traps at each fixture, but that can be expensive to maintain, Monaco says. “A lot of new installations will have a central trap outside with all the lines going to it,” he explains. “Having the trap outside the kitchen also makes it more accessible to trucks for cleaning.” “Grease interceptors are designed to slow the flow of waste water, thereby

permitting FOG – fats, cooking oils and grease – having a speciﬁc gravity of less than one to rise to the top,” explains Bratsch-Blundell. “Code requires that a ﬁxture that discharges sewage that includes fats, oils or grease and is located in an area that food is cooked, processed or prepared must be discharged through a grease interceptor.” While the inclusion of an interceptor can appear straightforward, problems with interceptors can sometimes arise long after the original plumbing contractor has installed the unit. Bratsch-Blundell has seen problems caused by people who have repaired the drains after traps and interceptors have been installed, or when cleaning out the system. “There are different technologies available – some newer than others – but with any of them, the biggest problem is when the grease wagon comes to clean them out and they lose screws or don’t seal the gaskets properly,” he says. “When the gas and waste water aren’t sealed, they are no longer sanitary, leading to unpleasant kitchen smells.”

Handwashing Is a Vital Component Handwashing sinks are another area of a commercial kitchen plan that can lead to problems if not deployed correctly. Monaco say contractors often resist putting in multiple hand wash basins because of the costs; but a central system isn’t enough. “Hand-wash sinks have to be within so many feet of a cooking and dishwashing area. Larger commercial kitchens may have two or three hand sinks so employees always have easy access.” Also, handwashing sinks may have different temperature requirements, depending on the area they are installed in, so Monaco recommends mixing valves to regulate temperatures to meet code requirements. “In some spaces where you have to have your hands clean all the time, such as cutting areas for meat, kitchens will often have a sink with a ﬂoor pedal. Wash sinks for meat and vegetables also have to be separate to prevent contamination, including the trap for individual drainage.”

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You must have separate hand wash basins,

pot sinks and food prep sinks for each processing and preparation area. “You can’t use the same sink for washing lettuce as you do for poultry.”

Unlike devices that can be directly connected

to a sanitary drainage system, any devices used for the display, storage, preparation or processing of food or drink should not be directly connected to the drainage system. Rather, the ﬁxture drain should be indirectly connected over and into a directly connected hub drain that terminates above the ﬂood level rim to form an air brake (at least 25 mm). This prevents contamination when there is a blockage in the sanitary system.

While hub drains do not serve as a ﬂoor

drain, they must have the same pipe size, material and venting requirements as the ﬂoor drain.

Newer ice machines require two drains to prevent backwash and contamination. Drains and ﬁxtures will disintegrate over

time. “That’s one of the biggest problems for kitchens, whether cast iron, copper or plastic, they will decay from the volume of water usage. Typical life expectancy is 25 years for water pipes, 15 years for toilets, two years for faucets.”

All ﬁxtures must have cleanouts in order

to provide an access point for pipe inspections. “They are clean the day they are installed, and never after that.”

Drainage piping cannot be above food preparation areas, unless it is panned. Get permits for any renovations to ensure you don’t violate sewer use bylaws. Don’t wait for a disaster. Conduct regular inspections on pipes and ﬁxtures. Don’t forget to install ﬂow control.

“Inspectors see a ridiculous number of installations that have forgotten to install external flow control. I’ve seen cases where you find the external flow control still in the plastic bag inside the interceptor when you open it up.”

Making the Most Out of Your Water Conditioning Opportunity?

Plumbers are constantly performing repairs resulting from poor quality water. Hard water, iron and chlorine cause significant damage to pipes, seals, water heaters, boilers, fixtures, humidifiers, dishwashers and clothes washers.

As a trusted water professional, you owe it to your customer to ...

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Total Hardness (Grains per Gallon)

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Sales Materials

PLUMBING

Products

Commercial Faucets Delta’s DEMD-611LF faucets feature thermostatic mixing valves that prevent water from exceeding 120°F. Made for single-hole installation, they have an adjustable sensor range and a maximum runtime of 15 seconds. All faucet components are above the deck.

www. deltafaucet.ca

Water Softening System WaterGroup’s 185 HTO water softening system is designed to rid water of hardness, bad tastes and odours caused by chlorine, chloramines and organic matter. Its two-tank system keeps the media beds separate and is engineered to allow for more carbon contact.

www. watergroup.com

Bidets ﬁrst appeared in 17th century France.

Spring Kitchen Faucet The Align pre-rinse spring kitchen faucet from Moen features a pulldown hose and a ﬂowrate of 1.5 gpm. The hose is designed to retract on its own for docking. The faucet has a power clean option, engineered to increase spraying power while minimizing splashing. It’s available in a chrome or stainless steel ﬁnish.

www. moen.ca

Rooftop Hydrant

NEW

Woodford’s model RHY2 freezeless rooftop hydrant is designed to drain automatically when shut off, even when a hose is attached. It features a ﬁeld-testable double-check backﬂow preventer and a cast-iron mounting system.

www. woodfordmfg.com

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A better way to make ends meet.

Professionals who specify and install Uponor PEX plumbing and hydronic piping report faster installation times, savings on materials costs, fewer callbacks and greater peace of mind. Exceptional products, tools and support. Uponor. Tested in the lab and proven in the field.

Connect with Uponor. Connect with confidence. Learn more at uponorpro.com

PEX PLUMBING RADIANT HEATING & COOLING HYDRONIC PIPING PRE-INSULATED PIPING

HYDRONICS

EXPLORING

ECM Regulatory changes, environmental consciousness and a desire to save money have driven the hydronic industry to develop WYVK\J[Z ^P[O L]LY NYV^PUN LULYN` LɉJPLUJPLZ in recent years. But with so many boilers HSYLHK` WYVK\JPUN (-<, LɉJPLUJPLZ PU [OL mid-90s, where else is there room to grow?

hile boilers often get much of the attention when it comes to energy efﬁciency, one of the biggest energy users in a hydronic system is often one of its smallest components: the circulator pump. But the days of constant-speed pumps are giving way to new technologies, with the current drive toward electronically commutated motors (ECMs) forging the path forward in system circulation. This is expected only to increase as Canada takes interest in the changing regulatory landscape that has taken hold in Europe, and is being considered south of the border.

HOW THEY WORK Standard AC pumps rely on electrical currents to generate a rotating magnetic field in the stator of a motor, which induces another magnetic field in the rotor. The stator’s magnetic field rotates faster than the rotor’s, which results in a slip in energy. An AC motor is also limited to

start IT UP One beneﬁt of an ECM circulator is that it generally has a higher torque rating. “Even when a system has been dormant for an entire summer and it may be a little bit gummed up, EC motors have higher starting torque,” says Steffen Werner, Wilo’s director of marketing and Western region sales. “They’re less likely to get stuck, which is sometimes a problem with small residential circulator pumps.”

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Right out of the box, ECMs are typically working at half the electrical consumption of a standard AC motor.” 1 2 . 1 6

certain speeds based on the physical characteristics of the stator and rotor. Not so with an ECM circulator. “ECM motors on a circulator can help in two ways,” explains Paul Dykstra, an inside sales supervisor for Grundfos Canada. “First, the rotors are permanently magnetized to create the rotor ﬁeld, and

B y Gr eg Dalgetty THE WINDS OF CHANGE The drive toward ECM technology originated in Europe, where the cost of electricity is much higher and conservation is consequently top of mind. This led to the European Union’s Energy-related Products (ErP) directive, which mandates minimum efficiency requirements for any and all electronic devices based on an Energy Efficiency Index. “Motors in general consume a huge amount of energy globally,” explains Tim Main, the Canadian market development manager for Xylem’s residential HVAC business. “These could be motors on fans, conveyor belts, anywhere—not just necessarily on a pump transferring fluid.” As such, circulator pumps—just like any other device with a motor—are subject to stringent efficiency requirements in Europe. “As of now, these regulations can only be met by EC motors,” says Werner. “I think we’ll see a movement toward mandatory EC motors here as well, just based on the fact that they can achieve better energy efficiencies.” While ECM technology is widely available in Canada, it isn’t currently mandated by the federal government, but changes could soon be on the way as the United States’ Department of Energy is working on updating energy standards, a move that Canada will likely echo. “NRCan are following pretty tight, and they normally follow the same practices because most manufacturers are in the United States, so Canada will be getting the same product regardless,” Main says. Many industry experts expect to see Canada’s guidelines updated in five or six years, but people across North America have already begun adopting ECM technology.

BAS INTEGRATION FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY The fact that ECM circulators are electrically controlled makes them easier to integrate into building automation systems, and to track system performance. “You can basically read out everything that the pump gives you at data ports,” says Werner. “Anything that’s related to building automation or getting information like water temperature, flow or head—you’ll only get that out of one of these circulators.” By regulating flow based on system requirements, ECM circulators can also help reduce return temperature in a hydronic system, thus maximizing the efficiency of a boiler. “If you don’t design to try to get the lowest possible return temperature, you’ve done a boiler no favours at all,” Giberson says. “You’ve brought hotter water back than you really wanted, and therefore you’ve killed the efficiencies of that boiler.” An added benefit of reducing flowrates when required is reducing the stress on a hydronic system.

“The biggest drivers of ECM motors, to-date, have been state efﬁciency programs in the U.S.,” Giberson says. While a program of that nature exists in Nova Scotia, most parts of Canada are not mandated in that way. As such, he says, “We’re just trying to drive some of the beneﬁts of ECM technology through contractor awareness.”

the stator field is created using an electronic controller or commutator to create and adjust the rotating magnetic field. “Better efficiency is first a result of the limited slip of the stator and rotor, and second, the electronics controlling the stator are typically able to adjust the speed of the motor to suit the application where the circulator is being used.” The ability of ECM motors to automatically adjust flow can add up to big energy savings, and the fact that they are inherently variable speed eliminates the need for variable frequency drives (VFDs). “Right out of the box, ECMs are typically working at half the electrical consumption of a standard AC motor,” explains Sean Giberson, Taco’s Canadian sales manager for wholesale products. “And that’s

“With constant-speed circulators, as valves are closed to limit ﬂow the result is increased head pressure, which can create added stress to the system,” Dykstra notes. “When a circulator can adjust its speed to match the demands of a system, the system in general is under less stress because the circulator is not producing the pressure that it would at maximum speed.” Self-diagnostics and quick set-ups are another selling point for ECM circulators. “For a contractor, time is money,” Giberson says. “These things are smart. They’ve got the diagnostic ability to tell you things. For a contractor, they have the beneﬁts of helping them get up and running more quickly and helping them troubleshoot.”

only if we’re taking that product and running it at full speed, which you’re not most of the time.”

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Hydronic Products Condensing Boilers Viessmann’s Vitocrossal 300 CU3A ﬂoor-standing condensing boilers are available in sizes ranging from 19,000 to 199,000 BTUH. Offering a 5:1 turndown ratio and AFUE efﬁciencies of up to 95 per cent, they feature stainless steel heat exchangers and high temperature operation of up to 90°C.

www. viessmann.ca

Hose Ball Valves Webstone’s Pro-Connect press ball valves with 3/4” hose connections are lead-free and feature an adjustable packing gland and reversible handle. Available in 1/2” and 3/4” sizes, they are compatible with popular press tools.

www. webstonevalves.com

Brass Fittings Designed for commercial hydronic heating and cooling systems, Uponor’s ProPEX brass transition fittings are available in sizes from 1/2” to 2”. Made of C36000 brass, the complete lineup features 31 transition fittings that convert PEX connections to male thread, female thread, copper tubing sweat, copper fitting sweat or copper fitting press.

www. uponorpro.com

Residential Condensing Boiler The E110C wall-mounted condensing boiler from Rinnai has a maximum heating capacity of 101,000 BTUH. It is ﬁeld-convertible to run on natural gas or propane and offers a turndown ratio of 5:1. It features a stainless steel heat exchanger and offers AFUE efﬁciencies as high as 95.5 per cent.

www. rinnai.us

Split-Coupled End Suction Pumps Grundfos LCSE split-coupled end suction pumps are available in 21 different models with variable speed motors ranging from 3 to 30 hp at 3,500 rpm and 3 to 25 hp at 1,800 rpm. They offer ﬂow ranges of 10 to 1,900 gpm and head of 10 to 380 feet.

www. grundfos.com

ECM Circulatorss Taco’s 007e circulators have ECM motors and require no programming. They feature a barrier designed to protect the pump from contaminants and are capable of automatically freeing locked rotor conditions and self-purging air. An optional al two-way flange model provides universall fit tto any flange position.

www. tacocomfortsolutions.com

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Hydronic water treatment filling units Water is the “life-blood” of hydronic systems. Just as we strive to maintain the health of our own circulatory systems, it’s important to maintain the “health” of water and water based solutions that circulate through the hydronic systems we construct and maintain. HYDROFILL™ portable water treatment filling units remove “hard water" scale producing minerals, such as calcium and magnesium from job-site water. Salts and other soluble minerals are eliminated to prevent premature equipment malfunction including reduced efficiency or component failure due to scale formation. HYDROFILL™ is a convenient tool for installers to use job-site water to produce ideal grade demineralized water at an economical cost per gallon.

Components for today's modern hydronic systems

Heating & Cooling www.calefﬁ.com - Milwaukee, WI USA

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GERBER EXPANDS CONCEALED TRAPWAY TOILET OPTIONS

Have peace of mind anyw anywhere you have internet access. Internet-c Internet-connected cloud-b cloud-based system notifies your notifi mobile device whenever your system needs sy attent attention. Includes diagnostics, selfearly warning diagn testing & Smart Diagnostics. Built with Zoeller quality, this product offers a five year warranty. Designed and tested for reliability, the Aquanot 508 DC pump works alongside submersible or pedestal pumps to provide up to 5.5 hours of continuous pumping when the primary pump power is interrupted.

Gerber®, an industry leader in supporting the plumbing professional throughout North America, has added two concealed trapway toilet options to its Avalanche™ family of products. The Avalanche CT Two-Piece (Model #20-832) and the Avalanche CT One-Piece (Model #21-019) are both residential toilets and cater to a homeowner’s desire for easy cleaning and beautiful design – all while being easy to install and reliable. Both options are WaterSense® certiﬁed and operate at 4.8 liters per ﬂush.

gerberonline.ca fieldpiece.com

zoellerpumps.com PIONEERING ECM TECHNOLOGY FOR DRY ROTOR PUMPS Wilo’s Stratos GIGA offers the highest-efﬁciency motorordrive combination on the market. Its ECM motor delivers more than 33 per cent energy savings vs. controlled inline pumps (and up to 70 per cent compared to uncontrolled d pumps). It has a compact, space-saving design and iss engineered to integrate easily asily with building management systems. The Stratos GIGA is capable of up to 167’ of head and 275 gpm of ﬂow.

wilo-canada.com 84

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UNDERCOVER WALL HYDRANT The Woodford Model 68 freezeless Undercover Wall Hydrant™ features a reliable Woodford wall hydrant protected by an integral, 16 gauge stainless steel, locking cover. The hydrant won’t freeze, drains automatically (even with a hose attached), is high flow and maintenance-free. The replaceable, locking stainless steel cover flips down for easy access and features a sleek, low profile design that is easier to install than recessed box hydrants. All Woodford commercial wall hydrants are guaranteed for five years.

woodfordmfg.com 1 2 . 1 6

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SPOTLIGHTS NCB-E COMBI-BOILERS PROVIDE WHOLE HOUSE HEATING PLUS DHW Navien’s NCB-E Series combiboilers are the ﬁrst condensing combination boilers capable of delivering plentiful hydronic heat and unlimited domestic hot water for large homes. Offered in four models: the NCB-150E, NCB-180E, NCB-210E and NCB240E. The NCB-240E model delivers the highest combined heating capacity and domestic hot water capacity in the industry, heating up to120K BTU/H and DHW up to 199K BTU/H. Easy installation with ½-inch gas connections and 2-inch PVC venting.

WholeHouseCombi.com

ISOLATION VALVES The Isolator® with Round Flange features a round shape and bolt patterns specifically designed to accommodate the industry’s most popular high efficiency variable speed eed pumps. Choice of three flange designs with FIP, SWT, or PRESS connections in sizes 1 ½” and 2”. All valves feature Webstone’s unique unibody design, avoiding a leak path at the flange and are GUARANTEED FOR LIFE.

webstonevalves.com

PRICING AND ESTIMATING MADE EASY

ENERGY-EFFICIENT, ZEROLEAKAGE BUTTERFLY VALVES

Winpriser is Canada’s easiest pricing and estimating system. It allows users to create estimates, invoices, change orders and purchase orders with ease. The platform is designed to link with all major estimating software systems, and can provide pricing or complete invoices to QuickBooks and Simply Accounting/Sage.

Belimo’s technologically advanced butterfly valves offer an intelligent, energy-efficient and reliable high-flow solution for HVAC applications with a focus on ease of installation, application flexibility and longevity. Their patented brushless DC motor technology reduces energy consumption up to 80 per cent and ensures longevity and optimal system performance. They are designed to meet the needs of HVAC and commercial applications requiring zero leakage.

allpriser.com fieldpiece.com

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DUCT SMOKE DETECTORS

COMMERCIAL BOILERS Advantus commercial boilers are available with inputs ranging from 450,000 to 4,000,000 BTUH.

Air Products and Control’s SL-2000 series of duct smoke detectors are designed for the early detection of smoke and products of combustion in HVAC ducts. They shut down an HVAC system at the ﬁrst sign of smoke. Up to 30 units can be connected and more than 15 remote accessories are available. Units are listed for air ﬂow velocities of 100 to 4,000 ft/min.

GO GREEN WITH CANARM Canarm is pleased to expand our popular ALX spun n aluminum exhauster line to include EC, direct drive motors. Capable of variable speed or torque, these motorss offer 70% energy savings over conventional motor technology and exceptionally quiet operation. Most models are stocked for outstanding delivery times. To learn more, please visit: www.canarm.com/ALX.

canarm.com fieldpiece.com M e c h a n i c a l

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Advantus boilers offer turndown ratios of up to 25:1 and thermal efﬁciencies as high as 99 per cent.

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They feature two-pass counterflow fire-tube heat exchangers and stainless steel knitted metal fibre burners.

DUAL PORT MANOMETER AND PRESSURE SWITCH TESTER An industry exclusive – the Fieldpiece Instruments SDMN6 Dual Port Manometer and Pressure Switch Tester. This dual-port manometer measures gas, static and differential pressure and also accurately tests pressure switches by simulating a draft with an internal pump. It also allows technicians to easily calibrate any adjustable pressure switch to furnace manufacturer’s speciﬁcations.

fieldpiece.com 1 2 . 1 6

TOOL TIP

Getting Charged up on Battery Technology

hen it comes to research and development in power tools, there’s been as much focus on battery technology as on the tools themselves. While once ruled by nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries, the world of cordless tools has, for the most part, hitched its wagon to lithium-ion cells. Lithium-ion batteries offer tool makers longer run times and increased power capacity, as well as reduced weight and recharging times. But even among lithium ion batteries, there can be differences. What’s the difference between a 3.0 amp hour battery and one that’s 9.0? Well, for one, the higher the amp hour rating, the longer the run time. Of course, a nine-amp-hour battery of the same voltage will be larger in size and weight, since it needs a few more cells within it. Much like amp hours, increased voltage will generally make for a larger battery pack; however, the higher the voltage, the higher the power provided, so there’s a trade-off of size and weight for performance. Voltage and amp hours can be multiplied to ﬁnd the watt-hour rating of a battery. What this means is that two batteries with matching watt-hour ratings could be conﬁgured differently to put an emphasis on either power or run time.

CHARGE IT RIGHT If you have NiCad batteries and switch to lithium, be sure to switch the charger as well. Some chargers will accommodate either technology, but do not assume. The use of an improper charger could damage the battery, or even cause a ﬁre.

Sponsored by Milwaukee Electric Tool – a proud partner with Mechanical Business. Look for video tips, tools and reviews at www.milwaukeetool.com. Visit mechanicalbusiness.com for your chance to win valuable Milwaukee products and merchandise!

SPOTLIGHTS FLOCOR ANNOUNCES NEW WEBSITE Getting your supplies just got a whole lot easier! Whether from your PC, tablet or smartphone, you can now browse for product information, prices, availability and purchase directly online from our vast array of products, as well as manage your current shopping lists and purchase history. Simply get connected and simplify your life, from wherever you are, 24/7.

flocor.com fieldpiece.com EXCLUSIVE ROOF TOP BLOX DISTRIBUTOR Roof Top Blox ox are designed speciﬁcally for or supporting pipes and mechanical equipment on ﬂat commercial cial roofs. This revolutionary evolutionary roof top support port block system works with height extension rods, pipe support brackets, pipe rollers, strut support brackets and more. Easier installation and lasting dependability make Roof Top Blox the best roof block choice on the market.

gfthompson.com M e c h a n i c a l

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PAGGEE## PA

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M e c h a n i c a l

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www.ontor.com

2017 CALENDAR OF

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www.viessmann.ca

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OXFORD ENERGY SOLUTIONS INC.

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www.watcomfg.com

www.oxfordenergy.ca CONDENSAZIONE

EVENTS

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www.watts.ca

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International Builders’ Show January 10-12, 2017 Orlando, Fla. www.buildersshow.com

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Interior Design Show January 19-22, 2017 Toronto, Ont. www.interiordesignshow.com ASHRAE Winter Conference January 28-February 1, 2017 Las Vegas, Nev. www.ashrae.org

www.webstonevalves.com

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KBIS 2017 January 10-12, 2017 Orlando, Fla. www.kbis.com

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AHR Expo January 30-February 1, 2017 Las Vegas, Nev. www.ahrexpo.com

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BUILDEX Vancouver February 15-16, 2017 Vancouver, B.C www.buildexvancouver.com

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World Plumbing Day March 11, 2017 www.worldplumbingday.org

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ISH March 14-18, 2017 Frankfurt, Germany www.ish.messefrankfurt.com

www.stelpro.com

ADVERTISE TODAY!

CCA Conference March 19-23, 2017 Riviera Maya, Mexico www.cca-acc.com

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Bruce Meacock, Publisher T: 905.465.2919 x222

bruce.meacock@mechanicalbusiness.com

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Jeff Superle, National Accts. Mgr. T: 905.465.2919 x221

jeff.superle@mechanicalbusiness.com

www.uponorpro.com

M e c h a n i c a l

MCEE April 26-27, 2017 Montreal, Que. www.mcee.ca ORAC AGM April 29-May 6, 2017 Lahaina, Hawaii www.oraca.ca

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bythenumbers

Compiled by Mechanical Business

HOME ENERGY USE Every wonder what portion of an electricity bill goes toward heating, cooling, refrigeration and keeping the lights on? Here’s a look at some numbers.

NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES Did you know that people living in houses are more likely to lower the temperature than people living in apartments with thermostats? Who lowers the temp?

71 per cent of residents in singledetached homes.

39 per cent of apartment dwellers.

13 per cent Space cooling 11 per cent Lighting 9 per cent Water heating 8 per cent Refrigeration 3 per cent Furnace fans and circulator pumps

FARMING CHRISTMAS TREES With Christmas right around the corner, many Canadians are getting ready to decorate the tree and deck the halls. But ut where do all the Christmas trees come from?

2,381 The number of Christmas tree farms arms in Canada.

22 hectares The average size of Christmas tree farms in Quebec (the largest tree farms in Canada).

WATER USE AROUND THE WORLD

ENJOYING THE ACOUSTICS A recent study found that 58 per cent of people sing in the shower. But what are they singing?

With an ever-growing emphasis on water conservation, here’s a look at how ﬁve countries stack up when it comes to annual water use. China:

362 trillion gallons per year

27 per cent Pop songs United States:

24 per cent Rock

Russia:

21 per cent R&B

216 trillion gallons

71 trillion gallons

20 per cent Country

England:

20 trillion gallons

7 per cent Show tunes

Canada:

19 trillion gallons

0 per cent of Mechanical Business Readers Justin Bieber tunes

12,000 KWH PER YEAR:

The amount of electricity used by an average Canadian household in a year. Off-peak hours were never more enticing! PM# 41536047

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Introducing the QM Delmar Series Drains from bronte™ Collection. Available in Centre Point and Linear style in D ZLGH VHOHFWLRQ RI ÀQLVKHV DQG GHVLJQV

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