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CONTENTS O F

90CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER An exclusive interview with the Great Big Sea frontman, covering everything from his humble beginnings in rural Newfoundland to his current tour in support of his solo album, So Let’s Go. Adam Freill

OPTIMIZING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

122HYDRONICS Optimal system performance no longer boils down to the efficiency of individual components—it’s all about how an entire system works in harmony.

Jim Garrett and Richard Medairos

2015

Heating Report

Moving Beyond Efficiency

24HEATING REPORT With efficiencies already so high and footprints so small, what lies ahead for furnaces and boilers? Greg Dalgetty

Flexible workflow delivers for college

56PROJECT PROFILE The design and construction of George Brown College’s 30,000 square-foot facility on Toronto’s waterfront got interesting when plans changed halfway through the project. David Clark

Tracking Technology in the

AND

BATHROOM KITCHEN HE 42PLUMBING TRENDS H ea a ti n g Prr o d u c t s

Contemporary styling and luxurious accoutrements utrements aren’t the only things dominating the kitchen and bathroom marke markets.

Technology is playing a larger role than ever before. e.

Greg Dalgetty

On the cover: Growing up in rural Newfoundland, some of Alan Doyle’s fondest memories started with running out of heating oil, and the parties that would ensue. Photo: Courtesy of Universal Music Canada

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Quebec Rafales Agency 514-905-5684

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CONTENTS O F

30PLUMBING Taking Pride in Piping Paul Morgan

46PLUMBING At the Sink Adam Freill

52EVENT IN PICTURES HRAI AGM 2015

58REFRIGERATION Applications for CO2 Andre Patenaude

Maximizing

Furnace Performan Performance

48HVAC Proper installation is key to getting the maximum efficiency ncy out of any furnace.

Ryan Coleman

68TECHNOLOGY Canada Getting on Board with BIM Denise Deveau

72ROAD WARRIOR: GEORG NISSEN Greg Dalgetty

76REFRIGERATION Years in the Planning, Boischatel’s Hockey Complex is Thriving David Gauvin

80TOILETS, TUBS AND SINKS

When You Build It...

Functionality, Simplicity and Hygiene Denise Deveau

82WHOLESALE Assisting the Sale Adam Freill

92PLUMBING Locating Septic Lines Dave Dunbar

98HYDRONICS Bridging the Gaps from Design to Install Eric Riml

84HYDRONICS CASE STUDY Heating a downtown Winnipeg office building that had been converted into executive condo units required some creative thinking.

Greg Dalgetty

110HVAC/R Chilling out, for a Little While Ashley Chappelle and Jim Dinkel

118SALES Daily Prospecting = Increased Revenues Don Crossley

134COMMERCIAL PLUMBING

112WATER TREATMENT Removing impurities from water is dependent on water conditions and the source of the contaminants.

John Cardiff

DPCP Part 3: The How David Pelletier

138BUSINESS MANAGEMENT What Is My Business Worth?

Homeric Arvanitis

145PLUMBING The Bad…and the Ugly Greg Dalgetty

Taking out the

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S P E C I A L I S T S

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HYDRONICS Protecting Those Parts and Pieces Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr Protecting all the components of a system from wear and tear— and the elements—is key to optimal performance and longevity.

54

ASK ROGER Things I Wish I Knew…Before I Became a Business Owner Roger Grochmal You pick up a few nuggets of wisdom after running your own business for almost 30 years.

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PLUMBING Toilet Talk Fred Bretzke There’s nothing quite like showing up for a service call to clear a clogged toilet—and you never forget your first time.

102

HYDRONICS Steaming up Heating Systems Dan Holohan A look at how steam radiator systems stack up against hot water radiators.

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REFRIGERATION Application of High-Side Refrigerant Receivers Phil Boudreau There’s a science to sizing high-side receivers.

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MARKETING Can You Still Rely on Email Marketing? Doug MacMillan Canada’s new anti-spam legislation may seem daunting, but it needn’t be.

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC Air-Source Heat Pumps Gord Cooke Air-source heat pumps have come a long way since they were first introduced to the market.

D E P A R T M E N T S 8From the Editor’s Desk 10News 22Profile: Peter Steffes 88Find the Fix 137Tool Tip 142The Info Page 144Calendar 146By the Numbers 6

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P R O D U C T S 40,104,132Hydronics 83,116,133Plumbing 111Stuff You Need 130,136-137HVAC/R

CHECK US OUT ONLINE

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 Sept/Oct 2015 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)

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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.

THE

EDITOR’S

DESK

An Ongoing Evolution of the Trade Times change, technologies change and industries evolve. To stay alive in business it is necessary to keep up with, and adjust to, the ever-changing landscape. And this applies to both the supply side of the trade, as well as to juggling the wants and wishes of customers.

During the recent HRAI conference in Windsor (see page 52) I was privileged to take part in an industry question-and-answer session discussing some of the challenges that many contracting firms, wholesalers and manufacturers are facing when it comes to consumer behavior and expectations, as well as how technology is playing into the supply chain.

Sign up, keep up!

Looking for a great way to keep up with changes to the industry?

Be sure to sign up for our monthly eNewsletter at www.mechanicalbusiness.com.

It was interesting to note how much attention each of the panelists, who represented multiple levels of the supply chain for the mechanical sector, are paying to the online activities that are occurring in the marketplace. And they are looking at both the positive and negative impacts that these advances in technology are creating.

Digital technology is definitely changing the world around us. From communicating thermostats, to pumps that automatically adjust to system performance (check out page 122 for more about this), to being able to check on inventory or building performance from anywhere in the world, there are definite pluses, and more to come as the “Internet of Things” continues its steady march into our daily lives.

Of course, there’s another side of the internet, and this is something that the industry cannot afford to ignore. A quick online search can provide homeowners with access to products that they are not qualified to be installing – products that may not be warrantied even if a contractor installs them as some warranties only apply to items sourced through authorized resellers.

Even when the products procured by clients are purchased through authorized sales channels, such su uch as retail shops, the install installing contractor may be short-changing their company’s ability abilitty to t turn a profi ofitt if their labour cost is not adjusted to compensate for profit th loss of margin from the wholesale acquisition of parts. the One option ava a available to those in the plumbing trade is a p pa rtnership wi with t a wholesaler or wholesale showroom to partnership h ha ndlee the p ro handle product sales side for clients who want to do their o ow n shopping. We have more about that, and how some own showrooms are including web-based technologies in their sales strategies, over on page 82.

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).

Like it or not, our world is changing, so I encourage you tto keep in touch with your industry asso associations, and to keep reading our pages, as we ai aim to navigate these new waters together.

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. © Copyright 2015. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of the publisher.

Until next time,

Proud members of:

Ad ll Adam F Freill

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News www.mechanicalbusiness.com

Aqua-Tech Hits the Water Supporting Cancer Research

Aqua-Tech celebrated 35 years in business in August by welcoming guests, clients and colleagues aboard the Captain Matthew Flinders for a boat cruise of the Toronto Harbour. The manufacturer’s representative and distribution firm was founded in 1980 by company president Bill Palamar, pictured here with his wife, Laurie.

The 24th annual Palmer Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning Charity Golf Tournament took place at the Oakridge Golf Club in Port Perry, Ont., on September 11. The tournament raised funds for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation in support of acute myeloid leukemia, on behalf of Heather Harris. Pictured from left to right: Mary Harris, Heather Harris, tournament organizer David Palmer, Jessie Harris and Darlene Hunter.

aquatech-canada.com

palmerbros.ca

Bill Fallow Receives Seidner Award

Exploring Energy Efficiency

Bill Fallow, the chief plumbing inspector for New Brunswick’s Department of Public Safety, was presented with the Joseph K. Seidner Award at the annual Canadian Advisory Council on Plumbing meeting in Vancouver, B.C., in August. The award, presented by OS&B general manager Kevin Ernst, recognizes Fallow’s contributions to Canadian plumbing codes and standards.

“Bill has been an integral part of the codes and standards development community, participating on several committees, task groups and industry advisory bodies over the years,” said Ernst. “He has been a sought-after, steady and reasonable voice within the Canadian Regulatory Council on Plumbing and within the standards community in Canada.” ciph.com

Energy optimization was the name of the game on September 15 for Marc Thuillard. The head of research for Belimo Automation gave a presentation, Energy Performance Devices and the Future of Hydronic Control, at the company’s office in Mississauga, Ont., explaining how energy valves can be used to optimize system performance in hydronic cooling applications. belimo.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.

King Fire

Dog Days

Travel + Leisure

Audio Book Dudette

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Don’t forget to change your furnace filter especially if your air conditioner has been running all summer long.

One day air conditioner is on, the next day the furnace is kickin on. #fliptheswitch

Japan is getting a hi-tech toilet museum: http://trib.al/uheiUg1

Nightclubs install chest-high ‘puking toilet’ for party-goers who have had one too many. goo.gl/HYpilA

Sept 7, 2015

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Team Canada Grabs Hardware Team Canada won five medals and 10 medallions of excellence at the WorldSkills competition held in São Paolo, Brazil, from August 11 to 15.

Marc-Antoine Bettez of Hebertville, Que., took home a bronze medal in the refrigeration and air conditioning competition. Kendrick Howe received a medallion of excellence for his efforts in the plumbing and heating competition.

Skills Canada fielded a team of 29 competitors at WorldSkills, with each contestant earning a place on the team by winning local, regional, provincial and national events. The next WorldSkills takes place in Abu Dhabi in 2017.

Canadians Recognized at ASHRAE Annual Meeting Several Canadians were Tom Phoenix presents Norman recognized at ASHRAE’s Grusnick with his Distinguished annual meeting, held Service Award. in Atlanta, Ga., over the summer. David Underwood, the founder of Isotherm Engineering in Oakville, Ont., was named ASHRAE’s president. Douglas Cochrane, the engineering sales manager for Carrier Enterprise Canada in Mississauga, Ont., was named the director and regional chair for Region II. Cochrane was also given a Distinguished Service Award, along with Robert Craddock, the managing director of Inland Metal in Regina, Sask., and Norman Grusnick, the commercial products manager for Ecco Supply in Burnaby.

Craddock also received a Government Activities award. ashrae.org

skillscanada.com worldskills.org

General Pipe Cleaners Welcomes 4th Generation of Employees A fourth generation of General Pipe Cleaners family members joined the company, which has been in business for 85 years, as employees for the summer. Nine young adults—each a great-grandchild of Abe Silverman, the founder of General Pipe Cleaners— became part of the team. “Believe it or not, that’s not all the kids in Abe’s fourth generation!” said Marty Silverman, the company’s vice-president of marketing.

Over 40 per cent of General Pipe Cleaners’ workforce is multi-generational, with children working alongside parents and sometimes even grandparents. generalpipecleaners.com

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21 Scholarships Awarded The Mechanical Contractors Association of Hamilton (MCAH) awarded 20 $1,000 scholarships to students in Southern Ontario at its 21st annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony in September.

The scholarships were given to outstanding students who are children of employees of association member companies in Hamilton, Halton, Haldimand, Brant and Norfolk counties. Scholarships were awarded based on academic achievements, community service and leadership development. The MCAH McMaster Student Chapter also awarded a special $1,000 scholarship, bringing the total scholarship funding up to $21,000. mcahamilton.org

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APP ALERT Parts Replacement The Retrofit app from Belimo allows contractors to find suitable replacement valves and actuators for faulty HVAC and hydronic systems. It provides suggestions for parts based on the manufacturer, model and control type of a system, and offers real-time parts numbering and pricing. The app is available on iOS and Android platforms. belimo.us

Donating Time and Tools On August 18, Stanley Black & Decker Canada employees joined Habitat for Humanity’s Adopt-a-Day Challenge, offering assistance on a build site in Brampton, Ont., and donating tools for the cause. The effort was part of Stanley Black & Decker’s 100 Days of Giving campaign.

Heat Loss Calculator The Hydronic Explorer app from Slant/Fin calculates the BTU requirements for a job on a room-byroom basis and advises contractors on how much baseboard is required for each room. It also recommends boilers appropriate for each job and can email reports based on the calculations made. It is available for iOS and Android devices. slantfin.com

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stanleyblackanddecker.com

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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

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News APP ALERT www.mechanicalbusiness.com

17th Edition of idronics Now Available

Green Awards Return Bosch Thermotechnology’s Green Living Awards contest is back for its third year.

Contractors, builders and engineers can submit residential and commercial projects they’ve worked on that feature Bosch Thermotechnology heating and cooling products for consideration.

Three winners will be chosen from residential and commercial categories. To be considered, projects must have been completed between January 1, 2014 and November 30, 2015. Submissions will be accepted until December 15, 2015.

Caleffi has released the 17th edition of its idronics journal, focusing on adding thermal storage to hydronic systems.

Featured topics include buffering heat sources against short-cycling and how to best utilize surplus heat production. caleffi.com

Hilmor Launches 3rd Annual Scholarship Contest Hilmor has launched its third annual Retool Your Future scholarship contest, aimed at students in the HVAC and refrigeration trades. Six grand prize winners will receive a $5,000 scholarship, tools and a trip to the 2016 AHR Expo in Orlando, Fla. Contest submissions will be accepted until October 31.

boschheatingandcooling.com

retoolyourfuture.com hilmor.com

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News www.mechanicalbusiness.com

WaterGroup Unveils New Website

Raven Supply Assists Nepal Relief Effort

WaterGroup has launched a newly designed website that features product information and manuals, as well as a dealer protected area that allows vendors to access marketing material and online order forms. watergroup.com

Canada Tops LEED List Canada ranks first in the top 10 countries for LEED buildings outside of the United States, as determined by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This is the second year in a row Canada has received top honours.

“It is always encouraging to see highly developed nations such as Canada rally around the idea that increased sustainability does not need to come at the expense of a high standard of living, and that making this type of commitment actually enhances national wellbeing,” said said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair of the USGBC. usgbc.org cagbc.org

Quebec Named CIPH Region of the Year

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B u s i n e s s

New Installation Code Introduced The CSA Group has released a new edition of its B149.1-15 Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code, which covers the installation of gas-fired heating appliances. The updated code features new guidance on installing gas-fired heaters, stainless steel tubing and metallic fittings. It also features simplified references and definitions.

Montreal Targets Fireplaces

ciph.com

M e c h a n i c a l

ravensupply.ca

csagroup.org

CIPH Quebec was named Outstanding Region of the Year at the CIPH executive committee’s annual summit meeting, held from August 10 to 11 in Canmore, Alta. An award will be presented to Sylvain Fournier, president of CIPH Quebec Region, later this year.

“Regions provide local participation in quality networking opportunities, and CIPH fully appreciates the leadership role each region president has undertaken this year,” said CIPH chair Siân Smith.

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In August, Raven Supply donated $30,042 to Room to Read Canada to pay for repairs to a school outside of Kathmandu that suffered significant damage following the Nepal earthquake in April. Raven has partnered with Room to Read since 2013. Pictured from left to right: Sharon Davis of Room to Read Vancouver Chapter; Nic Sun, Bennett Lee, Bal Munday, Kimberley Waller and Ashley Bouchard of Raven Supply.

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Montreal has introduced a bylaw placing new restrictions on fireplaces and wood-burning stoves.

Homeowners have until October 1, 2018, to provide certification that their fireplaces emit no more than 2.5 grams of fine particles per hour. They are also prohibited from using wood-burning appliances during smog days. ville.montreal.qc.ca

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10.15

Movers & Shakers www.mechanicalbusiness.com

From left to right: Wolseley team members Dean Noiles, Shawn Furtado, Sean O’Hara, Rob Snarr, Grace Viveiros, Stacey Haan, Leo Jimenez, Paula Grond, Danny Dicks, and Sandy Simpson.

HeatLink Expands Warehouse Facility HeatLink has moved one of its Western North American warehouses to a 22,000-square-foot facility in Calgary to accommodate the company’s growth. “We are experiencing continuing growth in both plumbing and heating sales, and we need this new warehouse to ensure we maintain our high standards for customer order turnaround,” said HeatLink president Manfred Schmidt. The new facility is located at 10221 15th Street NE, Bays C and D, and can be reached by phone at 1-800-661-5332. heatlink.ca

Wolseley Expands Hamilton Plumbing Branch Wolseley Canada’s plumbing branch in Hamilton, Ont., has been renovated and now carries the company’s full line of HVAC/R products. In addition to carrying plumbing and HVAC/R products, the facility also features a Kitchen & Bath Classics showroom. The branch is located at 123 Dartnall Rd. and can be reached by phone at 905-573-5100. wolseleyinc.ca

AD Merges with Canaplus Affiliated f Distributors (AD), a wholesale buying and marketing group for contractor and industrial products, has merged with Canaplus Ltd Partnership, a buying group for Canadian plumbing and heating wholesale distributors, to form AD Canada Plumbing & Heating.

Effective January 1, 2016, Canaplus’s 23 members will become the founders of AD Canada Plumbing & Heating, representing more than 250 branches across Canada. adhq.com canaplus.com

Johnson Controls Sells Division Johnson Controls has sold its Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) business to CBRE Group for $1.475 billion U.S. As part of the sale agreement, Johnson Controls will be the preferred provider of HVAC equipment and building automation services for CBRE and GWS, who manage over 5 billion square feet of real estate. Both companies have also agreed to jointly contribute $40 million over 10 years to fund a building innovation lab focused on energy management solutions to lower their clients’ costs.

Emerson to Consolidate ld Business Lines Emerson Climate Technologies has consolidated its WhiteRodgers and Flow Controls businesses into a single entity.

The new organization will operate as White-Rodgers and be led by Jack Huether, the current president of White-Rodgers. Its product offerings will include furnace and water heater gas valves, thermostats and ignition controls, among other system components, all of which will be sold under the White-Rodgers and Emerson brands. emersonclimate.com

Flow Design Rebrands Flow-control device firm Flow Design has rebranded itself as IMI Flow Design—a division of IMI Hydronic Engineering. IMI Flow Design specializes in manual and automatic flow-control devices, while IMI Hydronic Engineering is a global provider of hydronic distribution systems.

johnsoncontrols.com

flowdesign.com imi-hydronic.com

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1.28 GPF

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People in the news www.mechanicalbusiness.com ROLF FISCHER has joined Aquatherm as the regional sales manager for Eastern Canada. His territory will cover Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces.

Fischer has 20 years of experience in the plumbing business.

LANCE MACNEVIN is the new director of engineering, Building and Construction and Conduit Divisions, of the Plastics Pipe Institute. He will oversee the technical, marketing, educational and industry outreach programs of each division.

DON WATT has joined Dahl Brothers Canada Limited as the company’s new president. He will report directly to Dahl’s owners, Jannike Godfrey and Thomas Husebye.

ALEX NAJA has been named the new junior engineer for Jaga Climate Systems, where he will lead business development for Eastern Canada.

Naja has previous experience as an HVAC project engineer.

S&P Canada Ventilation Products welcomes TIM SUTTON as the company’s new sales manager.

Sutton will draw on his 19 years of experience in the HVAC industry to help expand S&P’s business into new markets.

The Master Group has welcomed GREG GAMBLE as its regional vice-president for Central Canada. Gamble, who has over 30 years of experience in the HVAC/R industry, will have direct oversight of the business’s Southwestern Ontario region.

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Masco Canada has appointed KEN ROBERTS as its new president.

Roberts has been with the Detla Faucet Company for 22 years, where he has worked in a variety of senior roles.

Centrotherm Eco Systems has announced the hiring of PETER JENKINS as its regional sales manager, focusing on East Coast business development.

Jenkins’s territory will cover Ontario and Eastern Canada.

He has over 25 years of experience in the industry.

Wolseley Canada has named BRIAN SCOTT (left) general manager of the company’s Waterworks business in Ontario, where he will oversee operations for all seven Waterworks branches. Scott joined Wolseley in 2014 and has over 15 years of experience in the industry.

Wolseley has also appointed JIM POWERS (right) as the regional manager of the company’s four Waterworks branches in Atlantic Canada. Powers has been with Wolseley since 1998.

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InSinkErator Canada has appointed KEVIN VANDERWERF as its new national channel marketing manager.

VanderWerf joined Emerson, InSinkErator’s parent company, in 2002, and brings a background in marketing, sales and customer service to his new position.

NIC SUN has joined Raven Supply as a sales engineer.

His duties include working with other engineers to assist in the specification and design of hydronic and steam heating systems.

American Standard Brands has promoted MICHAEL DEL GUIDICE to director of marketing for the company’s Canadian division.

Del Guidice joined American Standard in 2014 as product marketing manager. He has more than 15 years of experience in the kitchen and bath industry.

Follow Us on Twitter @MechBusiness

GREG DALGETTY has joined Mechanical Business as the magazine’s new associate editor/web editor. He brings close to 10 years of experience in publishing to the role.

Professionals choose Precision Service™ Technology for simplified service calls.

TIMOTHY PETERSON has joined Malco Products as the company’s new HVAC sales leader in Canada and the U.S. He has over 20 years of sales experience in domestic and international markets.

Following Emerson Climate Technologies’ consolidation of its White-Rodgers and Flow Controls businesses, JACK HUETHER (left) has been named president of the new White-Rodgers business. ED BLITTSCHAU (right) will serve as the vice-president of marketing and product planning.

At Armstrong Air,™ we design with you in mind. That’s why our new products are enhanced with Precision Service Technology, a set of features that help save time and effort on every job.

These service-friendly design features include: • Inducer motors on all new gas packaged units that are easily removed by loosening just three screws • Removable louvered panels on all four sides of new cooling units that simplify service and coil cleaning • Corner-mounted service valves that are raised off the ground to provide more convenient brazing • Smart touches, such as Schrader cores on pressure switches and common-size, forward-facing screws, that help save time and effort Choose a partner who will give you unparalleled commitment. To learn more about becoming an Armstrong Air dealer, visit www.armstrongair.com/become-a-dealer.asp.

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.

©2015 Allied Air Enterprises LLC, a Lennox International Inc. Company

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Profile Peter Steffes: Contractors Helping Contractors

Peter Steffes is a busy guy, but it’s because he believes in doing good things, and doing them in the right way. It is this dedication to his craft that landed the Windsor, Ontario-based contractor in the role of 2015-16 HRAI chair.

Between running a successful contracting business in the Windsor

22

How did you get started in the industry?

My father-in-law, Steve Fodor, asked me to work with him. He started Ideal Heating & Cooling in 1964. My wife and I now own the company. Ideal does both commercial and residential work, handling refrigeration systems, ventilation, sheet metal, as well as the installation and maintenance of heating and cooling units and systems.

Q

Up to now, what has been your favourite, or most interesting, project that you’ve worked on?

A

It was a building called The Child Place. It is a centre for special needs children, and the HVAC system was a complex, multi-zone system.

Q A

What prompted you to join HRAI, and to serve as a board member?

I thought that, as a small business owner, I could help some of the smaller mom and pop shops, and represent contractors in Windsor and Essex County.

Q

What are the top three things that you’ll be working on during your tenure as chair?

A

1. The development of the new strategic plan for the future of HRAI.

Q A

What’s the best piece of advice anyone has given you?

A friend once told me that a man is measured on what he gives back, and not on what he takes in life.

2. Membership growth.

3. Promotion of the career opportunities that exist in the trade.

Photo: David Chidley

Q A

area with his wife, Brenda, as well as volunteering time with HRAI for the past 23 years, his time is in short supply, but we managed to track Peter down. In addition to sharing some of his history in the trades, he outlined some of his plans for the coming year as he continues on his path to give back to the industry that he calls home.

FAST FACTS • Peter loves classical music.

• Sorry Leafs and Habs fans, he’s a Detroit Red Wings fan.

• He’s also a keen golfer, and enjoys travelling.

BIO Name: Peter Steffes Title: Owner Company: Ideal Heating & Cooling Ltd. Location: Windsor, Ont. Age: 57 Born in: Dearborn, Michigan Currently resides in: Amherstburg, Ont. Joined the industry: 1982

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2015

Heating Report

Moving Beyond Efficiency

By Greg Dalgetty By

Compact Gas Furnace The Chinook Compact gas furnace from Dettson, suitable for dwellings ranging from 500 to 1,500 square feet, delivers 15,000 BTU in heating mode and a maximum CFM of 250. The unit measures 10” wide by 22” tall and modulates from 40 to 100 per cent. dettson.com

Commercial Condensing Boilers Buderus SB commercial condensing boilers from Bosch offer input ranges from 563,000 to 5,443,000 BTUH and efficiencies as high as 98 per cent. They are available in single or dual-fuel models and can operate on natural gas, propane and heating oils. boschheatingandcooling.com

I

n both the residential and commercial markets, heating equipment has higher efficiency and smaller footprints than ever before. This has led to significant savings on operating costs for home and business owners—but the space-saving aspect of smaller equipment has been a selling point as well.

“Imagine taking out an old device that sits in the middle of your floor and takes up eight by 10 feet of mechanical room, and you’ve now got a device that’s hanging on a wall in the corner,” says John Goshulak, vice-president of sales and marketing at WeilMcLain Canada. “I took out an old system in my place and put in a wall-mounted boiler, and suddenly I’ve got a work bench and a storage unit for additional material.”

Smaller footprints can allow for easier installations, especially in the commercial market.

“In a commercial retrofit, like an apartment building where the mechanical room is in a penthouse, you have to carry the product up a set of stairs at the top of the elevator to get it into the mechanical room,” says Darryl Singleton, vice-president of Aqua-Tech Sales and Marketing. “Having something that’s compact allows you to get it in there more easily.”

Beth Stevens, the communications manager for Goodman Manufacturing, adds, “Smaller-sized units can save time and expense for the homeowner or business owner in retrofit installations, since they can often eliminate the need for additional work.”

How Far Can You Go? Condensing Boilers MagnaTherm boilers from Laars come in sizes ranging from 1,600,000 to 4,000,000 BTUH and offer thermal efficiencies as high as 95 per cent. They feature a 5:1 turndown ratio and can accommodate up to 100’ of venting. laars.com

24

With efficiencies already at almost 100 per cent AFUE in the furnace market, there may be little room to grow in that area.

“Unlike air conditioners, where higher efficiencies can continue to grow, we’re pretty much there as for what you can do for maximum energy efficiency,” says Bryan Rocky, the director of residential technical services for Johnson Controls. He suggests that focus for systems at the higher efficiencies—say 96 or 98 per cent—should be on products that can give homeowners more features. “There are more options to control things like humidity—to either humidify or dehumidify,” he says.

Marc Chenier, the general manager of Dettson, believes that the focus is now shifting from efficiency to effectiveness.

“The difference between 95 and 98 per cent efficiency is negligible,” he says. “The next step is efficacy. If I have a 95 per cent efficient furnace that runs 12 hours or three days straight because it’s -20°C, I’m closing in on 100 per cent efficiency because I’m running at a very low rate—maybe 6,000 or 8,000 BTUs—but I’m running all the time.”

H e a t i n g P r od u c ts

2015

Boiling Down Boilers

Heating Report

Darryl Singleton of Aqua-Tech Sales and Marketing has seen high-efficiency boilers permeate the marketplace in recent years.

“Most of the market has gone from standard efficiencies to mid-level and condensing efficiencies,” he says. “Thermal conductivity has been significantly improved, so the amount of square feet you need for heat transfer is much less.”

Gas-Fired Boilers

And Singleton expects boilers to achieve even higher efficiencies in the coming years.

“That may be a function of using multiple fuel sources—electricity, gas, solar, wind— and turning them into different forms of energy in order to take a boiler’s operating parameter from 95 per cent to 120 per cent efficiency.”

The Phantom X line of boilers, distributed

by Ward Heating, comes in four heating inputs ranging from 210,000 to 500,000 BTUH. They feature stainless steel water tube heat exchangers and offer AFUE efficiencies of 95 per cent. The boilers have a turndown ratio of 5:1. wardheating.com

A Change in Focus With new homes being built with greater energy efficiency in mind, Marc Chenier of Dettson believes the focus on home heating should shift away from BTUs. “Homes are getting tighter and more efficient, so there’s less infiltration of outdoor air. Heating and cooling loads are getting smaller,” Chenier says.

“Many people are focusing on BTUs, but they should be focusing on the CFM. You can have a low-BTU furnace, but if you throw 800 or 1,000 CFM into the ductwork you’ll meet the thermostat requirement very quickly and end up short-cycling.”

Heat Pump Daikin’s VRV IV heat pumps come in a variety of sizes for residential and commercial applications. They are available in heating sizes ranging from 77,000 to 447,000 BTUH. They offer a maximum total piping length of 3,282’ and allow for up to 100’ of vertical separation between indoor units. daikincomfort.com

Short cycles not only lead to higher energy bills—they can also create unpleasant living environments.

“When you have a tight home, you need to manage ventilation and humidity,” he adds. “Longer cycles manage humidity much better.”

continued on page 26

Gas Furnace The LX TM9Y furnace from York offers heating inputs of 60,000 to 120,000 BTUH and AFUE efficiencies of 96 per cent. It features a two-stage burner and a fivespeed ECM motor. It offers multiple installation options and measures 33” tall. york.com

He eating Prroductts 25

2015

Heating Report

c o n t in u ed fr o m p age 25

The Future of Controls Bryan Rocky of Johnson Controls sees remote connectivity playing a larger role in home heating going forward.

“We already have pretty much most of the technology on blowers, combustion and efficiency that we can get,” he says. “What’s really going to drive change is the controls, the tie-ins with things like home security systems and mobile apps. You will see a lot more zoned systems. There’ll be a lot more sensors and things like CO2 detectors that you’ll start seeing in furnaces in the next 10 years that will help with a lot of safety concerns.”

Darryl Singleton, of Aqua-Tech Sales and Marketing, sees an aging population with money to spend continuing to drive the market for remote connectivity.

“We see that as an area for expansion, xpansion, both in the residential and commercial markets,” he says. “With a lot of Baby Boomers getting into retirement tirement age, they have a lot of income e to spend on toys. With the emerging ging ‘wellderly,’ you’re going to see ea lot more demand for those kinds nds of products. Or maybe they own three buildings and their retirement plan is to rent commercial properties. es.

They can control all that without ut having to give some of their income to a thirdLochinvar party controls company.”

Condensing Boilers Evergreen condensing boilers from Weil-McLain are suitable for large residential and light commercial applications. They are currently available in three sizes ranging from 220,000 to 399,000 BTUH sizes and offer AFUE efficiencies of 96.5 per cent. weil-mclain.ca

Heating g Produccts

continued on page 28

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T H E

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C O N D E N S I N G

T E C H N O L O G Y

2015

Heating Report

c o n t i n u e d fr o m p age 26

Ease of Installation The advent of smaller furnace sizes with multiple configuration options has made installation easier for contractors.

Residential Gas Furnace With inputs ranging from 30,000 to 120,000 BTUH and efficiencies up to 92.1% AFUE, Napoleon’s 9200 Series single-stage gas furnace is available in four cabinet widths, each 32-7/8” high. The unit accommodates upflow, horizontal, right and left installation positions. napoleonheatingandcooling.com

Hea ating Prod duccts

“Installers can consider putting furnaces through the ceilings of mechanical rooms instead of having them on the floor all the time,” says Dettson’s Marc Chenier. “There are more opportunities with smaller units that can be installed in multiple positions. It can be more cost-efficient for installers, since they can optimize ductwork.”

Bryan Rocky, of Johnson Controls, says that ease of installation has become a priority for manufacturers.

“That’s a key thing we look at with some of our products,” he says, noting that many furnaces can be used for up-flow, down-flow or horizontal applications.

Rooftop Unit Voyager rooftop units from Trane come in 12.5- to 17.5ton sizes for light commercial applications. They feature variable-speed compressors and fans. Units are available in heating outputs ranging from 122,000 to 284,000 BTUH. trane.com

And the versatility doesn’t end there.

“Doing things like having single-side returns for up-flows makes it easier to install high-efficiency filters or electronic air cleaners and there are fewer return ducts you have to deal with,” Rocky says.

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PLUMBING

TAKING PRIDE IN PIPING A

good tradesman knows the secret to a successful pipe installation lies within a good hanger and vertical support system. Taking care to install proper supports for piping is akin to good tires on your truck, van or car.

Much is riding on the quality, quantity, selection and installation of pipe hangers, especially for horizontal piping.

Photo: Taylor Pipe Supports

By Pa ul Mor g a n

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PREP Preparation is a large chunk of hanging pipe: welding, drilling, cutting and assembling, along with measuring, measuring, and more measuring.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS Along with swaying and buckling, there are several other key considerations to horizontal pipe hanging. Functionality and performance are vital. This, of course, includes slope on a drainage system, avoiding air lock on supply and return systems, and thermal movement (expansion and contraction) on steam systems. Weight of the pipe and the material it is moving, known as “hanger load,” is essential information.

And an installer is guaranteed to be aloft high into the top elevations of his or her particular job site.

Working at heights training is a must-have, along with compulsory lack of fear of being lifted into the air by scissor, boom or aerial lift.

Vibration and thrust are everyday challenges on a system. This constant movement can cause hanger failure. For example, vibration on a system will spin a loose nut right off a clevis hanger bar in no time, leaving the bar vulnerable to shake right off.

Aesthetics are very important too. A professional installation is square, parallel and plumb. This can be critical in commercial plumbing, especially, for example, where a store may have open ceilings.

Safety must also be considered. An installer should be thinking “what if” and using an occasional extra hanger as a failsafe. This sometimes includes seismic considerations.

Pipe joints can change the hanging specifications too.

The stresses vary on grooved pipe to welded pipe to mechanically jointed pipe. Future service, insulation and other trades are other things a little forethought during the hanging process will help.

More often than not, the field installer, be they a plumber, steamfitter, welder or apprentice, is met with a crate full of hangers, bundles of rod and pipe, boxes of nuts and washers, a blueprint, and two questions: “Where did all this come from?” and “Where does all this go?”

To answer, much has been done long before his or her arrival on site.

A mechanical engineer has already designed the pipe system and chosen the appropriate hanger for the job. They have also considered codes, performance expectations, and more. In the meantime, our professional installers can learn much in the mechanical detail blueprints and job specifications. continues on page 32

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SPANNING THE DISTANCE Hanger “spans” or “spacing” refers to the distance between two hangers.

These distances are cited both by manufacturers and government codes.

It is important to note these tables refer to maximum spacing and that, oftentimes, a hanger span will be far less than the maximum.

On long runs of pipe, many in the field choose to use a hanger at either end of a pipe length. This certainly helps with the initial installation, and it looks pretty good from the ground if the spacing remains consistent.

Fittings for branches and offsets, along with valves and pumps, increase demand for extra support.

MAKE THE MATCH

Insulate and protect

Hangers must mate well with the pipe they support. Dissimilar metals cause big problems.

By far the most popular hanger on the pipe support market is the clevis hanger. Available for pipe sizes from 1/2” to 30”, the clevis hanger is a natural in the pipe industry. By definition, a clevis is “a U-shaped yoke at the end of a chain or rod...can be pinned or bolted.”

Metals each possess specific relative electrical potential. When moisture is introduced, low current electrical flow or galvanic action begins.

This is known as corrosion, and of course, will lead to leaks or complete failure of a piping system.

Perfect.

The clevis hanger comes in many finishes to avoid problems with dissimilar metals making contact. Mild steel, copper coated, stainless steel and even epoxy-coated clevis hangers can be found. However, in its most useful form the clevis does not even contact the pipe which it holds directly.

Piping systems need protection. Safeguarding humans or stabilizing temperatures, pipe insulation is a common barrier between pipe and hanger, pipe and people, or pipe and the environment. The best insulation system is a continuous wrap, uninterrupted by supports and hangers.

In the field, pipe installers and insulators rarely stand side by side. The plumber or fitter is on site installing and hanging long before the insulator gets started. This is a huge obstacle in the industry.

For a pipefitter to hang pipe that will be insulated later through a clevis hanger, special (and sometimes half-baked) considerations need to be taken.

Commonly, a pipe will lie in a clevis hanger at installation. However, job specifications often call for 1”, 1-1/2” or even 2” thick insulation, continuous through all hangers.

While scores of products exist on the market to avoid this potentially huge error at installation, care must be taken in the field to ensure the hanger material and the pipe material match successfully.

As a matter of fact, the market has us in the mechanical field covered at near every obstacle.

Coated hangers, rod couplings, clamps for every structure imaginable, fasteners for every material that adapt to common thread, rubberized protection, spring hangers, and even a little Loctite all exist to allow for the job to be done well.

Therefore, the pipe elevation needs to be adjusted accordingly. Plumbers and steamfitters have long struggled with how to compensate.

Adjusting hanger elevations or fighting with blocks of wood are common attempts at accommodating this conundrum. It is highly recommended to have pipe saddles and a few lengths of the specified thickness of insulation on site. The insulation can be cut into small 6” pieces and used to space hangers. Some manufacturers now make pipe saddles clipped into the clevis itself.

The beauty of the clevis hanger is its adjustability. Whether it be fitter or insulator, in the end, the hanger is easily raised or lowered by a holding nut on threaded rod. Just remember to ensure that all nuts are tightened and all hangers are properly supporting the load at the end of the job.

Paul Morgan is a piping expert and professional writer based in Ontario.

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PROTECTING

It’s hard to miss a pipe or a valve that has experienced a deep freeze condition.

The tube or valve will normally expand in an attempt to accommodate the plug of ice, but there are limits to how much expansion the product can handle before bursting. I have seen PEX tube expand to twice its normal diameter, but don’t count on that as a protection. It can also split under less stress.

Those Parts and Pieces M

Document and Label I know a lot can change once you turn a job over to the owner. Your best intentions can be undone with one service call from an unknowing service provider. I would highly encourage you to document and label your jobs.

Glycol tags are imperative, so date and sign them, and take a digital pic before you leave.

Have a tag printed that allows space for ongoing checks and notes. Encase it in a plastic bag or envelope to protect it from damage and greasy fingers.

Ideally, the entire job should be documented, even small remodels.

Include a copy of the load calc, piping and wiring schematic, and any manufacturer’s pamphlets.

And a paragraph or two describing complicated control logic is sure helpful for the next technical that arrives to service the system.

36

M e c h a n i c a l

ost of the installers and pipe fitters I run into are very proud of their work. Every job they pipe, they try to up the ante and make it the best working and looking job possible. The goal is a system that is free of callbacks or expensive repairs.

Of course, sometimes the conditions these jobs are subjected to can cause problems. These can often be big, expensive, messy problems.

Freezing (and thawing) pipes is just one example of a potentially catastrophic event that can get expensive in short order. Believe it or not, but it is possible for pipes to freeze inside a building if the conditions are right (or wrong, if you know what I mean).

More that once in my career, I have seen frozen pipes that have led to burst pipes or fittings in baseboard-type emitters.

So the question becomes how much protection to offer to your customer. Over the years many methods have been tried. Some successfully. Others, not so much.

Some contractors will use pipe heating cables; of course, they are not effective for extended power outages.

Another route is constant circulation in heating circuits. This adds to operational costs, however, and also doesn’t help during extended power outages. Freeze stats can be used to turn circulation on at low temperature conditions, however, these also up energy expenses.

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• D oc um e n t a n d L a b e l • P u sh in g t h e lim it s • Fr eezin g in sid e For many hydronic ronic systems, o-to glycol is the go-to ion freeze protection solution. It is a proven and appropriate product for hydronic, solarr m or GEO system protection, butt ithout some baggage. baggage For one, one it does not transfer it too is not without energy as well as water does. Also, its higher viscosity requires larger circulator sizing, and expect more maintenance.

Hydronic propylene is a popular freeze-protection method in many second homes and cabins. Properly applied, I feel it is the best method of freeze protection, all things considered.

Of course, don’t overlook the gift that keeps on giving: insulation. Some cautions apply here as well, however. The quality of the workmanship, attention to detail with air sealing, and the product selection are all important factors.

After years of swings and misses regarding underslab insulation, I can say that rigid foamboard is still the best product, in my opinion. Just be sure to use a product that is listed and rated for ground contact as not all is approved for this use.

Thickness counts. The minimum for under the slab and around the edges should be 2”.

Fitting and adhering the board to the edge of a slab can take some patience, and protecting it from exposure to the sun’s UV is critical. If this is part of your bid, be sure to include enough hours to do it correctly.

A sheet metal shop can build a custom flashing from coloured aluminum or steel material to hide the foam edge.

Pipe insulation is another often-missed component that helps prevent freezing. I know it is an added cost, and sometimes a substantial one, but how much can a burst pipe cost?

Insulating pipe is a task you could consider subbing out, especially since it takes time and practice to do a nice, clean, neat job.

At the end of the day, practice safe installation and always use protection!

Hot Rod’s Notebook At the very least, piping in unconditioned spaces must be insulated. This goes for both heating and plumbing piping.

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 the manager of training and education with Caleffi North America. You can reach Hot Rod at bob.rohr@caleffi.com.

Freezing Inside You might think that all piping within a building envelope would be safe from freezing, assuming the temperature in the building is maintained somewhat above zero. Not so!

This is one “gotcha” I have seen a number of times with fin-tube baseboard, as it is typically installed near the floor level, and often on outside walls. In-floor systems and other piping that hugs the perimeter of a building can also suffer a similar fate, however.

The outside walls of a building are perhaps one of the most prone areas to air infiltration. The framing detail here is a critical connection of sill plate, rim joist, floor sheeting and sole plate. Since wood framing members can shrink, twist, cup and split, the potential for infiltration is a simple reality that we need to be ready for.

Here’s an infrared picture of a brand new home with a radiant floor operating. The dark coloured areas show where air was migrating into the home.

Under the right temperature and wind conditions, any water or heating pipes close to this area could freeze and burst.

I have also seen radiant loops freeze near the outer edge of concrete slabs. Usually poor or non-existent edge insulation is to blame.

The problem can be made worse when occupants or building owners attempt deep temperature setbacks. If water flow stops through the heating lines, even for an hour, you have a freeze potential.

I have noticed that infiltration problems are more prevalent with buildings that have batt-type insulation, since modern spray foam does an excellent job of sealing these connection points, but there are options to consider so that those pipes are protected, regardless of the type of insulation on the walls.

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PLUMBING TRENDS

By Greg Dalgetty

Moen

SHOPPING SMART

Tracking Technology in the

AND

BATHROOM KITCHEN W

“Before our oil and gas prices dropped, people were spending crazy money,” says Coreen Friesen, who manages a Wolseley Studio showroom in Calgary. “When oil was good, they bought everything, especially in Calgary. Now that it’s not so good, they’re being very cognizant of what they’re spending their money on.”

This has led to a stronger interest in fixtures that will last a long time.

Moen

hen you say “technology,” one’s mind springs immediately to the electronic gadgets in our lives—the latest smartphone or tablet. But technology is playing a larger role in bathrooms and kitchens than ever before.

“Advancements in technology are inevitable,” says Pat Abbaticchio, luxury sales specialist for the Water Closet. “Twenty years ago, a thermostatic shower would only be for the rich and famous. Now almost everybody’s doing them because there’s a huge variety out there and prices have come down.”

Hands-free faucets have become more common as well—and they’re also getting better-looking. “They’re very sleek,” Abbaticchio says.

Gordon Stille, a sales manager with Bathworks, has seen high-tech showers grow in popularity.

“In the bathroom, steam saunas in showers are becoming more and more prevalent,” he says, adding that some manufacturers now have temperature gauges on faucets that allow you to preset your preferred water temperature.

Hands-free toilets are also growing in popularity.

“We have a couple toilet manufacturers who now have sensor flush, so you don’t have to touch anything,” says Coreen Friesen, a showroom manager for Wolseley Studio. “Those are very popular. I move a lot of them.”

In some areas of the country— especially provinces such as Alberta—that have been affected by the drop in the price of oil, people are spending their money a tad more cautiously.

“Durability is huge. Our clients are looking for products that will last long-term, and be lowmaintenance,” Friesen says.

“It’s not necessarily the price, because they’re willing to spend the money, but they want durability and a recognized brand.”

continues on page 44

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PLUMBING TRENDS continues from page 42

COORDINATION IS KEY In the residential market, consumers aren’t just looking for technology. They’re looking for fixtures that complement their living spaces.

Moen

“Customers have hardware—they’ve got countertop and tile, they’ve got backsplashes.

They want all of that to coordinate,” Abbaticchio says. “People can be set on spending $200 or $300 on a kitchen faucet, but then they’ll come in and say another one coordinates a little better, and they’re willing to spend $1,000 on a kitchen tap.”

“I’m surprised by some of the innovative materials some designers are starting to use, like concrete,” Friesen says. “I had a couple people come in, and I asked them what their countertop was and what kind of application they wanted for their kitchen. And they had kitchen counters made out of coloured concrete. It’s being dyed and stamped—it’s really groovy stuff.”

MOVING QUICKLY Gordon Stille has noticed people getting into the luxury market more quickly in recent years.

“We used to see people coming in for renovations 20 to 25 years after they’d been in a home,” he says. “And now we’re seeing people come in after three to five years. They’re coming in and looking to upgrade to a more luxurious look.”

With mortgage rates still hovering at historic lows, and strong resale figures continuing in the housing market, installing luxury fixtures can end up being a sound investment.

The increased use of unconventional materials goes hand in hand with some bold new designs and finishes.

Delta

“As we see the value in homes in urban markets like Toronto and Vancouver continue to skyrocket, it’s not only a case of getting something that looks great and is functional—you’re really investing as well,” Stille says. “When it comes time to flip the home, there’s nothing like granite to put that little seal of approval on a kitchen, or a one-piece toilet or a free-standing tub with a beautiful floor-mount tub filler.”

“People aren’t looking for normal-looking faucets anymore. If you look at some of the products being offered, black is a finish,” Stille says.

“Manufacturers are now employing designers to come up with new looks for their products. When consumers come into our showrooms, they’re just not looking for conventional anymore. They’re looking for something contemporary.”

Delta

AN AGING POPULATION

44

Bathrooms could start to look very different as Baby Boomers continue to age. With many Boomers looking to stay in their homes for as long as possible, renovation projects are being undertaken to make bathrooms more accessible.

M e c h a n i c a l

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“I still believe we’re at the start of the bell curve when it comes to barrier-free showers,” Gordon Stille says.

“One area that needs renovating as people get older—because getting your foot over the traditional tub is a little bit harder—is to 1 0 . 1 5

move toward a barrierfree shower system.”

And although these barrier-free systems have yet to become the norm, Pat Abbaticchio agrees that it’s only a matter of time until they become more common.

“Everyone in the industry has their crystal ball out for when that influx will come in,” he says. “But it is inevitable, and now it’s starting to trickle in.”

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Bringing It All to the Sink

O

ver the past few years, sensor technologies have truly changed the user experience in commercial washrooms.

First came the sensor-operated faucet; then the sensor-operated, deck-mounted soap dispenser; and now, the most recent evolution at the sink is the addition of handdrying technology.

These integrated packaged units that include sink, deck, faucet, soap dispenser and hand dryer or, in one case, have a dryer incorporated into a faucet, make each sink an independent hand-washing and drying station.

To gain some insight into this trend, we approached Jason Boyd, marketing manager for Dobbin Sales, a distributor of commercial plumbing products for the Canadian market.

Q&A Mechanical Business: We’ve seen soap dispensers move from the wall to the sink, and now we are seeing hand dryers undergoing a bit of a similar evolution. Why are things moving to the sink?

Jason Boyd: Commercial washrooms can be a constant source of maintenance issues – water on the floor, empty paper towel dispensers, paper towels overflowing garbage cans, etc. By moving the entire handwashing process to a single above-deck location, all of these issues can be avoided.

MB: What are some of the key selling features that a plumber can outline to a building owner?

JB: Elegant aesthetics with matching soap dispenser, faucet and hand dryer would certainly be an area of focus for high-end restaurants, museums, hotels, corporate offices, etc. These types of facilities want something that achieves a specific look while still providing all of the maintenance benefits of an integrated product.

For some facilities, it’s all about traffic. They can be faced with potential liability issues when water is on the floor, between the sink and the hand dryer or paper towel dispenser on the wall. Additionally, water all over the sink deck can be an issue and a cause of irritation for users.

Photo: Darcy Cooper

Basically, style, functionality and ongoing cost savings are the key areas to focus on.

MB: How does this affect the flow pattern of use of a washroom?

JB: Having all three steps (soap, wash and dry) all in one spot can greatly increase the speed. Moving more people through in a shorter period of time is essential for busy facilities like malls, stadiums and transit hubs.

MB: Are these systems something that a plumber can install?

JB: Depending on the type of product, faucets will either be battery (no electrical required) plug-in or hardwired. Additional elements like a soap dispenser and hand dryer would typically require a standard GFI outlet and be plug-in, so an electrician would be required.

MB: How popular do you feel these at-the-sink dryers are going to become?

JB: The future of sustainable restroom design will revolve around integrated systems which provide high aesthetic and hygiene levels, water savings, convenience and reduced levels of maintenance. I would estimate that we will see a quick adoption of this type of product, given all of the advantages they can provide.

Jason Boyd, marketing manager with Dobbin Sales.

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TOP 10

B y R yan C o lem an Ryan Coleman is the founder and CEO of Ecolighten Energy Solutions, a firm that helps government, utilities and homeowners make wise energy use decisions for homes. He can be reached at ryan@ecolighten.com.

Maximizing Furnace Performance T

he ultimate performance of a high-efficiency furnace in a home often depends on the quality of the installation. In the U.S., the Department of Energy (DOE) claims that more than half of the HVAC systems installed in that country are not performing to their rated efficiency, and that improper installation can reduce performance by as much as 30 per cent.

Closer to home, FortisBC recently funded a report aimed at researching high efficiency furnace installation, with an aim of learning what can be done to maximize the performance of a system.

Based on that research, and given that properly sizing HVAC equipment, and installing these units according to industry-recognized procedures are critical to ensuring top-notch performance, we’ve compiled a list of some of the system and design considerations that can help optimize energy efficiency, while delivering comfort and maximizing equipment longevity, when installing a high-efficiency furnace in a retrofit up-flow application.

Before the Changeout The first step when replacing existing equipment should be to gather insight from the homeowner about the existing system. How well does it function? Are there any cold spots, drafts or noise? Are there any areas where the existing ductwork may be failing?

This qualification and information gathering is an article in itself however many, if not all, of these system challenges can be overcome with newer sophisticated equipment, and by following each of the steps below.

1

DO THE MATH: Since many older furnaces may not have been sized correctly and existing home conditions may have changed heating requirements, a trained HVAC contractor should complete a heat load calculation (room-by-room preferred or block load calculation) to right size the new equipment for the home.

2

Quick Tip: The ductwork should be designed to deliver system performance with correct airflow and duct size at, or within, 0.10 to 0.15 ESP for the supply side and -0.10 to -0.15 ESP for the return air.

ASSESS THE DUCTWORK: Since

most HE furnaces produce slightly more cubic feet per minute (CFM) of airflow than the equipment that is being replaced, the condition of existing ducts should be assessed for proper sizing, balanced pressures and adequate airflow to each register, as well as adequate return to the furnace. HVAC contractors should complete an external static pressure test and ductulator calculation to determine whether the existing ductwork and fittings are optimized for system distribution, and to gather insight into whether the new furnace will have enough air flow to operate at peak efficiency. continues on page 50

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continued from page 48

continued from page 208

At Installation Once the existing furnace conditions are understood, attention can be directed to the installation phase to ensure the new equipment selected and installed will achieve the full energy-saving, comfort, equipment longevity and other benefits a homeowner is expecting from their new high-efficiency furnace.

3

4

DOUBLE PIPE IT:

The venting should be double piped with combustion air taken from outside. By installing a double pipe system, overall energy-efficiency for the home will be improved since the furnace will not require outside combustion air to be taken from another hole in the home, which could create uncomfortable drafts and unnecessary air leakage in the building envelope.

BULK UP THE FILTER: A minimum

4” pleated filter should be installed. It should be sized to the new CFM, and be MERV 8 or better to deliver quieter operation, better equipment longevity and potential electrical savings resulting from lower static pressure. A pre-fabricated manufactured cabinet that provides a positive door seal for reduced air leakage and allows for easier access and servicing should also be considered.

5

SWAP THE THERMOSTAT: The new furnace should include a properly wired, matching or compatible thermostat. Most furnace manufacturers have a choice of two-stage, three-stage and/or variable-stage gas valves in their furnace offerings today, and this equipment must be “matched” to a proper thermostat to achieve the full system performance, comfort and the energy-savings.

6

TAPER IT: For an up-flow

8

PLACEMENT AND CONDENSATE: The furnace placement

furnace, the return air should include a tapered transition at the top of the return air drop, with the return air drop duct sized to match the CFM requirements of the new furnace.

This will reduce noise, thanks to less turbulence, and should lower electrical consumption associated with bad fittings since electronically commutated motors (ECM) will ramp up to deliver the necessary air through the heat exchanger to achieve correct temperature rise. Similar duct design principles should be applied to downflow and horizontal applications.

7

SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION:

The supply air plenum should include a tapered takeoff connecting to existing ductwork.

In addition, all accessible joints in the furnace room ducting should be sealed. If air is lost due to leakage along the distribution network, there will not be enough static pressure or velocity for all return and supply air to get to its final destination as the air will fall out at its first and easiest path.

should incorporate waffle pads or feet so that it is off the floor and can be tipped to drain if the manufacture requires this. The combustion process in high-efficiency furnaces produces an acidic condensate. When this is not drained and is left to build up inside the furnace for long periods, premature equipment failure may occur. Raising the furnace off the floor also mitigates potential corrosion possibilities to the metal base. In addition, equipment noise is reduced with waffle pads absorbing vibration.

Separately, in the event of a minor flood or liquid spilling on the floor, the furnace is protected.

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Startups and Checks Commissioning is a critical quality assurance step that should not be overlooked to verify and document that the engineered performance of the furnace has been achieved.

9

USE A LIST To confirm firm th that hat

the furnace is operating ng to its designed intent, complete the commissioning g requirements and use the checklist provided by most furnace manufacturers to collect installation performance data. Performance tests will include a combination of temperature rise, gas pressure checks, clocking-the-meter, ESP and others. The data collected at commissioning empirically confirms optimal system performance for homeowners, and may identify ductwork issues that can be addressed. It also provides HVAC contractors with a reference point for future service and maintenance.

10

COMMUNICATION AND CUSTOMER EDUCATION:

Homeowners should be engaged throughout the pre-changeout, installation and commissioning process.

Focus should be placed on understanding system operation, including the thermostat setup, equipment service options such as service contracts, and the maintenance required of the system.

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HRAI Conference 2015 August 26-28 – Windsor, Ontario

3

1

2

4

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7 6

9

1. D David id M Morden d off Morden M d National N ti l SSales l was recognized i d with ith an HRAI M Meritit Award in recognition of his contributions to the institute and the Canadian HVAC/R industry. 2. Jim Garrett of Taco (left) receives a Distinguished Service Award from Belimo’s Rick Ellul. 3. HRAI president Warren Heeley. 4. Business sessions were well attended. 5. Steve Webb of International Comfort Products (left) enjoys the opening-night reception with John Vella of Johnson Controls.

6. Gerry Cellucci, a past-chair of HRAI, discusses supply chain issues during an interactive panel session. 7. Keynote speaker Greg Weatherdon discusses how to assess, and improve, the value of a company. 8. Patty Flowers (left) with Dick Foster, Cindy Murray and Mark Boncardo. 9. Marc Gendron (left), David Weishuhn, Nancy McKeraghan and Peter Steffes.

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with Roger Grochmal

Things I wish I knew… before I became a business owner 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.

W

hen I decided to go into business on my own in 1986 I jumped d in whole-heartedly, h l h dl and d although I’ve managed to be fortunate along the way, there were a number of lessons learned, and a number of nuggets of wisdom I wish I knew before I jumped in with both feet. If you’re looking to start out on your own, here are a few “wish I knew then what I know now” lessons that I’ve learned over the years that might help as you embark on your journey.

1

Cash is king

2

It’s about price, not volume

3

Inspect what you expect

4

No man is an island

When you work for someone else, they have to worry about the cash.

You just have to do the work. Cash makes the payroll and pays the bills.

Don’t mistake cash for profit. If you haven’t made it, you can’t spend it.

More contractors go out of business for a lack of cash than a lack of business.

The labour cost to do a unit of work is the same no matter how much we do, so the only way to increase your bottom line is to increase your price. There is a great line from the book Catch 22 where Milo Minderbinder says, “I buy eggs at seven cents each and sell them for five cents, but I make it up in volume.” If you are not making money, but you are busy, examine your pricing.

The bank is not your friend Borrow money carefully. I use borrowed money to finance capital purchases, not operations. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has been helpful to

The hardest thing to learn to do as a business owner is to trust the people who work for you to do their job. And while you need to give them space to do what they do, this doesn’t mean ignoring what they are doing. A friend once told me to inspect what you expect. This is different than micromanaging. It also means you have to know, and understand, what they do.

While you need to keep an eye on your operations, know that you can’t do everything yourself, nor can you expect to know everything. Network to learn. There are plenty of networking opportunities, both within and outside the industry. Find a coach or mentor. There are plenty of business people out there who would love to pass on what they have learned. I find that some of the most successful advice has come from mentors outside the industry. They have never told me what to do, but would ask the difficult questions to focus me in on the actions I needed to take.

me. Their mission is to keep companies in business, not shut them down. The same cannot always be said for the big schedule “A” banks.

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KNOW WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT K

It’s not always about being better, faster or cheaper. Sometimes you just have to It be different to stand out from the crowd. What makes you unique? Why should people do business with you? Why does your business deserve to exist? Decide what peop kind of customer you want, and tell your people how to recognize them.

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6

Manage your safety risks diligently

7

The buck stops here

8

Don’t work for cash under the table

9

Be tenacious

A single lost time injury can put you in a big penalty situation with the WSIB, occupational health and safety ministries and regulators, or the Department of Labour. They have the power to shut you down if they see problems in your approach to safety.

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Precision Service Technology saves time and effort on every job.

Remember, in every instance, you are the backup for everyone in your company. You have to do whatever it takes to get things done. That could even mean unloading the truck. Leave your ego at the door and get it done.

This is a biggie as it is very tempting and everyone seems to be doing it. Your people won’t respect you and they will see it a signal that if the boss can cut corners then they can too.

The most important aptitude of a business owner is tenacity. Never give up on anything, especially collecting money you have earned.

10

Don’t use subcontractors

11

Lock in your customers

12

Have good support on the home front

If they work for you exclusively, then the regulators consider them to be your employees. If they don’t make their own remittances then you could be on the hook.

At AirEase,® we design with you in mind. That’s why our new products are enhanced with Precision Service Technology, a set of features that simplify every service call.

These service-friendly design features include: • Inducer motors on all new gas packaged units that are easily removed by loosening just three screws • Removable louvered panels on all four sides of new cooling units that simplify service and coil cleaning • Corner-mounted service valves that are raised off the ground to provide more convenient brazing • Smart touches, such as Schrader cores on pressure switches and commonsize, forward-facing screws, that help save time and effort

Service agreements are your friend.

You will thank yourself for having a source of revenue when the economy goes into a recession; and it always goes into a recession.

The battles you have to fight every day get tougher if your spouse isn’t behind you all the way. Don’t neglect the other half at home.

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FILE PRO

FILE PRO

JE PRO CT

BY DAVID CLARK

Flexible workflow delivers for college

D

Designing and building a 300,000 sq. ft., signature building on a high-profile piece of land on Toronto’s waterfront demands a cohesive effort from the project team. But finding out halfway through the project schedule that the way you thought you were going to power the entire building is no longer an option? That required some fancy footwork on behalf of Stantec’s mechanical engineers.

George Brown College (GBC) retained Stantec to provide mechanical, electrical and structural engineering, and architectural and interior design services for its new urban health sciences campus. The mechanical systems on the campus were designed to emphasize indoor air quality, to cool the building in winter without chillers, and to accommodate the specialized gas systems used in the building’s classrooms and clinics.

The campus design prioritized the essential principles of sustainability: maximum exposure to fresh air, natural light and views; access to public transit and alternative modes of transportation; and a commitment to building for long-term health and wellness. These sustainability efforts were rewarded last year when the building earned a LEED Gold certification.

In June, the building won a 2015 Canadian Green Building award.

About the

CAMPUS

Occupying a prominent site on Toronto’s reinvigorated waterfront, George Brown’s Waterfront Campus in the East Bayfront fulfills a key strategic objective for the college by consolidating the schools of dental health, health and wellness, health services management and nursing into a single facility.

The campus features flexible academic and teaching laboratory spaces, formal and informal study spaces, faculty offices, retail and student functions, simulated practice centres, and the school’s Wellness, Applied research and Visionary Education (WAVE) clinics.

These WAVE clinics offer dental, hearing, fitness, active living and health promotion services, giving students hands-on experience with clients in a workplace setting.

The challenge was to create an environment to foster interprofessional education (IPE), the new standard for healthcare graduates entering the workforce.

The campus also creates space for 3,500 students and 500 faculty members, raising GBC’s enrollment to more than 64,000, with 1,600 new healthcare workers expected to graduate from the Waterfront Campus every year.

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GENERAL CONTRACTOR MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Ellis Don Stantec

MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS

a UNIQUE PATTERN of use

• VR Mechanical Solutions Inc. (HVAC, medical gas, piping, sheet metal) • Urban Mechanical Contracting Ltd. (plumbing) • Adelt Mechanical (sheet metal install)

Due to the size, complexity and quantity of the mechanical and electrical needs of the facility, the campus is more intensively serviced than a typical higher-education building, requiring dental air, laboratory air, and simulated medical gases.

The dental clinics, where hygienists work on live patients, are equipped with dental vacuum and dental air outlets. The laboratories are teaching facilities for a variety of dental techniques and are provided with compressed air, vacuum, point source dust extraction and natural gas.

Typically, in a hospital or dental clinic the gas designs would take into account the diversity of uses. Since not all outlets would be in use at the same time, the overall size of the plant can usually be reduced.

However, at the Waterfront Campus, there are 90 dental chairs, 150 laboratory positions, and 50 nursing beds, and all of the gas outlets may all be in use simultaneously, necessitating a larger distribution and plant. source for the entire building’s heating and cooling would no longer be available.

PLAN AS YOU GO The 36-month project schedule for the design and construction phase created significant challenges for the consulting team. The tight schedule meant the construction phase had to begin before an accurate or fixed design cost could be put on the building’s construction.

To overcome this obstacle, a relatively new construction delivery model, called “Design Assist,” was introduced.

Under this model, the construction manager provides a fixed price to the client based on relatively incomplete design documents, while securing all major sub-trades prior to finalizing system designs. The various disciplines then worked with the major sub-trades to meet the college’s requirements and accomplish the desired outcomes without sacrificing quality or operability.

The design assist model proved its worth when, halfway through the schedule, the project team learned that the district energy plant that had been the planned

The project team scrambled and, through a collaborative effort, Stantec and the contractors were able to redesign the building’s mechanical and electrical systems to include a stand-alone heating and cooling plant to serve the facility.

The design team and the college agreed on a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) with chilled water fan coil units. The DOAS differs from a traditional solution that would recirculate a proportion of the return air, mix it with outdoor air, and then supply it to the space. The DOAS system uses 100 per cent outdoor air, providing fresh air to all areas.

Outdoor air is supplied by three Engineered Air DOAS variable speed air handling units. Located on the roof of the building, each unit provides 30,000 cfm to a common header as well as a thermal

wheel to recover heat from the exhaust stream and pre-heat the incoming air, reducing energy consumption.

The units use DX cooling with condenser reheat on two compressors, which can be used when dehumidification is required.

Carbon dioxide sensors are connected to every variable air volume box, automatically increasing or decreasing the ventilation rate as needed for the occupancy.

Thermal comfort is provided by individual fan coil units to each space.

Finally, a rainwater harvesting system collects storm water for re-use as makeup water to the building’s cooling towers, and low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce the building’s need for city water.

David Clark, CEng, P.Eng., is a senior associate with Stantec.

He can be reached at david.clark@stantec.com.

57

REFRIGERATION

By Andr e Pa t e n a u d e

APPLICATIONS FOR CO2 R

efrigeration systems using R744, or CO2, can take one of several forms, including cascade, transcritical booster and secondary systems.

Here are a few things to consider for each type of system.

Transcritical Booster Systems Main components of the transcritical booster system include low-stage and high-stage compressors. These need to be rated for R744 use, and the high-stage unit must be designed specifically for transcritical R744 use.

Oil management and liquid receivers are fairly conventional, but again, must be designed for the higher operating pressures.

The gas cooler/condenser is typically an air-cooled, multi-fan, finned tube unit, and a pressure-modulating gas cooler regulating valve is controlled from the pressure and exit temperature of the gas cooler. The flash tank will also have a modulating valve.

Electronic expansion valves are normally used, and R410-rated valves can be used for systems with lower interstage pressures.

The evaporator generally uses small diameter pipe, and uses fewer passes. As with other components, including the filter drier, switches, and so forth, it needs to be rated for the higher pressures experienced with CO2.

INTERMEDIATE PRESSURE The intermediate pressure selected needs to be as low as is feasible on the shop floor, although the maximum rated pressure (PS) of the pipe work must be above the pressure equivalent to maximum ambient if the plant is at a standstill.

There is little difference in the efficiency of the two intermediate conditions shown in Table 1, because the increased enthalpy difference with the lower intermediate pressure is offset by the greater amount of flash gas produced by the increased pressure drop across the gas cooler regulating valve.

With low intermediate pressure, the liquid line is below ambient temperature so there is no natural liquid subcooling.

Unless there is a mechanical subcooler, the refrigerant entering the expansion valve is not subcooled, but will potentially contain flash gas. To account for this, the electronic expansion valve is oversized, often by as much as 30 per cent.

If the liquid line is below ambient temperature for most of the time, it should be insulated to reduce non-useful heat gain and prevent condensation in humid climates. continues on page 60 This article is the fourth in a series on commercial R744 (CO2) refrigeration systems. For previous articles, please visit our archive of digital editions at www.mechanicalbusiness.com.

Table 1

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REFRIGERATION

continued from page 58

Cascade Systems The R744 in the low stage of a cascade system is designed to be subcritical during operation. The main components include a lowstage R744 compressor, and a high-stage compressor suitable for use with HFC, HC or ammonia, since the high stage will be a medium temperature application. As with any high-pressure system, the pressures in each stage will dictate whether R410A rated components, such as heat exchangers, EEVs and receivers may be used. If pressures are above 595 psig in the high stage, R744 rated components must be used.

Most R744 pipe work operates below -5°C (23°F) and is therefore insulated to minimize heat gain into the refrigerant. Only the discharge line between the compressor and the cascade heat exchanger is not insulated. All the components, with the exception of the R744 compressors, are also insulated to reduce heat gain into the refrigerant.

The R744 liquid temperature is usually below the temperature of the surrounding ambient, so it does not subcool as it flows along the liquid line. Unless there is a mechanical sub-cooler, the refrigerant entering the expansion device at the low-temperature (LT) load will be saturated, reducing the cooling capacity of the evaporator. The expansion device is sized to account for the lack of subcooling.

The cascade condenser must be located above the liquid receiver to ensure the liquid R744 flows into the receiver and does not back up in the condenser.

The discharge temperature of R744 is usually high, leading to a wide temperature difference between the superheated R744 entering the cascade heat exchanger and the high-stage refrigerant leaving it. The high 6T can cause thermal stress and unstable operation, especially in plate heat exchangers.

It is beneficial to reduce the discharge line temperature of the R744 entering the cascade heat exchanger. This can be achieved by using a de-superheater between the discharge of the R744 compressor(s) and the cascade heat exchanger.

The standstill pressure of the low stage of the cascade is usually higher than the operating pressures of both the low- and highpressure sides of this part of the system. In an ambient temperature of 20°C (68°F), and if the high-stage system is not operating, the R744 standstill pressure will rise to 56 bar (812 psi). This will not occur immediately because the insulation on the pipe work and components reduces the heat gain from ambient.

If the maximum pressure for the R744 system is selected to be below the potential maximum standstill pressure, the pressure-relief valves will discharge R744 if the high stage is not operating, unless the system is designed to avoid this.

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Startup and Operating Sequence The startup and operating sequence of a cascade system is critical.

The high-stage system must be available to run before starting up or operating the low-stage system. If this is not the case, the low-stage system will cut out on the high-pressure protection, and ultimately the pressure-relief valves will discharge.

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It’s best to reduce the DID YOU discharge line temperature The high-stage system is usually a of the R744 entering the simple, close-coupled system with cascade heat exchanger a low refrigerant charge. It has a by using a de-superheater wide range of refrigerant options between the discharge of and is often suitable for natural the R744 compressor(s) refrigerants such as hydrocarbons and the cascade heat or R717. exchanger. This reclaimed heat can be used for heating water, reducing the amount of heat that must be rejected at the cascade heat exchanger.

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If the high-stage system fails, or in the event of a power failure, pressure-relief valve discharge can be avoided through the use of a small auxiliary condensing unit connected to an uninterruptable power supply or the use of a separate pressure-relief system.

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FIGURE 3

Secondary Systems A typical retail secondary loop system will often be equipped with a liquid-cooled centrifugal pump and a standard heat exchanger, liquid receiver and HFC evaporator. The high-stage system is usually a conventional chiller, operating with an HFC or HC. The compressor will be a low-temperature booster compressor. Figure 3 shows a fairly standard schematic.

The R744 is volatile, so some of the liquid flashes into gas as it absorbs heat in the cabinet. R744 vapour returning to the vessel from the load is then taken from the top of the vessel into the heat exchanger and is re-condensed.

It is important that pure liquid refrigerant enters the liquid pump to avoid cavitation, because flash gas in the liquid will reduce performance of the pump. For this reason the receiver must be above the pump.

Additionally, the receiver outlet is designed to avoid the formation of flash gas.

The R744 liquid will be below ambient so the liquid pipe work must be insulated.

Combined pump circulation system for medium-temperature (MT) with low-temperature (LT) booster system.

Andre Patenaude is the director of CO2 business development for Emerson.

He can be reached at andre.patenaude@emerson.com.

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61

TOILET I

went hiking on a mountain near Banff a couple of

weeks ago. Near the top of the mountain

By Fred Bretzke

I had to find a

private spot in the woods to do my business. While I searched for a perfect soft leaf to act as toilet paper, I missed my throne at home, and I thanked John Crapper for selling his first toilets back in the 1800s. For where would be now if we didn’t have our comfy toilets?

And if it weren’t for toilets, we wouldn’t have toilet service calls.

DATE WITH AN AUGER

W

hen I was an apprentice serviceman back in the day, I got a call to clear a clogged residential toilet somewhere in Calgary. I’d only been in the trade for two years at the time, and I had no drain-cleaning experience. That didn’t matter to me, so I went to the call armed with a plunger and a drain auger I had never used.

I tried plunging the toilet several times to clear it, but every time I tested it by flushing a few wads of toilet paper, the water would slowly rise up to the rim while I frantically shut the water valve off to prevent further flooding damage.

So I pulled out the man-sized, Rambo-style toilet auger. I started to wind the handle so the bendable auger end would wind down into the S trap, disappearing into the toilet.

The handle started to get a bit tense as I wound it a few times, until it eventually felt as if I had caught a whale down there. So I began to wind the handle counter clockwise to reel in my catch. But all of a sudden, it wouldn’t come back. What could possibly be down there? My auger was stuck.

I braced myself against the wall and turned it with all my might, all the while explaining to the continues on page 64

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continued from page 62

customer that I had done this many times before. It would just be a minute or two until I had retrieved the clogging culprit.

I began sweating profusely, and my hands kept slipping on the greasy handle.

Finally I tilted the bloody thing, and as I did, I felt some movement. Whatever I had caught started to turn easily. Excited, I turned the handle anxiously until, to my disappointment, the auger end had come back into the bottom of the toilet. It had

actually turned around in the trap and come back into to the bowl, scratching it all up in the process.

After another 30 minutes of frustration, I finally decided this toilet-augering was futile. Obviously, something massive had obstructed the S trap. Upon explaining this to the customer, he decided to purchase another toilet. This one had backed up too many times, and he was sick of it. So I gladly returned with a brand-new toilet

Watco Flex900

Bye, bye offsets.

that had a siphon jet which would work better.

I threw the old crappy toilet (no pun intended) in the back of my service van and returned to the shop the next morning morning. My boss asked me how the job went, and I said there must be something wrong with the auger—either that or there must have been something huge stuck in this toilet.

He laughed and asked me to show him the toilet.

I brought it out and placed the bowl on the ground. He picked up a sledgehammer and, with a mighty blow, cracked the toilet apart. Voilà—we discovered a giant wad of toilet paper wedged in the trap. I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t even clear a plugged toilet, I almost gave up on being a serviceman. On the bright side, I told my boss I had sold a new toilet.

FRED’S TOP

No.

Yes.

J i th Join the green scenee andd mak make k time-consuming misalignment misalignmen issues a thing of the past.

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TOILET CLOGGERS 1 Shoe heel 2 Credit cards 3 Toothbrush 4 Hairbrush 5 Pen 6 Carrot 7 Small shampoo bottle 8 Toys

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9 Marijuana wrapped in plastic bags 10 A spoon or fork continues on page 66

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continued from page 64

A PLETHORA OF

PRIVIES

TRICKS OF THE TRADE As time went on, I had th the opportunity to work with an English plumber (Paul Andrews, the future ow owner of A&B Plumbing) who was al also new to his

W

ith so many different toilets nowadays, it can be difficult to service them. But the common and traditional ones still have the same guts—basically a ballcock and a flapper. If a toilet runs continuously, it usually needs a ballcock adjustment or a new flapper.

On the commercial side, flushometer toilets work great if the flush cycle has been adjusted to the correct time of at least three to five seconds per flush—otherwise you may be unpleasantly surprised by a previous customer’s deposit.

We also have new water savers now, with a six-litre flush. They have two buttons—one for number ones and the other for number twos. In my experience, I’ve found these toilets tend to clog more since less water is used for the flush cycle.

company, but had b been in the trade for 10 years. He show showed me a trick to clear a toilet that work worked 99 per cent of the time.

M Many toilets have been scratched by augers, but this doesn’t have to happen. Most plugs can be cleared w a good suction-cup with plunger or with no auger at all. If you can’t clear a toilet with a plunger or auger in five minutes, it may be time to try a new tactic.

Paul’s trick was to shut the toilet water

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supply valve off and drain the tank and bowl. He would then remove the tank and the bowl from the house, take the tank outside to some soft grass or snow and thump it. He’d turn the tank upside

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down and thump it again. Whatever was wedged in the S trap would fall out.

This method saves you from scratching the bowl with an auger, and it worked for

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The only time I couldn’t remove the obstruction was when it was a shoe heel, which acted like a swing check valve. It was stuck right in the middle of the trap and would not fall out. Please don’t ask me how a shoe heel could possibly end up in a toilet—but then, stranger things GET IN TOUCH

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have happened.

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.

25

T

Kohler

Canada getting on board with BIM

B y Den ise D eveau

here’s a lot of talk going on these days around BIM (Building Information Modeling) and contractors should be paying attention, says Al Prowse, a director with CanBIM.

Canada has been a bit slower in coming along with BIM, he says, “but recent stats in the U.S. show that 18 months ago projects using BIM were around 50 per cent. Two months ago it was 90 per cent. It’s coming on fast, fast, fast.”

One big reason is the fact that BIM saves time and costs on major projects. Prowse likes to talk about a Disney BIM project that was completed 31 days earlier than scheduled.

“Thirty-one Disney days is a lot of money,” he says.

THE SOFTWARE’S NOT THE THING The first thing anyone in the know will say is that BIM is not about the software – although there are plenty of software tools used on BIM projects. “BIM is not a thing; it’s a process,” says Geraldine Rayner, architect with Summit BIM Consulting. “It’s all about using data generated by [3D] software tools for people to access. We’re now seeing more owners demanding it.”

The beauty of BIM, she says, is that possibilities are endless. “The data just feeds and feeds and feeds. With more people you get more ideas on how that data can be used.”

Even developers like Autodesk will concede that BIM is certainly far more than software, says Matt Wheelis, construction industry manager with Autodesk.

“BIM is a process by which building information is generated and coordinated and then taken to the field for construction. It starts with the design concept, then the modelling tools that form the basis for what is to be built.”

Prowse explains BIM more simply. “It’s like 50 year years ago when the architect and electrical and mechanical engineers were in the same room working on drawings. Now you can use technology to do virtual coordination.” continues on page 70

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continued from page 68

THE BENEFITS OF BIM With virtual collaboration, everyone benefits, says Prowse.

“In a BIM world, errors and omissions are dealt with ahead of the game, so when you’re on the job site you are 99 per cent sure things will fit the way they’re supposed to,” he says. “You’re not spending time massaging a pipe through a hole.”

Rayner agrees. “Sub-trades, particularly on the mechanical side, are starting to pick it up a lot. For example, in a traditional process they would have to go to a construction site, measure, go back and cut pipes for welding and handing. Now you can work with a digital prototype of a site before you start building it.”

Accurate 3D models can show contractors exactly where things will hang within a space and allow them to prefabricate huge sections of their systems and just take it to the site for assembling. “Quality goes up, change orders go down; it’s better for everybody,” Rayner says.

BIM can also play a role in LEED certification, Prowse says. “It’s easy to make global changes and run calculations [in the design stage]. You can analyze building performance and what simple changes would do. For example, a big structural change to The Bow in Calgary to improve airflow would have taken six months of reconfigurations; but BIM turned that into a matter of a four weeks simply because all systems could communicate with each other.”

WHAT CAN BIM TOOLS DO? Jeff Duffield, manager of operations support for PCL Construction in Edmonton and chairman of the board of the Alberta Centre for Excellence in BIM, knows his way around leveraging BIM on major projects. He says that plumbers and HVAC contractors are “up there” in terms of getting the best value out of embracing BIM. Having seen BIM in action for close to a decade, Duffield offers up the following examples of the value BIM tools can bring to the job at hand: Costing – This is a new function that allows you to track the impact of changes in price, with real time changes to the model.

Laser scanning – Contractors can perform scans of existing conditions for renovations to identify where pipe runs exist or pinpoint existing sleeve and hanging locations.

Clash detection – Overlaying mechanical designs on top of architectural and structural designs allows contractors to identify where HVAC ducting, condenser lines, plumbing or other mechanical fixtures

THE SOFTWARE SELL

might interfere with the structure before they install.

When selecting software tools, Prowse says it all depends on what you need to do with it. “Are you working with sheet metal and want to export a model to a plasma machine?

There’s software that specializes in that.”

Visualization, scheduling and sequencing – Contractors can

Because there are so many choices, Rayner suggests getting familiar through free and trial software before deciding on the package that will fit your specific needs.

Virtual mockups – Contractors can make corrections and adjustments

visualize large equipment installations that they can’t normally see in a 2D world, Duffield notes. “Once you add a schedule for the components you can actually see it being built right in front of you.” before anything is built. There are even virtual reality applications that let you “walk though” a model of a boiler room to see where changes need to be made.

Issuing materials to a site – He gives the example of an apartment

Learning the ropes

building project in which plumbers can arrive on the scene and pick

For anyone interested in learning about BIM, CanBIM offers a certification program that provides training through various levels, from beginner to advanced.

up tagged sacks that indicate the apartment number and bathroom.

“All the piping in each bag is cut to length and pre-fitted from model information. They just need to fit and glue it together because all the

Wheelis says contractors can also get training through a number of avenues. “There are authorized training centres all over Canada that provide specific training on the use of BIM. We also work with trade unions to help workers familiarize themselves with it; and there are plenty of online options available.”

One plus with BIM is that it allows senior and junior professionals to learn from each other, Prowse notes. His best advice for learning the ropes? “Put a 23-year-old and a 55-yearold mechanical contractor together, and the younger can teach the older how to work with the software and the older can teach the younger how to install the systems right.”

modelling and cutting was done ahead of time.”

Contractors can use a tablet to navigate a model and see if it matches the actual installation space and fix any nonconformance issues.

Facilities management – Construction data can be leveraged to provide facilities managers with information on filter changes, notifications and tracking malfunctions in mechanical control boxes.

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Road Warrior

Georg Nissen, World Traveller Name: Georg Nissen Company: Parsons Plumbing and Heating Job Title: Project Foreman Age: 38 Lives in: Niverville, Man. Joined the mechanical industry in: 1995 Daily Mileage: Up to 150 km Service Area: Winnipeg

G

Photos: John Woods

eorg Nissen may not have seen everything, but he sure has seen a lot.

Born in Russia, he moved to a suburb of Cologne, Germany, when he was 12, before eventually finding his way to Canada. But through these life transitions, there remained one constant: a passion for plumbing.

“Right after high school, at the age of 18, I went straight into it,” Nissen recalls. “I got my journeyman’s licence at a trade school in Germany.”

An outdoorsman at heart, he found the urban life in Germany somewhat stifling.

“Having grown up in big, bright prairies, I didn’t find the same comfort in Germany. It was too crowded with too many things going on. There were lots of things to do, but not much to do outdoors. I wanted to see what was out there.”

So, without speaking a word of English, he moved to Canada at the age of 27 and eventually found a home in a suburb of Winnipeg.

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By Greg Dalgetty Is most of your work done on new builds or retrofits?

Ninety per cent of the business is retrofits.

Where do you like to get dispatched to?

Broadway is always a great street to work on or travel through.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on an 11-storey apartment block where we’re changing out all the mechanicals— the air-makeup unit, the domestic hot water boilers and tanks, and the heating boilers. I’m also overseeing a project where we’re renovating the concession area at a movie theatre.

Favourite movie?

Mission Impossible If I were prime minister for a day, I would: I’d call the city of Winnipeg and tell them to get the roads fixed properly.

Favourite cartoon when you were a kid?

Käpt’n Balu und seine Tollkühne Crew (a German cartoon) Favourite food?

If it’s healthy and it’s fresh, it’s my favourite.

Favourite lunch spot? Subway

Favourite tool in your toolbox?

My Knipex pliers.

Favourite TV show?

Hell on Wheels

Favourite outdoor activity?

Snowmobiling or quadding, depending on the season.

Favourite beverage?

Coffee

Favourite radio station?

I have CBC News on all the time.

Favourite musician?

I like to listen to a wide variety of music.

What is the strangest thing you’ve seen on the job?

One day a whole job got shut down. We were changing a boiler and planned to run our venting into the existing chimney chase and go through the roof. Some environmentalists lived nearby, and they knew that chimney swifts lived in the chimney. They called the city, and they came and shut us down.

We couldn’t proceed with our work because there were birds in the chimney and we had to relocate our venting.

What’s the most challenging thing you’ve ever done?

Moving to Canada. I came here with a wife and child and started working without being able to speak a word of English.

Favourite place in the city?

Assiniboine Park Favourite car manufacturer: Audi Where are some of the places you’ve travelled?

I’ve been to the Dominican Republic twice. I’ve also been to Turkey, Greece, Spain, France—all over the Mediterranean area.

What’s the most impressive place you’ve ever been to?

New York City If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

Albert Einstein My rule of thumb is: Gut ist nicht gut genug. (“Good is not good enough.”)

What do you like to read?

Technical manuals M e c h a n i c a l

The Spice of Life If there’s one thing Nissen loves about his job, it’s the variety.

“It’s not like you wake up every morning and know exactly where you’re going and what you’ll be doing, year after year,” he says. “I hate jobs that are longer than two or three months. I want to see different faces, talk to different people, do different things. It’s still plumbing, but every job, every location, has a different physical history behind it.”

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Refrigeration

By David Gauvin

Years in the Planning,

Boischatel’s Hockey Complex is Thriving C

harles Vigneault had long dreamed of owning an ice rink, and he spent years planning to make that dream a reality.

His city of Boischatel, Quebec, didn’t have a rink, and residents had to drive to other cities where rinks were often busy or booked up, making it hard to get time on the ice. So Vigneault, a local businessman, hockey player and a hockey dad, decided to fill that need for his hometown – a city of about 6,500 residents on the outskirts of Quebec City.

As he was privately funding the facility, it was important to Vigneault to build an ice arena that was not only costeffective to construct, but that also offered affordable maintenance and expenses in the years to come. Needless to say, choosing mechanical technologies with proven track records of reliability and safety were key considerations for Vigneault.

The years of planning paid off. The Complexe Sportif Trane ice arena opened in September 2014, and has been thriving, providing residents in and around Boischatel a place where they can get time on the ice. Vigneault is also happy with the performance of the systems he chose for the building.

“We are planning to use this facility as our model as we look for opportunities to work with other cities on similar ice rink projects,” Vigneault says.

A cost-effective plan As he was planning for the 40,000 sq. ft. arena, which also has an adjoining gym and office space, Vigneault was constantly keeping size and budget considerations in mind. He didn’t want to plan a facility that was too large, since his aim was to create something that was economically viable to build, operate and maintain. He knew the building’s mechanical systems would play a role in that.

He chose a 250-ton conventional water-cooled chiller capable of operating at ice rink conditions — 90 tons at a leaving-evaporator solution of 12°F — combined with a matching closed-circuit dry cooler for heat rejection. The chiller does not require a dedicated mechanical room, which helped Vigneault save floor space, installation time and costs in his building plans.

Vigneault also liked that the chiller system would not require some of the safety mechanisms required with ammonia-based ice plants. The chiller at Complexe Sportif uses a current-generation refrigerant, R-134a, which is non-toxic and non-flammable.

Opened in September 2014 in Boischatel, Quebec, Complexe Sportif Trane houses an ice rink, gymnasium and office space.

The chiller Vigneault chose for his ice arena is used in many other ice arenas across Canada, which gave him peace of mind regarding reliability, safety and performance of the technology. continued on page 78

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proven performance “Genetron Performax LT is the refrigerant that most closely resembles R-22, so it makes for a fairly pain-free retroďŹ t process.â€? ÂŽ

Charlie Lowe Director of Refrigeration/HVAC/Lighting/Food Equipment Services, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc.

Genetron PerformaxŽ LT (R-407F) “Makes Sense� for New Supermarkets.

In summer 2013, Lowe and his team set up a product comparison with R-407F in a brand new store that was designed to run R-407A. Lowe controlled for operating conditions such as humidity and ambient temperature, and ran the two products with three parallel refrigerant racks to compare energy performance. “We monitored all the systems, including condensers. In some cases, R-407F allows a compressor to 3FmMMBCMF DZMJOEFST BWBJMBCMF JO $BOBEB

cycle off, which saves energy,� according to Lowe. “The energy savings ranged from 1.22% on one rack to a high of 8.3% on another. The store

as a whole averaged 3.8% lower energy usage with Performax LT vs. R-407A. The payback is short enough to justify using R-407F over R-407A.� Other Genetron Performax LT features include industry-leading capacity and lower global warming potential compared to other R-22 alternatives for refrigeration.

To learn more about Honeywell Genetron Performax LT, call 1-800-553-9749 or visit www.honeywell-refrigerants.com. Š 2015 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.

Read the case study

Getting Good Ice The ability to make ice as quickly as possible, and to efficiently keep the ice at a precise temperature setpoint, is very important for ice arena facilities.

The chiller at the sports complex uses two direct-drive helical rotary compressors on two dedicated refrigerant circuits. The direct-drive helical rotary compressor design provides the facility with precise temperature control and reliability. The chiller can be configured to produce leavingevaporator solution temperatures as low as 10°F (-12°C) making it ideal when quick-freezing operation is needed for the ice rink.

continued from page 76

Using a closed-circuit dry cooler for the heat rejection also eliminates the risk of Legionella – the pathogen that causes Legionnaires’ disease – which, can be an issue with systems that use an open cooling tower. For this reason, open cooling towers also require stringent inspections in Quebec to prevent outbreaks — a requirement that Vigneault does not have to worry about.

And while the system can quickly make ice when needed, it can also kick into efficiency mode when the quick-freeze function is not needed.

In addition, the compressors have modulating slide valve technology. This allows the unit to run at precise, decimal-point setpoints. This is the same type of technology used for critical applications in food processing and pharmaceuticals, for example.

The heat recovery mode in the system means the chiller is also used to generate condenser water temperatures as high as 115°F (46°C) while producing the low solution temperatures.

Keeping Tabs on the Building In addition to the mechanical equipment, Vigneault also installed a building automation system (BAS) that allows him to monitor and control the chiller and other building systems from one interface, including the building’s air handler and the rooftop oftop units used in the gym and office area of the facility.

The BAS can be accessed from a computer, tablet or smartphone, so Vigneault can keep tabs on his building and easily make changes to schedules or setpoints from almost anywhere.

This helps him make sure systems are performing as they should, and to ensure occupant comfort and efficient energy use.

Making Use of Remnant Heat

The chiller system installed in the Complexe Sportif Trane uses heat recovery, which provides additional overall building efficiency. This recovered energy is used in a number of ways inside the building, with the system only expelling the heat that is not needed elsewhere in the facility.

For example, the hot water from the system is used to preheat the outdoor air in the winter and reheat the dehumidified outdoor air in the summer, to melt the ice for the ice pit, and to also heat the slab beneath the ice sheet of the arena floor.

The unit that makes the ice is the same unit that pumps out the hot water that is used elsewhere in the facility.

For the rejection of any unnecessary heat, the system uses a closed-circuit dry cooler, which can reject a higher temperature at the same ambient conditions as an open water tower, without the need for periodic inspections by certified engineers in Quebec.

David Gauvin, Eng., LEED AP, is a sales leader with Trane Québec. He can be reached at dgauvin@trane.com.

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TOILETS, TUBS AND SINKS

By Denise Deveau

FUNCTIONALITY,

It’s

not always easy to keep up on the latest trends in toilets, tubs and sinks, but it helps having a number of go-to experts to keep you up to speed on what’s hot, what’s not, and what fits best.

We turned to a few of them to learn about the current trends in the Canadian market.

Simplicity

Moen

THINK

INSTALLATION NEEDS FIRST

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I

nnovative designs may make for a great upselling opportunity. But sometimes a cool feature comes with installation challenges, says Taps Bath Centre’s Dan Scheffel.

Take skirted toilets, for instance. “Plumbing has to be roughed in at the building stage because the water line that feeds into the tanks needs to be an extra two inches from the centre—in other words, 8” versus 6”. Otherwise it would be covered by the skirting,” Scheffel explains. “It’s not a big issue for residential installation, but condos can have problems because skirted toilets may interfere with the preinstalled water line. If you need to turn off the water supply and it’s covered up—good luck getting behind that toilet.”

Freestanding tubs also come with a challenge or two. Scheffel notes the importance of ensuring

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there is enough space to walk around the end for cleaning and to create visual balance. “You also have the logistics of hookup. Both freestanding baths and faucets need access from underneath, usually through the ceiling below. You need to get the job done before that ceiling is finished.”

He also advises adding rigidity to the freestanding post delivering the water. “Otherwise it will snap right off if a person slips and grabs the faucet. Also keep in mind that in many cases the faucets can cost as much as the tub because there is a massive amount of brass and metals required to make them.

Slimmer ones may seem to be priced right, but they only supply 4 to 5 US gpm, so it could take a long time to fill the tub. You want supply to be at 10 to 12 US gpm. These are concerns you need to point out to customers before installation.”

TOILETS ELEVATING THEIR GAME TOIL

Delta

AND

HYGIENE

Function and design matter in all bathroom-related fixtures, and in the Functio world of o toilets that translates into elevated hygiene. Manufacturers continue to work on perfecting the “cleanest flush” though a number of innovations. innov Dan Scheffel, sales associate for Taps Bath Centre, has seen three big changes to toilets in recent years. “The first is the growing number of high-performance, water-saving flushing technologies.”

Another is a move to tall, gravity-store type tanks. The third shift Scheffel sees is new glazing processes.

O On the styling front, more consumers prefer the skirted base that co covers the trapway and has a smooth linear surface for easier cleaning.

Squared-off tanks are also becoming popular, says Coreen Friesen, a showroom s manager for Wolseley Studio. “However, we have seen a declining demand for dual-flush toilets because newer toilets have become so efficient.”

Right-height or comfort-height toilets (17” versus 15”) are also becoming a preferred choice with consumers. A newer innovation is removable toilet seats for easier cleaning, Scheffel notes.

Touchless flushing—wish uses a sensor to flush a toilet with the wave of a hand—is also making an inroad with some germ-conscious consumers, says Maggie DoRego, the retail product manager for American Standard Brands.

BATHTUBS GOING THE FREE AND EASY ROUTE

American Standard

Kohler

Moen

THE LATEST SCOOP ON

L

SINKS

ike with toilet tanks, square for sinks has been trending for a while, Maggie DoRego of American Standard notes. “Undermount has become the configuration of choice because it allows for a much cleaner look.”

Wolseley’s Coreen Friesen confirms the growing interest in rectangular sinks. “The biggest seller is undermount sinks in a rectangular style with either a scalloped or straight-square bottom. That being said, there are beautiful above-the-counter rectangular mounts with rounded sides. As far as vanities go, grey is by far the most popular choice.”

The only challenge with rectangular

is the flat bottom, which doesn’t create the whirlpool effect of a traditional rounded sink. When selecting a rectangular sink, Scheffel suggests looking for one with a scooped bottom for easier cleaning and maintenance.

Pedestals are also losing ground to European-style wall-mount sinks, he adds. “Add a couple of drawers and you have storage while creating more floor space underneath.”

Glass and vessel sinks are definitely out because of the mess they create on counters, Scheffel notes. “People like more natural finishes, like stone, granite or slate. It’s all about bringing the outdoors in.”

In the bathtub category, the spa trend is going as strong as ever, DoRego says. “The bath has become a sculpture that helps set the mood for the rest of the room.”

When space allows, the overwhelming style of choice is freestanding tubs, she says. “If someone is renovating and has the space, nine times out of 10 they will choose a freestanding model. In fact, it is typically the piece that inspires the rest of the bathroom design.”

Friesen reports that freestanding tubs account for about 60 per cent of their tub sales. “Jetting, however, is not as big. It’s more about soaker tubs.”

Scheffel says simplicity is the order of the day.

“Most customers go for nice, deep tubs that have a very clean look. They’re definitely not getting into systems like they used to, whether it’s air or whirlpool. They want fixtures that are as lowmaintenance as possible.”

As with other fixtures, rectangular styles with rounded corners are gaining momentum compared to traditional oval designs. “People prefer rectangular because they can fit better into smaller spots, whereas oval tubs have to be set a little further out and take up more space,” Friesen says.

Some report a growing interest for addressing the needs of seniors, disabled people or athletes undergoing rehabilitation. Others say uptake is extremely slow, in large part because the cost continues to be prohibitive. DoRego notes that designs have changed to make walk-in tubs “a little sexier,” with features such as mood lighting, water jets, neck rests and a wider range of models.

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By Adam Freill

Assisting I

n a world where consumers have endless information available to them, you know that homeowners looking to build their dream bathroom or kitchen are going to watch home renovation shows and hit the internet to arm themselves with information. As a plumber, it can be difficult to keep up with all the products and designs that clients are looking into. That’s where a good relationship with a plumbing showroom can lend a helping hand.

“The majority of customers come in as referrals from plumbers, builders and renovators,” says Gordon Stille, sales manager of Bathworks, a showroom with five locations in the province of Ontario. “We work with a plumber’s customers to help them find the perfect fixture for their bath or kitchen. In addition to design and sales, we can take care of billing and delivery to the jobsite.”

“Working with a showroom ensures that the customer gets the style they want, at a price they are happy to pay, and that the plumber gets all the components required to complete the installation,” advises Stille.

Of course, keeping up with trends and products is an ongoing concern for showroom staff as well. In addition to ongoing product training, some showrooms are embracing the comfort that consumers have with the internet to enhance the sales experience.

While many products will be on display in a typical showroom, it is simply not possible to showcase everything that is available, and that’s where technology can help. Armed with a tablet, a sales rep can tap into a library of digital vignettes, whether the faucet, toilet or other product is on display in the showroom or not.

“We are exploring digital design technology, showroom digital display and digital display, and embracing the internet to take advantage of training and sales tools,” says Stille. “Showroom sales teams can not only show consumers the products they have seen on HGTV, but explain the features, benefits and the advantages of choosing one brand over another within the customers budget.”

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When a customer insists upon supplying their own fixtures and components, a plumber generally does not have the ability to earn a profit on the materials of the build and must make do with labour-only from the job, but that’s not so with many showrooms.

“Trade partners can use a Bathworks showroom as if it were their own,” says Stille, who explains that plumbing firms can register with the showroom so that they can generate revenue from their clients’ purchases.

In the past, homeowners would often defer to the knowledge and experience of their plumber or general contractor to come up with a design, but nowadays most have an idea of the look or style they are aiming for with their project, which may create challenges on the build side – especially if they have sourced faucets and fixtures without consulting the professionals.

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Profitable Partnerships

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Bringing the Web Stille’s showrooms are harnessing the power of the internet. With the comfort consumers have with tablets, and the knowledge that many homeowners do their research online, his company is rolling out digital devices to its sales teams, so that they can do the research for their customers. “Our sales teams will have instant access to product design, function and installation information utilizing customer friendly technology,” he explains.

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Bathtub Overow Piping The Flex924 from Watco connects a bathtub’s overow to the sanitary tee when misalignment occurs between the overow and drain connection. It features a test membrane for the overow and plug for the drain that is testable up to 5 oors. The snap-on overow plate assembles by hand and locks into place with a retainer nut.

Pipe-Freezing Kit General Pipe Cleaners’ Cold-Shot pipe-freezing kit uses CO2 to freeze liquids in pipes ranging from 1/8� through 2� in diameter.

The kit comes with 10 sets of freeze heads, two high-pressure hoses, goggles and rubber gloves. It can be used with steel, copper, cast iron, aluminum or plastic pipes.

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The ďŹ rst ever faucets, built in 1700 BC, were made of marble, gold and silver.

Testrite, available from Holdrite, is designed for stack testing of drain waste and vent plumbing systems using PVC, ABS and no-hub cast iron pipe. It features a test wedge designed to keep contractors dry and a test tee that remains in the system to serve as a cleanout.

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Toilet The Estate VorMax toilet from American Standard uses 4.8 litres of water per ush and can accommodate up to 2.2 lb. of waste. Its elongated bowl sits 16-1/2 inches off the ground and its ushing action reaches areas under the rim.

5,> Aqua-FITÂŽ Modular Sensor Faucet

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Hands-Free Kitchen Faucet The Align MotionSense 1.5 gpm hands-free faucet from Moen is designed for one-hole installation and has a spout that rotates 100 degrees. There are sensors at the top and bottom of the faucet for hands-free activation, as well as a lever handle for manual operation. The faucet is powered by 6 AA batteries or an optional AC adapter.

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WINNIPEG RETROFIT

By Greg Dalgetty

When You Build It...

Building Origins

Photos: John Woods

238 Portage Avenue was constructed in the early 1960s on the site of what was originally Winnipeg’s main post office. Joseph Dreman, a grain trader, headed a consortium of buyers who purchased the former post office and turned it into a six-storey, mixed-use building. Dreman remained the owner of the building until his death at the age of 90 in the year 2000. In 2002, the building was officially named I. J. Dreman Place, although its name was removed when Royal g g the building. bought p Canadian Properties

T

he building at 238 Portage Avenue in downtown Winnipeg, formerly known as Dreman Place, has undergone quite the change in recent years—both physically and mechanically.

Once exclusively an office building, the top five floors of the six-storey structure were converted into loft-style luxury condos in 2014. Today, the only remnants of the old building are the original concrete floors and walls. Everything else— including the plumbing and heating system—has been upgraded.

Larry Stefanec, president of Parsons Plumbing and Heating, and his team paired with MidCan Hydronics to install the domestic hot water, space heating and air makeup systems for the building.

“Winnipeg has a lot of up-and-coming condo projects where they’re trying to get people downtown,” Stefanec explained. “In the next five to 10 years, there’s going to be more space offered for people to live downtown. It’s like Field of Dreams—if you build it, they will come.”

Photos: Steve Wilkie

“In the next five to 10 years, there’s going to be more space offered for people to live downtown.”

Out with the Old...

Before Stefanec entered the picture, the entirety of 238 Portage Avenue had been serviced by a large fire-tube boiler.

“It did the entire tower, the retail space and the parkade,” he said.

But with the building now being separated for different purposes—commercial space on the ground floor and residential space above—Stefanec proposed installing separate systems.

“That was my proposal, and the owner agreed with me, to facilitate the lower operating costs and to separate the systems instead of having one big system,” Stefanec said. “We were able to separate it quite easily and go high-efficiency, which obviously saves on operating costs.”

To keep up to date on all of Brent’s projects, follow him on Twitter @BrentButt.

Cont’d on page 86

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WINNIPEG RETROFIT continued from page 84

Less Is More Stefanec has found that the smaller footprints of today’s high-efficiency boilers have been a major selling point.

“All the boilers we’re putting in have smaller footprints.

We’re doing a couple projects with big apartment buildings, and the footprint has been cut in half. That allows us to come up with a nice proposal for the owner. There’s the space-saving aspect, efficiency, lower operating costs and installation efficiency.”

Smaller equipment can also mean less costly installations.

“Something that would’ve cost half a million dollars can now be $100,000 less just because the installation is easier. We don’t have to bring in cranes or other big moving equipment that costs thousands and thousands of dollars.”

Changing Times The original tenants of 238 Portage Avenue were mostly financial institutions. Those tenants left as Winnipeg’s downtown grew, and the building was mostly empty by the late 1990s—only Peace Hills Trust remained. Following Joseph Dreman’s death, Sherrill Hershberg, Dreman’s daughter, took over and managed to attract new tenants. The building even became a venue for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

The Sunrex Group of Companies purchased the building in 2011 and decided to convert the ground floor into two retail/ commercial spaces and each of the above floors into a single, executive-style condo unit. The condos range from 1,250 to 2,000 square feet.

In with the New Stefanec’s team selected a high-efficiency 400,000 BTUH condensing boiler to provide space heating for the condo units.

“We had the previous piping from the boiler room that went all the way down and did the main area, which wasn’t being sold yet,” Stefanec explained. “We needed to keep the pipes from freezing, obviously, so we tagged off of the boiler with a mixing system we designed ourselves to get enough heat to keep the temperature above zero.”

A Satisfied Customer Stefanec had promised a system that would deliver lower operating costs, and he came through in the end.

“The owners have said there’s been between 20 and 24 per cent savings in operating costs,” he reported. “Our company is based on relationships. We manage to have some good partnerships with owners and property management companies that use us on a regular basis. They trust our judgment and look to us for the ability to get things done and research products.”

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The boiler was paired with an indirect water heater to provide space heating to the condos. For a time, it also fed the building’s makeup air unit, but prior to the completion of the project, a 500,000 BTUH boiler was added, and it became the sole heat source for the makeup air unit.

“We wanted to split the system between the two titles so that the condos were on their own system,” Stefanec recalled. “We ended up using the new boiler and connecting it directly to the makeup air unit and abandoning the old piping that ran from the other area.”

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Find the Fix

DESIGN YOUR OWN SYSTEM Your customer has a design drawing in hand, but it’s missing some details, like the pipe sizes. “That’s okay,” you tell him, you are an experienced hydronic specialist, so with a few calculations you can round out the plan.

The system has five zones of heating, plus a 120-gallon indirect DHW tank. Zone 1 is 86,000 BTUH, zone 2 is 74,000 BTUH, zones 3 and 4 are 55,000 BTUH each, and zone 5 is 33,000 BTUH. The DHW needs 160,000 BTUH to deliver the continuous flow advertised by the manufacturer.

2. The main pipe size for the two boilers should be: Each of the boilers is a 250,000 BTUH modulating condensing stainless steel unit, with built-in controls for lead, lag, rotate and priority DHW. The boilers have 1-1/4” supply and return fittings.

The air handlers have 3/4” fittings. And the low-temperature baseboard has 3/4” parallel copper lines. The indirect tank has 1” fittings outside, and 1-1/2” heat exchanger inside.

a) 1” b) 1-1/2”

3. The main pipe size for the heating system side should be:

Keeping good piping practice in mind, and designing the system with a 20°F delta T and a flow rate no greater than four feet per second, let’s size some piping.

a) 1-1/2” b) 2”

c) 2-1/2” d) 3”

4. The main pipe size for the two air handlers should be:

1. The pipe size for the indirect DHW should be: a) 3/4” b) 1”

c) 2” d) 2-1/2”

Email your answers to adam.freill@mechanicalbusiness.com. a) 1” c) 1-1/2” b)Please 1-1/4” include your name d) 2” and daytime phone number.

c) 1-1/4” d) 1-1/2”

5. The main pipe size for the three baseboard zones should be: a) 3/4” b) 1”

WIN!

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Please include your name and daytime phone number.

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c) 1-1/4” d) 1-1/2”

B u s i n e s s

Looking for the July/August answers?

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On Tour with Alan

By Adam Freill

Alan is currently on tour in support of his latest album, So Let’s Go, which was the number 1 Canadian debut on the charts when it came out in January.

“The So Let’s Go record is really centred in my history in Celtic musicc and folk music and Newfoundland d music. It is really a big pop record that at is centred around ‘I know a guy from Petty Harbour, Newfoundland’ playing wfoundlan nd’’ and pla aying ing g a bouzouki or mandolin. They are big pop songs, but they are centred around something very, very simple.”

Alan has spent the summer crisscrossing most of North America, with a couple of dates in Europe, and is continuing with a number of Canadian concerts set for the fall.

For times, dates, album details and Alan’s blog, be sure to check out his website, www.alandoyle.ca.

A Photos courtesy of Universal Music Canada

lan Doyle rose to fame as one of the lead vocalists of Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea, but he’s no one-trick pony. Alan is a man of many hats, splitting his time between his solo albums and tour, penning a book or two while traveling from gig to gig, deftly handling acting roles on both big and small screens, producing and arranging music, and embarking on other adventures as they present themselves.

Despite his fame and busy schedule, he’s still rooted in his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador,

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however. There, he, his wife and his son live in St. John’s, not far from where Alan grew up in Petty Harbour.

“St. John’s is not the kind of place where fame buys you anything,” laughed Doyle during our exclusive interview as he waited on a sound check during his current tour in support of his So Let’s Go album. “In St. John’s I’m Alan, I’m Bernie’s brother. It is the kind of place where the prime minister could live next door to you and you’d call him Roger.”

The Out of Oil Party

Making Your Own Friday Night

Last year, Doyle released his first book, Where I Belong, sharing stories about his youth, growing up in a small fishing village in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Among the many tales in the memoir was what he calls, “The Out of Oil Party.”

Life in Doyle’s corner of rural Newfoundland in the 1970s, he explains, was much as could have been found in many parts of the province a decade or two earlier. In a time when many in the province were isolated from other parts of Canada for much of the year, keeping each other entertained helped pass the time, and to build a sense of community.

“When we ran out of oil, the only way for all of us to stay warm was for all of us to gather in the kitchen and open up the electric oven door,” explains Doyle.

“Word would get around that the oven door was off, and next thing you know my uncle and a few others would be coming around and there would be a few guitars, and a few drinks, and next thing you know it was a full on Ceilidh.”

And when it came to community events back then in Petty Harbour, the Doyle house was often party central.

“We had a piano, and my father had a guitar, and my uncles all played. When there was a gathering to be had, it made sense to do it at Tom and Jean Doyle’s house because they had all the instruments and it was close.”

Those parties helped form Doyle’s musical path, and might explain why so many people from his part of the world also became entertainers.

Those kitchen parties were a perfect illustration of how his parents could make the most of what they had.

“They were experts of making the most of lean times. The joke in the book is that we often ran out of heating oil in the house, and of course that was a cause for great celebration,” he laughs. “It was just a natural reaction to have a good time rather than having a bad time.

“For me, personally, it came from our house being party central,” he says. “With regards to Newfoundlanders being a little more predestined to be entertainers, I don’t know where that comes from. I have several theories though.”

“My parents are the kind of people who are always looking at the bright side of everything. They are the kind of people that deal with hard times with song, and gathering people around.

There is nothing more soothing or powerful for that generation of Newfoundlanders than each other.”

The most likely reason, he says, stems from the need for a night of fun to forget the toils of the work week, and doing that despite the realities of geography.

A Bit of Plumbing, and a Lot of Respect Like many in Newfoundland 40-plus years ago, Doyle’s father built his own home with the help of some friends and family, which gave Alan an appreciation for the trades.

“My father built a house with his brothers and he put in all the plumbing in our house. I helped him with that. By the time I was going to university in St. John’s, if a pipe broke or the toilet wouldn’t flush, I didn’t call a landlord, I just fixed it,” he explains.

“They needed a Friday night, just the same as any hardworking people need a Friday night out. I think if you go anywhere on the mainland, someone is going to show up with a cavalcade every now and then and play for you; to sing for you; to bring the dance to you,” he says. “That never happened in coastal communities in Newfoundland. Nobody’s coming on a Friday night. If you want a Friday night, you need to make a Friday night for yourself. So they learned how.”

This, he says, surprised a lot of his friends from more urban centres.

Just a Way of Life

“A lot of my friends would ask, ‘How do you know how to do that?’ Well, you are not going to be able to get a plumber to come to Petty Harbour in the middle of February, so you had to learn how to do things yourself.

Growing up in Petty Harbour, winter weather would often bring frozen pipes for Alan and his family, but that never phased him, nor his father who would gather water when the plumbing gave in to the cold.

“You end up having a rare respect for the pros. I brag about having done it ourselves, not because we did it very well, but because we did it. And it does give you immense respect for the tradespeople who can do those jobs properly. The tap turns on, and water comes out of it. I still think it’s a miracle.”

“Newfoundland is a rock beside the Atlantic Ocean.

The ground is hard, so you can’t just bury the pipes,” says Doyle. “In Petty Harbour, when I was a kid, having frozen pipes was just a way of life. Of course the pipes freeze in the winter.”

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91

PLUMBING

By D a v e D un b a r

LOCATING SEPTIC LINES N

ot long ago, unless you were handy with a divining rod, the only way to locate a septic tank was to attack the back yard with a steel probe bar.

Creating a Continuous Signal Note that when locating a camera head or sonde, the process involves detecting a single discrete source of radio transmission. It is only by connecting the dots that the lay of the pipe becomes apparent.

There are several other options that employ a different approach, however. The pipe can be traced, for example, by sending an electronic signal down a metal object that has been inserted into the pipe. If the pipe is made of metal, it may be possible to use the pipe itself. This process, when successful, creates an “antenna” effect,, which allows the contractor or to quickly trace the length of the pipe.

If you can run a snake or flat rod down the seeptic sewer line, then it’s possible to use a transmittteer devi v ce to energize the cable so that it reso vi s nates att so a radio o fr frequency accessible to a locato or.

You’d check to see where the main sewer line exited the building, pace off the distance, make your best guess, and then as carefully as possible, insert the probe. When we say insert, we mean ram the probe into the dirt hard enough to penetrate six to 36 inches of soil, but, hopefully, not hard enough to puncture the pipe or tank.

No sweat, right?

Flash forward to the present. Now, high-tech options exist to pinpoint the location, path and depth of the sewer line, which makes finding the tank a snap. Electronic locators, sondes and transmitter devices, developed for use in the plumbing and drain cleaning industry to find drainpipes, have tremendous crossover utility for locating septic systems.

Technology exists to trace most septic sewer lines, regardless of their diameter or composition. Radio frequency locator devices, when used with pipe inspection camera systems, sondes, and transmitters with cables and ground stakes, can take the guess work out of finding pipes and tanks, saving you time and effort while bolstering your professionalism.

And it sure beats attacking a backyard with a probe rod!

Transsm smitters are bat a tery operated, and hav a e cabl b es, sprin ng clips and ground stakes. You attach ng h the possittive cab ble (th he red clip p in mo ostt brands) to the snakke or flaat rod d, and thee nega g ti ga tivee cable (thee blackk clip)) to a metal stake plant nted nt ed in th thee ground as far awayy as poss ssible at a right an ss ngle to o the preesumed d lay off the la h pipee. The goa o l is to cr c ea e tee a groun unded un d ciirc r uit off electrici c ty flow ci wing beettw ween the red and blacck clips. s continues on ppage 94

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PLUMBING

continues from page 92

MAPPING WITH A

CAMERA

Whether a house or building is connected to a municipal waste treatment system or a septic tank, the main sewer line, or lateral, is usually four inches in diameter. This makes it easy for plumbers and professional drain cleaners to insert a camera system with a built-in sonde or transmitter device to inspect and locate the pipe.

Most camera systems manufactured today have a sonde that broadcasts a homing signal at 512 Hz. A locator device, which is essentially an accurate radio receiver, picks up and analyzes the signal, allowing the operator to determine both the exact position and depth of the camera head.

So, if you’ve already snaked or jetted the drain, a standard sized size si zed d in insp inspection spec ecti tion on ssystem yste ys tem m wi willll aallow llllow ow yyou ou tto o in insp inspect spec ectt th the e liline ne ffor or damage and leaks, and at the same time trace the pipe.

CAST IRON IS YOUR FRIEND If you happen to encounter a septic system drain that is made of cast iron, consider yourself lucky. Use some sandpaper to clean a section of the pipe and directly attach the positive cable, and then position and connect the ground stake to the transmitter.

Most professionals stop and locate the camera head every 10 feet or so, spraying the ground with paint or dropping a marker to show the spot. When they’re done, they’ve mapped the whole pipe and the location of the septic tank.

When doing this, just be careful not to push the camera head inside the tank. Aside from the obvious reasons for not submerging the camera head in wastewater, the flexible spring on the front end of the push rod assembly can easily get ensnared in the backflow preventer built into the end pipes. of most septic sept p ic drain p ip pes.

With cast iron, we recommend using a mid-range frequency like 33 kHz. Tracking a metal pipe in the ground is in a transmitter’s wheelhouse; you’ll knock it out the park every time! continues on page 96

Once the camera head gets trapped by the backflow valve, the only way to release it is to dig it up and cut open the pipe, which is probably not your ideal way to spend a day.

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PLUMBING

continues from page 94

Dealing with Tight and Damaging Situations ons Using a camera system to map a septic line is great, as long as the lines are at least three inches wide and relatively clean and smooth. Sometimes, for many different reasons, it just isn’t prudent to shove a sewer inspection camera down a septic line.

For example, the diameter of the pipe might be too small. Drain pipes must be wide enough to handle all the waste water potentially coming their way. That means that sewers must be larger in larger buildings. However, in very small houses or buildings, they may be smaller.

Anything smaller than three-inch pipe can present a problem for a standardsized camera system. Fortunately, smaller versions of pipe inspection systems exist, with thinner, more flexible push rods and smaller camera heads. As always, you just have to be aware of your environment and make sure you’re using the right tool for the job.

Another roadblock to using a camera system can be the presence of flaws, cracks or sharp edges that could damage the push rod. The rule of thumb is to never push your camera head into a situation where it could be damaged, or where it could get stuck.

A broken pipe is a dangerous and potentially expensive environment for your camera system. If the pipe conditions are uncertain, it’s always best to send down a less expensive piece of equipment.

One solution when a camera cannot be used is the use of battery-operated sondes or remote transmitters. They’re relatively small, are easy to locate, and can be safely attached to most brands of drain cables or snakes.

We normally recommend using a spring carrier that connects directly to the front end of the drain cleaning snake and

protects the sonde by enclosing it inside a hollow spring.

The process for tracing a remote transmitter is identical to a camera head; stop and locate every 10 feet or so, marking the spots as you go.

Dave Dunbar is the assistant sales manager with General Pipe Cleaners.

He can be reached at daved@generalpipecleaners.com.

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B y E r ic R iml

Eric Riml is a certified hydronic designer working in Calgary, Alta. He can be reached at hydronichelp@gmail.com.

Bridging the Gaps from Design to Install

S

o you are a hydronic heating installer who, having dutifully gotten a design from the hydronic designer at your local wholesaler, must now assemble the system shown in the drawing. The task in front of you is to put into practice that which someone else has provided to you as a theoretical system.

So, let’s look at that drawing you have been given. First, I will admit to having drawn this design, and I’ve intentionally made it a poor one, but how many times have you received something like this? It was likely done in a hurry, and it’s certainly missing some components. Have a look, and see if you can spot them in my drawing.

RELOCATING MANIFOLDS While the drawing may seem to indicate that all components will be installed inside the boiler room, it might be physically impossible to fit everything in there, leading the installer to relocate the manifold to a closet or other remote location. Depending on distances involved, this seemingly simple change can often completely throw off the effective loop lengths, and require either an upsized distribution line from the boiler room to the manifold, or a bigger pump on that load.

There are at least six (6) obvious questions or omissions on this drawing, and I’ve numbered them for reference. There are also further considerations that aren’t even mentioned, and may not be as immediately apparent, pp , but we can discuss those a little later. For now,, how’s this for a starter list?

3

6

4

2

5

1

1 2

There’s no isolation valve on this line. You could use the pump isolation valve for the hot line, to isolate the DHW tank, but you’d be out of luck on the return line.

What the heck is this?

We used to specify a very handy little device – a dual-isolation valve for the fill and expansion tank connections – but many contractors would bring this piece back, not knowing what it was! It’s a handy device though, and the drawing shows how you can make use of this to isolate the expansion tank. Handy, eh? continued on page 100

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continued from page 98 continued from page 32

This is an air separator, but there’s no isolation valve on it. I can guarantee that would be handy to have if it ever needed replacement, or even just some cleaning.

Similar to the air separator, this is a dirt separator. Since these tend to get clogged, they need their own isolation valves.

5

Are these closely spaced tees? They certainly don’t look all that close, but given the primary-secondary nature of the piping, and the separate load pumps, that’s likely what these are supposed to be.

6

What’s this curved line? Frankly, it’s laziness. The designer likely modified the drawing, or pulled this piece from another drawing, and simply didn’t change it back to a straight line.

DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS Most designs assume that you ou will have 50 per cent more restriction in flow than the piping lengths, simply from m fittings. This assumption often ten means that your flow will not match h theoretical th ti l fl flow, although lth h it’ it’s usually ll not off by that much (it’s a fairly time-tested assumption).

If you ever find yourself squeezing an installation into a cramped room, or have to split the install between two cramped rooms, however, you might end up using a lot more fittings than usual, and this will affect your flow rates.

You’ll note that pump speeds are specified on the drawing above.

This means that the designer quoted multiple-speed pumps (hi/med/low) and has gone the extra step of telling you what to set them on. Keep in mind that these speeds only work well if you’ve stayed within the assumptions above, and they may need adjusting based on actual piping parameters.

The pipe material may be another factor in your supplied design versus actual flow rates. In general, copper gives more flow than PEX for the same pipe size, and in extreme cases where an installer goes heavy on copper – possibly by customer insistence – flow rates can be affected.

ADDITIONAL ADD-ONS Air Vents One item that a designer simply cannot plan for, since they will have little idea of what the actual piping will look like, is additional air vents. Any high point or any point that’s higher than the rest of the nearby pipe – even if it’s close to ground level – is a place where air could get trapped. These should probably have their own air vents. Trapped air can lead to increased corrosion and cause airlocks that may not be an immediate problem, but gradual air buildup could lead to issues a year or more after installation.

Check Valves Since the space will dictate the actual piping layout, it is possible to end up with vertical sections where heat could move on its own. This situation is most common when there is a zone pump on a vertical line, and no valves to prevent flow up that line.

The solution is the use of check valves. These are included on some circulators, but they likely won’t be shown on any design drawing.

Flow Gauges I’m a really big fan of throwing a flow gauge on at least the largest load piping. There’s really no way to determine your actual-vs-theoretical flow other than simply measuring it.

While I would restrict this component addition to commercial applications, it can be an invaluable tool for later troubleshooting. Unfortunately, it’s very rarely specified or installed unless an engineer insists upon it.

One reason many installers are now using the prebuilt manifolds is that they include flow gauges on both the supply and return, and on the individual lines, allowing easy tweaking and troubleshooting of that part of the system.

Never Assume Just because you got a drawing and it’s stamped by a designer, doesn’t mean that designer is perfect. There are things worth checking before you try to build a system from that drawing you have in hand.

For in-slab piping, try taking the total calculated BTU load, and divide by 20. The result should give you a rough approximation of the number of feet of pipe you’ll need. If the number is way off, it is worth a closer look.

And despite what you may think, some homeowners would love to stock a few critical parts to reduce potential downtime.

100

The concern about a few days of “no heat” downtime during the cold winter months is often more than enough for a homeowner to agree that this preparation is a prudent measure of insurance.

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HYDRONICS HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC

B yB yDan Go rHo d Cloohoan ke

STEAMING UP

HEATING SYSTEMS S

team- and hot-water heating joined hands a long time ago to make up what we call hydronics. The two systems have been around for hundreds of years and, while there are some similarities to them, they are also both different in ways. Let’s look at a few of the big things that make them different.

First, there are the radiator ratings. We use a term called Equivalent Direct Radiation, or EDR, for this. Some radiators work with both steam and hot water, but the EDR output will change because steam is hotter than what we commonly use in a hot-water system.

EXPLAINING SILVER LININGS After the 1918-19 Spanish Influenza pandemic killed 50 million people, some governments mandated that windows be left open during the winter because the flu virus was airborne. I learned about this while reading heating texts written during the 1920s. They figured heat loss for the coldest day, with the windows open. This is why those radiators are so large.

When the Great Depression arrived, people began to close their windows. Those oversized radiators now put out more heat than Shakira, so the government ordered some research and learned that if the top coat of paint on a radiator was aluminum-bronzing, the radiator’s output would drop by 20 per cent.

The standard output for a steam radiator when the surrounding air is 21°C (70°F) and there’s one psig of steam inside the radiator will be 240 BTUH per square foot EDR. But if you run that same radiator with an average hot-water temperature of 77°C (170°F), the output drops to just 150 BTUH per square foot EDR. Keep this in mind if you’re thinking about converting a system from steam to hot water.

One of the nice things about steam is that it’s a gas that has no noticeable static weight. This is not so for water, and is why you’ll see steam radiators in structures like the Empire State building. Height matters when it comes to water weight.

Oh, and steam is fast! The design velocity in most steam-heating systems is 60 mph. In the typical hot-water system, the water chugs along at about 4 mph.

You could probably walk that fast, eh?

They also learned that if you paint over the aluminumbronzing with, say, black paint, the rating went back to what it used to be.

So, colour does matter, and this is why silver-coloured paint (aluminum bronzing) covers so many older radiators.

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• Ex c i t i n •g E a dx p v al anicneisn g •s ilver Th e inlin fluinen gsce •oTh f beu ild E DR in g d esign

THE EDR: Devising a Rating Tool

Steam is lighter than air, and air is lighter than water. When steam enters a radiator, it wants to go to the top.

The first radiators were flat, iron boxes. The Dead Men (visit www.heatinghelp.com for more about them) figured out how much heat came off each square foot of surface on those boxes and they called this, not surprisingly, a square foot of radiation.

On one-pipe steam systems, we put the radiator air vent halfway down the radiator on the side opposite the supply valve. This is to keep the steam from immediately shutting the air vent. We want more of that air to get out.

In a hot-water system, the lighter air will go to the top of the radiators and the system piping unless you catch it near the boiler with an air separator.

There’s no need for an air separator in a steam system.

Time went by and the Dead Men found they were having a tough time selling those flat-box radiators.

I’ve read in old books that the problem was with the ladies. They just didn’t like the looks of those things, and when Mama’s not happy, nobody’s happy.

James Watt was the first person to use a radiator. It was a flat metal box, filled with steam, and it was in his study.

The year was 1784.

There’s also no need for circulators with steam. These days, we’re looking to save electricity so we’re using a lot of smart pumps that ramp down when zones close. The slower speed of the ECM motor saves power, sure, but steam moves by itself. The only thing standing in its way is air, and if you balance the venting, the steam will move from the boiler to the radiator at highway speed.

Steam systems also take advantage of latent heat, which you can’t measure with a thermometer. To change one pound of water to steam, you have to first get the water to 100°C (212°F) and then add 970 more BTUs. What you wind up with is steam at the same temperature, but 1,700 times larger than it was as a liquid. It races out of the boiler and toward the radiators, condenses, and gives back that latent heat. Hot-water systems use only sensible heat.

The Empire State Building runs on 1-1/2 psi of steam pressure. The size of the pipes, not the size of the building, determines the required steam pressure.

So the Dead Men started making radiators that were smaller, but had a lot more surface area. They did this by wrapping wire around steam-filled radiator pipes, giving the air more hot places to touch as it moved by convection across the radiator.

To measure the outside surface area of a shape with all those nooks and crannies, they used a large vat of paint that they weighed on a scale. They dunked the radiator into the vat, allowing the paint to flow freely into all the crevices. Then they pulled the radiator out of the paint and let the excess dribble off. They weighed the vat again, and whatever was missing from as now clinging to the outside surface of the vat was tor. the radiator.

Once theyy knew how muchh paint wass on the rad, they took that muchh paint, t, and painted by weight, the floor.

However many square oor space they feet of floor covered became the radiator’s rating. I don’t know if they used a brush or a roller, but that’s how we got the term Equivalent Direct Radiation, or EDR.

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.

IT’S A FACT

When you lower steam pressure, it moves faster.

Sounds crazy, I know, but it’s true.

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Hydronic Products Boiler Control The TekmarNet Internet Gateway 485 gives users remote access to Tekmar-compatible controls for heating and cooling systems. Users can manipulate 24 thermostat settings and monitor boiler system temperatures, firing rates, run times and pump performance. The device also provides status reports and system warnings.

www. tekmarcontrols.com

Radiant Floor Panels Interlocking radiant floor panels from Creatherm are made of EPS and Neopor. They feature a grid-style design to facilitate the installation of tubing and come in 2’ by 4’ sizes in thicknesses of 1.8”, 2.8” and 3.3”.

www. creatherm.com

Circulator The Viridian VR1816 circulator from om Taco Comfort Solutions offers up to 18’ of shut-off head and a flow rate of 16 gpm. It accommodates fluid temperatures ranging from -10°C to 110°C and water/glycol mixes conncentrations as high as 50 per cent..

The first boiler built with fire tubes within water tubes was made in 1830 by Summers & Ogle.

www. tacocomfortsolutions.com

Filters TF1 Delta filters from Fernox are designed to remove trapped air and protect key components from debris in large-volume, low-temperature heating and cooling systems. They feature solid brass construction and dual radial seals, and have a maximum working pressure of 232 psi.

www. fernox.com

Wall Panel Radiators

HelioPEX X2 oxygen-barrier tubing from Uponor comes in 1/2”, 5/8” and 3/4” sizes for residential radiant heating applications. It is compatible with the company’s ProPEX expansion, compression and crimp fittings, and is available in coil lengths ranging from 300 to 1,000’.

The VLX series of radiator wall panels from Runtal are designed to be placed on walls and under windows to save floor space.

Available with or without fins, the panels are 2” thick and come in lengths ranging from 20” to 29.5'.

Heating output ranges from 1,240 to 2,020 BTUH per foot with fins and 700 to 1,420 BTUH per foot without fins.

www. uponor.ca

www. runtalnorthamerica.com

PEX Tubing

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REFRIGERATION

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

APPLICATION OF

HIGH-SIDE REFRIGERANT RECEIVERS 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.

H

igh-side, high-pressure receivers are found on many commercial and industrial refrigeration systems. This component is basically a storage device that allows excess refrigerant to be stored when it is not needed.

Receivers are available in both horizontal and vertical configurations and are generally installed between the condenser outlet and the metering device.

Inside the receiver, a dip tube is connected to the receiver outlet. This extends down into the tank and stops just short of the bottom of the vessel. This ensures that liquid and vapour are separated within the receiver and that only liquid enters the liquid line.

Commonly, a valve known as a king valve is installed at the receiver outlet in order to facilitate a manual pump-down for service. This king valve can be closed in order to prevent flow into the liquid line. A valve may also be located at the inlet to the receiver, sometimes referred to as a queen valve. It is worth noting that the CSA B52 code requires this valve on systems that have a charge that exceeds 50 kg (110 lb.) and a receiver in a remote location from the condenser.

When a receiver is correctly sized and the system is correctly charged, there will always be both liquid and vapour present inside the receiver.

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INSIDE THE CONDENSER During the summertime, the condenser operates with its summer charge. This is a relatively low quantity of refrigerant and is typically listed in condenser manufacturer’s data. During the colder days of the year, the condenser will operate closer to or at its winter charge. This value is also generally listed in the condenser manufacturer’s data.

As the outdoor ambient temperature and/ or system load increases, the pressure in the condenser increases. In this case, the flooding regulators open to permit some of the excess condenser refrigerant to enter the receiver.

As the receiver level rises, the vapour should be able to rise and exit the receiver through its inlet connection and then re-enter the condenser. This is why the pipe sizing and layout between the condenser outlet and receiver inlet is so important.

continued on page 108

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continued from page 106

Liquid leaves the condenser via the condensate line of the condenser. This tends to increase the level in the receiver depending on the flow rate from the receiver to the liquid line.

The flow rate entering the liquid line will depend on the load on the system. As the load varies, the flow of liquid through the metering device is adjusted to match the load on the evaporator.

The receiver allows for variations in load while always ensuring a full column of liquid travelling to the metering device.

One of the most important applications of the receiver is on systems that employ refrigerant flooding for high side pressure control. High side pressure control/regulation ensures sufficient pressure drop across the metering device and ensures that the discharge pressure stays above the minimum that is permitted for the compressor. The compressor manufacturer’s operating envelope should be referred to for this lower limit.

It is generally good practice to position the receiver just below the condenser while allowing for an 18” to 20” vertical drop of the condensate line. This vertical section of piping may be referred to as the drop leg, condensate leg or drain leg. If the receiver must be located remotely from the condenser, such that some horizontal piping will be required, it is important to consider the flow of liquid into and out of the condenser.

DEALING WITH WARMTH When it is necessary to install the receiver in a warmer area than the condenser (e.g., indoor receiver with outdoor condenser in the wintertime), some provision must be made for preventing the receiver charge from migrating to the colder condenser during extended off times. It will likely be necessary to install some form of check or stop valve in the condensate line to accomplish this.

As always, it is important to consider the positioning of valves to ensure that liquid cannot be trapped in any portion of the system without having protection.

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If low ambient condenser flooding is used, the difference between the summer and winter charge must be considered when sizing the receiver.

The receiver size becomes less important during colder ambient temperatures, since the condenser will be relatively full of liquid. However, during warmer periods, liquid refrigerant is not needed for flooding and will leave the condenser. So at a minimum, the receiver must be large enough to hold the difference between the summer and winter charge. The effects of an undersized receiver will be noticed during periods of warmer ambient temperatures and high load.

The next important item to consider is the pump-down requirement. The B52 code requires that the receiver be large enough to receive the pump-down charge without occupying more than 90 per cent of the receiver volume at a liquid temperature of 90°F. The actual pump-down will depend on such factors as the system configuration, pipe diameters, pipe lengths, evaporator charge, etc.

The best approach is to consider the pump-down charge that exists when pumping down the system with the king valve closed and the liquid line solenoid open. This ensures that the total quantity of liquid contained in the liquid line is also included.

The evaporator charge is generally made available by the evaporator manufacturer.

In direct expansion systems, the quantity of refrigerant in the suction line is relatively small.

However, this quantity should still be considered.

If it appears unlikely that the vapour in the receiver cannot rise to the condenser, then it probably won’t. Also, if the receiver is located in a warmer ambient than the condenser, this can impair the natural flow of liquid from the condenser to the receiver. This condition is known as receiver binding. In this case, the pressure must increase in order to allow the vapour to condense.

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QUICKTIP

THE CSA B52 CODE AND

ASHRAE 15 STANDARD ARE REFERENCES THAT SHOULD ALWAYS BE CONSIDERED WHEN LAYING OUT REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS.

INSTALLING IN COLDER AREAS When the receiver will be installed in an area that may become colder than the refrigerated space, it will generally be necessary to heat and insulate the receiver. This ensures that there will be sufficient pressure to permit flow from the liquid line to the evaporator when the liquid line solenoid opens.

This becomes even more important on systems that may not be in operation for extended periods.

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He was setting a precedent.

Once your clients start seeing the benefits of our incentives for upgrading to high efficiency RTUs, they will want to look into making other parts of their building like ventilation, chiller and building automation systems more efficient too.

When they do, they’ll be joining thousands of organizations across Ontario who are already enjoying the savings that our programs deliver.

Take a look at their stories and our incentives at

saveonenergy.ca/business

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OM Official Mark of the Independent Electricity System Operator.

HVAC/R

B y A sh ley C h ap p elle an d Jim D inkel

Chilling out, for a little while I

n June of 2014, the Yellow Pages building in Markham, Ont., was facing a critical shutdown of its water-cooled chiller. This shutdown would have forced tenants and staff to work off-site, and held the potential of compromising the company’s computer equipment in its data centre.

YELLOW PAGES BUILDING Address: Markham, Ont. Size: 300,000 Square Feet

Considering the cost and complexity of disrupting the entire building’s operations – including the master call centre – having no climate controls was simply not an option. To mitigate the situation, a temporary chiller was called into duty to keep the business operational until the building’s permanent HVAC equipment could be repaired.

To ensure the temporary fix could keep up with the building’s demands, HVAC Rentals, the rental equipment firm working on the project, modelled a cooling system and determined that a 550-ton chiller was required.

That step suggested a need to deliver cooling capacity equal to that of the existing chiller, a 6,600,000 BTUH system, and for that load to be distributed throughout the building – a total of 15 floors.

A 1.25 megawatt generator was required to supply power to the chiller as the building did not have sufficient power. It was also determined that running dual eight-inch lines from the temporary chiller to the existing chiller, located in the penthouse on the 15th floor, would not be feasible.

Consequently, it was required to install hot taps on the building’s 10” risers on the main floor. This was tricky as the risers were adjacent to an exposed 2,000A buss bar.

In order to ensure that correct flow rates were obtained on all levels, temporary dual 1,500 gpm pumps provided the volume and pressure to get the job done. This was determined via the modeling software employed for the project.

Operating cost also came in to play for this project as a 1.25 megawatt generator consumes considerable fuel – up to 300L/hr. to alleviate this expense, 10-ton water-to-water units were placed in the plenums of every floor.

This allowed the customer to turn the chiller off from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day, yet maintain a cool environment.

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Floors: 15 Cooling Load: 550 Tons

HOT STUFF The function of the chiller at the Yellow Pages building is to provide chilled water to 15 air handlers that deliver comfort cooling, as well as serving to cool the company’s computer data centres. Without a cooling system in place, interior temperatures could reach upwards of 35°C, and that could cause the equipment to overheat and to potentially fail. This is why the company saw the need for both a reliable short-term and long-term solution for its HVAC needs.

SUPPLY AND SUPPORT The role of the rental company in this case was not only to support the client but to also support the mechanical contractor.

To keep operating costs to a minimum, the facility manager and designated maintenance personnel were taught how the system worked and how to monitor such integral aspects as the fuel level on the generator and chiller pump pressure.

Over the rental span, minimal fine tuning was required. With detailed engineering analysis, the system was turned off nightly to reduce the client’s fuel bill. Rather than putting the daily restart in the hands of on-site personnel, a technician was dispatched each morning to turn the generator on and get the system up and running.

Ashley Chappelle is the marketing contact with HVAC Rentals. She can be reached at achappelle@hvacrentals.ca. Jim Dinkel is the sales contact at the firm, and can be reached at jdinkel@hvacrentals.ca.

STUFF YOU NEED Refrigerant Backpack k

Mobile Storage Units DeWalt’s Tough Chest mobile storage unit offers 63 gallons and 110 lb. of load capacity. It has 8” rubber wheels and IP53 water-resistance. An additional 15-gallon chest has a telescopic metal handle, 7” wheels, 1P43 water resistance and a 90-lb. load capacity.

Hilmor’s refrigerant tank and utility backpack allows contractors to transser port heavy tanks on their backs rather than by hand. It can carry up to a er, 30-lb. refrigerant or recovery cylinder, or up to 50 lb. of tools and supplies,, and comes with a drawstring, cord ealock and a flap with a latch. It also features eight carabiner loops and see-through pockets.

www. hilmor.com

www. dewalt.com

Combination on Snips

Static Pressure Meter

Malco Products’ ultra-lightweight ra-lightweight combination snips can be used with galvanized and mild steels, as well as materials such as aluminum uminum pipe and coil. The snips weigh gh 269 g and feature a 10” polymer mer frame, protective handle loops oops and 3” inset blades..

AAB Smart Tools’ SPM-100 smartphone static pressure meter is a pocket-size dualport manometer that comes with a free app to assist contractors in taking measurements. The app walks users through measuring static pressure, pressure differential, indoor vs. outdoor pressure and system external static pressure. It can also email detailed reports for a record of work performed.

www. malcotools.com

www. aabsmart.com

Soldering Shield

Moisture Meter The MR160 imaging moisture meter from Flir allows contractors to pinpoint unwanted sources of moisture in installations using a built-in thermal camera. Thermal imaging and data can be transferred to a computer for analysis and report generation. The meter features a rechargeable battery and a laser pointer with display crosshairs to assist with targeting.

The Soldersnake, available from GF Thompson, is a hands-free 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

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John Cardiff is the senior vice-president of sales for North America with Canature WaterGroup. He can be reached at john.cardiff@canaturewatergroup.com.

WATER TREATMENT

By John Cardiff

Taking out the

IMPURITIES A

lthough water is 100 per cent pure as water vapour forms into rain drops during the hydrological cycle, it doesn’t take long for those drops to run into impurities in the atmosphere, as it percolates through the ground, and as it collects and moves through streams, rivers and other waterways.

Some of the impurities and minerals dissolved or suspended in the water can be beneficial, or at least not harmful, for human consumption, but many

areas experience water conditions that require some form of treatment before it can be considered safe or desirable to be ingested.

Since impurities can be varied, effective treatment must be based on the water conditions, as well as the causes of the impurities. Here are a few of the more commonly found water issues, how to identify the problem, and some advice regarding treatment options that you can provide to your customers.

PROBLEM

SYMPTOMS

CAUSE

TREATMENT

Hard Water

Look for spotting on dishes and glassware; scale on the inside of the water heater, pipes and waterusing appliances; and soap curd and bathtub rings.

Also, clean clothes may look grey and dingy.

3.0 grains per gallon, or more, of calcium and magnesium in the water.

The installation of a water softener.

This presents as yellow, brown or rusty stains on plumbing fixtures, waterusing appliances and fabrics. There may also be a metallic taste in foods and beverages. The water is clear when drawn from the faucet, but oxidizes when exposed to air, changing to a yellow or brown colour.

Iron in the water measuring 0.3 ppm or more.

Clear Water Iron (Ferrous)

Red Water Iron (Ferric)

The symptoms are similar to those of clear water iron, but with red water, the iron has already oxidized, so it has a yellow or rusty colour when drawn from the faucet.

?

DID YOU KNOW?

Iron in the water measuring 0.3 ppm or more.

For iron measurements between 0.3 and 1.5 ppm, install a water softener.

Iron in the 1.5 to 10.0 ppm range will require a specialized softener.

When using a water softener to remove any amount of iron, a resin cleaner must also be used regularly. A combination of a chemical-free iron filter, followed by a water softener is often recommended for iron in the 1.5 to 30 ppm range.

Options include the use of a chemical-free iron filter for problems in the 0.3 to 30 ppm range, or the use of an iron and sulphur filter for measurements between 0.3 and 10 ppm.

The pH value is an exponential function so that pH 10 is 10 times more alkaline than pH 9 and 100 times more alkaline than pH 8. Similarly, a pH 4 is 1,000 times more acidic than pH 7.

Impurities Impurities in water are divided into two classifications: 1. Dissolved Solids 2. Suspended Solids

continues on page 114

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PROBLEM

SYMPTOMS

CAUSE

TREATMENT

Manganese

Manganese content above 0.05 ppm can cause blackish stains on fixtures and laundry.

The interaction of carbon dioxide or organic matter with manganese-bearing soils can cause the manganese to build in the water. This is usually found in combination with iron.

In the 0.05 to 1.0 ppm range, a chemical-free iron and manganese filter with a pH correction media can be used. At concentrations between 1.0 and 2.0 ppm, a separate neutralizing filter should be followed by an iron and sulphur filter.

The oxidation of manganese is more pH dependent than iron, so a pH of 8.2 or higher must be maintained. If the manganese level is higher than 2.0 ppm, or if bacterial iron is present, contact your water treatment supplier for additional treatment strategies.

Water Analysis Glossary

For slightly acidic water, in a pH range of 6.0 to 6.9, a neutralizing filter should be adequate. For more acidic water, and anything with a pH of 4.0 to 6.9, a chemical feed pump feeding soda ash can help, or contact your water treatment products supplier for help.

» Total Dissolved

Acid Water

Hydrogen Sulphide

114

Acid water can cause bluish-green or rusty stains, as well as corrosion of plumbing fixtures and other water-using appliances. It can also present as pitting of porcelain and enamel fixtures and dishes, and create pin holes in copper plumbing lines.

This is generally associated with water with a pH value of less than the neutral 7.0.

This very corrosive problem is one that can be fairly easy to detect. If the water has a smell or taste like rotten eggs, and/or if the copper plumbing lines have turned black, hydrogen sulphide is a likely reason.

Hydrogen suphide is a dissolved gas that can occur naturally in some water supplies. It can also be caused by the presence of sulphate-reducing bacteria.

At concentrations of 0.1 to 3.0 ppm, a chemical-free iron filter or iron and sulphur filter can be used.

If hydrogen sulphide is in the 3.0 to 10.0 ppm range, we suggest the use of a chemical-free iron filter utilizing a catalytic carbon media bed. For levels higher than 10.0 ppm, we suggest a chemical feed pump feeding chlorine, followed by a multimedia filter. Just remember that a retention tank will be needed to ensure that there is adequate contact time for the chlorine.

Turbidity (Sand/Sediment)

Cloudy water due to foreign particles and dirt.

The tiny suspended particles can be caused by water main scale or silt.

Private wells often contain sand or clay.

A multimedia filter can be used on the whole house water supply, or a sediment cartridge filter could be installed for individual faucets.

Tannins

Tannins often result in a yellow or brown tint or cast in the water supply. If the concentration of tannins measures 0.5 ppm or higher, staining or interference with some water treatment processes may occur.

This is the result of decaying vegetative matter.

The use of an organic colour removal filter is a good first step. It is advisable to contact your water treatment supplier for additional treatment strategies.

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» Alkalinity Caused by the presence of bicarbonates, carbonates and hydroxides.

» pH A scale used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of water.

A pH reading of 7.0 is neutral. Higher is alkaline, and lower than 7.0 is acidic.

Solids (TDS) A measure of the soluble solids present in the water.

» Total Hardness Water in excess of 3 grains per gallon (gpg) is generally considered hard and should be softened.

DEEP WATER As a general rule, water from deep wells contains a higher mineral content and is less likely to contain organics or turbidity.

Water from shallow wells is usually lower in mineral content, but may be subjected to pollution or other bacteria that is available from various sources nearby.

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PLUMBING

Products

Water Heater The NPE-150S water heater from Navien has a heating capacity of 18,000 to 120,000 BTUH. It produces 5.3 gpm at a 45°F temperature rise and can be vented up to 60 feet with PVC. It is suitable for use in small residences and can also be cascaded for larger applications.

Bath Faucets Zoe bathroom faucets from KWC come in single-handle and two-handle basin models, as well as single-handle wall-mounted units. They have a flow rate of 1.5 gpm and spouts that swivel 90 degrees. The faucets are available in chrome and stainless steel finishes.

www. navien.com

www. kwcamerica.com

Pressure Boosting System The Inline 400 pressure boosting system from Little Giant uses a pump, motor and flow controls to increase water pressure by as much as 40 psi. It is rated for 1/3 hp, features a 1” NPT outlet and comes in 115V and 230V models. Powered by a standard electrical cord, it can be mounted either vertically or horizontally.

www. littlegiant.com

Commercial Toilets EcoVantage 1.1 gpf wall-hung toilets from Zurn feature a 2-1/8” glazed trapway and are available in top spud and back spud models.

They are made of vitreous china and have an antimicrobial ceramic glaze to mitigate stains and odours.

Ancient Egyptian toilet seats were made of limestone.

www. zurn.com

Kitchen Faucet Tommy Gourmet kitchen faucets from Delta feature a pull-down spout that swivels 360 degrees. They have a maximum flow rate of 1.8 gpm at 60 psi and come in one- and three-hole models.

The faucets are made of solid brass and have a chrome finish.

Tee Stops SharkBite Tee Stops allow contractors to tap into existing water supply lines in order to add new fixtures and appliances. They come in a variety of sizes ranging from 1/2” x 1/2” x 1/4” to 3/4” x 3/4” x 3/8” and feature push-fit connections. They are suitable for use with copper, CPVC, PEX and PE-RT pipes.

www. deltafaucet.ca

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A WIDE RANGE OF OPTIONS.

Inc

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ng

Da

SALES

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By Don Crossley

S

ome 25 years ago, after selling my own business to a group of my employees, I made the decision to spend the balance of my working years somehow helping other small business owners to be more successful. I had no particular industry in mind but one of the first people I spoke to was an HVAC contractor from Western Ontario.

Now this was right at the beginning of the recession in 1990 and its effect was already being felt. This businessman explained to me that both existing customers and potential customers were starting to really cut back on their spending, only purchasing those things that were absolutely necessary.

Soon the phones stopped ringing and, as a result, the sales representatives were finding it more and more difficult to locate opportunities that would allow them to provide people with quotes on heating or cooling equipment.

On the service side of things, people started to consider the idea of cancelling their maintenance agreements, so revenues were starting to drop off rapidly, whether it was on the new equipment side of things or service.

Meeting with other HVAC contractors from various parts of the province, the situation was very similar, and they were asking me, based on my business background, for suggestions that they do to put some sort of plan together that would allow them to survive the recession.

It was very obvious to me that the immediate need was for some sort of sales strategy that would get the revenues back on track. I thought that based on my experience, the only way to get things going again was to put together a prospecting strategy for each contractor.

PROSPECTING WORKS Today, 25 years later, I am still helping people through my personal prospecting efforts, and I practice what I preach with my own company that offers a service to mechanical firms. I prospect every day, five days a week. Sure I get lots of contractors saying, “No thanks,” but several times each week one or two will say, “Sounds like an idea worth looking into, Don. Can you send me a demo?”

SELLING CONTRACTORS ON SALES T

he task of putting together a prospecting plan had to start with meeting with a company’s sales team and getting them to buy into the plan. This proved to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. I soon found out that the vast majority of salespeople in the HVAC industry do not enjoy prospecting, and try to avoid it at all costs.

I had to somehow find an employee working for one of these contractors who would at least give me a chance to prove my theory.

That opportunity came about when a contractor called and asked if I would take on the challenge of converting one of his service technicians – a tech with over 15 years experience – into a salesperson.

To make it even more interesting, the company owner asked that I not take any of the leads continues on page 120

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SALES |

SELLING CONTRACTORS ON SALES continues from page 118

that came into the office. In other words, it was to be a 100 per cent prospecting effort.

I remember meeting George* that first morning in Mississauga and he was somewhat apprehensive to say the least. He said he would work with me for a week to allow me to prove a point, but then he would be going back to being a tech, a job he enjoyed very much.

Boy, this was sure going to be an interesting week and I was very aware that other HVAC contractors would be watching this experiment very closely.

It was now do or die for me and my prospecting theory.

I asked George what area of Mississauga he usually worked in and we drove to that area. I

parked the car and I explained that I was going to start knocking on doors and speak with anyone who was home about whether we could be of any service to them.

George told me to go ahead and he would watch from the car.

I started to work my way down the street.

Many people were not home, so I simply left a brochure in their mailbox, but at one house an older gentlemen answered. I inquired whether he was presently satisfied with his heating and cooling equipment.

He told me that he had purchased a new system several months earlier and, while it did seem to be working, his wife found the system to be very noisy.

By the end of that first week the quotations we had delivered as a result of our prospecting efforts exceeded those obtained by the full-time salespeople on staff.

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I told him I was working that day with a very qualified service technician, and with his permission I would ask George to take a look and see if he could diagnose why the system was so noisy. The homeowner agreed, so I went back to the car to tell George.

He was out of the car in a flash and almost ran up to the door.

In a matter of just a few minutes he was able to diagnose the problem and correct it. The gentleman and his wife were most appreciative and asked me if we could get in touch with his daughter as she was going to be purchasing a new system in the very near future – he then whispered in my ear that he was going to be financing it as he had just retired and has some spare cash.

Well, of course we contacted the daughter right away and, with George’s assistance, we provided her with a quotation.

The next day we closed the sale – George’s first.

That first afternoon George told me he would like to do some of this prospecting himself, and before the day was out we had obtained two appointments. By the end of that first week the quotations we had delivered as a result of our prospecting efforts exceeded those obtained by the full-time salespeople on staff.

By the end of his first month as a salesperson, George’s closing ratio was higher than any of the other salespeople.

Just amazing.

Trust me folks, prospecting does work to increase sales revenues. Just ask George.

* Of course we’ve changed George’s name for the story, but while his name has been made up, the rest of his story is true, and I’ve used his story to help many contractors over the years. DC

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Don Crossley is a principal at Reliable Pricing System, an online pricing system that helps residential HVAC technicians generate service quotes for their customers. He can be reached at don.crossley@sympatico.ca.

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B y Jim Gar r et t an d R ich ar d M ed a iros

Richard Medairos is the senior systems engineer and director of commercial training at Taco Comfort Solutions.

Jim Garrett is the general manager of Taco Comfort Solutions’ Canadian operations. For more on this topic, contact Jim at JimGar@TacoComfort.com.

OPTIMIZING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Versatility and Control Most commercial systems operate by tracking and controlling pressure differential, or Delta P (ΔP), although larger systems may track both temperature differential, Delta T (ΔT) and ΔP. “A key benefit is that, if we can control the differential temperature, we can make the primary heating and cooling equipment more energy efficient,” explains Mike Miller, director of sales of Engineered Products and Systems with Taco Canada. “For instance, a chilled water system may operate most efficiently at a Delta T of 12°F. If that system is controlled in the Delta T mode, optimal performance is relatively easy to dial in.

“Some systems or terminal devices may not operate as effectively with the higher Delta T because of their design limitations or the types of control valves used,” continues Miller. “That’s where varying flow – by operating with in a Delta P mode – may improve overall system performance.

“The challenge when retrofitting equipment instead of designing systems from scratch is that not all current systems were built to operate in a Delta T mode, so it’s best to have pumps and controls that can respond to either method of operation: Delta T or Delta P,” he adds. “The more versatile the system components, the greater the range of control system designers have; and the greater the level of operational efficiency.”

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J

ust a few years ago, if you were to engage a hydronics system designer in conversation about optimal system performance the discussion would easily veer toward type and efficiency of chiller or boiler equipment, the building envelope, system design or key components. Today this detour to single parts of the system isn’t as likely because, by design, all parts of the system interact, combining as one.

Technology has continued to avail new possibilities, allowing hydronics to advance because the art and mechanics of water flow now often plays an integral role in the operation of contemporary building systems.

That’s especially true for any system design that seeks to achieve optimal comfort combined with energy efficiency.

Systems integration is something we’ve worked toward in our industry for decades and the newest dimension for commercial hydronic system performance is the merging of all system equipment, components and terminal units, the piped network, highly efficient reactive pumps, and building automation systems with predictive controls based on current and future indoor and outdoor conditions.

One of the latest advancements has been the expanding reach of sensorless and ECM pumps. These pumps, which do not need external sensors, are making it possible to provide the pumping power for large heating and cooling systems with amazing efficiency.

With sensorless pumping, there is no need of holes in pipes for tubes or taps to connect remote differential sensors together with the pump. Also, self-sensing pump system design can offer the advantages of greater accuracy for variable flow, higher energy efficiency, lower installation costs, and improved system stability.

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continues on page 124

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Marketing with DOUG MACMILLAN

Can you still rely on email marketing? Absolutely!

A

n often missed nuance of the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) is that marketers don’t need to send knee-jerk “Are you in?” emails that can drive customers to the exits.

We have until July 1, 2017 to show express permission from email recipients, as long as we have previously provided services to them, they haven’t told us to stop, and there is an opportunity for them to unsubscribe.

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

Lessons learned I recently worked with a client who believed they had enjoyed a fruitful email marketing relationship with customers. At least monthly, the organization was blasting promotional emails to more than 1,000 present or former customers. Then along came CASL, the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation that imposed restrictions on emailing folks without their consent.

When the law came into effect in July 2014, our client believed they were mandated to confirm people’s interest in receiving emails so out went an email requesting permission to, well, keep emailing.

Within a month the list had dwindled to fewer than 200 names.

It turned out most people weren’t so interested in messages offering them little value. We’re working with this client to help them rebuild their list.

This story has unfolded numerous times across the country as consumers opted out in droves because they were sent a direct invitation to do just that.

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Instead of throwing the exit door wide open, there is a window here to implement a more effective email marketing strategy that will embed real value.

If you haven’t inadvertently gutted your list via one of those “opt in now” messages, it’s not too late to introduce a more thoughtful approach that will help recipients see the solid reasons to click “yes” when asked if they want to carry on.

Email shouldn’t be the only arrow in your quiver, but it remains a very useful communication and marketing tool when used effectively and respectfully. These are people who already know you, and if they unsubscribe the “other guys” and keep you around, your organization will stand out all the more.

Keeping them in the boat The very best way to understand what value means to your customers is to ask them – a short survey or a couple of focus groups in your office will offer a wealth of insight into what they want.

The strategic advantage of this type of primary engagement cannot be overstressed: if you want to understand your customers, don’t ask me. Ask them. People are only too happy to give you their opinion.

That being said, there are a few fundamentals that can also guide the way:

1

Make customers feel special. Advantages such as a discounts, advance notice or free add-ons or gifts can be offered only to email recipients. The only thing people love more than getting a deal is knowing the person next door isn’t eligible. Exclusivity is a powerful marketing trigger.

2

Tell stories. Email can be a very personal channel. Communication is most effective when people see themselves in the content. Offer a real example to make your point and show the impact of your work – a customer case study, first person narrative from a staff member, etc.

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3

Use pictures and video. Who reads instruction manuals anymore? It’s easy as pie to drop a photo or infographic into an eblast, or to embed a how-to video you’ve made to demonstrate how to check for window drafts or plumbing leaks.

4

Be useful. Those helpful tips, tricks or reminders can make all the difference. If I know that I won’t need to think about changing the filter or scheduling the tune-up because your email will remind me, I’m more inclined to keep you around.

for many reasons: it’s easy, looks professional, all the legal stuff is covered and, when done right, it drives traffic to your website to improve your Google ranking. But foremost, these tools provide analytics that allow you to understand which content was most engaging and effective – critical information to help you improve the quality of future campaigns.

5

Ask for help. Whenever possible, marketing should include an opportunity for engagement. Emails are a great opportunity to ask customers to complete a one-minute survey.

You can test business or product ideas, and even share the results in subsequent editions of your eNewsletter.

6

Know when to make an appearance. There is plenty of useful research online about the best day and time to send an email – current thinking is that Tuesday and Thursday afternoons will see the highest open and click rate. However, it can vary depending on your audience. It’s best to carefully study this information after you’ve sent a few emails.

7

Analyze and adapt. Email marketers should use a proven deployment tool such as MailChimp or Constant Contact

STAY TUNED...

For those who are building their email list back up, the same rule applies: promise enough incentive for folks to let you into their inner circle of email friends. You just need to ďŹ gure out how to communicate that wealth of value in a succinct ‘you want to be on our list’ campaign. This is a whole other column. Be sure to come back next issue!

It’s Your Business.

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From training, to our registered in-house engineers’ comprehensive knowledge of products, applications and systems engineering requirements to being with you for on-site project assessments, hands-on engineering VXSSRUW HQHUJ\ HIÀFLHQF\ RU /((' JXLGDQFH DQG TXRWH DVVLVWDQFH DV required.

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE HIGH PERFORMANCE MANCE HVAC

B y Go rrd d C o ok o ke e

Gord Cooke is a professional engineer who o has spent 20 g builders and years helping ctors implement HVAC contractors echnologies into innovative technologies mance homes. He high-performance ar expertise in IAQ has particular and airflow management in houses, and can be contacted irsolutions.ca. at gcooke@airsolutions.ca.

TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING My, how heat pumps have changed! From noisy to quiet, maintenance-prone to reliable, and pricey to downright affordable, today’s heat pumps are virtually unrecognizable from the glorified air conditioners with reversing valves of 30 years ago. Manufacturing has grown exponentially over the last couple decades, driving down prices and leading to greater availability and an assortment of products.

Variable refrigerant technology has become more common, allowing for functionality well below the old working limit of 0°C (now as low as -30°C in some cases), as well as the ability to run multiple indoor heads off a single outdoor unit. Features such as multi-zone settings and smart controls have increased versatility and practicality.

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Air-Source Heat Pumps

W

hen air-source heat pumps first made an appearance in Canada 30 to 35 years ago, they were quickly, and arguably rightly, dismissed as a new technology that just didn’t work in Canadian climates.

Unreliable, ineffective, expensive and noisy, these early units and the many headaches they caused gave heat pumps a lasting bad name among contractors and homeowners. When I say the words “air-source heat pump” to heating contractors today, I am likely to get an eye roll. But much has changed since those dark, early days—not only in heat-pump technology, but in houses and how we use them.

ADDRESSING MULTIPLE NEEDS Heat pumps now give us another way of efficiently and effectively addressing the expectations of temperature consistency between different areas of a home or building.

Apparently suggesting people wear sweaters and slippers to keep them warm when they go downstairs to watch TV is no longer acceptable.

The window-to-wall ratio in modern, urban multi-family buildings has doubled or even tripled over the last 30 years, which makes maintaining consistent temperatures in individual suites very challenging. During a shoulder season, south-facing suites may require air conditioning, while their north-facing neighbours need heat.

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• •Add Exciting r e s s iadvances n g m u l t i•pThe l e n eed s • C h an gin ginrflu eqen u irce emoen f bt u s ilding design

CHANGING REQUIREMENTS

EFFICIENCIES OFFSET COST Something that hasn’t changed since heat pumps were first introduced is that electricity typically remains a more expensive heat energy source than natural gas—roughly two to three times the cost per unit of energy, last I checked.

It may seem counterintuitive, but the challenge of maintaining temperature consistency in the increasingly efficient new Canadian housing stock can be more difficult for at least three reasons.

It is certainly understandable and unsurprising that homeowners are skeptical of any electricity-based heating systems for this reason. However, the efficiency of new air-source heat pumps with COPs of 2.5 to as high as perhaps even 4.0 (during at least milder weather, combined with opportunities for time-of-use electrical rates in some jurisdictions) evens the playing field.

Certainly to take advantage of this, contractors will need to incorporate more sophisticated controls that monitor both time of use and outdoor temperatures to optimize performance and operating costs, but this too should be seen as an opportunity with the new web-based thermostats available to our industry.

And as PV arrays continue to decrease in cost and increase in popularity, the cost-of-electricity case against heat pumps becomes less relevant.

This is not to say, however, that heat pumps will or should do away with natural gas anytime in the near future. In my mind, for the vast majority of homes, optimized performance, convenience, comfort and efficiency is delivered with a combination of heat pumps and natural gas-fired appliances. This, of course, also accommodates for natural gas stoves, dryers and fireplaces that a majority of homeowners would be hard-pressed to give up.

The way I see it, every professional HVAC contractor should be re-visiting the full complement of air-source heat pumps now available—ducted, ductless, cassettes, air-to-water—to ensure you are offering a full range of solutions to meet heightened customer expectations.

In finishing this, you may well be wondering where ground-source heat pumps fit into this conversation generally and into high-performance homes specifically. That’s a great topic for another article.

The same type of challenge exists in the new, taller multi-level houses common in municipalities focusing on housing density. In these homes, the stack effect can result in upper floors being as much as 5°C warmer than the main or basement floors.

Moving the heat from the warmer to colder zones, or to at least providing individual control for different levels, can be done with zoned forced air systems, but the new generation of air-source heat pumps allows for another option. Not only can they accommodate individual temperature settings at each indoor unit (up to eight from a single outdoor head), but some have the technology to allow for heat transfer between units within the same building.

First, the heating and cooling loads are smaller for the same volume or square footage of space. With forced-air systems, this means distributing conditioned air with either lower volumes of air or maintaining traditional air change rates with smaller temperatures between in-duct and room conditions. The latter was one of the early knocks on air-source heat pumps—low-discharge air temperatures.

Second, the intermittent loads presented by windows or even doors opening and closing are a much higher percentage of the total design loads and thus the “pick-up” time to respond to those intermittent loads when using smaller-capacity equipment may fall short of customer expectations.

Lastly, it’s the change in customer expectations with respect to comfort, especially when homes are advertised as being energy efficient, that is the real driving force behind the need for more responsive HVAC systems.

Thus, the flexibility in design offered by the multi-head approach of the new generation of air source heat pumps can be very useful to designers and professional contractors.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS In many homes where people love their bigger, taller windows but hate to use curtains or blinds, as well as in wellinsulated houses where people spend more time indoors with lights and appliances running more often, air conditioning is no longer relegated to three hot weeks in summer. It can start in late March and extend to November.

Thus, as you consider replacing that first-generation air conditioning system that you installed for a client 15 to 20 years ago, think about systems that will work more efficiently at lower ambient temperatures and can provide that more responsive switch between cooling and heating.

The incremental cost between a standard AC to a heat pump is small when you consider the system versatility and overall house energy performance. This move from standard AC to heat pumps makes even more sense in more rural areas without natural gas supply lines.

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HVAC/R Products P Geothermal Heat Pumps Tranquility 30 geothermal heat pumps from ClimateMaster feature two-stage compressor operation and a variable-speed indoor fan. Units are available in maximum heating capacities of 20,200 to 55,800 BTUH and maximum cooling capacities of 26,000 to 71,700 BTUH. No external pumping module is required for installation.

www. climatemaster.com

Wi-Fi Thermostat The Housewise WiFi thermostat from Bryant allows users to control thermostat settings remotely using mobile and desktop applications.

The thermostat can also run itself, determining an optimal home temperature for energy efficiency. An online web portal provides an overall analysis of energy consumption.

bryant.com

Unit Heaters Hot Dawg unit heaters from Modine are suitable for garages and workspaces and come in four heating sizes: 30,000, 45,000 and 60,000 and 75,000 BTUH. They run on propane or natural gas, and come in Huntin’ Dawg (camouflage), Diamond Dog (diamond plate), carbon fibre and satin black finishes.

A Japanese manufacturer has created a mattress cover that is designed to providing air conditioning to a bed.

modinehvac.com

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Why are homeowners talking about Goodman?

Seems like lots of people are talking about the Goodman® brand these days. Nearly every day, comments and ratings from homeowners across North America are now being captured and placed on display. To find out how homeowners rate Goodman brand products simply visit or www.goodmanmfg.com/reviews.

Goodman Locations 1055 Cardiff Blvd., Mississauga, ON L5S 1P4 1161 Parisien Street, Ottawa, ON K1B 4W4 15700 Robins Hill Road, London, ON N5V 0A4 46 Zatonski Avenue, Brantford, ON N3T 5L8 8305 Jane Street, Unit 3, Vaughan, ON L4K 5Y3 963 Brock Road, Suite 1-5, Pickering, ON L1W 3A4 41 Brockley Dr, Unit #8, Hamilton, ON L8E 3C3 2640 Jacques Cartier-Est, Longueuil, QC J4N 1P8 4313 Autoroute Des Laurentides, Laval, QC H7L 5W5 6741 Cariboo Road, Unit 111, Burnaby, BC V3N 4A3 18043 111th Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5S 2P2 7007 54th Street SE, #141, Calgary, AB T2C 3C2 807 60th Street E, Saskatoon, SK S7K 5Z7 107 Mountianview Rd., Unit 1, Winnipeg, MB R3C 2E6

Spoiler Alert: Regardless of the type of Goodman brand product, the reviews are quite exceptional. When homeowners have their local dealer install a new Goodman brand heating or cooling system, it’s not unusual to get a review that reinforces the brand’s slogan, “Thank goodness for Goodman®”.

Review*

++++ 4.7

I purchased this equipment after researching the major brands and speaking to several HVAC installers. The equipment is well built and a m. The installer great value. Goodman has an excellent warranty program. uality. I noticed was professional and his workmanship is of the highest quality. m impressed at an immediate difference in the comfort of my home. I am how quiet the unit is. - smithke

*Goodman uses the industry leader in homeowner reviews, BazaarVoice, to administer and validate the reviews you see on the website. This means reviews are directly from homeowners, with checks to prevent fabrication, modification, or fraudulent activities. To see how Goodman authenticates reviews, please see BazaarVoice’s Authentication Policy at www.goodmanmfg.com

For more information about the complete high-efficiency value product line from Goodman, simply contact your local Goodman brand distributor or sales representative.

Our continuing commitment to quality products may mean a change in specifications without thout notice. © 2015 Goodman Manufacturing Company, L.P. · Houston, Texas · USA

www.goodmanmfg.com manmfg.com

905-564-9791 613-745-3846 519-453-1200 519-757-0965 905-760-2737 905-420-4001 905-573-6565 450-674-3883 450-681-2220 604-420-1331 780-443-3072 403-250-6579 306-651-7350 204-633-9133

Hydronic Products Pipe Installation System Heat Pump The Solstice Extreme air-to-water heat pump from SpacePak is suitable for residential and light commercial applications. It produces up to 48,000 BTUH of heat at 0°F and can be paired with any of the company’s hydronic air handlers.

www. spacepak.com

The MegaPress system from Viega uses cold press connections to install schedule 5 through schedule 40 black iron pipe in hydronic applications.

It features over 200 fittings in sizes ranging from 1/2” to 2”, including elbows, reducers and tees.

www. viega.us

Hydraulic Separator Spirotherm Quad hydraulic separators, available from Ontor, are designed to remove air and dirt from hydronic systems. They are available in 1” to 2” sizes in brass configurations, and 2” through 12” sizes in steel configurations. Larger custom sizes are available.

www. ontor.com

Leak Detection Dyes Water-Glo fluorescent leak-detection dyes from Spectroline are designed to reveal leaks in circulating water and boiler systems. The dye is added to a system and leaks are detected using the company’s leak detection lamp. Dyes are available in fluorescent green and blue.

www. spectroline.com

Hydronic Zone Valve

Radiant Heating Panels

The 13ZINV12NCA hydronic zone valve from White-Rodgers is designed to withstand heat and overtightening with its one-piece, solid brass body. It features a raised ball seat that can handle temperatures up to 110°C.

Rauboard radiant heating panels from Rehau are designed for installation between the finished floor and subfloor, or underneath the gypsum board of walls. They feature a 1/2” profile and are suitable for use in new builds or retrofits.

www. emerson.com

www. rehau.com

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PLUMBING Food Waste Disposer The KWD75B1/EZ food waste disposer from Franke Kindred has a 3/4 hp high-speed permanent magnet motor and a sound-dampening shell. It features stainless steel grinding components and an anti-microbial coating to prevent odours.

www. frankecanada.com

Products

Tankless Water The RUR Ultra series of condensing tankless water heaters from Rinnai are available in heating sizes of 15,200 to 199,000 BTUH and have a maximum flow rate of 9.8 gpm. They come with an integrated pump, an internal bypass line and a thermal bypass line for installation. They will work with either a dedicated return line or a crossover valve.

www. rinnai.us

Hands-Free Faucets EFS faucets from Chicago Faucet, available through Dobbin Sales, dispense water and soap in predetermined amounts to assist in preventing infection in critical environments. Illuminated icons on the e faucets guide users through prescribed scrubbing and rinsing times. Faucets range from 1.0 to 1.5 gpm and come in deck and wall-mount models for installation on single-hole, 4” or 8” centre applications.

Grinder Pumps Sha grinders from Zoeller Shark are designed for residential and light commercial applications where sewage app ejectors struggle. They ejec come in 1/2, 3/4 and 1 com hp models, are capable of up to t 300,000 cuts per minute and offer up to 55’ min of head. h

www. chicagofaucets.com

zoeller.com zoe

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Self-Regulating Cable

Lavatory Mixing Valves

Warmup self-regulating cable can be used with metal or plastic pipes to help prevent freezing during winter months. Cables are available in 3, 5 and 8 watts per linear foot, and can be cut to any length. They have a maximum maintenance temperature of 100°F and a maximum exposure temperature of 185°F with the power off.

HydroGuard lavatory mixing valves from Powers are available in rough bronze and chrome plated finishes and come in 3/8” compression, 3/8” quick-connect and 1/2” NPT connections. They are capable of temperature control with flow rates as low as 0.25 gpm and come with a lockable temperature-adjustment mechanism, integrated check valves and inlet screens.

www. warmup.ca

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COMMERCIAL PLUMBING Dav i d Pe l l e t i e r

DPCP PART 3:

THE HOW

{

This is the third article in our series on DPCP. For Parts 1 and 2, pick up our March/April and May/June 2015 editions, available online at mechanicalbusiness.com.

}

M

ost companies wait until supervisory staff, foremen and tradespeople get to the site before they start any serious planning and organizing of individual tasks or processes. Detailed PreConstruction Planning (DPCP) does the exact same steps, but does this before anyone hits the site. DPCP is started at the same time that the preconstruction planning process starts, at the hand-off from the estimator to the construction team.

Many contractors are already doing DPCP. It’s just the “hard copy” method of doing 3D CAD and BIM, but it is much easier to do DPCP and then move into 3D CAD and BIM than to jump straight into 3D CAD and BIM from the way you do things now.

A 3-Step Approach A great way to start DPCP is to do it in three steps. First, identify a single system, or area of a system, on a project to develop your process (it may take several tries to develop a process that is right for you) and arm yourself with feedback and information.

Some of the best information will come from the people on the tools doing the installing. If a process is good for them, it’s probably good for the company. The goal is to get the work done effectively, efficiently and properly the first time.

A TEAM APPROACH The DPCP Team is the group that works on the details of organizing, planning and coordinating all aspects of installing the pipes, hangers, lavatory carriers and other components into the mechanical project. They will also be deciding what can be prefabricated in your shop, and how materials, equipment and fixtures will flow to the jobsite and when.

This team will have the luxury of actually doing only the detailed planning, usually in an office setting away from time deadlines and the worries about keeping the work crews busy. For the DPCP Team, the physical installation may be many weeks, months or even years away. By working well in advance, they can focus exclusively on limiting the number of workers, and the time they need on site. This is the key area where a tremendous amount of money can be saved.

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The second step is to implement this on a project-wide basis to see the bottom line compared to your estimated cost.

Expect to receive pushback from the supervisory staff, so pick a good project and a team that you know will be willing and open to trying this. And make sure the supervisors completely understand that you are trying to make it easier for them to manage the onsite project by having work organized and planned for them ahead of the installation process.

Ideally you will do this on several projects, and maybe with an alternate supervisory staff, to get all the processes in place and to help everyone be comfortable in doing all your projects this way.

The third and final step is to develop this companywide. Once you hit this stage it should be a lot easier, since staff and foremen who have worked with DPCP will be talking about how much more relaxed and easier the project was to manage.

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David Pelletier is a plumber in Manitoba who offers consulting services in pre-construction planning. He can be reached at david@sw5.ca.

Getting Everyone On Side Everyone needs to understand that the DPCP Team will be investing time and money long before any actual work gets done on site. Often, upper management can have difficulty seeing money flowing out and nothing going up in the hangers. To win them over, be prepared to explain that the efficiencies in the long-term will be greater than the initial investment. A big-picture approach is necessary for this to be most effective.

FINDING A COMMON VIEW

SEEKING EFFICIENCIES IN ALL PROCESSES The DPCP Team not only looks at how to do a task, but more importantly how the information, tools and material flow from the purchase order onward for every part of a system.

They also do this for the paperwork flow of all the processes. The smoother the onsite portion of the project flows, and the less labour time that is used onsite, the greater the savings. All this leads to standardized processes.

Your onsite time to install or build something probably costs twice as much as doing it in a shop.

Many of us have had to juggle the tasks of trying to keep crews busy and productive while trying to plan, organize and order materials and tools for the next week or two. How effective is this?

Your biggest challenge in all of this is how different people look at a project.

Some just want to install the material, but only do the work once; some will want people to just get it done; others just want to plan and organize; and, ultimately, management wants it all done below the estimated costs. How is this possible?

Through DPCP, instead of having every onsite supervisory team having its own way of doing something, every project is kept to a company-wide set of processes and procedures.

By having standardized ways to hang pipes on strut, for example, it makes it easier to do these installations as all components have been prearranged g to a set wayy of doing g the task.

It starts with clear directions, and all the information, materials and tools needed to perform tasks.

It is very hard to plan the work when you are also managing the work; planning and managing are two separate tasks. Each needs to be done separately either by two separate crews or at separate times.

With effective DPCP, it is not unusual to see cost reductions from 20 to 50 per cent on many portions of onsite work.

In addition, it becomes mu much move uch easier to mo ove or replace w workers supervisory orkers and sup pervisory staff aand nd foremen emen from project to project because oject beca ause alll tasks processes ks or proc cesses will be performed performeed with a standardized tandardizzed set of processess and procedures. ocedures. This allows you u to ramp p manpower up or down very easily sily based on a project’s schedule.

They hedule. Th hey won’t need d a different way way of doing their each eir tasks ea ach time a crew ew is adjusted.

TRADE TIPS: If you take good people and good ideas and match them with bad processes, the bad processes will win 9 times out of 10.

Processes provide managerial integrity to a system.

HVAC/R Products P Digital Manifold Testo’s 577 digital manifold comes with a remote vacuum probe and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing technicians to read and log data for air conditioning and refrigeration systems using a mobile app.

The device’s battery life is 250 hours. Two NTC thermistor clamp probes provide real-time superheat and sub-cooling readings.

testo.com

Zoning System The Comfort Sync zoning system from AirEase gives users temperature control of each zone in a home. Temperatures can be changed using in-home controls, or remotely using a mobile device or laptop. Features include an Away Mode for reduced energy consumption, live weather data and maintenance alerts.

www. airease.com

Refrigerant Leak Detector The C-380 refrigerant leak detector from Reed requires no calibration and detects a variety of CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs. It features a semiconductor gas sensor and a microprocessor control with digital signal processing. Each unit comes with batteries and a carrying case.

reedinstruments.com

Geothermal Heat Pump ECO-Y2 geothermal heat pumps from GeoSmart come in heating sizes ranging from 28,300 to 63,600 BTUH and cooling sizes ranging from 22,000 to 56,800 BTUH. They use 410A refrigerant and feature X-13 5-speed ECM blower motors, two-stage scroll compressors, microprocessor controls and on-board diagnostic systems. Optional domestic hot-water generators are also available.

www. geosmartenergy.com

Commercial Heaters The Cambridge SA-Series direct gas-powered heaters use outside air to provide heat and are certified for a 160°F discharge temperature. Heaters are capable of 250,000 to 350,000 BTUH and also offer summer ventilation. They are suitable for use in large facilities, such as sporting venues, aircraft hangars, loading docks, manufacturing areas and fire stations.

cambridge-eng.com

Flue Cap F T universal b-vent flue cap from The Centrotherm is designed to handle C 13 different configurations. It fits 1 on any b-vent from 3” to 6” and o fits b-vent sizes up to 8” using a fi sstandard b-vent reducer. It also fits on the company’s 2” to 4” diameter o IInnoFlue vents.

ccentrotherm.us.com

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TOOL TIP

Heating and Cooling Units

Tools for tight spots

P

lumbers and HVAC/R technicians often have to work around – and through – studs, as well as around various pieces of equipment. Tight spaces in and out of the mechanical room are the norm which, at one time, meant scraped knuckles and a lot of frustration. Thankfully, today’s technician has a wide array of specialized tools that make working in the space between studs, and other small spaces, much more manageable.

Magic-Pak HWC heating and cooling units from Allied Air are available in 1-, 1.5-, 2- and 2.5-ton capacities for apartments and multi-unit buildings.

They provide gas heating and electric cooling, with a 22,000 to 55,000 BTUH heating capacity and a cooling capacity of 12,000 to 30,000 BTUH.

allied-commercial.com

Mounting Unit The QSWI5000 Quick Swivel mounting unit from Quick-Sling can be attached to a variety of Daikin, Lennox, Trane and other heating and cooling units to assist in installation. Suitable for residential and light commercial applications, it can support up to 400 lb. and comes with a preslotted mounting plate. The 360-degree swivel feature allows users to position equipment for optimal airflow.

Right-angle drills are perfect for creating passageways for water delivery and drain pipes, as well as vents that have to run within a wall or floor cavity. The small height at the chuck connection makes them great for working between studs and joists.

www. quick-sling.com

Outfitted with auger bits these right angle drills also clear paths quickly and easily for wiring needs. And several companies offer right angle and articulating driver attachments for drills that allow for screws to be installed using power tools, even when there’s a pipe or component blocking a straight line to the installation location.

QUICKTIP

Cold-Weather HVAC Tape The AF series of cold-weather HVAC tape from Shurtape seals joints and seams in ductwork using an acrylic-based adhesive.

Suitable for temperatures ranging from -20°C to 126°C, the tape can be used to seal aluminum-backed or fibrous insulation, metal ductwork and sheet metal, as well as scrim-reinforced pipe and duct insulation.

www. shurtape.com

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Where high torque applications and fastening is needed, right angle impact wrenches that accommodate a 3/8” socket can often be used.

Brazing Rings Sil-Fos rings from Lucas-Milhaupt are designed for brazing copper tubular components in HVAC/R applications. The rings are designed to hold tubing in place during the brazing process and provide visual verification of properly brazed joints. They are available to fit copper tubes ranging from 1/4” to 1-1/8” in diameter.

www. lucasmilhaupt.com

M e c h a n i c a l

Sponsored by Milwaukee Electric Tool – a proud partner with Mechanical Business. Look for video tips, tools and reviews at www.milwaukeetool.com.

Be sure to visit mechanicalbusiness. com for your chance to win valuable Milwaukee products and merchandise!

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By Homeric Arvanitis

Three Approaches to

Value

WHAT IS MY BUSINESS WORTH? K

Valuing a business is not an exact science. It requires you to look beyond the numbers to determine what drives the value and what exposures there are to risk. This demands a thorough knowledge of all facets of your business.

nowing the value of your company may prove to be very useful for many reasons. Are you considering selling your business? Are you considering making an acquisition? Are you considering refinancing or recapitalizing your business? Are you faced with estate planning? Or do you need some advice on structuring a shareholder agreement?

Professional business valuators usually use three approaches to determine value:

A business valuation can assist in increasing shareholder value, and help clarify the company’s main value drivers, the required rate of return of the company’s debt holders and shareholders, and whether the company is generating profits in excess of the required return of the company’s debt holders and shareholders.

• Market-based approach (comparable company analysis and comparable transaction analysis).

In some cases, it’s possible for you to value the business on your own. However, many people choose to engage a professional business valuator, which provides them with an independent, unbiased and objective value for their business.

Just remember, no matter what, at the end of the day, a company is ultimately worth what somebody is prepared to pay for it.

Value vs. Price If you are considering selling your business or making an acquisition, it is vital to recognize there are almost always significant differences between value and price.

• Asset-based approach; • Going concern or returns-based approach (based on some measure of earnings or cash flow); and

In many cases, the value of a business is estimated by applying a multiple to some measure of its earnings or cash flow. The most popular approach in this regard is the multiple of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) methodology.

Because of the ease of its use, valuation multiples, particularly multiples of EBITDA, are often used by buyers and sellers when negotiating a transaction.

This is the approach typically adopted by corporate acquirers.

Purchasers and vendors may have different knowledge, negotiating abilities and financial strengths, but there may also be emotional considerations that override objective analysis, for example with family businesses.

Special interest purchasers – strategic purchasers who expect to enjoy postacquisition net economic value added by combining the acquired business with their own – may be prepared to pay more than intrinsic value.

Even the structure of how the purchase price is paid can have a big impact on the overall price.

Homeric Arvanitis is the managing director at Corporate Finance Associates. He can be reached at harvanitis@cfaw.ca.

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SPOTLIGHT PROFILES

LOW-PROFILE WALL TERMINATION The ISLPT0202 and ISLPT0303 from Centrotherm Eco Systems allows for fresh air and exhaust to work through a single fitting. Finish your side wall exhaust system with an aesthetically pleasing low profile wall termination.

centrotherm.us.com EXPANDS CON·X·US™ REMOTE CONNECTIVITY PLATFORM Lochinvar has extended its exclusive CON·X·US™ remote connectivity platform to the KNIGHT® Boiler family. Initially introduced with the FTXL™ Fire Tube Boiler, CON·X·US allows most smart devices to be linked with compatible SMART SYSTEM™ boiler controls from around the corner or halfway around the world. Using a wired or wireless connection, CON·X·US offers the ability to login to a boiler, monitor its current status and modify operational settings from a remote location.

lochinvar.com ONLINE RESIDENTIAL SERVICE REPAIR PRICING SYSTEM M The Online Residential Service Repair pricing system allows contractors to get customer approval on pricing before repair work even begins. It eliminatess the possibility of math errors and ensures that there are no collection problems. Any required changes to pricing can be done in minutes.

reliablepricing.com NEW MR. SLIM PRODUCTS FOR 2015 Mitsubishi Electric, a leader in ductless split technology, is expanding its range of products to support the Canadian market. The new MSZ-FH18NA system joins the impressive MSZ-FH ductless heat pump family, offering higher heating capacity with excellent performance in cold climates. The new generation of multi-split systems (MXZ-C models) offers improved performance and specifications, longer pipe lengths, and supports connections with MSZ-FH indoor units.

Marketplace Ads

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SPOTLIGHT PROFILES Marketplace Ads

DYSON AIRBLADE TAP WASHES AND DRIES HANDS The Dyson Airblade Tap washes and dries hands from a single unit. A digital V4 motor creates two sheets of air travelling at 675km/h, capable of drying hands in 14 seconds. Washroom air is passed through a HEPA filter, removing 99.97 per cent of bacteria at 0.3 microns from the air used to dry hands.

dysonairblade.ca STAINLESS STEEL MANIFOLD SERIES The M-8300P manifold is simple to install, right out of the box. Each and every manifold component is pressure tested before being loosely assembled, attached to mounting brackets, packed and shipped. It is versatile and easily adaptable to a variety of mounting configurations.

For more information contact Legend at 1-866-752-2055.

legendhydronics.com A WIDE RANGE OF MONITORS AND REELS RIDGID® offers a variety of inspection monitors and reels purpose-built for real-world applications. Every RIDGID monitor integrates seamlessly with our SeeSnake® reels and features a daylight-readable LCD screen.

Choose the solution that’s right for you. Request a free on-site demo or learn more by calling 800-769-7743.

ridgid.com OIL-WATER SEPARATOR ACO Oleopator P oil/water separators use one tank to separate sediment and light liquids from contaminated water. They are designed to achieve high performance at large flow rates in a compact polyethylene tank. Using the principles of gravitation and coalescence, they separate polluted water into three components: clean water, oils and sludge. Separators exceed Canadian municipal requirements for separation efficiency and the tank is guaranteed for 50 years for structural stability.

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SPOTLIGHT PROFILES

WOODFORD MODEL 19 The Woodford Model 19 freezeless residential wall faucet prevents burst pipes–even if a hose is attached in freezing temperatures.

It features a patented pressure relief valve that prevents pressure buildup and burst tubes. The faucet is made in the USA and is backed by a five-year limited warranty. Replace burst faucets with the Model 19 to prevent future faucet freezes and costly home repairs.

woodfordmfg.com PVC FITTINGS PVC fittings from SharkBite can be used to connect schedule 40, 80 and d 120 PVC pipe to copper, PEX, CPVC and PE-RT pipe. They require no soldering, clamps, unions or glue to make a secure connection. A wide variety of fittings are available in sizes of 1/2”, 3/4” and 1”.

sharkbite.com BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING FROM ZOELLER COMPANY Zoeller Company is now offering Building Information Modeling (BIM) files for engineers, architects, designers and contractors who use BIM for their projects.

These 3-dimensional product renderings, complete with all necessary technical data, can be opened with Autodesk Revit from www.zoeller.com. Just look for the e BIM Library under the Support tab!

®

zoellerpumps.com TEE STOPS SharkBite Tee Stops allow contractors to tap into existing water supply lines in order to add new fixtures and appliances. They come in a variety of sizes ranging from 1/2” x 1/2” x 1/4” to 3/4” x 3/4” x 3/8” and feature push-fit connections. They are suitable for use with copper, CPVC, PEX, and PE-RT pipes.

Marketplace Ads

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Heating Refrigerating Exposition

Tel: (800) 668-5515 YYY ƃGGV HQTF EC PAGE #

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CALENDAR CIPHEX Roadshow October 20, 2015 Edmonton, Alta.

October 22, 2015 Regina, Sask.

October 28, 2015 Brandon, Man. November 18, 2015 5V ,QJPoU 0ĆƒF www.ciphexroadshow.ca CIPH Ontario Region Business Meeting November 3, 2015 Mississauga, Ont. www.ciph.com RSES Canada AGM November 6-7, 2015 Toronto, Ont. www.rsescanada.com MCA Canada 2015 AGM November 16-19, 2015 Palm Springs, Calif. www.mcac.ca Construct Canada December 2-4, 2015 Toronto, Ont. www.constructcanada.com CIPH Ontario Region Business Meeting January 14, 2016 Mississauga, Ont. www.ciph.com

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EVENTS

VISIT US TODAY!

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KBIS 2016 January 19-21, 2016 Las Vegas, Nev. www.kbis.com

ORAC AGM May 5-8, 2016 Niagara Falls, Ont. www.oraca.ca

International Builders’ Show January 19-21, 2016 Las Vegas, Nev. www.buildersshow.com

MEET 2016 May 18-19, 2016 Moncton, N.B. www.meetshow.ca

AHR Expo 2016 January 25-27, 2016 Orlando, Fla. www.ahrexpo.com

COHA June 7-9, 2016 Charlottetown, PEI www.cleanerheat.ca

CIPH Ontario Region Business Meeting January 28, 2016 Mississauga, Ont. www.ciph.com

CIPH ABC 2016 June 26-28, 2016 Banff, Alta. www.ciph.com

CCA Conference March 6-10, 2016 New Orleans, La. www.cca-acc.com

HRAI AGM August 24-26, 2016 Calgary, Alta. www.hrai.ca

World Plumbing Day March 11, 2016 www.worldplumbingday.org

CIPHEX West November 2-3, 2016 Vancouver, B.C. www.ciphexwest.ca

CIPH Gala for Habitat for Humanity March 15, 2016 Toronto, Ont. www.ciph.com CMPX 2016 March 16-18, 2016 Toronto, Ont. www.cmpxshow.com B u s i n e s s

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GOT AN EVENT? SPREAD THE WORD!

If your organization has a conference, trade show or other event coming up, send details to greg.dalgetty@mechanicalbusiness.com See it all online at www.mechanicalbusiness.com

PLUMBING

THE BAD...

T

he best of the worst was celebrated this summer with the Cross Connection Bad and Ugly photo contest, presented by the Western Canada Section of the American Water Works Association Cross Control Committee (WCSAWWA CCC). The committee accepted photo submissions from across the country showcasing backflow hazards in order to raise awareness about potential contamination issues. Three winners were chosen.

Without further ado, here’s a look at the worst backflow offenders.

Amercican Standard

By Greg Dalgetty

Morgue Misconnection This photo, submitted by Nathalie Quevillon, the training director at the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec, shows a cross connection at a morgue table in a hospital. Talk about hazardous—the room had a sink with a disposer connected to it for grinding body parts, which also had a direct potable water connection. Thankfully, the situation has now been corrected.

The Winners Here’s a look at each of the contest winners receiving their prizes, which were donated by Watts, Zurn and Conbraco. The contest is back on for another year, so submit your entries at www.wcsawwa.net.

Nathalie Quevillon is presented with a backflow prevention test kit by Eric Gagnier, the chief plumbing inspector for la Régie du bâtiment du Québec.

Toilet Trouble Clint Patrick, a plumber with DMT Mechanical in Lethbridge, Alta., submitted this photo of a flushometer that had been installed improperly, with the critical level being completely ignored. Patrick ended up re-piping the water line in order to get the flushometer to the correct height.

Clint Patrick (centre) receives a pressure differential gauge from Graeme Dennis of the WCSAWWA CCC (right), with Doug Kaupp, the general manager of Lethbridge’s Water, Waste Water and Storm Water department.

Novel Nozzle Use This image, submitted by Simon Jolly of Ye Olde Plumber Ltd. in Edmonton, shows a hose bib being used to clear out water from an irrigation device and water main before the start of winter.

Compressors running at 100 to 120 psi could have pushed air up the water main if it had not been isolated from the city main. And what if someone had decided to water the grass byy attaching g g a hose to tthe th he bib? bib bi b? b?

Simon Jolly is presented with a pressure differential gauge by WCSAWWA CCC member Dylan Gerlack of Epcor Water Canada.

M e c h a n i c a l

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NEW

IFF R E SHIN TOWN A RE’S THE

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bythenumbers

Compiled by Mechanical Business

HIRING FOR SMALL BUSINESS Finding the right employees is a crucial part of running a successful small business.

Here’s what small business owners have to say about hiring new talent.

88% say it’s hard to find qualified applicants 81% have seen employees “go the extra mile” for customers 65% say employees are the biggest key to success

BEHIND THE WHEEL Ever wonder how many Canadians will actually admit to bad driving habits?

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? ?

58% Admit to speeding.

31% Admit to using profanity.

22% Admit to following too closely.

7% Admit to honking excessively.

50% of Canadians have low-flush toilets.

60% have low-flow shower heads.

REFRIGERANT ROUNDUP 100,000,000

The number of compounds studied for use as future refrigerants.

62

The number found worth further exploration.

SEASONAL DEBT LUXURY HOME SALES

Now that summer is over, is your wallet feeling a little lighter?

Turns out many Canadians increase their debt load during the warmer months.

Sales of luxury homes had some ups and downs in Canada during the first seven months of 2015.

22% of Canadians exceed their summer spen spending budget.

119% increase in Toronto 79% increase in Vancouver 26% decrease in Calgary

ON A ROLL

375,000

32 don’t set a summer budget.

32% 29% have more debt now than 2 b before summer started.

rolls of toilet paper were used at the Pan Am Games, held in Toronto earlier this year. That’s a lot of flushing.

PM# 41536047 Postmaster: Please send all address changes or undeliverable copies to: Mechanical Business, 19 – 1525 Cornwall Road, Oakville, ON L6J 0B2

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Established in 1975 as Oakville Stamping & Bending Limited.

Thank you, Canada.

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Water the Way You Want It

Our companies have been helping you filter, condition, and test water for 140 years. We’re the smart one-stop choice for a complete suite of water quality solutions.

Learn more at Watts.ca/waterquality