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 Shining Light On
Solar Hot Water
Our "Online Now" item below is a lament that the general news media finds photovoltaics sexier than thermal solar systems that heat water. The author, Wales Darby's Gerry Wagner, is right on the money in this opinion.
That's why it was gratifying to see this article in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago drawing attention to solar water heating. -- Jim Olsztynski
In this edition of Radiant & Hydronics e-News:
- This month's Glitch & Fix
- ASHRAE, IAPMO Go Green
- PHCC Seeks New Exec Director
- Lochinvar, Danfoss Shine at AHR
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ASHRAE Publishes Green Standard
A new standard for the design of high-performance green buildings has been published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, covers everything from site location to energy use to recycling, and covers key topic areas similar to green building rating systems. For complete information on the standard, including a readable copy, visit
www.ashrae.org/greenstandard.
IAPMO Launches Green Code Supplement
IAPMO announced the launch of its Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement, which standardizes sustainable residential and commercial plumbing and mechanical systems for the industry. The document addresses areas such as: use of alternate water sources (gray water, rainwater harvesting); conservation of hot water; energy conservation in HVAC systems; training/education in green plumbing systems. For more information visit,
www.iapmo.org/Pages/IAPMO_Green.aspx.
Casey Leaves PHCC
The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association (PHCC) announced that Dwight "Ike" Casey has left the position of executive vice president effective February 1, 2010, to pursue other opportunities. A search committee has begun work for find a successor. Meantime, Gerry Kennedy will serve as interim executive vice president during the search process. For the last 12 years Kennedy has served as PHCC vice president of education and COO of the PHCC Educational Foundation.
ASHRAE Conference To Focus On Schools
Maximizing facility performance is at the heart of the ASHRAE High Performance K-12 School Facilities conference, to be held Mar. 1-2, 2010 in Atlanta. The conference will present an integrated approach to complying with codes and standards while achieving a cost-effective high performance solution to K-12 facility design, construction and operation. More information can be found at www.ashrae.org/highperformanceschools.
RIMA Launches Product Verification Program
The Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association International (RIMA-I) has launched a voluntary Product Verification Program that allows member manufacturers the opportunity to have their products verified through the association using a third-party accredited laboratory. Products will be classified in one of four categories: reflective insulation, radiant barrier, interior radiation control coating (IRCC) or facer materials. To see a list of currently verified products and learn more about the program, visit the association website at
www.rimainternational.org and select the 'Verified Products' menu option.
 A Contractor Cares About Oil Heat Cares
Brothers Plumbing & Heating Supply recently partnered with the Westchester/Putnam Chapter of the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers to complete an oil heat cares project in Mt. Vernon, NY. Chapter members Lance Marino, Steve Salierno, Bob Daros, Brian Schwartz, Bob O'Rourke and Tom Sabia, along with the help of students from the Saunders Trade and Tech School, completed the project over a 2-day period. An old steam boiler, gas water heater and oil tank were removed and replaced with a new Weil McLain steam boiler, aqua booster storage tank and oil tank. Materials for the project were donated by the RW Beckett Corp., Edwards Platt & Dealy, Heritage Fuel
and Propane, Archer Plumbing, Robison Oil, Brothers Plumbing & Heating Supply, Consolidated Plumbing Supply and Hydrolevel Co.
Siegenthaler To Conduct All-Day Program At COSEIA
John Siegenthaler will be presenting "State of the Art Hydronic Design for the Solar Thermal Professional," an all-day seminar on Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, at the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association's Annual Conference & Expo. It will be held in Lakewood, CO. Click on the headline to register.
IAPMO Seeks Award Nominees
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) is calling for nominations for the George Kauffman Lifetime Achievement Award and the newly-renamed Joseph Kneidinger Green Contractor of the Year Award, both to be presented to the recipients at IAPMO's 81st Annual Education and Business Conference, Sept. 26-30, in Seattle. The Kauffman Award, named for the former 43-year IAPMO member and industry trailblazer nicknamed "Mr. Code," who passed away in 2001, is IAPMO's highest honor, presented to those who have left an indelible mark upon the association and the plumbing and mechanical industries. The Kneidinger Green Contractor Award, given for the first time last
year, honors the IAPMO member contractor who best fulfills or symbolizes a commitment to environmental sustainability through his or her work in the plumbing and mechanical industries. It has been renamed this year in honor of Joseph Kneidinger, an IAPMO member and passionate Green advocate who passed away last September. Send nominations to geoff.bilau@iapmo.org or gaby.davis@iapmo.org. Deadline is May 15.
Obituary
 Met Pipe's Robert Johnson:
Hydronics salesman Robert "Bob" Johnson of Metropolitan Pipe & Supply Co. in Cambridge, MA passed away January 28. He was 63. Johnson worked at Metropolitan for over 15 years and was the "go-to" guy for all heating related questions. Before that he worked for Jomar Distributors for 15 years. He was also a U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam.
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 Lochinvar Unveils New Innovations At AHR
At the 2010 AHR Expo in Orlando, Lochinvar announced three significant new innovations and initiatives: 1. an expanded and enhanced Squire® Indirect Water Heater line for a total of 12 stainless steel Squire models available with capacities between 30 and 119 gallons, including six solar units; 2. a Solar Thermal Heating initiative, which is the result of a new partnership with TiSUN® GmbH of Tyrol, Austria. The Lochinvar/TiSUN product offering will include solar thermal panels specifically engineered and designed for commercial use, solar thermal storage tanks utilizing a unique design that allows the tank to enhance the efficiency of the system,
and the associated pumping stations used to move the solar energy between these devices; 3. CREST™ Condensing Boiler, the latest addition to Lochinvar's commercial, stainless steel, condensing family of boilers in 2010. This new line has been developed to offer engineers more system design flexibility, sizes and distinctive performance characteristics to meet today's building standards for new construction and energy retrofit applications.
Danfoss Wins AHR Product Of The Year Award
Danfoss' Performer VSD, a variable speed compressor for residential use, was selected as the AHR Expo Product of the Year Award. The award ceremony was held during the 62nd AHR Expo, January 25-27, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The innovative variable speed compressor was chosen from among the nine category-winners of the 2010 AHR Expo Innovation Awards, an industry-wide competition designed to promote and encourage product innovation.
 Superior Radiant Allies With German Firm
Superior Radiant Products (SRP) announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance with GoGaS Goch GmbH & Co. KG, a prominent German company in the international heating industry. SRP will begin marketing the GoGas High Efficiency Heater, KMI Novus, to the North American market. SRP has been designing and manufacturing infrared heating equipment for the North American and international space heating markets since 1995, at its facility in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada.
Bradford-White Gets Green Endorsement
Bradford White has earned the endorsement of the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) for both the Ultra-Efficient eF Series® of commercial water heaters and Energy-Saving line of EverHot® tankless water Heaters. GRA endorses products that exemplify environmental leadership in their category and meet the GRA Product Endorsement Standards. Since 1990, GRA has been helping restaurants cut energy, water and waste costs.
Root Moves Up At Laars
 William (Bill) Root has been appointed vice president and general manager for Laars Heating Systems Co. He assumes the role following the retirement of Angelo Sinisi. Root joined Laars in 1998 and soon assumed the title of vice president, sales and marketing. Shortly after Bradford White's acquisition of Laars in 2005, Root was instrumental in helping
Laars introduce many new commercial and residential boilers as well as volume water heating products and controls. Also, Laars announced the hiring of Chuck O'Donnell as prodcut marketing manager. He has more than 11 years of experience in engineering, applications and marketing management, and is helping to develop new product concepts and market strategies for Laars.
Webstone Introduces New Website
Webstone has redesigned its website making it easier to browse their complete line of valve solutions, find the latest product news, view specification sheets, product literature and more. Visit Webstone at:
www.webstonevalves.com.
 Honeywell Hosts Geithner
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on January 28 visited the Golden Valley, MN headquarters of Honeywell Automation and Controls Solutions. Nearly 60% of Automation and Control Solutions' product portfolio are linked to energy efficiency and renewable energy. In photo, Geithner (center) listens to Roger Fradin (R), President and CEO of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions and Tony Sugalski (L), vice president and general manager for Honeywell's Environmental and Combustion Controls business, explain Honeywell's energy-efficient technologies.
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 Digital 2010 Radiant Flooring Guide Now Available
Are you at a client's home and forgot to bring a copy of the 2010 Radiant Flooring Guide? Or are you at a convention and need some quick information about using cork flooring over a radiant heating system?
Open your Internet browser, key in this address - http://tinyurl.com/rfg-digitalmag-2010 - and browse through the pages at your convenience. The Table of Contents contains links to take you directly to the article you want to read. Or you can browse through page by page as you would with the printed version.
Ads are linked to advertisers' web sites to provide more information on products or services readers are interested in.
The 2010 Radiant Flooring Guide is an indispensable tool for architects, heating contractors, mechanical contractors, floor covering retailers and installers, builders, wholesalers, radiant system specifiers and homeowners. It provides all the information for making proper choices on flooring over radiant heating systems, including an updated directory of radiant floor product manufacturers.
To purchase printed copies of the 2010 Radiant Flooring Guide for $15, contact Stephanie Weingartz at weingartzs@bnpmedia.com, phone 248-244-1275, or visit www.AECstore.com.
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 Thermal Solar Gets No Respect
Wales Darby trainer Gerry Wagner laments the fact that photovoltaics have all the sex appeal while our industry's contributions to green living get short-shrifted.
Read the Complete Article
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Did You Know?
Contractors Need To Get Certified To Stop Lead Spread
Starting in April, an EPA rule goes into effect requiring every contractor working in homes, schools or child care facilities built before 1978 to be certified and follow specific work practices to avoid disturbing lead-based paint. Read more about this EPA regulation here
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The Glitch & The Fix - January 2010
©2010, J. Siegenthaler - all rights reserved
Floor Heating Dilemma
Click here for a full-size PDF view
The Glitch
Overview: The system below uses a gas-fired cast-iron boiler to supply three zones of low-temperature floor heating. The installer selects a 1-inch-pipe-sized three-way thermostatic mixing with Cv=3.5 for the mixing device. Each zone is piped in parallel from a common header downstream of the mixing valve.
Exercise: Find at least five errors in this layout.
The Fix:
There are several problems with the original schematic. They are corrected in the schematic below:
First, the zone circuits are not equipped with check valves. Without them, reverse flow will develop in circuits that are off. The fix is to either install check valves or use circulators with integral flow checks as shown.
Another serious error is the flow capacity of the three-way thermostatic mixing valve. A valve with a Cv of 3.5 means that a 1 psi pressure drop will occur with a 3.5 gpm flow rate. If we assume a conservative 20-degree temperature drop on the manifold stations, the required design load flow rate would be 12 gpm. At this flow rate, the pressure drop through the thermostatic valve would be almost 12 psi! This is way beyond the capacity of typical 1/25 horsepower zone circulators and, thus, it simply won't occur.
Instead, flow through the zone circuits will be severely restricted and heat delivery would suffer the same fate. The fix is to use a mixing valve with a higher Cv rating. Select a valve with a Cv approximately equal to the full design load flow rate; this will limit pressure drop through the valve to about 1 psi under these conditions.
Still another problem on the original schematic is a lack of boiler inlet temperature protection. There is no provision for a mixing point to boost boiler inlet temperature. Furthermore, there is nothing to "react" to lower boiler inlet temperature; thus, the boiler is not protected against flue gas condensation. The fix is to use a motorized three-way valve with a controller that measures boiler inlet temperature and, when necessary, restricts the flow of hot water into the valve so that flue gas condensation does not occur within the boiler. The circulator in the boiler loop is necessary to create the second mixing point that boosts boiler inlet temperature.
Other errors are:
• Circuit purging valves installed backwards.
• Zone circulator inlet too close to header (allow minimum 12 pipe diameters of straight pipe on inlet to any circulator).
Visit www.HydronicPros.com
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 Expansion Tank Valves:
Webstone's latest innovation in the Pro-Pal line of step-saving valves designed to streamline installation and facilitate replacement of any expansion Tank. This full port, forged brass fabricated assembly eliminates multiple joints and fittings reducing labor and material costs as well as potential leak paths. Anywhere you might normally combine a tee, elbow, boiler drain, hose bibb, ball valve or union can now be replaced with a single Pro-Pal valve.
www.webstonevalves.com.
 Fire Prevention:
LA-CO's Cool Gel Heat Barrier Spray is a clear, nontoxic and nonstaining gel that helps protect rubber, plastic, distortion, painted and finished surfaces during soldering, brazing or welding by acting as a barrier between the surfaces being worked upon and the heat from a torch. The gel, which features streaming and spraying options, sticks to surfaces without tripping or running and completely evaporates leaving behind no residue.
www.laco.com.
 Heat Exchange System:
The RAUGEO is a high-efficiency geothermal energy source for heating and cooling. Composed of RAUGEO PEXa pipe, EVERLOC fittings, geothermal manifolds and a horizontal or vertical ground loop heat exchanger, the system capitalizes on the earth's ability to provide and store heat energy. A heat transfer fluid is circulated below the earth's surface to the geothermal heat pump, collecting and concentrating heat from the ground and delivering it to the building during heating. When cooling, excess heat is removed from the building and dispersed into the ground. REHAU.
www.na.rehau.com/raugeo.
 Horizontal Boiler:
Fulton's firetube steam and hot water boilers (up to 800 horsepower) feature a three-pass wet-back design and are offered with an open protocol burner with a pressure rating up to 300 psig MAWP. A programmable logic controller boiler control system shows current boiler status and provides high-tech display parameters for burner firing rate, stack temperature, steam pressure, boiler water temperature and stack oxygen levels. www.fulton.com
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 Condensing Boiler:
Lochinvar's new CREST Heating Boiler will be available in five models with capacities of 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 million BTU/hr inputs. The boiler will also feature an advanced burner and combustion system and a SMART TOUCH operating control platform enhanced with an 8-inch touchscreen display. Venting flexibility will allow both vertical and horizontal venting options with increased vent lengths and configurations. www.lochinvar.com
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 Gas Safety: Honeywell's E3Point gas detector functions as a stand-alone unit or as a fully addressable network device (that can be integrated with a building automation system) for monitoring carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide in parking garages and combustible gases found throughout buildings and facilities.
www.honeywellanalytics.com.
 Tankless Water Heater:
American Hometec's AHQ-C10 electric tankless water heater features Coilless Technology, which eliminates lime scale build-up. The C10 also comes with three capacity settings allowing for adjustable power consumption and energy savings. The unit is suitable for all water conditions and provides an unlimited supply of hot water, heating water only on demand for increased efficiency and conservation. www.americanhometec.com.
 Hydronic Tank Controller:
WaterFurnace International introduces the HydroZone hydronic tank controller and GeoLink® large flow center. The new HydroZone hydronic tank controller eliminates the need for external control devices when used in conjunction with WaterFurnace GeoTank™. The HydroZone can control and stage Envision NSW, NDW water to water units and Synergy3D products. A sensor built into geothermal storage tanks enables this flexible new module to control water temperature using one of three strategies: outdoor reset (heating only), tank control (manual) or tank control (auto
 changeover). www.waterfurnace.com.
Manifold Pipe Clip: The Warwick Hanger Co. introduced the Manifold Pipe Clip, an innovative pipe hanging system that was designed for the ability to connect pipes to one another to form a manifold system that keeps pipes aligned and straight especially on long runs. Available in sizes from 3/8" to 1-1/4", it is ideal for the installation of PEX and copper tubing. www.warwickhanger.com.
 Motorized Valves For Hydronic Systems: KZValve designs and manufactures motorized electric ball and butterfly valves from ¼" to 4". The actuator is easily removed from the valve, and the valve can stay in service if the actuator is removed.
www.kzvalve.com.
 B&G Eco Circulators:
Bell & Gossett has introduced a new line of energy efficient potable water recirculator pumps that uses a unique technology to achieve significant energy savings while delivering instant hot water to every faucet. Featuring ECM (Electronically Commutated Motor) technology and a patented spherical motor design, the ecocirc® eliminates the need for a conventional shaft, seal and bearing assembly. The rotor/impeller is the only moving part in the entire pump and it is magnetically balanced on a stationery ceramic bearing inside the pump housing to provide silent, long-lasting operation. This design allows the ecocirc to use 68% less energy than most
standard pumps and can save an average family of four more than 12,000 gallons of water a year by eliminating the need to wait for hot water to reach the plumbing fixture. www.bellgossett.com.
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AEC Store Corner
The AEC Store offers technical resources to help increase your knowledge, skills and profits.
2009's BESTSELLERS
 2009 Hydronics Know How II CD,
by John Siegenthaler and BNP Media - $99.00
This CD contains all the columns and articles John Siegenthaler has written for Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer. That's over 200 articles and columns covering everything from heat loss to hydraulic separation. This digital collection is a virtual encyclopedia on modern hydronic systems. No more cutting up magazines - This CD makes it easy to access all of "siggy's" articles and columns. Better yet, all the information is searchable. Just type in a key word or phrase and Adobe Acrobat® will instantly search all the columns and articles for you.
Follow this link for more info.
Pumping Away and other really cool piping options for hydronic systems,
by Dan Holohan - $25.00
This book describes the workings of hydronic heating systems. The drawings are simple; even if you've never worked with hydronics before, you'll be able to follow them. The first part of the book deals with boiler room piping and explains how to put the discoveries of the late, great Gil Carlson to work for you. If you pipe a boiler Gil's way, you'll save time, money and eliminate the need to bleed individual radiators. The second half of the book takes the "Pumping Away" boiler-room piping design and applies it to an entire menu of piping options.
Follow this link for more info.
Radiant Precision, by John Siegenthaler - $91.65
 This book is filled with the formulas, graphics and excellent schematics that John has become known for. Within its pages can be found everything from simple tube layout to intense calculations for flow restrictors in manifold assemblies. System design and wiring schematics for the latest in controls are explained in detail. Zoning, hydraulic
separation, flow and pressure balancing, buffer tanks, mixing controls, mini-tube systems, proportional- integral-derivative (PID) controls and multi-load systems are just a few of the topics covered. Follow this link for more info.
The Lost Art Of Steam Heating (Special Anniversary Edition) - $39.95
Everything you ever wanted to know about steam heating is in this one easy-to-understand book. The special anniversary edition of The Lost Art of Steam Heating is 306-pages. It measures 8-1/2"X 11", has a soft cover and a wonderful plastic spiral binding. You can fold it completely in half from any page, and it won't fall apart, even after years of use. Ten bonus pages of material are included in this special edition.
Follow this link for more info.
Visit AECStore.com to view all of our products for the Radiant & Hydronics Pro. |
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