Crowdsourcing For A
Sustainable Future

Crowdsourcing is a phenomenon of our Internet age. It refers to the ability to tap into the collective expertise of people around the world, a la Wikipedia. Crowdsourcing websites have been used for everything from marriage counseling to resolving Ireland's economic problems.

Stockholm-based Globe Forum operates conferences and an online community to help match the originators of good ideas with those who can help bring them to life. One of its matchmaking services aims to match supply and demand for sustainable solutions. A conference scheduled for later this year in Dublin, Ireland, will focus on Business Innovation for Sustainable Growth. -- Jim Olsztynski

In this edition:

• Siggy's New Glitch & Fix -- Converting A Two-Pipe Steam System
• Happy Birthday, 90.1!
• New Products, Training Schedules and more

NAOHSM To Hold 5th Oil Heat Retreat
The National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers will hold its 5th Annual Oil Heat Retreat from September 9-12, 2010 in downtown Lancaster, PA. For a schedule of activities and to register visit www.naohsm.org.

R & H Showroom Opens In Seattle
Pacific Plumbing Supply has opened a new radiant and hydronic showroom, The Pacific Green Room, at its headquarters in Seattle. The company displays and sells leading edge water heaters, tankless water heaters, boilers, solar plumbing systems, PEX piping and commercial plumbing products. The 2,100 sq. ft. showroom features a will-call counter for radiant customers and a flexible display space, which includes a fully functioning heated floor display.

Social Media Webcast For Construction Pros
The Construction Marketing Association (CMA) announces a Webcast Panel Discussion: Social Media Best Practices for Construction on September 15, 2010 at 12 p.m. CST. The free webcast will feature panelists from such leading construction brands as Caterpillar, USG and Emerson Electric. Panelists will share how their construction brands utilize social media, how social media integrates with other Internet initiatives, what results have been realized, how to measure, and more.  Click here to register for the Free Webcast Panel Discussion.

Agreement Made To Market Eco-Friendly Refrigerant
Steven Mella, CEO of ComStar International and Richard Maruya of A.S. Trust & Holding have come to an agreement to manufacture, market and distribute the hydrocarbon refrigerant known as HCR188C1. This coolant, a patented blend of ethane, propane, butane and other pure hydrocarbons, displays a Zero Global Warming Potential as well as a Zero Ozone-Depletion rating and is the first hydrocarbon refrigerant approved by the EPA for sale in the U.S. ASHRAE has proclaimed HCR188C1 to be non-toxic, and will soon be in the public comment stage as solicited by ASHRAE.

Stiebel Eltron Warehouse To Feature Radiant, Solar
Stiebel Eltron will open a 32,000-square-foot facility in mid-September at its North American headquarters in West Hatfield, MA. The company will use the new building primarily as a warehouse featuring a number of green construction elements, including radiant floor heat using six miles of PEX tubing, a green roof and 48 Stiebel Eltron flat-plate solar panels on that roof. The radiant system will work in conjunction with the solar thermal elements. The warehouse will adjoin a showroom that features working displays of the company's solar heating products (showroom signage above).

Rinnai Offers Boiler Rebates, Training Incentives
Through August 31, 2010, Rinnai America Corp. is offering a rebate of up to $1,000 on select boiler products to contractors and dealers. To qualify for the rebate, boiler units must be purchased from a Rinnai distributor at their published price and registered with the Rinnai Partner Portal . Rinnai also announced it is offering contractors incentives for attending one or more of the company's boiler training courses. Prizes include mechanical gloves (while they last), Boiler Tool Kit and Combustion Analyzer.

AERCO Website Boasts Enhanced Navigation
AERCO International's new Web site, www.aerco.com , uses enhanced navigation tools and other features to make it easy for HVAC professionals to access information on AERCO's high-efficiency boilers and water heaters, as well as technical materials on condensing technology. Products highlighted in the redesigned site include AERCO's new SmartPlate direct hot water heater, Benchmark boilers, KC boilers and hot water heaters, as well as controls.

Winning Project Features Wirsbo Products
A project featuring more than three miles of Uponor PEX tubing for radiant and snow melt recently received the Project of the Year award in the Plumbing and Heating category from the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI), a manufacturing-based trade association. The award-winning project showcases 18,500 feet of Uponor's Wirsbo hePEX™ and Multi-layer Composite (PEX-AL-PEX) tubing for the radiant floor heating and snow-melting systems installed in Wormley Row, a 125-year-old landmark school building turned luxury condominium complex located in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. 

Taco Hosts Free Webinars July 22-23
Taco's renowned trainer John Barba will be conducting a webinar on Thursday, July 22nd at 5 p.m. Eastern Time: "Cv, Pressure Drop and You," a 1-hour look at the concept of Cv, how to calculate pressure drop through a mixing valve and how it can affect circulator selection in a hydronic system. The program is free and open only to heating professionals. Class size is limited to the first 100 to register! Click on "Cv, Pressure Drop and You" to register.

On Friday, July 23rd at 5 p.m. Eastern time, join John and Taco for "Proper Circulator Selection - They all ain't the same!" This 1-hour presentation centers on circulator performance curves, where they come from and what they mean to you. They'll also discuss what happens when you select the wrong pump for the job. Click on "Proper Circulator Selection ..." to register.

Slant/Fin Rep Honored By Supply NE
Supply New England has presented a Manufacturer's Rep of the Year Award to David Marcotte of Slant/Fin Corp. Employees at the company's 14 branches vote on the Manufacturer's Rep Award, which can be given to either an independent manufacturer's rep agency or to a manufacturer representative. This is the second time Marcotte has been so recognized by the company. He is shown in the photo holding the plaque and shaking hands with Supply New England President David Corcoran, surrounded by other key associates.

The search for a rep just got a lot easier.

The 2010 Rep Locator, brought to you by the publishers of Supply House Times, PM Engineer and Plumbing & Mechanical Magazines in partnership with AIM/R, provides a comprehensive database of manufacturers' reps in the plumbing market.

Year-Round Reference

• Published in print in the June issues of Supply House Times, PM Engineer and Plumbing & Mechanical
• Fully searchable online at www.locatearep.com year-round (launching June 2010)
• Key information all in one source, complete contact info, lines represented, states and territories served and much more.
• Online extras like company brochures and line cards, live web and email links, Google-based keyword search, and more, right at the fingertips of manufacturers, plumbing contractors, engineers and wholesalers to locate products and representatives.

Reps who wish to stand out from the crowd may purchase print ads, listing enhancements and online upgrades. Pricing and packages are available for every budget. AIM/R members receive special discounts and exclusive options.

Contact Deborah Reda at redad@bnpmedia.com or 630-694-4389.

If you have listed your rep firm in AIM/R's printed Locator in the past, your account is already set up. For new listings, changes or inquiries contact Breanne Rozek at rozekb@bnpmedia.com, or 248-244-6259.

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.

Quotes To Live
(Or Die) By

"Two things are infinite: the universe and humany stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe." -- Albert Einstein 

Happy Birthday To Standard 90.1

This year marks the 35th anniversary of publication of the ASHRAE/IES energy standard, now known as ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings . Since being developed in response to the energy crisis in the 1970s, Standard 90.1 has become the basis for building codes, and the standard for building design and construction throughout the United States.

The anniversary of the standard was celebrated at ASHRAE's 2010 Annual Conference. For more information about the standard, visit www.ashrae.org/90.1history.

©2010, J. Siegenthaler - all rights reserved

Click here to access a full-size PDF version.

Converting A Two-Pipe Steam System

The Glitch

Overview: An old New England home has been heated with a two-pipe steam system serving plenty of sturdy cast-iron radiators. As part of an extensive renovation and insulation upgrade, the owner decides to upgrade the heat and convert the system to a high-efficiency, gas-fired condensing boiler. The piping system installed by the local plumber is shown below. It leaves as much of the two-pipe distribution in place as possible.

Exercise: What are some design details that you think are incorrect or missing?

The Fix

Over decades of use, lots of "mud" can build up in a steam heating system with cast-iron radiators. It's really a shame to push that mud into new portions of the system, and especially into the compact heat exchanger of the new boiler. I'd recommend a high-quality dirt separator on the receiving end of the flowing mud, and installed at a low point in the piping whenever possible.

Be sure to leave room for a blow-down valve at the bottom because you are sure to be using it. Also be sure the flow velocity into the dirt separator is at or less than 4 feet per second. A hydraulic separator could also be used in place of the closely spaced tees, air separator and dirt separator.

Another problem is the arrangement of the circulator in the boiler loop. It should be pumping into the condensing boiler (because the latter has a high-flow-resistance heat exchanger).

Other details that are incorrect:

• If you expect hydraulic separation between circuits, do not install closely spaced tees as shown in the Glitch drawing. Instead, provide a minimum of 6 pipe diameters of straight pipe both upstream and downstream of the closely spaced tees.
• There should always be a good microbubble air separator on the outlet of the boiler.
• In the Glitch drawing, the circulator is at the low point of the distribution system - the most probable location for sediment to collect.
• Install an air vent on each radiator. 

Visit www.hydronicpros.com

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Greening Steam: How to Bring 19th-Century Heating Systems into the 21st Century (and save lots of green!)  -  $30.00

Author: Dan Holohan

When it comes to saving money on heating, old steam systems are delicious low-hanging fruit. There is so much you can do to make them better, and most of what you do won't cost a fortune. - Dan Holohan

There are many steam systems in service today, and they'll be around for some time to come. It's not that easy (or inexpensive) to rip out a steam system and start anew, and that's why so many of them are still around. Dan Holohan's Greening Steam: How to Bring 19th-Century Heating Systems into the 21st Century (and save lots of green!) walks you through your old steam heating system and shows you how to get the most out of it without putting a lot of money into it. It's an entertaining and informative book that will have you looking at steam heating in a whole new light. You'll be amazed at how small changes can make a big difference when it comes to efficiency and savings. Read this book and start greening your steam heating system (and your wallet) today! Follow this link to view the table of contents or to purchase this item.  

Visit AECStore.com to view all of our products for the Radiant & Hydronics Pro.