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Latest Headlines
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The critical importance of codes and standards to plumbing-product design and the growing impact of the green movement on the plumbing industry were the dual themes of a Codes, Standards and Green Workshop hosted by PMI recently.
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New building codes are expected to go into effect later this summer in Clinton, IL, now that public meetings have been held and the codes have been submitted to the City Council for approval. Clinton's Planning Commission worked on the codes for 18 months.
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Modern Engineering Concepts- Fall 2008 Webinar Series Begins Sept. 11
Presented by John Siegenthaler, P.E.
This Fall begins the next series of Webinars presenting the latest concepts in modern hydronic heating system design. Each offers a 1.5 Certificate of Completion for Continuing Education and is the fraction of the cost to travel to a live conference.
Cast-Iron Boiler Technology: Past, Present, and Future
September 11 at 1 pm ET
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Sponsored by:
Ray
Cast iron boilers have been the backbone of the hydronics industry for decades. Some might suggest that cast-iron boilers are dated and approaching obsolescence relative to newer boilers constructed of other materials. This seminar will show why this is NOT the case. You'll also learn why cast-iron, although it may appear gray or rusty in its raw form, is really a very "green" material.
The Application of Storage Tanks in Hydronic
& Solar Thermal Systems
October 16 at 1pm ET
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Sponsored by:
Heat Transfer Products
This Webinar covers a wide range of tank applications and presents technical information on where the tanks are needed, how they are sized, and the best way to pipe them into specific systems. Although storage tanks have been part of some hydronic systems for years, this webinar will present unique and state-of-the-art applications that will help define the future of hydronic and solar thermal systems.
Topics TBD
November 13 at 1pm ET
December 11 at 1pm ET
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Don't forget! You can access our library of archived educational sessions at http://webinars.pmengineer.com. |
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REX Brings Green Heat to Chicago 
The Radiant Panel Association is holding its annual conference and Radiant Expo in Schaumburg, IL, August 13-15. On display will be both traditional technology, as well as a New Product Exhibit showcasing never-before-seen items designed specifically for the radiant industry. Alternative energy sources and highly energy efficient equipment will be highlighted. New exhibitors include solar, geothermal, biomass, photovoltaic and many other green companies. Plus, the RPA Green Team (featuring John Siegenthaler, P.E.) will be conducting a series of breakout sessions.
Plumbing Engineers Attend College of Plumbing Knowledge
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry hosted its first "College of Plumbing Knowledge" class for plumbing engineers on June 23 - 24, 2008. Held at Charlotte Pipe's new, state-of-the-art 9,000-sq.-ft. training facility in Charlotte, NC, the class offered engineers a refresher course on the basics of designing plumbing and domestic water systems. The course was developed and taught by Ron George, CIPE, CPD, president of Ron George Design & Consulting Services, with assistance from Brian Connor and Charlotte's Technical Services Department. Attendees
received a certificate and continuing education credits for completing the two-day class.
New ConsensusDOCS Contract First to Address BIM 
ConsensusDOCS has released the ConsensusDOCS 301 BIM Addendum - the first and only industry standard document to globally address the legal uncertainties associated with utilizing BIM. This addendum was co-drafted with the AGC BIM Forum, a conglomeration of leaders throughout the engineering, architectural and construction industry. ConsensusDOCs is a collaboration of 22 construction associations that published the industry's first consensus standard contracts and forms in Sept. 2007. The BIM Addendum is the first addition to their catalog.
New Headmaster at B&G's Little Red Schoolhouse
Larry Konopacz is the new manager of training and education at Bell & Gossett's Little Red Schoolhouse in Morton Grove, IL. Konopacz has served in a variety of training, engineering and manufacturing capacities there during the past 25 years. He succeeds Roy Ahlgren who retired in March 2008. Since 1954, more than 56,000 engineers, contractors and installers have been trained in the Schoolhouse's learning center, while another 136,000 professionals have received training through B&G's traveling classroom program.
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A.O. Smith Water Products Co. announced three appointments: David R. Warren as vice president-international and a member of the company's leadership team;
Ton van der Hamsvoort as general manager of its Veldhoven, the Netherlands, operation; and David Hammond as the general manager of the company's Canadian water heater operations, headquartered in Fergus, Ontario.
Grundfos Pumps Corp. has named Dennis Wierzbicki as president and general manager of Grundfos U.S. The company also announced that Jes Munk Hansen has been named North American regional managing director and
Kirk Vigil wholesale business development manager for its largest division, domestic building services. Wierzbicki has more than 25 years of business management experience. Hansen has been with Grundfos for eight years. Vigil has 12 years of industry experience.
Leonard Valve Co. has announced the promotion of E. Niles Wilcox [photo]
 to president. Wilcox most recently served as vice president and general manager, concentrating on the manufacturing and production end of Leonard's business. E. Niles' brother and outgoing president Greg Wilcox will continue to work as a consultant for Leonard.
Leslie Clark has been promoted to vice president of business excellence for Elkay Mfg. Co. In addition, Rich Dickson has been named new managing director of international sales. Clark will be responsible for leading Elkay's business practice review and standardization for the PPD, corporate and cabinet divisions. Dickson will act as a liaison between existing and prospective global customers and Elkay's manufacturing facilities throughout the world. |
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Solar Design Notebook...
Column by John Siegenthaler Now Appears Regularly in PM Engineer.
Dear PM Engineer Readers:
Interest in solar energy technology has increased almost as fast as fuel prices in recent months. Many HVAC engineers have undoubtedly been asked if solar energy hardware can somehow be incorporated into more traditional system designs in the interest of reducing operating cost.
Fortunately, modern space heating and domestic hot water systems (especially those using hydronics technology) are often quite adaptable to the use of solar energy. Unfortunately, there aren't many references currently available in North America that show engineers how to do this.
PM Engineer recognizes this need and is responding by launching a new bimonthly column titled "Solar Design Notebook." Its intent is to familiarize engineers with modern equipment and design concepts for integrating solar thermal technology into traditional HVAC applications.
The first column appeared in the June issue of PME. Subsequent columns will appear in the August, October and December issues. Initial columns will cover the fundamentals of solar thermal system design.
Later columns will delve into more detail as they discuss systems ranging from residential domestic water heating to larger commercial applications of solar thermal technology. The column will also contrast the concepts and hardware now used in North America with those used in Europe, where solar thermal technology is now a mainstream market.
Our goal is to provide readers with information that encourages and supports the use of solar thermal technology in applications where it makes economic and environmental sense. We sincerely welcome your feedback on the new column as we strive to bring you information that fulfills this goal.
Sincerely,
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
Contributing Editor - PM Engineer
Subscribe to PM Engineer today!
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Enter The 2008 Excellence in Design Awards Competition!
PM Engineer Wants to Hear About Your Most Unique Design.
Entries Now Being Accepted. Deadline is Sept. 8, 2008.
If you're a consulting, specifying or design engineering firm, you can submit your most interesting projects for PME's Excellence in Design Awards contest. PME is ready to honor the most unique designs of 2008 in these market segments: plumbing, piping, hydronics or sprinklers.
Designs will be judged based on the following criteria:
1. Innovation in design. Explain why you feel your project is an innovative design.
2. Customer satisfaction. What steps did you take to satisfy the customer on this project?
3. Ability to meet schedules. How did you ensure that the schedules were all met on the project?
4. Cost-efficient strategies. What strategies did you employ to meet your budget or improve cost efficiency on the project?
5. Community improvement. How does this project improve the community in which it is based?
To nominate your company's best design, e-mail the editor a very detailed statement describing how your design meets any or all of the five criteria outlined above. We'll follow up by contacting those who submit the most intriguing descriptions.
Please e-mail all submissions to Jim Camillo at camilloj@bnpmedia.com. (Include the name, phone number and e-mail address of the correct contact person at your company.) Nominations also can be mailed to: Jim Camillo, PM Engineer, 1050 IL Rt. 83, Suite 200, Bensenville, IL 60106-1096; or faxed to 248-283-6547. Call Jim with any questions at 630-694-4011.
AN ONLINE ENTRY FORM IS NOW AVAILABLE (simply click
here). |
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