PM Engineer

ASME, ASSE & CSA Sign Harmony Agreement
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Sanitary Engineering (ASSE) and CSA Standards have signed an agreement to harmonize five standards concerning automatic compensating valves, anti-siphon fill valves, trap seal primers, pressurized flushing devices (flushometers) and water temperature limiting devices. The harmonization agreement is designed to help bring clarity to the plumbing community, especially to the manufacturers of devices covered by the harmonized standards.  

Water Consumption Calculator
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is actively raising awareness of water quality and conservation issues. In celebration of World Water Day earlier this week, UL launced an online water consumption calculator where you can evaluate your daily, weekly and annual household water consumption, get tips on how you can save water through simple lifestyle changes and make a pledge to reduce your water consumption. To calculate your water consumption, click here.

World Water Day
Taking a stand for global safe drinking water and basic sanitation for all, American Standard Brands stood up 12 high-efficiency toilets outside the U.S. Capitol earlier this week in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the world's longest toilet queue. The event was part of two days of activities in Washington, D.C., to support World Water Day. Toilet queues were also scheduled to be set up in Europe and Asia to draw attention to WASH, an acronym for water, sanitation and hygiene. Photo: Toilets took a stand on Capitol Hill earlier this week for safe, clean water. Photo courtesy American Standard.

Green Construction Code Available For Download
The new International Green Construction Code (IGCC) Public Version 1.0 is now available for free download here. Also posted is a read-only version of the ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, now offered as an alternative jurisdictional requirement within the IGCC. Click here for access.

Sustainable Solutions Conference
Sustainable Solutions Conference Engineered Systems and Building Intelligence Group will hold the Sustainable Solutions Conference June 8-9 at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Ill. The two-day program will feature three tracks with presentation focused on technology and innovation, design and delivery and operations with the central theme, "Optimization of Building Systems and Facility Operations." The conference will deliver the latest intelligent and high-performance building concepts and technologies through the educational program, exhibitor showcases and networking events. Registration information is available here. A special early-bird pricing ($100 in savings) is available for those who register prior to May 1.

Showerheads Spec'd for WaterSense
Earlier this month, the WaterSense program released its final specification for showerheads. Manufacturers can now submit their shower heads for testing to earn the WaterSense label. The final specification sets the maximum flow rate at 2.0 gallons per minute at a flowing pressure of 80 psi. To learn more about WaterSense-labeled showerheads, contact Stephanie Thornton at thornton.stephanie@epa.gov or 202/564-0269. To see a copy of the specification, click here.

ASSE Seeks to Revise Home Sprinkler Series 7000
The American Society of Sanitary Engineering is forming a working group for the revision of the current ASSE Standard Series 7000, a Professional Qualifications Standard for Plumbing Based Residential Fire Protection Systems Installers and Inspectors. The first working group meeting for the Series 7000, the only plumbing-based residential fire protection systems installers and inspectors professional qualifications standard approved by ANSI, will be held Thursday, April 15 at the Embassy Suites in Cleveland, Ohio. To be a member of this working group, interested parties must submit an application to Ron Murray via e-mail at murraygandr@peoplepc.com, or 971/340-3940, or to Marianne Waickman at marianne@asse-plumbing.org, or 440/892-9530.

ASSE Issues First Low-Lead Certification
The American Society of Sanitary Engineering has issued its first Lead Content Certification for Cash Acme/Reliance Worldwide's Heatguard® 110-D ((LF) ½", ¾", 1" ) Thermostatic Mixing Valve, listed to ASSE Standard 1017-2009. ASSE's Lead Content Certification Program was recently launched with the purpose of verifying new and current ASSE-listed products as having ? 0.25% percent maximum average lead content in accordance with laws passed in California and Vermont.

Life Cycle Climate Performance
The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute (ARTI) is accepting bids for a new research project to establish a standardized methodology to calculate the Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) for HVACR. Prospective bidders can download bidding instructions, the statement of work and other pertinent information here. The deadline for submitting proposals is April 26.

NSF-MET Laboratories Agreement
NSF International recently announced a new strategic partnership with MET Laboratories. Partnering with MET Laboratories will expand the scope of NSF's electrical testing and certification services. Key industry sectors will benefit from this partnership, including mechanical plumbing devices.

CSST Gas Piping Installation to Mitigate Lightning Effects
The Fire Protection Research Foundation conducted a discussion recently regarding the possible scope of a research program to explore appropriate bonding and installation techniques for CSST gas piping to mitigate damage due to lightning events. A scope for a baseline literature and data collection and review was developed and will be pursued as a first phase. For more information, contact kalmand@nfpa.org.

Noritz Commercial Department
Noritz recently developed the Noritz Commercial Department, which will consist of regional teams of commercial professionals to assist with all retrofitting and new commercial projects. 

NYC ASHRAE Conference Upcoming
Among the speakers at the upcoming ASHRAE Existing Buildings in Urban Areas: Dramatically Cutting the Energy Waste specialty conference are Tony Malkin, president of Malkin Properties, a real estate firm that owns and manages millions of square feet of office space, including the Empire State Building, and Jody Durst co-president of The Durst Organization, the owner, manager and builder of nine-million square feet in mid-town Manhattan, including 4 Times Square. These owners will help highlight New York City's ground-breaking "Greener. Greener Buildings" laws, the first in the nation to address energy usage in existing buildings. The conference takes place April 19-20 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. To register, or for more information, click here. 

NFPA, AFSE Conferences Join Forces
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently announced the Americas' Fire and Security Expo (AFSE) will join together with the 2010 NFPA Conference & Expo, which will be held June 7-10 in Las Vegas. For pre-registration information, click here. International travelers can request an official letter of invitation on the Web site for use in the visa application process.

TA Hydronic College On The Move
Tour & Andersson is bringing its popular TA Hydronic College seminar series to consulting and facilities engineers in North America. The seminar, "The Three Hydronic Conditions," will first be presented at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex., on April 6. A second venue will soon be launched for Boston, and venue search is ongoing to secure locations for at least eight additional seminars during 2010. The seminar provides a variety of practical and theoretical examples to highlight issues faced when designing, commissioning and maintaining hydronic systems.

Zoeller Introduces Clarus Enviornmental
Zoeller Company recently introduced Clarus Environmental as its newest member of the Zoeller Family of Water Solutions. Clarus Environmental is committed to providing environmentally sustainable solutions to water quality problems. 

Honeywell Names VP of Sales
Honeywell's Enviornmental and Combustion Controls (ECC) Americas recently named Rob Andersen vice president of sales. In his new role, Andersen will hold responsibility for leading the ECC Americas trade and retail sales organizations as well as the customer care organization. Andersen previously had served as the OEM sales director.

PRIER Names Marketing Director
PRIER Products recently introduced Anthony Carey as director of manufacturing. Carey Joins Prier after a successful career as the operations manager for Martin Logan where he was responsible for manufacturing, engineering support, logistics, inventory management, quality assurance and the operations budget.

ITT Employee Honored
Rony Mejia (pictured, second from left), a material mover at the ITT factory in Morton Grove, Ill., was recently awarded the Harold S. Geneen Award for his efforts in making extraordinary improvements in peoples' lives. Mejia was recgonized for creating and implementing a variety of innovatie social outreach programs in his native Guatemala.

Claxton Honored
Jack Claxton (pictured, right), vice president engineering at Patterson Pump Company, was recognized recently by the Hyrdaulic Institute for his technical leadership and contributions in the creation of ANSI/HI Standards.

Ask The Expert

Got a question about plumbing, fire protection, hydronics or process piping? Just send it to me at miazgam@bnpmedia.com, and we'll get an answer within days.

Meantime, check out what others have been asking lately.

Products at AHR Expo Exercise Greater Degree of Control
by Bob Miodonski

ISH China: Greetings From Beijing!
by Kelly Faloon

Electronic Codes and Standards
by Julius Ballanco, P.E., CPD

Construction/Service Pros: It's Twitter Time...Really
by Tim Fausch 

How to Avoid Tax Audits
by Jim Olsztynski  

What About Green?
by Joseph Sanchez

Got something to get off your chest? You, too, can be a blogger sharing opinions, insights and experiences with fellow professionals.
Send us your article or just tell us what you want to say by contacting Mike Miazga at miazgam@bnpmedia.com, or Bob Miodonski at miodonskib@bnpmedia.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.
      
BEST SELLERS for 2009

Piping Databook - $112.95
Whether it's the thermal conductivity of insulation materials or a conversion factor for viscosity, sizes and types of metallic or nonmetallic pipe or fitting dimensions, manufacturers' names or that elusive bit of terminology, the Piping Databook will spare you hours of frustrating fact-hunting. Follow this link for a complete description.

Pocket Guide to Flanges, Fittings, and Piping Data - $60.95
Packed with pictures, definitions, and descriptions of ANSI and API piping materials, such as flanges, fittings, bolts, gaskets, and required wrench sizes. It contains basic information and data to answer common questions that arise in materials handling, pipe fitting, and engineering.  Follow this link for a complete description. 

College of Product Knowledge CD - NOW $89.85
The Best-Read, most highly acclaimed product training series ever published in the plumbing industry has been made available to fill the gaping hole in the plumbing industry's knowledge training.  The College of Product Knowledge  is ideal for wholesalers, manufacturers, agents, designers, contractors, technicians, engineers, architects and other pros that need to understand a variety of plumbing systems and components. Follow this link for a complete description.

History of Plumbing CD -- Sponsored by American Standard - $35.00
PM magazine's wildly popular History of Plumbing Series is available on CD-ROM. History articles cover informative topics such as ancient plumbing, water-borne diseases, early-American innovation, the history of hydronic heating, and more! Follow this link for a complete description.

Visit AECStore.com to view all of our technical resources, CDs and DVDs.

Stormwater Chambers
CULTEC recently introduced manifold capability to its Recharger 150 and Contractor 100 subsurface stormwater chambers. The feature allows for maximum design flexibility and eliminates the need for costly fabricated pipe manifolds.  

Eyewash Unit
T & S Brass' Swing Away Eyewash Unit is countertop-mounted and made of polished chrome-plated brass and comes with a swing-away feature to active. The unit, which is mounted on the right side of the sink, controls water flow rate when flow pressure is between 30 and 90 psi.  

Standard Response Sprinkler
Reliable's J168 automatic sprinkler utilizes the center strut solder in compression principle of construction. The fusible alloy is captured in the cylinder of the solder capsule by a stainless-steel ball. When the fusible alloy melts, the ball moves into the cylinder allowing the cylinder to separate from the center strut. When this happens, the lever is released to spring free from the sprinkler so all operation parts clear the waterway allowing the deflector to distribute the discharging water in a hemispherical pattern.  

Snap Coupling
GRINNELL Mechanical Products recently released its Figure 780 Grooved Snap Coupling. The coupling features a hinged-level mechanism for quickly and safely connecting grooved piping systems and also has a unique two-step closing feature.

Fluid System Products
John Guest USA has introduced a new, updated version of its Fluid System Products catalog. The catalog presents product and pricing information for the complete family of JG Standard Line of push-in fittings, shutoff valves and polyethylene tubing that is used in a wide range of industrial water-treatment applications, from water filtration and reverse osmosis to dispensing and vending.

Solar Pumping Station
Taco's newest solar technology package combines the necessary products for a closed-loop water-heating system. The station includes an integral variable-speed solar control pump, isolation ball valves, air elimination flow meter and safety group.

Fire & Ice Master
UTILITY's Fire & Ice Master is a nontoxic, ready-to-use, glycerin-based antifreeze specifically designed for fire sprinkler systems. It should be used in place of water where freezing may damage or interfere with the proper operation of systems or equipment. 

Avenir Software
Avenir recently released LoopCAD 2010, a new version of its LoopCAD software for the radiant heating industry. The software, which can be used for the quick drawing of floor plans and circuit layouts, is available in Standard Edition and Professional Edition (which includes integrated heat loss calculations).

Installation Diagram
Webstone's 11 x 17-inch laminated reference diagram depicts proper plumbing of systems and easily highlights the amount of time and leak paths saved by using the proper Webstone products in hydronic heating systems.

Edge Series Regulator
Thermadyne Industries' Victor brand recently introduced its ESS3 medium capacity Edge Series regulator. The ESS3 gas regulators are single stage and immediately available for Acetylene, Oxygen, Inert and LP gases. A carbon dioxide version of the ESS3 will be available this summer.

Bell & Gossett BIM Library
Bell & Gossett recently unveiled an extensive online library of 3D BIM content files in Autodesk Revit 2010. A total of 113 Revit families and 5,252 types have been created.

Raypak Adds BIM Files
Raypak recently released Autodesk Revit BIM files of its entire product line of commercial boilers, water heaters and storage tanks. The Revit family files are available to assist architects and engineers in dropping the product directly into their Autodesk Revit building plans.

Codes on CD
IAPMO's Uniform Mechanical Codes and Uniform Plumbing Codes are both available in CD-ROM version.  

Flow Valve
Bell & Gossett's The Low Flow Circuit Sentry valve features a unique field-adjusted cartridge that allows the selection of exact flows for specific applications and is designed for automatic flow-limiting style balancing of both HVAC cooling and heating circuits.

Heat Exchange System
The RAUGEO is a high-efficiency geothermal engery 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.

Hybrid Heating
The Eternal Condensing Hybrid uses a full-flow design and stainless-steel heat exchanger with a built-in 2-gallon reserve. It combines the flow capacity of traditional tanks with the continuity of modern tankless units to supply consistent hot water with good pressure for up to five simultaneous applications.

Condensing Boiler
Lochinvar's new CREST Heating Boiler will be available in five models with capacities of 1.5, 2.0, 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.

Elkay's EZH20
Elkay's EZH20 bottle filling station is environmentally friendly and provides a pure, clean and affordable filtered water option. The system provides a rapid fill of cold, filtered water at a rate of 1.1-1.5 gpm and can be retrofitted to any existing "EZ style" Elkay water cooler, or installed in new construction or as a stand-alone in-wall unit.

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.

Digital 2010 Radiant Flooring
Guide Now Available
The 2010 Radiant Flooring Guide is an indispensable tool for engineers and other project team members. 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.