This month of June, six months into 2023, is a great time to review the activities of Standards Development Organizations, or SDOS. These organizations develop standards through voluntary consensus processes for product performance and safety, services, processes, systems and personnel.
Those who evaluate the performance of HVAC source equipment such as boilers, furnaces and heat pumps have to work with a wide variety of acronyms. Some of them were spawned by government bureaucrats, mostly the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Others were created through a consensus process based on input from manufacturers and other industry stakeholders.
Judge Roy Lam could easily have been mistaken for a hang-em-high judge from a Clint Eastwood western movie! His demeanor could have scared-straight even the hardest of criminals. While arguing a case before another District Magistrate Judge where the deadbeat customer’s lawyer clearly sensed he was losing the case, he announced I had chosen the wrong venue (District Court for our business area) and should have filed charges against his client in her district. I asked him if he would really want to have me bring this case before Judge Roy Lam? He, realizing that would be a fool’s errand on his part, wisely threw in the towel. We secured full judgment and, finally, got paid.
My last two columns discussed both chemical and non-chemical additives or technologies that I treat as “must consider” for plumbing engineers in their design practices to reduce the risk of Legionella bacteria developing in the domestic water system. As I mentioned, these topics might not be a code minimum requirement, but as an engineering community, we have a responsibility to uphold the health and safety of the public. Therefore, we should discuss these technologies with our clients for many different building types we come across in our design.
Welcome to Spring 2023! Regardless of the temperature, I know spring is close when the male American Goldfinches start their molt from olive green to vibrant yellow. It is a beautiful sight to see and promises warmer days ahead.
Over the years I’ve had opportunities to work with several architects. They’re interesting people who have the ability to meld art with building technology. Sometimes the result is more “art,” and sometimes it’s more “building.” In either case, their designs typically get handed off to engineers with the simple request: Figure out how to heat my creation…
It’s officially springtime in my home state of Michigan! While I’m happy to see the cold and snow gone, this time of year is the worst for my seasonal allergies. Watery eyes, runny nose, constant sneezing — the whole nine yards. Ever since the pandemic, people give me the side eye and avoid me like the plague this time of year. I’m actually looking into getting a whole-home air purifier installed in my HVAC system.
I called the plumber because there’s an immediacy to plumbing; and I’m old enough to know that it’s best for me not to touch pipes. To each his own trade.