The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines “clean agents” as “an electrically non-conducting, volatile, or gaseous fire extinguishant that does not leave a residue upon evaporation.” A clean agent fire suppression system consists of the agent storage containers, release valves, heat detectors, control panel, piping, and discharge nozzles. Clean agent fire suppressions systems are typically … Read more
More specifically is your heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) system on schedule? Do your toilet room fans run at night when you are not there? Are you heating or cooling the entire building when no one is working? Changing temperature setpoints and scheduling HVAC equipment to turn off when the building is unoccupied is an easy way … Read more
Hard water is found in many water supplies across the country. Hardness is the measurement of the concentration of calcium and magnesium compounds found in water. These compounds enter the water system from groundwater sources. Calcium and magnesium compounds can become separated from the water and cause scaling in equipment and piping. Scale can decrease fixture flow rates, decrease … Read more
A freeze stat is a sensor located in your HVAC system that is designed to minimize the potential of freezing a water or steam coil in your air distribution system. A true freeze stat is directly interlocked to shut down equipment and requires a manual reset if it trips. This is different than a low temperature sensor … Read more
Electronically commutated motors (ECMs) have quickly become standard in the HVAC industry. They can have unexpected operating characteristics that are very different than their predecessor; the alternating current (AC) permanent split capacitor (PSC) motor. An ECM is a brushless, direct current (DC) motor that operates at a synchronous speed. ECMs utilize integral inverters so they … Read more
Natatoriums are typically the most corrosive environment that facility staff will maintain. The design architect, HVAC engineer, and pool consultant need to reduce the factors that lead to corrosion, but all the designers involved and the facility personnel need to be keenly aware of the cause of natatorium corrosion. The primary drivers of corrosion in the natatorium … Read more
Psychrometrics can be a complicated field of study. However, a psychrometric chart can be a simple, invaluable tool to help HVAC engineers and owners understand the relationship between air temperature and humidity. Relative humidity (RH) is a term that most people are familiar with, but its relationship with dry bulb (DB) temperature is typically under-appreciated. RH … Read more
The days of providing a simple wall switch to control lighting are gone. The last few revisions of the energy codes, whether the International Energy Conservation Code or ASHRAE 90.1, has continually increased lighting control complexity. However, with this complexity significant energy reduction, and thus lower operating costs, can be achieved resulting in relatively short … Read more
As we leave the heating season, many building owners begin repair and replacement projects in their boiler plants. Boilers that burn fuel to heat water have been around for thousands of years and technologies that we would recognize today date back to the early 1700’s. More recent trends in boiler construction and control focus on … Read more
At the end of most construction projects, there is a warranty period, but not all mechanical failures and problems occur within the warranty period. Sound familiar? One option is to get a service agreement from another company or local contractor; however this can be costly, especially if only minor repairs are required when the building … Read more
No, we’re not trying to make a political statement. Whether or not there will be a change in the White House this year, there are changes coming for the construction industry. In 2012, the new version of the International Building Code (IBC) family is being issued. Depending on your jurisdiction, the 2012 version of the … Read more
Many times we hear the term BIM. But what does this mean? When an owner asks if the project is going to be done in BIM, what is he really expecting? The AIA has a document, E202-2008 “Building Information Modeling Protocol Exhibit”, which provides a standard outline for the use of BIM information by a … Read more
The graph demonstrates the results of retro-commissioning for one rooftop unit. The retro-commissioning authority found improper damper operation in economizer mode. Instead of fully opening the outdoor air damper to provide free cooling, the actuator fully closed the outdoor air damper and provided 100% return air to the space. Mechanical cooling was required at an … Read more
For many years, chilled beam systems have provided space conditioning to buildings throughout Europe and Australia, but the technology has been slow to catch on in the United States. However, that trend is changing as the system has reported benefits of superior comfort and substantial potential energy savings for little or no additional cost when … Read more
If you are in the design, construction, or facilities management business you are probably getting inundated with questions about LED lighting. If you looked into LED’s a year ago, you were probably disappointed in the options available, light output, cost, etc. Commercial lighting applications utilizing LEDs as a light source have come a long way … Read more
Chillers have been the workhorses of building cooling systems for decades. In recent years, a renewed focus on energy efficiency has led to new and renewed trends in the chiller equipment market such as: Magnetic Bearing Compressors With this breakthrough technology, the compressor impeller shaft is levitated by a magnetic field. The result is a … Read more
Emergency showers, eyewashes and drench units are common equipment in hospitals, laboratories, science classrooms, maintenance shops and anywhere hazardous chemicals are handled. OSHA regulations require “Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within … Read more
Spring is upon us and so is the unpredictable weather; a warm summer-like day next to a frigid, blustery cold day, sound familiar? As we get into spring and into those swing days before air conditioning systems are completely commissioned and operational from the winter shut-down, some systems are caught unprepared for the unseasonable temperatures … Read more
Approximately 40% of all US energy used in the United States is consumed by buildings making it the largest single category of energy use. If you are responsible for operating or maintaining one or more buildings, you have some experience in budgeting for the energy usage required to keep your buildings operating. You may have … Read more
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently released changes to PlanCon instructions that will have a significant impact on project reimbursement and feasibility studies for educational facilities. The updated instructions can be downloaded from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) website. These changes are to take effect for all forms submitted after January 31, 2011 and … Read more
