PM Engineer articles from March 2005

PM Engineer archives from March 2005

Looking at the cost of public bathrooms.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Regarding Julius Ballanco's Oct. 2004 column, I cannot tell you how many times we encountered signs that read, "Bathrooms for customers only." This sign would be illegal under the old BOCA National Plumbing Code and the old SBCCI Standard...

Residential sprinkler system questions.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I read the Nov. 2004 article from Mark Bromann titled, "Questions, Issues, Facts, and Figures." In the first question, they are using a dry pipe sprinkler system for an NFPA 13 installation in a home. They need to be careful because many...

WQA Aquatech 2005 educational sessions focus on enhancing the bottom line.(PME News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Bottom line-enhancing education is one of the main business opportunities offered at the WQA Aquatech 2005 Exhibition and Convention March 29-April 2 in Las Vegas, NV. Dozens of 2005 seminars are offered, ranging from Basic Water Chemistry...

Green Design Solutions Conference for hospitals and schools announced.(PME News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Environmental Design + Construction (ED+C) magazine, a sister publication of PME, will present the Green Design Solutions Conference May 4-6, 2005, at the Westin Chicago River North, Chicago, IL. This educational conference will deliver...

The hot water difference: while the requirements for hot water are basically the same between the plumbing codes, the definition of "hot water" is where they all differ.(Uniform Plumbing Code)(International Plumbing Code)(Column)
March 1, 2005... I received a call from an engineering friend regarding the hot water requirements for a design they were completing. He was most familiar with the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), but he said that it appears that the jurisdiction will be switching...

Sprinklers, pipe and general public admonitions: more probing questions from readers on codes and applications.(Fire Protection)(Rally Fire Protection Services )
March 1, 2005... Q. We want to use Central "back-to-back" attic sprinklers to protect a pitched-roof attic that is exactly 40 feet wide. It will be a dry system. My question concerns the size of the remote area to be used. The design table says that the roof...

Understanding ion exchange processes: ion exchange is a highly versatile water treatment technology that tackles many different problems.(Water Treatment)(ion)
March 1, 2005... Most readers will have enough understanding of the word "ion" to associate it with chemistry class. Just the word itself can immediately evoke fear in those who dreaded the subject in their school days. The purpose of this article is to...

Zoning high-rise fire protection systems: to save space in densely populated urban centers, more high-rises are being built, resulting in the need for more complicated fire protection systems.
March 1, 2005... Anyone who lives in an urban center these days understands the drawbacks of traditional urban planning. As cities around the world grow, green space is paved over to make way for parking garages and commercial construction. More and more,...

New ideas in firestopping: the use of firestopping materials to protect through penetrations and to meet health and insurance/liability issues is examined.
March 1, 2005... The basic principles of fire safety in buildings have been known for a long time. There are three principles that are old, simple and straightforward. They are: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Reduce fire incidence--prevention. * Control...

Using probability to determine medical gas flow: Part I.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... Plumbing designers are often called upon to design medical gas piping systems, including oxygen, nitrous oxide, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, medical vacuum, WAGD (Waste Anesthetic Gas Disposal) and medical compressed air. As with any gas piping...

Maintaining the Safety Zone! Standards now regulate emergency equipment water temperature to keep water from getting too hot or too cold.
March 1, 2005... At the dawn of the 20th century there were no emergency drench showers and eyewashes. Workers were generally considered lucky if there was a first-aid kit around! Industrial accidents--and even fatalities--were commonplace and accepted as an...

Designing snowmelting systems: here are the nine steps to follow when designing snowmelting systems.
March 1, 2005... Snowmelting systems have gained a widespread acceptance in all sectors of our industry: residential, commercial and industrial. Residential snowmelting systems can alleviate shoveling, plowing and plow damage, sanding and salting. Typical...