PM Engineer articles from March 2008

PM Engineer archives from March 2008

Back to the core values: an invitation to all design professionals to join the fight to reduce both civilian and firefighter casualties through mandatory residential sprinklers.(Cover story)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sixty-one years ago, at the 1947 President's Conference on Fire Prevention, President Harry S. Truman told those in attendance, "the serious losses in life and property resulting annually from fires cause me deep...

Top down green buildings.(Publisher's Note)
March 1, 2008... I'm not sure what your showering habits are at home (and I prefer not to know), but I usually hang my towel on a hook to use it again. So, when the major hotel chains started to leave printed cards in their guest rooms a few years ago about...

Water reuse in UPC Chapter 16: can we still maintain an adequate level of safety by introducing non-potable water into water closets and urinals?(Codes)
March 1, 2008... Many of you have noticed that the 2006 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) has a Chapter 16 on gray water and water reuse. While it is great that this section appears in the code, unfortunately, it is a highly restrictive section. There are limited...

Fuel for the fire: a primer about the volatility of solids and flammability of liquids.
March 1, 2008... News stories pertaining to fires inevitably contain a phrase similar to: "when the flames subsided... " Everyone knows what happened at that juncture--the fuel had run out because a fire had just consumed every bit of it, and there was nothing...

Corrosion resistance and environmental exposure testing of fire sprinklers: UL 199 incorporates a full range of performance tests for one reason--to ensure product reliability and durability.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fire sprinklers have proven to be a highly effective tool in reducing the loss of life and property from fires for more than 125 years. The usage, as well as the end use applications of these products, continues to...

Water efficiency is the key to sustainable development: saving water brings with it a whole host of benefits--environmental, societal and economic.
March 1, 2008... Everyone understands that water is essential to life. But many are only just now beginning to grasp how essential it is to everything in life--food, energy, transportation, nature, leisure, identity, culture, social norms and virtually all the...

Scrubbing bubbles: microbubble air separation in hydronic systems: why it's a cornerstone of modern technology and should be part of any new or remodeled system.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Air control in hydronic systems has been a concern ever since closed-loop hydronic systems came into existence during the 1930s. At that time, the idea was to purge the "bulk air" out of the system as it was filled...

Residential fire sprinklers: a growing trend in home fire safety: the numbers don't lie. More fire deaths occur in homes than anywhere else. So more municipalities than ever are requiring sprinkler installation.
March 1, 2008... A national survey commissioned by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and conducted in January 2008 by Synovate reveals that 79% of Americans feel safer from fires at home than in a public building. [The survey polled more than 1,000...

IAPMO to add staff, facilities here and abroad.(Director's Update)(Organization overview)
March 1, 2008... The long-standing mission statement of the IAPMO organization is "to protect the health and safety of society through sound plumbing and mechanical systems." To support our mission in an ever-changing industry, IAPMO plans in the next few...