PM Engineer articles from May 2004

PM Engineer archives from May 2004

High-rise codes in Chicago revisited.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Please tell Mark Bromann that the current city of Chicago high-rise code does not require sprinklers in high-rise buildings ("A High Rise Tragedy in the Loop," Feb. PME, p. 22). Sprinklers are still listed as an option. Daniel W. Murphy,...

Blocked kitchen drain help.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... My kitchen sink gets blocked every three years or so. We are very careful what goes down--essentially what goes through the strainer holes. And lots of hot, detergent-filled water flushes it every day. The question is, what is the mechanism by...

Fire pump testing.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I have a question pertaining to fire pump applications. Is it feasible to install a means to disengage a fire pump from the diesel engine to perform weekly tests of the engine and not waste water from the discharge or suction side of the pump,...

Prisons and the single stack.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I was reading Julius Ballanco's article in the Feb. issue of PME ("Prison Drainage Systems," p. 37). I thought I might tell you of a problem I encountered on a prison project in Pennsylvania a few years back. We installed back-to-back water...

Regarding the engineer's authority.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I read with interest Julius Ballanco's column in the February issue on the rights and authority of the professional engineer. As a licensed engineer and designer of siphonic roof drainage systems and contributor to PME ("Fundamentals of...

The engineer's diet debunked.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I'm writing regarding the item, "Thermodynamics and Couch Potatoes," (Take a Break, Jan. 2004). My husband, a mechanical engineer, thought I would be interested in this article since I'm a dietitian. Before you all quit your jobs as engineers...

Positive reaction to clustering.(PME Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Thank you to Dan Holohan for his Sept. '02 column and his wisdom on clustering! I've been doing this more and more as I've progressed in my career from basic engineering tasks to conceptual thinking. It sometimes takes a leap of faith to...

ISH North America and New England Plant Engineering & Facilities Management show join forces.(PME News)
May 1, 2004... The ISH North America Partners and Reed Exhibitions have announced that the 2004 New England Plant Engineering & Facilities Management (PE & FM) Show and Conference will be colocated with the ISH NA trade show Oct. 14-16 at the Boston...

Tyco Fire & Building Products takes valve training on the road.(PME News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... If you can't bring the fire protection student to the classroom, you bring the classroom to the student. This is exactly what Tyco Fire & Building Products has done with the implementation of its latest training device--the mobile Valve Demo...

I=B=R School spring locations announced.(PME News)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The spring locations for the "I=B=R School" two-day classes on hydronic heating system design and installation have been announced. In these classes, contractors, wholesalers, plumbers and heating equipment installers will learn how to...

PME author to teach modern hydronics seminars.(PME News)(hydronic heating systems)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... John Siegenthaler, P.E., a well-known teacher, writer, software developer and frequent PME author, will be teaching "Modern Engineering Concepts For Hydronic Heating Design," a new seminar sponsored by BNP Media, publishers of PME and many...

Charles N. Prudames.(In Memoriam)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
May 1, 2004... Charles N. Prudames, vice president of sales for Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co., passed away April 4, 2004, in Montgomery, AL, at age 64. Prudames had been with the company since 1984. Donations can be made in his name to the American Cancer Society at...

The American Society of Plumbing Engineers.(News Briefs)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) has announced three consecutive one-day workshops to be presented May 25-27 in Dallas, TX, and June 15-17 in Randolph, MA. The workshops will cover "Reconciling and Understanding the Uniform and...

Watts Water Technologies.(News Briefs)(Taizhou Shida Plumbing Manufacturing Co.)(TEAM Precision Pipe Work Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Watts Water Technologies has acquired the 40% equity interest in Taizhou Shida Plumbing Manufacturing Co., Ltd. ("Shida") that had been held by its former Chinese joint venture partner. Watts now owns 100% of Shida. The company provides Watts...

The International Code Council.(News Briefs)
May 1, 2004... The International Code Council (ICC) has filed a public notice through the ANSI Project Initiation Notification System (PINS) stating: "The objective of this standard is to provide technical design and performance criteria that will facilitate...

Bryan Indirect Water Heaters in larger sizes.(PME News)
May 1, 2004... Bryan Indirect Water Heaters are now available in sizes to 8,000,000 Btu/hr with water heating capacities to 16,000 gallons per hour (at 60[degrees] temperature rise). A single unit can be used for domestic or commercial hot water and space...

Victaulic Co.(News Briefs)(Victaulic Company of America)(John Malloy appointed)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... John Malloy has assumed the role of CEO of Victaulic Co. following the retirement of Joseph Trachtenberg, who retired after 30 years with the company. Trachtenberg continues to serve as chairman of the board.

BLANCO America.(News Briefs)(James Haeger appointed )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... BLANCO America has named James Haeger Southeastern regional sales manager.

Brass Craft.(News Briefs)(Larry Griffin appointed)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Brass Craft has appointed Larry Griffin as channel manager--wholesale. He previously served as director of sales--Kmart for Huggy Service First, a national retail service organization.

Bradford White Corp.(News Briefs)(Chuck Cook appointed)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Bradford White Corp. has announced the retirement of Chuck Cook, who had been internal sales manager for the last 18 of his 29 years of employment with Bradford White. He is succeeded in that position by his former assistant, Robert Dolan.

You win some, you lose some: here is an overview of some recent events and upcoming hearings in the plumbing codes and standards arena.(Codes)
May 1, 2004... The ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR) issued its finding of the appeals filed against the IAPMO Uniform Plumbing Code. All of the appeals filed requested the withdrawal of the accreditation of the Uniform Plumbing Code as an American...

A not-so-innocent danger: numbers don't tell the whole story, but U.S. fire statistics are meticulously tabulated, and sadly, quite factual.(Fire Protection)
May 1, 2004... Every year, approximately 14,000 fires occur in U.S. structures that have been previously coded by fire departments as vacant buildings. The primary suspect in each vacant property fire is automatically an arsonist, since over 70% of these...

Water heaters: engineered for safety; Advances have been made for safety's sake in the design, installation and end usage of water heaters.(Cover Story)
May 1, 2004... Over the past two centuries, hot water has evolved from an occasional indulgence for the very rich to an indispensable part of our daily lives, both at home and on the job. Progress has been so swift and comprehensive that we often take for...

A closer look at the Plumbing and Drainage Institute: here is an overview of the history of PDI, as well as a review of the services PDI provides for its member companies and the plumbing industry at large.
May 1, 2004... The Plumbing and Drainage Institute (PDI) is a trade association of manufacturers of engineered plumbing products. Our members make many items, including floor drains, roof drains, sanitary floor drains, cleanouts, water hammer arresters,...

Sanitary floor drains: the floor drain is an important component in the modern plumbing drainage system, and here are some reasons why.
May 1, 2004... When I began my career in the plumbing industry at Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co., my daughter was only three years old. And like most children of Smith employees at one time or another, one day she asked me, "What is a floor drain, Daddy?" This...

Can new technology defeat the age old: grease enemy? New electronic grease level detector technology offers the real possibility that we can begin to win the battle against fats, oils and grease.(Defeating Grease)(Plumbing Drainage Institute )
May 1, 2004... Grease problems are making headline news. For years local papers from New York to Los Angeles have reported on how FOG (fats, oils and grease) have gummed up their municipal sewer lines. In June of 2001, the Wall Street Journal cited the...

At the center of quality: Tyco Fire Products.
May 1, 2004... Endurance -- perhaps the defining characteristic for the success of any company, and a quality easily seen in the over 150 years of tradition and innovation that has grown to become Tyco Fire Products. From the perforated pipe system, the...

Back to basics: sprinkler design for multi-tenant buildings; Different types of building occupancies present different fire hazards.
May 1, 2004... Design and installation of sprinkler systems in multi-tenant buildings can be challenging. This article will review some of the fundamental system requirements, design considerations and tips for working with the local fire department. ...

The gold (and green) standard: here's a list of alternatives to consider when specifying a combination emergency shower and eyewash system.
May 1, 2004... The plethora of emergency equipment choices available to the safety professional can be quite daunting. Where in the past there were fewer manufacturers offering substantially fewer product alternatives, today things have certainly changed....

Innovation in plumbing ... Webstone strikes again.(Product of the Month)
May 1, 2004... For the past 50 years, Webstone has been at the forefront of innovation and technology in our industry. Dedication has been evident in its full circle approach of creating products that have better margins and sell-through for the wholesaler,...

Bell & Gossett stainless steel wet rotor circulator.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Bell & Gossett has introduced the newest addition to its wet rotor family of circulators. The SSF-12F/LW is a flange connection, stainless steel wet rotor circulator that features a low-watt motor for reduced energy consumption. Available with...

Grundfos Comfort System.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Homeowners can reduce their annual water use by thousands of gallons annually by adding a simple, low-cost hot water recirculation (HWR) system like Grundfos Pumps' Comfort System that saves water by delivering hot water on demand. In homes...

Laing autocirc pump.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Autocirc from Laing Thermotech fits under the sink farthest from the water heater and ensures that hot water is available throughout the house as soon as a hot water faucet is turned on. The pump plugs in to a standard 120-volt outlet and is...

Patterson prepackaged fire system.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... The Patterson self-contained Pre-Pac[R] Fire Pump is pre-engineered to meet, or exceed, all applicable codes. For an added measure of security, it is completely tested in accordance with NFPA 20, and all piping is hydrostatically tested. It...

Taco LoadMatch[R] circulators.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Taco offers three bronze casing models and nine flanged cast iron models of its "00" Series of circulators for LoadMatch[R] single-pipe system applications. Taco's LoadMatch series circulators have been designed for quiet and efficient...

Thrush RC and RCB circulators.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Thrush has announced its RC and RCB circulator pumps to compliment its line of circulators, end suction, vertical in-line and boiler manifold pumps. These units feature low pressure FT HD, high flow gpm, an adjustable motor cradle, stainless...

Air/dirt eliminators.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Spirotherm has introduced the new Spirovent and Spirotrap High Velocity air, dirt, and air/dirt eliminators. The only air and dirt eliminators developed especially for large volume fluid systems, such as central plants and district...

Shower products.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Bradley Corp. has expanded its shower products for the light commercial market with the introduction of Dynamix[TM] Shower Systems. The line includes a pressure-balancing valve that incorporates the latest European ceramic cartridge technology,...

Residential Horizontal Sidewall Sprinkler.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... The Viking Corp. has released a 4.2K Residential Horizontal Sidewall Sprinkler, an addition to the Viking Freedom[TM] residential fire sprinkler series. Viking's newest sprinkler offers a 16' X 22' (4,9m X 6,7m) coverage area and features the...

Dual Check Hydrant.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. has expanded its hydrant line with the first ASSE 1052 and 1019-B approved hydrant--the Guardian Dual Check. The new Guardian Dual Check, Figure No. 5519, Hydrant offers a range of features designed to make the...

Sway brace attachment.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... TOLCO[R], a brand of NIBCO INC., now offers contractors an in-line longitudinal sway brace attachment for bracing against sway and seismic disturbances. The one-piece design allows swivel in only one direction ensuring "in-line" assembly,...

Tankless water heaters.(Product Focus: Circulator Pumps)
May 1, 2004... Bradford White Corp. has introduced the EverHot[R] tankless gas water heaters, providing continuous hot water to multiple points-of-use without utilizing a storage tank. The EverHot[R] units are available in two residential and two commercial...

Take a Break.
May 1, 2004... Dedicated to the proposition that having fun is an indispensable part of doing business Dilbert reprinted by permission of United Syndicate, Inc You Might Be an Engineer If... * Your favorite James Bond character is "Q." *...