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I just finished up an awesome few days at the 2016 AHR EXPO in Orlando, Florida. And what a show it was with over 60,000 in attendance. This show was top notch top to bottom and front to back. This show had fantastic energy and displayed some great new products. And even though it’s considered an HVACR show, there’s plenty of products, tools, and technology for plumbers and plumbing contractors to learn about, especially those that install and service any top of radiant heating and hydronic systems whether it be residential or commercial.

For those who were unable to attend, I will highlight a few items that caught my attention as unique.

The ROPOWER® by Rothenberger

This nifty RoPower tool by Rothenberger can thread a pipe quickly but one of the greatest advantages it has is its ability to thread pipe with the proper amount of threads so plumbers and installers no longer need to count each thread. You set it, forget it, and the machine does all the work for you correctly.

Key Features

• Quick and reliable threading, trimming, deburring, and grooving
• Die head Type R (automatic with integrated oil feed)
• Complete pre- and post-processing of pipe

 

Milwaukee® Tool’s M12™ 7.8KP Thermal Imager with DUAL SENSE™ Pixels

This unique Thermal Imager from Milwaukee Tool can easily assist in finding leaks under concrete and behind walls. The Imager is fully compatible with the simple and powerful Thermal Imager Report Software available online at www.milwaukeetool.com, which makes analyzing images and generating reports quick and easy. Contractors and plumbers can easily download images from the Thermal Imager and show them to their customer on a larger screen such as a laptop, tablet, or any other computer. Every image capture creates a versatile PNG file format image that can also be easily e-mailed for added convenience. This powerful device comes at a very affordable price for all plumbers at around $500.

 

Webstone Pro-Connect™ Valves & Fittings

This new ProConnect product from Webstone simplifies the connection process of connecting to Pex, CPVC, and the Aquatherm product. Some additional benefits include:

Key Features

• No more solder, glue, clamps, costly tools or clean-up!
• Push-on connection to copper, CPVC or PEX
• Easily recover from installation & deburring mishaps
• Forged from DZR Brass for use underground

 

Most Unique Experience At The AHR EXPO

This belongs to Rheem who displayed their mobile traveling trailer experience fully loaded with their products on display with a side-deck that expanded from the side of the trailer like a modern RV living room to display additional HVAC products. In addition, they displayed an 8-panel network of hi-resolution touch screens to interact with and take a look inside from every angle of their products. This state-of-the-art mobile learning center can be customized to offer hands-on product training, host special events or serve as an alternative to a trade show booth. It can also be easily rebranded to showcase either Rheem or Ruud products.

This experience was certainly a unique highlight of the show. Learn more about this Mobile Trailer Experience by Rheem.

 

 

Contractors, architects, engineers and others who specify commercial and industrial boilers continually seek systems that are more cost-effective, energy efficient and environmentally-friendly. The boiler industry has responded by making significant advances in both construction and design, with new systems offering greater efficiencies, cutting-edge technologies, advanced controls and the ability to integrate with renewable energy.

Condensing Boilers Gaining Momentum

The boiler market has been slowly shifting from standard, non-condensing boilers to more efficient condensing units over the last couple of decades. Reasons for the switch to condensing technology include a desire for operating efficiencies that result in lower operating costs, increased awareness of energy efficient products and the growing number of governmental policies and incentive programs.

Energy-efficient condensing boilers first appeared in the U.S. market in the late 1990’s and their sales have grown exponentially. The movement accelerated when the energy crisis several years ago spiked fuel costs. The shift toward green building design and LEED certifications for installing high efficiency equipment has also driven the trend

Many predicted that condensing boilers would make up half of the market by 2016, but the trend has been slower than anticipated. This delay is attributed to a couple of factors. For one, North American economies are not growing as quickly as anticipated, making it more difficult for some businesses and homeowners to approve an investment in more advanced, pricier boiler technology.

Additionally, federal rebates, which play a major role in encouraging installation of condensing technology, are no longer available. Some state and local municipalities offer rebates to help offset first boiler installation costs, but the lack of federal incentives has slowed growth.

Though the market today is still dominated by cast iron non-condensing boilers – which make up about 60 percent of installations – it’s likely that condensing boilers will continue to experience growth and play an even larger role in the hydronic heating industry by 2017.

Greater Efficiencies Key Driver

With an operating life measured in decades, purchasing a new or replacement condensing or non-condensing boiler is a significant decision. Most specifying engineers today seek the most energy efficient heating design.

Since September 2012, the minimum boiler efficiency requirement or AFUE in the United States is 82% for gas hot water boilers and 84% for oil hot water boilers. Some jurisdictions in the U.S. have building or energy codes that require the reporting of the efficiency ratings of boilers and other heating products.

Standard efficiency is anything below 90 percent annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) while more than 90 percent is considered high efficiency. To reach levels above 90%, specifiers should consider installing a condensing boiler, as these units offer the greatest thermal efficiencies. Typical aluminum or stainless steel condensing models offer efficiencies greater than 90% AFUE.

A condensing boiler extracts additional heat from the exhaust gases by condensing its hot water vapor to liquid water, thus recovering its latent heat of vaporization. By capturing some of the waste heat, the condensing boiler heat exchanger can be up to 10 percent more efficient than a conventional boiler operating in the proper conditions.

Some boiler manufacturers currently add a secondary heat exchanger or recuperator to improve the efficiency of conventional, non-condensing boilers. In this case, a secondary heat exchanger recovers the latent exhaust heat from the flue gases, condensing water vapor in the process. In theory, you can increase the efficiency of a standard cast iron boiler by up to 10 percent to achieve higher efficiencies, lower energy costs and qualify for utility rebates.

Maintaining optimum boiler efficiency is critically important to minimizing carbon dioxide emissions, conserving fuel resources and lowering building operating costs.

Advanced Controls Driving Growth

Boiler manufacturers are re-gaining HVAC market shares by offering systems with more powerful and advanced controls. Condensing boilers feature significant advancements in ease of installation and controls when compared to traditional non-condensing boilers.

Setup wizards offer simple, intuitive controls that help walk the contractor through menus during the installation process. All Weil-McLain condensing boilers, including the new Evergreen^™ and SlimFit™ boilers, include this convenient setup feature.

Multiple preset systems are another popular new boiler control feature. These units feature pre-set heating systems for typical operating conditions built into the controller so installers don’t have to enter specific supply or return temperatures during installation. The contractor only inputs the specific application – such as radiant heat, snow removal or domestic hot water – which reduces installation costs and time while increasing reliability.

In addition to ease of installation, condensing boilers feature significant advancements in boiler control that include remote control and diagnostics, boiler-to-boiler communications, modulating from maximum input to minimum input, rotating lead lag and integration with building automation systems (BAS).

Facility managers want immediate access and control of a mechanical room no matter the location. Boilers today can be controlled through an iPhone and Android phone, computers and tablets and other devices, allowing an operator to change and optimize settings, review alarms and adjust parameters to changes in weather.

Many institutional buildings, such as schools, churches or hospitals, have multiple boiler setups for redundancy and reliability. Other facilities have installed or retrofitted to multiple, modular boilers for various reasons like cost or space restrictions. In this case, installation of an intelligent boiler sequence control can provide significant energy savings.

Weil-McLain’s SmartSequencing™, for example, maximizes energy across all boilers on a system, reducing energy costs. SmartSequencing controls an algorithm that runs as many boilers as possible at the minimum input, therefore maximizing efficiency. With this advanced control feature, boilers maintain optimal efficiency through lead-lag rotation and balanced heat loading.

Modern condensing boilers also have the ability to communicate with building automation systems. The benefits of building automation are improved occupant comfort, efficient operation of building HVAC systems and reduction in energy consumption and operating costs.

Another advancement is 0-10 VDC output signal. This feature provides easy integration with older boilers, such as cast iron, that don’t have sophisticated controls, and is especially valuable if a boiler fails in a facility with multiple boilers.

With 0-10 VDC, instead of replacing all boilers, a facility can install one condensing boiler to improve efficiency and run that unit as the primary boiler. If more heat is needed, the output signal turns on an older boiler – which is most efficient at full capacity anyway – and then modulates the condensing boiler. This hybrid system improves the overall efficiency of the system and requires less initial investment for the customer.

Programmable zone options also have advanced in design. In the past, boiler manufacturers offered zone pump or zone valve controllers for maintaining separate conditions in different areas of a facility. This feature would activate either the pump or valve that controls the flow of water through the radiator. Today, Weil-McLain offers equipment with ZoneStacking™, allowing for up to 24 different programmable zones that don’t require additional external panels.

Improvements in Boiler Maintenance

The ease of cleaning and maintenance of condensing boilers varies based on the type of technology and material design. Stainless steel condensing boilers feature either a water tube or fire tube heat exchanger. The water tube stainless steel heat exchanger consists of water inside a spiral tube with the flue gases on the outside. These units can be more difficult to clean due to the spiral design.

The fire tube, on the other hand, features the flue gases on the inside and water on the outside. These are typically straight tubes and a facility manager can easily access them by opening the lid and cleaning them. As a result, fire tubes are becoming more popular in stainless steel condensing technology than water tubes.

Aluminum condensing heat exchangers feature separate sections bolted together and include a clean out plate. Inside the heat exchanger are pins to increase the heat transfer area. Maintenance personnel simply remove the front plate to access the inside of the heat exchanger. The areas between the pins can be then easily cleaned and flushed with water.

When HVAC equipment fails, it can be a building owner’s and facility manager’s worse nightmare. Heating units are typically down when they are running and needed the most. Also, there often isn’t a repair budget in place because the failure wasn’t anticipated. Therefore, facility managers today seek preventative maintenance options to avoid an expensive critical failure.

One new trend in boiler maintenance that meets this demand is predictive maintenance. With this new advancement, maintenance personnel can receive a predictive analysis of what may happen to a boiler over a specific length of time such as the next six to 12 months.

Manufacturers have developed this technology by factoring a certain set of parameters and based on changes in those factors can predict when specific maintenance procedures – such as cleaning tubes or a heat exchanger – should occur to prevent catastrophic failure.

Boiler Design Durability

Condensing is a fairly new technology, so it’s difficult to prove the durability of these units. With proper maintenance, it’s likely that these units can last anywhere from 15 to 20 years.

Annual efficiency monitoring of the heat transfer fluid in condensing boilers with aluminum or stainless steel heat exchangers is recommended. Depending on the results, action can be taken to improve boiler efficiencies, resulting in lower annual operating costs.

Standard, cast-iron boilers, on the other hand, can have a longevity advantage. It’s not uncommon for a cast iron boiler to have a useful life between 30 and 50 years. These conventional boilers are also designed to access tight spaces such as narrow hallways and small elevators, often a key factor in retrofit applications – which make up 90 percent of boiler installations. The installer can bring one cast iron section at a time where a complete boiler assembly is too large for the available entryway.

Weil-McLain’s SlimFit condensing boiler, for example, was specifically designed to fit into narrow spaces. The larger units can be disassembled into two separate pieces for ease of access into tight areas.

Another new development in improving the life of condensing heat exchangers is the development of a non-metallic condensate base, which greatly reduces heat exchanger corrosion.

While highly durable composite bases are not affected by acidic condensate, aluminum or stainless steel bottoms are affected. A non–metallic heat exchanger base protects against corrosion due to aggressive condensate resulting in long-lasting service.

The Future of Boiler Design

The future of boiler design is integration with renewable heating sources such as solar energy, geothermal, wind and biomass.

Solar energy, for example, is popular in western U.S. states to pre-heat water tanks. A solar water heater typically will not provide enough heated water by itself, but it can increase the energy efficiency of the system and work in tandem with a boiler. When water temperature drops below a certain level the boiler is activated to provide supplemental heat.

In mild climates, such as on the East Coast or in the South, geothermal energy is becoming more prevalent. This application uses ground source heat pumps for heating and for cooling. Geothermal heat pumps use the natural warmth of the ground several feet below the soil to pre-heat water.

A geothermal heating method can reduce the amount of natural gas, electricity or oil that a boiler uses to save energy. When more heat is needed, an electric or a conventional hydronic boiler is activated.

The use of boilers installed in combination with renewable technologies and eco-friendly heating systems to improve efficiencies is on the rise.

In Conclusion

Modern boilers have come a long way in design and technology. Today’s boilers feature advanced controls, efficient heating and are easily integrated into existing boiler systems to provide lower energy costs for facility managers and building owners.

 

About the author: John Kopf is Senior Product Manager with Weil-McLain, a leading North American designer and manufacturer of hydronic comfort heating systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Founded in 1881, Weil-McLain is based in the Chicago suburb of Burr Ridge, Ill., with manufacturing facilities in Michigan City, Ind. and Eden, N.C., and regional sales offices throughout the United States.

Steady Growth Expected in Both Residential and Commercial Sectors

Plumbing and HVAC contractors can look forward to a positive economic climate in 2016, with a continued increase in new residential and commercial construction. Strong sales of existing homes – including a growing number of purchases by move-up buyers – will support the remodeling market. However, an increase in interest rates, tight credit conditions may make it more difficult to finance expensive projects, and the 2016 presidential election and the threat of global terrorism remain wild cards for the U.S. economy.

“Across the country, builders can sell anything they construct,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist, National Association of Realtors (NAR). “Demand for new homes exceeds supply, and it’s likely that many builders will be ramping up production in 2016.”

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) also forecasts strong growth in the New Year with 1,255,000 housing starts in 2016, up from 1,119,000 in 2015. That includes 877,000 new single-family homes and 378,000 new multifamily starts. As for home sales, the NAHB predicts 642,000 new single-family sales and 4,664,000 existing-single family sales in the next 12 months.

In a September housing report, NAHB chairman Tom Woods, said “It is encouraging to see new-home sales continue to tick upward. Builders are also increasing their inventory even as they face difficulties accessing lots and labor.”

Regionally, sales for the month rose 20.5 percent in the West and 4.5 percent in the South. Sales fell 28.6 percent in the Northeast and 8.6 percent in the Midwest. The inventory of new homes for sale was 232,000 units in November, a 5.7-month supply.

Looking at 2016 existing single-family and condominium sales, Yun says, “Move-up buying activity will be particularly strong. With rising values, owners will have more equity to purchase a more expensive home,”

However, a critical issue for many homeowners – as well as businesses – is the availability financing to pay for new projects. The Federal Reserve’s decision to raise rates in December for the first time in a decade will have a ripple effect upwards on both mortgage loans and construction lending. The NAHB projects that a typical fixed-rate 30-year residential mortgage will go up from 3.88 percent in 2015 to 4.55 percent in 2016.

“The Federal Reserve’s decision to raise short-term rates is the first of many increases over the next couple of years,” said Yun. “Although this first move will likely have minimal impact on mortgage rates, additional hikes will push borrowing costs to around 4.50 percent by the end of next year. With home prices expected to continue rising, wages and new home construction need to start increasing substantially to preserve affordability.”

On the positive side, Yun sees a continued improvement in mortgage availability. He notes that lenders are becoming more comfortable approving mortgage loans for buyers in the middle of the credit score spectrum.

“Since this is a presidential election year, there will be much discussion about tax breaks,” Yun said. While Congressional action is unlikely in 2016, it’s possible that the mortgage interest deduction for second homes or the 1031 property exchange program could be changed in 2017 or beyond.

The commercial sector

Sustained job growth throughout the country and improving credit conditions are expected to support an increase in commercial real estate activity, according to an NAR forecast.

“Temporary turbulence in the financial markets, a stronger U.S. dollar hurting exports and economic weakness overseas chipped away at third quarter growth and led to some deceleration in the pace of commercial investments,” Yun said. “The good news is that these deterrents are slowly residing, which should ultimately reawaken the growing appetite for commercial space heading into 2016.”

National office vacancy rates are forecast to decrease 0.8 percent to 14.8 percent in the coming year as continued job creation drives demand. The vacancy rate for industrial space is expected to decline 1.4 percent to 9.7 percent, and retail availability to decrease 1.3 percent to 11.3 percent, according to NAR.

With new apartment construction projects coming through the pipeline in several markets, multifamily vacancies are forecast to increase over the next year, from 6.1 percent to 7.3 percent.

Regionally, several states in the South and West have outperformed the rest of the country in job growth over the past year. Led by strong demand for apartments from faster household formation and rent growth, metro areas in those states are expected to see elevated levels of new construction, which will lead to a slight uptick in vacancy rates.

“The best days for multifamily housing could be winding down as new construction has already surpassed historical averages,” adds Yun. “This sector has been the industry’s top performer over the past several years as a result of younger households struggling to become homeowners and the demand for apartments far exceeding supply in many markets.”

Remodeling market may soften

Remodeling projects and home additions are an important part of the day-to-day business for many plumbing, heating and HVAC contractors – especially in states with stable or declining populations. In that regard, a third-quarter survey by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) found a softening in this market sector.

The most recent NARI Remodeling Business Pulse (RBP) data of current and future remodeling business conditions stood at 6.03 (above 5 indicates growth), a decline from the 6.48 recorded in June. While still positive, this rating points to slower growth in the months ahead. The NARI study showed:

• Number of inquiries was down 4.6 percent
• Requests for bids was down 4.0 percent
• Conversion of bids to jobs was unchanged
• Value of jobs was down 4.6 percent

“Remodelers are becoming more realistic and accepting of the slow growth other economic indicators are confirming,” said David Merrick, chairman of the NARI Strategic Planning & Research Committee. “We are adjusting to slow sustainable growth and are less optimistic. Our customers are being careful about budgeting and taking on bigger projects, so leads may be down a little, but the leads we are getting are more focused and on target and budget oriented.”

However, about 53 percent of remodelers in the survey expected business growth in the coming months, compared with only 15 percent seeing any level of decline.

A new generation of owners

One of the key trends of 2016 and the years ahead is the arrival of the Millennial generation. Now in their 20s and 30s, these young adults will be buying homes, launching entrepreneurial businesses and playing an increasingly greater role in the U.S. economy.

“Young adults, who make up the majority of all renter households, are typically more optimistic about their future,” said Yun. “As more of them settle down and begin plans to start a family, the allure of owning their own home as well as the long-term financial stability homeownership provides will drive their emergence into the housing market. However, the extent to how fast this occurs will greatly depend on more entry-level housing supply coming onto the market and needed improvements in affordability conditions.”

 

Certain plumbing design choices and building contractor practices can promote the growth of microorganisms in new plumbing systems. This can lead to corrosion of metals, increased metals concentration in the drinking water, holes in pipe walls, and waterborne illnesses. Basic steps can prevent the problem from occurring in the first place.

INTRODUCTION TO DISASTER

The story is repeated over and over. Occupants of a new building notice either discolored water coming from the water faucets or a “rotten egg” odor coming from the hot water.

Typically, what will happen next is that the plumbing contractor, realizing that corrosion is occurring, will pull the sacrificial anode rod from the hot water storage tank. The rod in a hot water storage tank is there to slowly corrode over many years, with the rod’s metallic properties diverting the flow of electrons to sacrifice itself to corrosion and protect the storage tank. But, in these cases, the anode rod has greatly corroded over a few weeks or months. The plumbing contractor will replace the rod, only to see the new rod corrode quickly again.

Stray electrical currents or the connection of dissimilar metals are then blamed for the system-wide corrosion. Wires are added to connect various parts of the piping system for diverting electrons to a different path.

The problem persists.

MICROORGANISMS AT WORK

What most people don’t know is that the problem is of microbiological origin. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) has not been appropriately understood or acknowledged in the drinking water industry—in municipal water systems or in plumbing systems.

Microorganisms are everywhere, and there are many different types of them. Some directly cause human illness and some do not. All waterborne microorganisms can grow into out-of-control populations when there are long periods of water stagnation or low flow and when disinfection chemicals are in inadequate concentrations. Under such conditions, microorganisms attach to plumbing system surfaces, both metal and non-metal. The microorganisms secrete an enzyme that forms a protective barrier around them, and they begin to multiply. This buildup of enzyme and microorganism colonies on surfaces is called a biofilm.

The biofilm is acidic and can create conditions at the pipe wall that allow metal to corrode. Metals that the plumbing sys- tem is made of, such as copper, iron, and even lead, have been found to corrode and their concentrations found to be increased in the drinking water when biofilms are present. Pinhole leaks in copper pipes have also been found. In addition, lower doses of chlorine and other disinfectants cannot reach the microorganisms protected in the biofilms. Instead, disinfectants get used up by reactions with the surface of the biofilms. This creates the environment for the growth of microorganisms that cause human illness if they are accidentally introduced into the water system.

Once a biofilm is firmly in place in a plumbing system, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to remove. It cannot be flushed with high-velocity water because the required water flows and pressures cannot be achieved in plumbing systems. The biofilm cannot be removed by disinfection because many modern plumbing materials, such as PEX® piping, cannot come in contact with the high concentrations of disinfection that are needed.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES IN PLUMBING DESIGN

Proper plumbing design is the first line of defense against the growth of microorganisms in a plumbing system. In general, in water with low or no disinfection, whenever an excessive quantity of water is stored and excessive surface area is available in the plumbing system, microorganisms can get the upper hand and form biofilms.

Plumbing designers should carefully plan the capacity of the water system. In modern plumbing systems, the high hot waterflow demands of large bathtubs and Jacuzzis control the plumbing system design. This leads to installation of large water softeners and hot water storage tanks which are oversized for typical water usage in the building when the tubs are not in use. This creates a long residence time for water inside the plumbing system.

Another area where biofilm development is typically found is in hot water recirculation systems. In larger residences and buildings, hot water is re-circulated between the faucets throughout the building and the storage tank in order to provide water at the desired elevated temperature immediately when a faucet is opened. The recirculation piping adds extra storage of water and residence time in the plumbing system and helps spread microorganisms from a location of biofilm development to other parts of the hot water system.

Water conservation devices also increase the time that water spends in the plumbing system.

Water treatment devices cause issues in that many remove disinfection from the water, provide a large volume of water storage, and provide greatly increased surface area on the treatment media, such as on physical filters, granular activated carbon, and softener resin.

There is no room in this article to discuss plumbing design details. Just be aware in plumbing design that disinfected water should flow in the plumbing system with minimum residence time and minimum surface area contact.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES DURING CONSTRUCTION

Construction of a building takes months and sometimes over a year or more. During this time, any water that has been introduced into the water service line and the interior plumbing system is stagnating in the pipelines and forming biofilms. Building contractors need to be aware of this. Routine flushing and disinfection of all on-site pipelines should be performed. The disinfection concentration, and even the microbiological activity, can be measured and documented to show that no problems occurred under the building contractor’s watch.

Although there are many details that can help prevent microorganism growth, generally be aware that flushing, disinfection, and monitoring can prevent the growth of microorganisms and the development of biofilms in the piping system.

SUMMARY

Everyone involved in the design and construction of buildings should be aware that microorganisms can and do significantly affect water quality in plumbing systems and can even weaken the pipe itself. Modern plumbing systems with large bathtubs, increased use of water treatment devices, materials of construction that cannot come in contact with high disinfection concentrations, and water conservation devices contribute to the likelihood that microorganisms will grow in the plumbing system and form biofilms on pipe and tank surfaces.

Plumbing designers can do their part in preventing the growth of microorganisms and the development of biofilms by minimizing the residence time of water in the plumbing system and the surface area that the water contacts. Building con- tractors can do their part by routinely flushing the pipelines, disinfecting the water, and documenting disinfection concentration and microbiological activity.

 

Bio

Abigail Cantor is the founder of Process Research Solutions, LLC, a chemical engineering consulting firm specializing in drinking water quality issues.

 

Contact Info

Phone: 608-233-3011

Email: info@processresearch.net

Website: ProcessResearch.net