pipe joining

Allen Stanley has been promoted to vice president, fittings manufacturing and distribution, and Rudy Smith to vice president, valve manufacturing. Elkhart, Ind. — NIBCO INC. has announced the promotion of Allen Stanley to vice president, fittings manufacturing and distribution, and Rudy Smith to vice president, valve manufacturing. Both Stanley and Smith will report to Ashley Read more

Allen Stanley has been promoted to vice president, fittings manufacturing and distribution, and Rudy Smith to vice president, valve manufacturing.

Elkhart, Ind. — NIBCO INC. has announced the promotion of Allen Stanley to vice president, fittings manufacturing and distribution, and Rudy Smith to vice president, valve manufacturing.

Both Stanley and Smith will report to Ashley Martin, president and COO, NIBCO.

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Allen Stanley

“Allen and Rudy have long careers with NIBCO and the knowledge and expertise that they both bring to these roles will be valuable for the success of our organization,” said Martin. “Join me in congratulating them on their well-deserved promotions.”

In this new role, Stanley has responsibility for the Stuarts Draft, Virginia manufacturing operations and the Demand Planning department, along with his current responsibilities for the U.S. distribution centers, world headquarters logistics, and all plastic manufacturing facilities.

Stanley began his career in 1997 at NIBCO as administrative manager at the Atlanta Distribution Center. He held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility including operations manager at the Elkhart Distribution Center, manager, distribution and transportation, and most recently, director, plastic fittings manufacturing and distribution.

Stanley holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia. He also earned his master’s degree in marketing from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Rudy Smith

In his new role, Smith will have responsibility for NIBCO’s Blytheville, Arkansas, facility, along with the company’s Nacogdoches, Texas, McAllen, Texas, and Reynosa, Mexico facilities.

Smith began his career at NIBCO in 1996 in logistics at NIBCO’s world headquarters. Two years later, he was promoted and transferred as operations manager of NIBCO’s Nacogdoches facility. He held various roles from production superintendent, plant superintendent, plant manager, and most recently, senior plant manager at Reynosa, prior to his new role.

Rudy holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Rice University, in Houston, Texas.

Businesses that entrust their data storage to the state-of-the art Novva data center outside of Salt Lake City will benefit from a location chosen for its many data center-friendly attributes. The area offers outstanding connectivity, low power costs, and a central-western site with easy access to a major international airport. In addition, the site’s climate Read more

Businesses that entrust their data storage to the state-of-the art Novva data center outside of Salt Lake City will benefit from a location chosen for its many data center-friendly attributes. The area offers outstanding connectivity, low power costs, and a central-western site with easy access to a major international airport. In addition, the site’s climate and 5,000-ft. altitude allow for many hours of free cooling annually.

Just as important to Novva’s clients, the new data center has a low disaster risk. The area is not prone to earthquakes, floods, or adverse weather events such as hurricanes.

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And finally, for the additional peace-of-mind that makes this data center truly start-of-the-art, the cooling system for the computer servers boasts Aquatherm PP-RCT piping that will provide virtually leak-free service for decades to come. The Aquatherm piping will never scale or corrode, and the cooling water flow will remain unchanged throughout the anticipated 50-year lifespan of the pipe. All of this data adds up to a win for Novva and its clients.

The “hyperscale” data center in Salt Lake City will be Novva’s flagship data center. The 100-acre Utah campus is planned to ultimately include more than 1.5 million square feet of data center space and will accommodate 250kW to 30 MW clients. The construction is taking place in four phases. The first phase, which includes a 300,000-sq.-ft. data center, a 120MW substation and an 80,000-sq.-ft. headquarters office building for Novva, was completed in December 2021.

Beating the Heat

Reliable cooling systems are an essential component of modern data centers. Computer servers are notorious for generating heat—and heat is notorious for being an enemy of computer servers.

The decision to install Aquatherm pipe as part of the new data center’s cooling system was driven by Steven Boyce, vice-president of infrastructure and design at Novva Data Centers. Boyce has been involved in the IT and data center space for more than 20 years, and has worked on multiple successful startups during that time.

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When I first learned about Aquatherm, it was a no-brainer,” Boyce said. “I had been using steel pipes in my builds, which would corrode and rust, and in turn, fill my equipment with sediment and pieces of rust. Efficiencies would be diminished, and the pipes would eventually have to be replaced. Aquatherm’s total installed costs are lower, and their warranty is something that no steel vendor could match.”

Once the decision was made to trust the cooling system’s performance to Aquatherm pipe, Novva turned to the Salt Lake City branch of Harris Mechanical for the installation.

Harris had experience installing Aquatherm pipe, although the Novva data center represented the company’s largest data center Aquatherm installation to date. To handle the first phase of the Novva system, Harris installed a BASX custom chiller package (which included the pumps and controls), the Aquatherm pipe for computer system cooling, and the comfort system piping and plumbing. The piping work for phase 1 began in mid-May 2021 and was completed in October 2021. The system was commissioned and turned over to the owner in December 2021.

Fast and Furious

Jeff Reading, operations manager, construction, Harris Mechanical, explained that the Novva data center started out as a core and shell project, with the office built first and the data hall scheduled to be built out later. However, as anyone in construction work knows, it’s always best to expect the unexpected.

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“We finished the core and shell construction in May 2021, and the data hall was right on its heels as a change order to the original project. So it came at us fast and furious,” Reading said. “The original plan was to complete the entire chilled water loop, which runs underneath the floor on both sides of the building. However, it was decided to install the piping in stages as the facility is built out. So far we have installed about half of the piping that will ultimately go in there.”

The installation to date has included 4,418 ft of Aquatherm Blue Pipe SDR 17.6. The main system piping is 10-in., and the takeoffs are 4-in.

Training Professionals

To handle such a large project. Harris Mechanical sent several installers to Aquatherm’s U.S. headquarters in nearby Lindon, UT, for training.

Having Aquatherm-trained technicians opens up new opportunities for HVAC and plumbing companies. The company gains differentiation in the market, and enjoys the time- and labor-savings associated with installing polypropylene pipe.

Aquatherm training is the most intensive, comprehensive training in the polypropylene piping industry. Attendees receive both classroom training and hands-on training with multiple fusion machines, and must pass a rigorous test using all the fusion tools correctly.

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After the training, Harris completed the installation using McElroy fusion tools and a combination of socket fusion for the 4-in. pipe and butt fusion for the 10-in. pipe. The system runs at a low pressure (35 to 45 psi); the cooling system supply water runs at 55°F and returns to the chiller at about 60°F.

According to Reading, Harris Mechanical  had a good experience with Aquatherm piping at the Novva data center, and the ease of installation compared to steel pipe helped Harris stay ahead of the project’s tight schedule.

“It was a smooth process,” he said. “We definitely gained experience and confidence with the pipe throughout the project, and our installers became accustomed to ‘leapfrogging’ and working with more than one [fusion] machine at a time.”

A Smooth Path

The underfloor piping system presented one of the major installation challenges at this project. The floor is raised 5-ft., and all of the facility’s piping, wiring, HVAC ducting, and utilities run through the raised space.

Aquatherm’s building information modeling (BIM) capabilities and Scan-to-Fab service helped ensure that the installation went smoothly by preventing underfloor conflicts and collisions.

“Using 3D BIM and Revit really helped with coordinating this installation,” said Autumn Turner, a fabrication drafter at Aquatherm. “Not only was all the HVAC and plumbing under the floor, there were floor stands every square foot. It took a lot of coordination to avoid all those potential obstacles.”

Turner noted that careful coordination enhanced the already-fast heat-fusion installation of Aquatherm pipe, and that less time and money spent on welders is a major benefit of choosing Aquatherm.

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“Aquatherm  is just easier  work with than steel pipe,” she said. “It takes a lot less time to weld, and when you add in the BIM support and drafting it was easier for the installers to get situated into the floor and navigate the space.”

Turner added that Aquatherm’s BIM and Revit capabilities will ensure the future installation phases of the massive project also go smoothly.

Rhett Coles, Aquatherm’s fabrication drafting/scan-to-fab manager, said that Aquatherm’s Scan-to-Fab service and in-house fabrication makes any piping installation easier and smoother. Spools can be custom made in any size or configuration and shipped to the jobsite ready to install. In addition, any pieces fabricated by Aquatherm are covered by a comprehensive 10-year warranty.

“In the case of the Novva data center, we were in constant communication with Steven Boyce and the owner’s group,” Coles said. “We were not providing a cookie cutter system to them. They would tell us whatever they wanted or needed and we would work directly with them to help them fully accomplish their goals.”

A reliable, leak-free piping system with a long life span, and a smooth installation in any space,  including challenging underfloor designs? The data are in: Aquatherm is the right choice for data centers.

By Aaron Stotko When a century-old Dallas railroad company headquarters required major renovations to transform into a Homewood Suites by Hilton, initial cost estimates for the hydronic heating system came in too high. That’s when City Wide Mechanical of Dallas looked to alternative piping systems for a solution. They found PEX-a pipe with F1960 expansion Read more

By Aaron Stotko

When a century-old Dallas railroad company headquarters required major renovations to transform into a Homewood Suites by Hilton, initial cost estimates for the hydronic heating system came in too high.

That’s when City Wide Mechanical of Dallas looked to alternative piping systems for a solution. They found PEX-a pipe with F1960 expansion connections to be the ideal system, due to its durability and ease of installation in addition to the job-site productivity, safety and, best of all, profitability potential it provided.

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And City Wide Mechanical isn’t alone in their findings. Many mechanical contractors are discovering the benefits of PEX-a pipe and F1960 connections as the preferred alternative to copper, iron, and steel, which have dominated the mechanical piping industry for decades.

Benefits of PEX-a

PEX is an acronym for crosslinked polyethylene. It has been used in North America since the mid-1980s, starting with radiant floor heating systems, then moving into plumbing and, eventually, to hydronic hot-water heating and chilled-water applications.

PEX can be manufactured via three different processes, which create products with varying crosslinking percentages that allow for different characteristics. PEX-a is the most durable, flexible, and resilient with crosslinking around 85%. PEX-b is a stiffer piping product with crosslinking around 65% to 70%, and PEX-c features crosslinking around 70% to 75%.

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ASHRAE Headquarters Grand Opening Fall 2021, photos by Devin Abellon

One major benefit of the higher crosslinking in PEX-a is its extreme flexibility along with its thermal and shape memory. The flexibility of PEX-a eliminates most connections in smaller-diameter piping, saving time and money with up to half the connections required in rigid metal piping systems. To make a change in direction, the installer simply bends the pipe instead of having to stop and make a fitting. There are also bend supports available that help hold a bend securely in place.

The thermal memory of PEX-a provides kink repairability with a simple shot of heat from a heat gun. This eliminates the need to add in a coupling if a kink ever occurs in the pipe. (It is important to note that kink repairability is not possible with PEX-b or PEX-c pipe.)

The shape memory of PEX-a allows the pipe to expand and contract back down to its original shape. This makes it extremely resilient in freezing conditions and also provides for the fastest, easiest, most reliable PEX-a fitting system — F1960 expansions.

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Expansion fittings require one simple tool to expand the pipe and an expansion ring before inserting a fitting. As the pipe and expansion ring naturally shrink back to their original shape, it creates a strong, durable connection that holds tight and can never be dry-fit. (Note: It is not recommended to expand PEX-b or PEX-c pipe due to microcracking that can occur.)

The innovative expansion fitting method eliminates torches, glues, and solder from a job site for greater worker safety. Plus, the system is extremely easy for installers to learn, helping get new crews up to speed quickly.

Speaking of job-site safety, PEX is also much lighter in weight compared with metal systems. For example, a 300-foot coil of 1/2-inch PEX weighs about 18 pounds, whereas the same amount of copper pipe weighs around 85 pounds. The lighter weight of PEX makes it safer and easier for installers to move around a job site and also eliminates the need for heavy-lifting equipment.

PEX-a also has a long-term advantage over copper when it comes to performance longevity. It is a static system, meaning its internal surfaces — which are three times smoother than copper — will not pit, scale, or corrode. That means its performance will remain the same from day one through decades of use.

Finally, because it is not a traded commodity, PEX-a holds a relatively stable material cost. This makes bidding a project much more consistent and reliable.

Application Details and Installation Tips

PEX-a is regulated by the ASTM F876 standard, which denotes temperature and pressure ratings of 200°F at 80 psi (pounds per square inch), 180°F at 100 psi, and 73.4°F at 160 psi. These values are well within the range of operation for most hydronic systems, including chilled beams, fan coil units, baseboards, radiators, hydronic VAV (variable-air volume) reheat coils, and radiant manifolds.

Because PEX is oxygen-permeable, it is important to use a pipe with an oxygen barrier that limits oxygen diffusion to levels below DIN 4726. This will protect the metallic components in the mechanical piping system, such as valves, strainers, and pump volutes, from corrosion.

The pipe is manufactured in sizes from 5/16 inch up to 4 inches and features a copper tube size (CTS) outside diameter. This means all the off-the-shelf components used in a copper hydronic piping system — hangers, supports, and insulation — can be the same.

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For horizontal piping, the industry offers PEX-a Pipe Support — a galvanized-steel channel that is 9 feet in length and available in PEX pipe sizes from ½ inch to 3½ inches. This solution enables hanger spacing similar to copper pipe and helps control the natural expansion and contraction of the pipe as it heats and cools.

Because PEX-a expands at 1.1 inches per 100 feet per 10°F Delta T (which is 10 times that of copper), installing anchors every 65 feet and using PEX-a Pipe Supports allows PEX-a to function much like a copper system. In fact, different installation methods have a different effect on the overall net expansion rate.

With a strut-and-clamp system, using PEX-a Pipe Supports and anchoring with fixed points reduces the expansion rate of PEX-a to 0.08 inches per 100 feet per 10°F Delta T (a rate less than copper). And a loop-and-clevis system can reduce the rate to 0.12 inches per 100 feet per 10°F Delta T.

If you’d like to learn more about PEX-a piping systems, visit the Plastics Pipe Institute at plasticpipe.org or the Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association at ppfahome.org.

PEX-a pipe, Uponor, Uponor PEX, Aaron Stotko, plumbing, piping, hydronics, pipe joining, PVF, HVACAaron Stotko is the director of Segment Marketing at Uponor. He can be reached at aaron.stotko@uponor.com.

 

 

Apple Valley, Minn. — Uponor North America (Uponor) held a ceremonial “pipe-cutting event” to mark the opening of its $5.5 million, 25,000-square-foot expansion to the Hutchinson, Minn., facility. This new space will increase the company’s PEX-a pipe extrusion production capacity by more than 10 percent, while growing highly skilled jobs in Hutchinson in the coming Read more

Apple Valley, Minn. — Uponor North America (Uponor) held a ceremonial “pipe-cutting event” to mark the opening of its $5.5 million, 25,000-square-foot expansion to the Hutchinson, Minn., facility. This new space will increase the company’s PEX-a pipe extrusion production capacity by more than 10 percent, while growing highly skilled jobs in Hutchinson in the coming years.

Michael Rauterkus, president and CEO, Uponor Group, (center) joins business leaders as he cuts the ceremonial PEX-a pipe to mark the opening of the company’s $5.5 million, 25,000 sq. ft. expansion in Hutchinson, Minn.

The expansion project broke ground in July 2021 with PCL Construction as the general contractor, Tekton Engineers as the structural engineer, Focal Point Partners as the electrical subcontractor, and Legend Companies as the mechanical subcontractor. The renovated space will allow Uponor to move forward with a major investment in next-generation extrusion technology.

Michael Rauterkus, president and CEO, Uponor Group, took part in the event. This was his first trip to visit Uponor facilities across North America since joining the company in August 2021. He toured the Hutchinson production facility, met with team members, and helped cut the ceremonial pipe.

“Today was a special day for Uponor North America,” Rauterkus said during the event. “Seeing this investment become a reality and knowing what is possible from a manufacturing potential, I am certain Uponor will continue to make positive impacts on the Hutchinson area. I am eager to see what happens next with this team.”

“This expansion reinforces our commitment to Hutchinson and the team members who help us deliver for our customers. I want to thank our construction partners for their efforts in designing and building this space, as well as our global partners across Uponor who saw the potential in what our Hutchinson team could achieve with this major investment,” said Jon Sillerud, vice president, Operations, Uponor North America.

When millions of gallons of water are traveling through your piping system every month, it’s bound to put wear and tear on the system. The folks at Model Linen Service in Ogden, Utah, realized that huge volumes of water were doing a number on their copper; so in a new laundry facility building, they incorporated Read more

When millions of gallons of water are traveling through your piping system every month, it’s bound to put wear and tear on the system. The folks at Model Linen Service in Ogden, Utah, realized that huge volumes of water were doing a number on their copper; so in a new laundry facility building, they incorporated stainless pipe instead. 

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Then, in looking at options for connecting the 3” and 4” pipe, they discovered Viega’s ProPress Stainless fittings and thought it could be a better option than threading. 

“ProPress made the day!” said Ryan Thon, Chief Engineer at Model Linen. “I’ve been using copper over the years and just found that I wasn’t getting the life out of it. We get so much water volume through the pipes that it wears out the copper. So we decided to go with the Schedule 40 stainless.” 

 

Model Linen services about 700,000 pounds of linen a week. Their main business in the facility where the ProPress fittings are located is restaurant service items like bar towels and floor mats. Running at capacity, Model Linen needed to expand, so they built a 19,000-square-foot facility bordering the original main plant. 

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When Thon and his crew started on the building in April 2018, circumstances beyond his control meant they had to start threading instead. He said the first quarter of the building was threaded. 

 

“There’s so much time and effort involved with threading Schedule 40 pipe,” he said. “Then [when circumstances changed], I was able to get the press tool and jaws. And I’d say it probably took me the same amount of time to press the other three-quarters of the building with Viega as it did to thread the first quarter! 

“It’s a big facility and it took months of time—but pressing made it so much easier. I’d probably still be threading right now!” Thon said with a laugh. 

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In the building, there is a 4” water main that brings in the cold water. It’s softened and goes into an exchanger. Thon explained that old, dirty water coming from the washers is recycled and feeds through the exchanger to work as a heater. It raises the city water up to about 95 degrees without any heating elements. 

 

“It’s hot water. Why let it go straight into the sewer?” Thon said. “All we’re using is the radiator and pumps to pump it, but we re-water to get our tempered water.” 

From there, half of the tempered water goes into the washers and the other half goes through a heater to make hotter, 165-degree-water. 

Model Linen does a good job in saving as much water and energy as possible. In addition to using the reclaimed hot water to heat the incoming water supply, the washer’s final-rinse hot water is also reused. 

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“At that point with the last rinse, the soap is out and it’s clean, so that water drops into its own trench and recirculates to be used in the first part of the wash cycle with the detergent,” he explained. “It’s a pretty cool process instead of using more clean city water.” 

In total, nearly 100 Viega fittings were used in Model Linen’s new building, ranging in size from 1¼ ” adapters to 4” fittings in various configurations. 

Thon said he’s confident the ProPress Stainless fittings will hold up well to the demands of Model Linen’s system. He said there are not many chemicals that run through the pipes, just a mild softener. 

One of the concerns in piping a laundry facility are issues with water hammer, Thon said. 

“If the washer has a 3” valve open, that’s a lot of water going in quickly; and if it shuts off too quickly, then it shakes the whole system,” he said. “Luckily we have good equipment dialed in well so that they close slowly. There has been no movement with the pipes at all—I was impressed.” 

Thon was so pleased with Viega fittings that they’ll be appearing in Model Linen’s other building a few miles down the road, where all of their hotel linens are serviced. He said he purchased a “whole stack of 3” ProPress Stainless” and was getting ready to tear out all the old copper and put in stainless piping at that facility, too. 

“Pressing these fittings down saved the day,” he said simply. “I’ve been pretty impressed with the whole thing.”