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
Plumbing
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
Niagara®, the leader in high-performance, water-saving toilets today announced the addition of two new lines of modern sinks that will complement its award-winning Liberty and Shadow toilet lines – part of the brand’s Pro product suites. Both collections are dedicated to the traditional wholesale channel and designed specifically with features and benefits for builders, remodelers and plumbing Read more
Niagara®, the leader in high-performance, water-saving toilets today announced the addition of two new lines of modern sinks that will complement its award-winning Liberty and Shadow toilet lines – part of the brand’s Pro product suites. Both collections are dedicated to the traditional wholesale channel and designed specifically with features and benefits for builders, remodelers and plumbing professionals.
The new sink lines provide designers and building pros with matching options for Niagara’s Liberty and Shadow lines, creating modern bathroom collections for residential, multifamily and hospitality properties. The two new lines of sinks feature eight different SKUs that include drop-in and pedestal options, round and oval shapes and varying heights and circumferences. All are made from white vitreous china that is easy to clean and matches perfectly with Niagara’s toilet lines.
“We continue to listen closely to building professionals, helping us create innovative products that not only make their jobs easier but that ultimately provide their customers with collections that deliver modern design, water-saving powerful performance and easy installation,” said Carl Wehmeyer, executive vice president at Niagara. “These new sinks are now part of cohesive sets that will make it seamless to design bathrooms which possess form and function.”
Niagara’s Liberty Collection installs quickly and the toilets have an extra-large footprint that uses a standard flapper that is familiar to plumbers. At a 1.28 GPF flush volume, the Liberty toilets can flush 800g of miso, carry a 15-year warranty, and are MaP and WaterSense certified.
Niagara’s Shadow Collection includes toilets with Stealth Technology® — the best solution for those wanting high design, performance and efficiency. Offered in 0.8 and 1.28 GPF, the sleek design of the sink and toilet will upgrade the appearance of any bathroom. The Shadow toilets flush 1,000g of miso, carry a 15-year warranty, and are MaP Premium and WaterSense certified.
The new Niagara sinks, like their matching toilets, boast a lifetime warranty on vitreous china and a dedicated team of customer service professionals for the wholesale plumbing channel who are available to answer questions.
Interested customers can find more information about Niagara’s new sinks that complement their Liberty and Shadow lines on Niagara’s Pro website. The new sinks are available now and sold exclusively through wholesalers across the United States.
Owning a plumbing business is great, but are you working at the efficiency that you want to be working at? If the answer is no, then you need to do whatever you can to improve this as soon as possible. If you’re not sure where to begin with this, then it’s a good thing that Read more
Owning a plumbing business is great, but are you working at the efficiency that you want to be working at? If the answer is no, then you need to do whatever you can to improve this as soon as possible. If you’re not sure where to begin with this, then it’s a good thing that you have come across this article as we’ve got some advice for you. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more about what these things are.
Make Use Of Available Software
First, you want to make sure that you are making use of all of the available software. Some of it you are going to have to pay and some of it is available for free, but it’s all going to be worth it. For example, things like a workforce manager are going to make your life so much easier as you can set schedules and tasks all in one place that everyone can see. Then you have other pieces of software such as accounting software so that all of your accounting information is available in one place etc.
It might not seem like a massive lifesaver now, but we promise you that investing in the correct software is going to make your business life so much easier, and take your efficiency to whole new levels.
Improve Communication In The Business
If you work for yourself, then this isn’t going to be a huge issue, but if you own a plumbing business then communication is key. You need to know where people are, what they are doing, and you need to keep track of everything. Everyone in the business needs to communicate effectively so that everything can be kept on the right track and updated if necessary. You can create group chats on certain platforms to allow everyone to talk to each other, ensuring that everyone is kept in the loop, and can amend anything as needed.
Continue To Send Employees On Training Courses
Finally, if you are wanting to improve the efficiency within your company then you will need to ensure all employees are trained to the highest quality. Without this, you will just be the same as any other company that is similar to yours. To stand out, you must sign your staff up for CPD courses. This not only provides them with the necessary skills to be a part of your business but gives them reassurance you care about their career. If you are wanting to save money while training your staff then look into buying courses in bulk. Training all your employees at once means you won’t have to keep booking staff off for training days.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do to improve your efficiency and bring your plumbing business more success. It’s a lot easier than you probably think it is, it’s just going to require you to dedicate yourself a little more in certain areas. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that this yields positive results for you soon.
Peak Season Plumbing Problem During winter, not having hot water can be an aggravating experience for any homeowner. But if a hotel owner must deal with hot water interruption during the holiday season, the issue becomes much more disruptive and severe. A hotel in the Philadelphia area with 88 rooms faced this problem just before Read more
Peak Season Plumbing Problem
During winter, not having hot water can be an aggravating experience for any homeowner. But if a hotel owner must deal with hot water interruption during the holiday season, the issue becomes much more disruptive and severe.
A hotel in the Philadelphia area with 88 rooms faced this problem just before Christmas when its water heating system failed. Normally, plumbing contractors are used to emergency service requests, but with a snowstorm on the way, an increased number of guests and the holidays arriving, this situation required particularly quick action.
The team at Affordable Fixes Heating Cooling Plumbing completed the task by installing two HTP Phoenix tanks, with each holding a capacity of 119 gallons and 199K BTU respectively. Tackling this task required the team to remove four faulty water heaters that were leaking and generating carbon monoxide in the building.
“There are always challenges but replacing four and putting in two meant we had to put in a new exhaust, re-pipe the system, and re-do the electric units,’’ said Val Savkin, owner of Affordable Fixes Heating Cooling Plumbing. “It was supposed to be a one-day job. It took three, which was very efficient given the scope of the project.”
Due to prior communication with the building owner, Savkin knew the condition of the system. When he received a call shortly preceding he holiday season, he knew his help would be needed.
“This was an emergency project,’’ Savkin said. “The water heaters that had been in place had deteriorated. They couldn’t be repaired any longer. It was just wear and tear, they were outdated. Just two days before Christmas we were out there in the snow getting the project finalized.”
Photos by Affordable Fixes Heating Cooling Plumbing
Before Savkin chose the HTP Phoenix units, he explored other possibilities. “These HTP units were new to us, but we wanted a high efficiency, fast recovery water heater. If we had used another system, we would have to put in at least 3 units,’’ Savkin said. “We saved the customer about $12,000 by selecting this system.”
To complete the in-depth project, Savkin deployed a team of four plumbers and a debris scrapper. The initial phase involved the deconstruction and removal of the current units.
The second step proved to be just as demanding as the first step. Electrical wiring, new exhaust and gas lines were all components required for the second phase, due to the new system requiring fewer heating units.
John Monaghan, a HTP National Training Manager assisted the project by evaluating the building’s heat requirements and proposed installing two Phoenix 119-gallon tanks. “That not only saved the building owner a lot of money, but it also allowed us make the installation a little bit quicker,” Monaghan said.
Placing the tanks in the hotel’s basement was no easy task throughout the setup process. “It was a very tight fit. We were fortunate to have an elevator handy,’’ Savkin said. “We had to disassemble the new units, put them in a box, put them in the elevator and then re-assemble them. If there had not been an elevator, we would’ve gone old school and roped them down.”
Workers from Affordable Fixes Heating Cooling Plumbing removed four water heaters and installed two HTP Phoenix 119 gallon tanks. Efficiency, durability and fast recovery factored into the decision to install the HTP products.
The selection of the HTP Phoenix water heaters was influenced by several reasons. The water heaters feature energy efficiency, durability and fast recovery that provides thermal comfort for hotel guests in a cost-effective way for the hotel owner.
“We didn’t know much about them, but we recently had training with them and I really liked their efficiency,’’ said Savkin, who has been in business in the Philadelphia area for more than three decades. “They were a great fit with a nice integrated control and easy to replace.”
Boasting a thermal efficiency rating of 96, the HTP Phoenix effectively uses 96 cents of every dollar towards heating purposes. On the other hand, a standard efficiency unit has a maximum capacity of a 60 percent efficiency rating, making the HTP Phoenix a significant upgrade. Operating at a 5:1 turndown ratio, the HTP Phoenix’s modulating burner delivers productive system efficiency even when the load is low.
To prevent corrosion, the HTP Phoenix comes with a 316L stainless steel tank. Furthermore, the unit includes a 7-year warranty for residential use and a 3-5-year warranty for commercial purposes.
“Most times you’ll get 8-12 years out of units, but like anything else it depends how much you take care of it,’’ Savkin said. “I could see these lasting 12-20 years. It’s all about the maintenance of the equipment, but it’s important to look at the water quality, too. The hardness and chemicals of the water has a lot to do with the longevity of the system.”
Receiving emergency service requests is typical for many plumbers, including Savkin. Having no access to heat or cold water will irritate any hospitality owner or homeowner, particularly during peak season.
“When we first looked at this project, we gave the owner a price and he didn’t get back to us right away,’’ Savkin said. “Then he called back and said he needed to have it done immediately. It’s an occupied hotel, and we are right around the corner. With the snow, the holidays and people traveling, this could have been a bad situation for him. We were glad to help him out and fix it quickly.”
Brian Giardina writes on a wide range of trade industry topics for publications throughout the United States.
Falls Church, Va. — This year, the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) Educational Foundation scholarship program plans to award 56 scholarships totaling over $140,000. Awards are available to plumbing and HVACR apprentices working for PHCC—National Association members, trade school or community college students taking plumbing or HVAC classes and college students pursuing majors directly related to the Read more
Falls Church, Va. — This year, the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) Educational Foundation scholarship program plans to award 56 scholarships totaling over $140,000. Awards are available to plumbing and HVACR apprentices working for PHCC—National Association members, trade school or community college students taking plumbing or HVAC classes and college students pursuing majors directly related to the plumbing-heating-cooling industry.
The Foundation’s scholarship program has been rapidly growing and to better handle that increased demand, a new online application system has been built. The new system will make applying easier for apprentices and students and streamline the evaluation process. The adaptive application form will present only the necessary questions based on the answers provided by the applicant, meaning fewer questions to answer. The platform also will make it easier for applicants to collect letters of recommendation from their supervisors and PHCC business owners.
All applicants are required to answer a few questions about their interest in the trades and career plans, plus provide a letter of recommendation. Apprentices can get that recommendation from their contractor employer, while trade school or college students can have an instructor or guidance counselor write their recommendation. Awards range from $1,500 to $10,000; with the most awards set at $3,000 each. The deadline for all submission materials is May 1st and the application can be found at https://phccfoundation.org/scholarships.
“The new platform will make it easier for individuals to access these awards and get their start in the plumbing-heating-cooling industry,” said John Zink, Foundation VP of Development and Communications. “Whether the apprentice pays for their own training or their employer does, we still want those apprentices to apply. Union apprentices are welcome to apply as well.” Apprentice applicants must be working for a contractor member of the PHCC—National Association.
The scholarships are funded by contractor donations to the PHCC Educational Foundation and by these corporate sponsors: A. O. Smith, Bradford White Corporation, Delta Faucet Company, InSinkErator, RIDGID, Scorpion Home Services Marketing, State Water Heaters, SupplyHouse.com and Viega.