We all know, young or old, what comes to mind when we see the word Thunderstruck: AC/DC. This serves two purposes here, one is that the band is awesome and two, it is a good segue into the next Electricity…
Are thermostatic mixing valves for plumbing or hydronic heating? Well it turns out they are for both. The same valve can be found in the domestic hot water supply system, as well as the control valve for a hydronic heating…
I believe a good chunk of the architectural, building and HVAC industry is unaware that a few years ago California’s Center for the Built Environment (CBE, UC Berkeley) got a big cheque to carry out extensive research on radiant cooling…
As cultivators and consumers await the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada late summer 2018, opportunities grow for HVAC contractors. In March 2018, there were 97 licensed medical cannabis facilities nationally, more than double the number in March 2017. As…
Accessible home design fuels an evolution of the kitchen for homeowners and of installation practices for plumbing contractors.
After learning about the latest computer technology during a school visit to the Ontario Science Centre in the 1980s my youngest son asked me if we were getting a fax machine. Hardly computer literate myself in those days, I told…
As noted in Part I and Part II of this series (see HPAC February and March 2018), control systems are often blamed when something is not operating as expected. More often than not, if control systems do not perform as…
Dynamic power is used to move air and refrigerant in HVAC/R equipment. One unavoidable result of this dynamic application of power is sound and vibration. In a water-source heat pump (WSHP), both the compressor and supply fan generate sound and…
Trucks are the best-selling segment in Canada, and that is a bonus for those who buy them for work. With so much demand, they are being updated far more frequently than they have in the past. That can increase…
OPTIMISM IS UP Economic outlook among exhibiting HVAC/R manufacturers is on the upswing, according to an annual survey conducted by AHR Expo and ASHRAE. Among survey respondents, 89 per cent forecasted excellent or good growth – up 15 per cent…
Blazed trails and broken barriers mark the journey into the trades industry for women. When Siân Smith presented the top nine most influential moments of her life and career, she was met eye-to-eye with 130 women – cellphones off, side…
Interior Design Show (IDS) Toronto celebrated its 20th year with a look to the future. The showcase theme Future Forward focused on elements of design that have contributed to an evolution of the architectural and design industry. In the plumbing…
In the fall of 1992, a self-employed colleague of mine rented a single family, two-story, detached house in Scarborough. He had been victimized by the severe recession wrought, in part, by the collapse of the Canadian housing market bubble in…
Over the last four years I have been reviewing submittals for proposed heating systems using pellet boilers. They come from heating professionals ranging from contractors to professional engineers. These submittals are required to participate in an incentive program that offers…
Equipment change out impacted by space, venting and timing issues. Friends of mine were recently faced with a decision when their combination boiler/DHW heater refused to provide either. Now this should not have come as a complete surprise as the…
In today’s modern world, maintaining the supply of safe, clean drinking water can be challenging with so many potential chemical contaminants. In addition, there are many different ways that potable water systems can be cross connected with other systems. Regulated…
Currently, the HVAC/R industry is undergoing a third paradigm shift in regulating refrigerants–this time the transition is specifically aimed at addressing climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. The earlier two transitions from CFCs to HCFCs, then from HCFCs to HFCs,…
Over the course of your career you have probably used a number of strategies to compete for projects. Maybe your choice de jour was to do battle using a lowest price model. Maybe you got tired of dealing with headaches…
How many times have you heard someone say “Who let the smoke out?” in a mechanical room. You see the infamous “black smoke” come out of a piece of electronics and everyone starts pointing fingers. We have all done it.…
As it was noted in Part I of this series (see HPAC February 2018), control systems are often blamed when something is not operating as expected. More often than not, if control systems do not perform as needed, something…
When most people think of Virtual Reality (VR), they often think of video games and big, geeky looking goggles covering most of the user’s face. That perception is about to change. The world of VR is exploding with new applications…
In 1982, a businessman named Melville Neuman had a bright idea. He thought he had figured out a way to split income with his wife using a family holding company (holdco). Neuman had his wife incorporate a company. She took…
The benefits of modulation are threefold; it reduces cycle losses, it reduces the wear on the components, and it can (but not necessarily as shown later in this article) result in higher thermal efficiencies. But aside from the benefits, what…
What characteristic do solar thermal collectors, hydronic heat pumps and thermal storage tanks supplied by biomass boilers have in common? Answer: They all perform best when coupled to distribution systems that operate at low supply water temperatures. But that is…
Controls are often blamed when hydronic systems are not operating properly. While that may sometimes be the case, always look at what else may be influencing performance. While control systems are not flawless, consider that they are developed in a…
In Lowering the bar–part I, we discussed how to size supplemental heat emitters that allow the supply water temperature to an existing distribution system to be reduced. The next step is to pipe those supplemental heat emitters into the existing…
James Memije and Aaron Bond often pose a simple question to new clients: “How did you find out about us?” Typically, the answer is Google. Memije and Bond are co-owners of Toronto-based AccuServ Heating and Air Conditioning. But other businesses…
I found this definition of a hybrid heat system, sometimes called a “dual-fuel system” in Wikipedia: “a hybrid heat system reacts to changing temperatures and automatically adjusts to the most efficient energy saving method available to heat or cool a…
The 2018 ASHRAE Winter Conference takes place January 20-24 at the Palmer House Chicago with the co-sponsored AHR Expo being held January 22-24 at McCormick Place. The AHR Expo seminar program features over 120 sessions, including over 70 free one-…
Historically, steam has been a powerful resource for space heating in homes and commercial buildings. Steam has proven extremely effective at providing controlled, consistent heat to distribute throughout a building without the need for pumps by simply using a durable…
