Questions asked and answered on ASPE’s Open Forum.
October 6, 2022
Recently, the question was asked on ASPE’s Open Forum “Foundation drain pipe — plumbing responsible? Or only between civil and structural?” As originally posted, the designer did not have a Geotech report. But the structural consultant did show the piping around the top of the elevator footing and the perimeter footing for the foundation in their details.
Utilizing water management for construction and commissioning building
September 7, 2022
There has been a lot of discussion and new guidance documentation about Legionella in building water systems and the implementation of water management programs (WMP) for ongoing operations. This has led to discussions about plumbing engineering best practices to allow the building water distribution system (BWDS) to operate efficiently and safely when the building is occupied.
In creating Hunter’s Curve, the beauty of what Dr. Roy Hunter did was to take an incredibly complex problem in probability theory and make it simple — so simple, in fact, that all it required was basic arithmetic.
Regulations have been a big topic over the past several years. Politicians, trying to make a public name, have been pushing for the reduction of regulations. They like to claim that these regulations are an impediment to economic growth and entry into certain professions. While some of this may have merit, one needs to “not throw out the baby with the bath water.”
A discussion on the minimum burial depth or pipe cover required.
June 8, 2022
Let us get down in the dirt, or at least “backfill.” A recent discussion on ASPE Connect’s “Open Forum” was entitled “Minimum Pipe Cover when Calculating Invert Under Building Slab for PVC Sanitary.”
Failure to properly monitor and maintain a water system can have a direct impact on a company’s bottom line.
May 11, 2022
In my January 2022 column, I made a broad call for improved water intelligence to offer improved building occupant health. This is nothing new to the HVAC industry, with system monitoring and control extending far beyond the mechanical room and into the most remote areas of the building
Recently, I wrote about plumbing pipe thermal expansion and expansion fittings. Based upon feedback from some in the design community, there seems to be a feeling that more design professionals within the consulting industry need to have a better foundation to enhance their understanding of the topic.
Fresh water is an undeniably valuable and essential natural resource. But are plumbing engineers unintentionally putting building occupants are risk by implementing water conservation guidelines and equipment? What are the unseen consequences of water conservation?