Whats Next

New hydronic ball valves expand Viega’s product offerings for non-potable water applications.

BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Viega introduced its line of Viega ProPress® Hydronic Ball Valve press x hose thread for copper systems.

The hydronic ball valves are full port and designed for non-potable water applications. The ball valves are available in 1/2- and 3/4-inch press sizes and 3/4-inch hose sizes. The ball valve features NH threads and an EPDM sealing element.

The Viega ProPress copper system is available in more than 600 fitting configurations, in sizes ranging from 1/2 to 4 inches. The patented Smart Connect® feature, available only from Viega, provides installers with added confidence in their ability to ensure the integrity of connections.

“The hydronic ball valves are another example of Viega’s ability to consistently expand its product offerings to meet demands of new markets and applications,” said Kate Lee, product manager, metal systems at Viega. “We continue to develop more innovative products to meet customer needs in the copper fittings market.

Viega ProPress joins copper tubing in seconds without flame or heavy equipment. The system can be customized to suit nearly any residential, commercial, industrial or marine application from potable water to natural gas. It has been tested to the strictest standards in North America, gaining more approvals than any other press fitting system.

Viega ProPress fittings are available with EPDM, HNBR and FKM sealing elements.

ECM stands for Electronically  Commutated Motor, they’ve been around in the USA for close to 10 years but are really just starting to gain some serious traction. What are they? They are  pumps with permanent magnets that are electronically controlled  and usually variable speed, they  also convert the incoming AC current to DC.  Why is all that important? It uses  much less electrical energy and makes the pump speed completely variable.

Most existing small wet rotor circulator pumps are permanent split capacitor designs commonly called PSC motors and work just fine in most cases, with a couple of shortcomings, they use a fair amount of power,about 90 watts in most cases and are usually single speed or have three manually selected speeds that when selected converts the “3 speed” pump into a single speed  which may or most likely not be the right speed anyway.

Why switch to ECM pumps? What are the benefits to the contractor and the customer? Number one for both is the reduced electrical consumption with an ECM pump. Anywhere from 50-75 % reduction in power consumption. Pretty substantial savings on a percentage basis, but how much is that in dollars?  The run hours vary nationwide of course but are generally between 1800-3000 hours in the Continental USA.

Locally, in the New York area the number is 2000 hours and we pay about 23 cents Kwh or about $37 year to operate a PSC circulator. Half of that is an $18.50 savings per year, not a lot by itself but when considering the incremental cost to upgrade to an ECM, not a bad return on investment at all, about 45 times better than a money market account! It gets sweeter though, the 45 watts consumption of an ECM pump is at full speed and these are variable speed pumps.

How do they vary speeds? Some are Delta T pumps and vary speed based on supply and return temperatures to maintain a constant Delta T, usually 20 degrees in most systems. These pumps provide a benefit way beyond the electrical savings. How many systems run at the theoretical 20 degree Delta T?  Very, very few, usually due to over pumping, the circulator is just too big and the flow rate too high, which lowers Delta T and increases boiler cycling.  The reduction in boiler cycling will yield savings far beyond the electrical cost savings.

The other common style is Delta P pumps, these maintain a constant pressure by varying the speed. In response to increased or decreased resistance to flow. On a zone pump application, the Delta P pump will never change speeds, the system head never changes. However on a TRV or zone valve system resistance to flow will vary as valves open and shut and the pump will change speed to maintain a constant pressure. The variable nature of these pumps adds up to 25% to the electrical savings over a conventional PSC pump.

Should every new pump be an ECM pump? Probably most, but not all. It may not make economic sense in a zone pump system on rarely used zones, there aren’t enough run hours to justify the increased cost or in areas with very low cost electrical costs. The formula is,

(Run Hours) x (Watt Reduction) x (Cost per Watt) =  Annual Savings
Watts are Kw divided by 1000 !

What’s in it for the contractor to reduce consumers electrical consumption? Put yourself in the customers shoes, would you like to  do business with a contractor who is forward looking and concerned about the consumers best interest,striving to install and maintain the most modern, comfortable and efficient systems possible or a company that is happy with doing things the way they were always done with initial cost the only consideration?

Fuels costs vary widely but electrical costs are much more inelastic and are very slow to change making electrical bills stubbornly high while fossil fuel costs have come down from their highs quite a bit at least for now. Electrical costs will remain an issue of importance to consumers, why not be the guy who is offering the circulator equivalent of the LED bulb instead of the incandescent bulb guy?

Robert C. O’Brien is the owner of Technical Heating Co. LLC in Mt. Sinai, NY.

Flipping a home often means buying it, making some aesthetic or functional improvements, and selling it for a higher price. For Mike Spillane, owner of Spillane & Sons Building and Remodeling, it meant totally gutting a 1,500-sq.-ft. building and upgrading it with the latest in efficient design.

Mike Spillane, owner of Spillane & Sons Building and Remodeling, places the cover on the CB Combination (Combi) Boiler from Noritz, which is able to convert 95% of the fuel it consumes into useable heat, saving energy over time.

Spillane purchased the residence in Batavia, Ill., with the intention of doing a complete remodel. Built in 1930, the home had, until recently, been owned by an elderly woman, whose daughter had sold it to Spillane. “Our goal was to build a brand new home within four old walls,” he explains.

Combining Water and Space Heating

One crucial aspect of remodeling the home was deciding on what kind of space and water heating systems to install. The home had previously used a tank-style water heater and a forced-air furnace system. Spillane needed to decide whether to install like for like or try something new.

When it came to the water heating, his decision was simple. “My subcontractors and I have been installing exclusively tankless water heaters for the past 10 years due to their energy efficiency and space savings.” Unlike tank-style water heaters, tankless units operate only on-demand, quickly superheating water for as long as needed. This on-demand operation is far more energy-efficient than the constant cycling of tank-style heaters. “Condensing” tankless units add even greater efficiencies by preheating incoming cold water using a secondary heat exchanger that captures additional heat from the combustion gases before they escape up the flue.

Spillane’s water heating solution ultimately ended up being his space heating solution as well when Noritz donated its new CB Combination (Combi) Boiler to the project. The Combi delivers hot water to both domestic hot water (DHW) and hydronic heating applications and is able to convert 95 percent of the fuel it consumes into useable heat, meaning it has the potential to yield substantial energy savings over time.

J.R. Nasti of Nasti Plumbing Inc. stands beside the newly installed CB Combination (Combi) Boiler from Noritz at the Model Remodel home in Batavia, Ill.

The unit also contains a special flow control valve inside that ensures a consistent temperature for domestic hot water demand, regardless of incoming water temperature. As a result, the user can count on the water always hitting a comfortable setpoint temperature.

“As a general contractor, we had not previously specified a combination unit such as this. But, from prior experience, we trusted the Noritz brand and were optimistic that the product would perform well,” explains Spillane, who decided to install the Combi as part of a hybrid heating system, whereby coils are heated in an air handler to distribute warm air throughout the entire home. The unit also provides all the home’s domestic hot water.

A Great Fit

J.R. Nasti of Nasti Plumbing Inc. installed the Combi in the home with his son, Luke. “The technology behind tankless water heaters is truly impressive,” exclaims Nasti. “They take up a lot less space than a tank-style heater and have a longer lifespan.”

The unit’s space efficiency was especially beneficial for this home, with its particularly narrow basement, which had previously been occupied by the bulky furnace system and tank-style water heater. Nasti was able to install the unit in roughly four hours without any problems.

The installation “was very straightforward,” he says. “I had to learn only how to program it, which didn’t take very long.”

Spillane agrees, citing no problems with the operation: “We, of course, tested the hot water and space heating once everything was finished, and it performed flawlessly.”
In addition to the new domestic hot water and HVAC system, the completely remodeled home now has a new electrical system and has increased to roughly 1,850 square feet after a second bathroom was added. In total, it contains three bedrooms and two and one-half bathrooms.

The home has been sold to a husband and wife who were looking to downsize their living space after raising their children. “The couple who bought the home were especially drawn to its central location in downtown Batavia, the manageable size and the energy-efficient technology it contains, such as the combination boiler and LED lighting,” explains Spillane.

Although it is too soon to gather specifics at this stage, Spillane expects that the couple will enjoy significant energy savings, thanks to the home’s efficient design. “Once they start living in the home for a while, the new homeowners will notice the energy-saving promises of products like the Combi come to fruition,” he predicts. “We are more than confident in this home’s future performance.”

Lochinvar, LLC releases the NOBLE™ Fire Tube Combi Boiler for residential applications. With three models ranging from 110,000 to 199,999 Btu/hr., the Noble boiler offers easy installation and serviceability, true instantaneous response time and a user-friendly interface. In addition to 10:1 turndown and 95 percent Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE), the Noble Fire Tube Combi Boiler is designed, engineered and assembled in the USA.

The Noble boiler is equipped with Lochinvar’s SMART CONTROL™ and features an intuitive setup wizard to guide contractors through programming parameters quickly and easily. The backlit, user-friendly LCD display provides diagnostic information and system status in plain English, not codes.

The Noble boiler’s patented control technology, featuring pre-heat and domestic hot water response modes enable this combi to deliver hot water almost instantaneously during frequent use cycles, like washing dishes.

For space heating, the Noble boiler’s Air Handler Interlock provides comfort and energy savings. By switching from space heating to domestic hot water mode, it immediately stops non-heated air from circulating so homeowners stay comfortable.

Critical components such as the built-in circulator are easily accessible making service and maintenance for quick and easy for contractors.

“The Noble boiler was built with the contractor in mind. The SMART CONTROL makes it quick and easy to set up, and all components are easily located within the boiler,” said Dan Rettig, boiler product manager for Lochinvar. “We feel this fire tube combi boiler will be an easy choice for contractors with the end result creating very satisfied customers.”