December 2008 - Plumbing & HVAC

These new mixing stations are 

available in eight configurations. 

Recently upgraded, page 17 

Volume 18 Number 8 November/December 2008 

Green 

Classroom 

New facility 

will train 

contractors, 

builders 

A new residential wireless control 

system is making waves. 

Just launched, page 19 

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Annual 

Builders 

Issue 

INSIDE 

• Skills shortage dominates MCAC discussions 

• Calgary show draws international audience 

• Ontario journeyman ratios cramp industry 

• HVAC wholesaler marks 80 years 

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Builders 

Issue 

In This Issue 

Departments 

Hot Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

Industry News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 

People & Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 

Coming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 

Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 

Literature Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 

Shop Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 

Products & Technologies 

Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Refrigeration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 

Faucets & Fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 

Tools & Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 

Pipes, Valves & Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 

E-Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 

MCAC conference roundup 7 

Skilled trade shortage still a key 

concern 

Green classroom 12 

Demonstration homes will train 

contractors, builders 

Hybrid savings 14 

Gas/electric HVAC systems save 

energy dollars 

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Cover photo: Canadian Infloor Heating’s Peter Kinsey 

Automotive 

explains the heating system in the Archetype 

Sustainable home to Sabrina Dodaro. Please see our 

Industry 

article on page 12. (Photo by Simon Blake) 


www.plumbingandhvac.ca November/December 2008 – Plumbing & HVAC Product News 3

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Hot Seat 

November/December 2008 

Volume 18, Number 8 

ISSN 1499-5271 

Interesting times 

When the talk shifts to how this 

industry is going to cope next 

year in these turbulent times, 

the statement that I keep hearing is: “It’s 

going to be interesting.” 

Interesting indeed! The construction 

industry has enjoyed a good solid run 

for almost 10 years. Even on the service 

and replacement side, the quantum leap 

in technology over the past ten years has 

resulted in a considerable amount of 

work beyond the usual “fix it because 

it’s broken” projects. In plumbing, renovation 

has overtaken new construction 

in dollar value. 

Everybody wondered how long the 

busy times would last. They watched the 

meltdown in the U.S. housing market 

and wondered if that would have some 

residual effect on the Canadian market. 

It has certainly affected the industry’s 

suppliers. And it seems that every day 

we hear that this plant or that one is 

closing. We know that people don’t 

invest in new housing or major renovation 

projects when they are worried 

about their jobs. Even those with secure 

jobs are a little nervous about spending 

when subjected to a daily dose of gloom 

in the media. 

And then there’s the Canadian dollar. 

As recently as Sept. 26 it was worth 97 

cents against the U.S. dollar. Just a 

month later – Oct. 27 – it was trading at 

77 cents. This is a serious problem in an 

industry where the majority of 

products come from U.S. suppliers. I 

was speaking with wholesalers recently 

who explained the difficulty of locking 

in a price for 30 or 60 days in a competitive 

bidding situation when the suppliers 

are adjusting the price daily to 

account for dollar fluctuations. 

One has to either build a buffer into 

every bid to account for the changing 

dollar or insert a clause that allows a 

price adjustment once the equipment is 

delivered. Unfortunately, in competitive 

bidding the job can easily go to the 

biggest gambler, who ignores the dollar 

fluctuation then tries to cut corners to 

make money. 

However, in this industry, we aren’t 

feeling the pinch as seriously as some 

other industries. The majority of the 

contractors that I have spoken to lately 

report that business has been steady. 

People still need heating, plumbing and 

refrigeration. 

So what about 2009? I’m going to go 

out on a limb here and say that it’s 

probably going to be a solid year in 

much of the country. 

The Canadian Mortgage and 

Housing Corporation is predicting 

178,000 new home starts. That’s down 

Heat Transfer Coils & 

Corrosion Protection Coatings 

from the record 200,000-plus of recent 

years, but still pretty respectable. 

Non-residential construction has 

been relatively flat for the past couple 

of years, but there has been quite a bit 

of it. Governments at all levels are 

talking about fast-tracking infrastructure 

projects to boost the economy 

during these tough times. That will 

help considerably. 

And the dollar seems to be stabilizing 

in the 80-85-cent range. That should 

bring sanity back to pricing. 

In 2009 contractors won’t be running 

around like the proverbial chicken with 

its head cut off as they so often have in 

recent years but, with any luck, it won’t 

be as “interesting” a year as some would 

have us believe! 

And with that, I would like to wish 

all of our readers, advertisers and contributors 

a joyful Christmas with 

family and friends and all the best in 

the New Year! 

Editor 

Simon Blake 

(416) 614-5820 

sblake@newcom.ca 

Contributors 

Ron Coleman 

Roy Collver 

Barry Cunningham 

Ed Gravelle 

Arthur Irwin 

Bruce Nagy 

Design and Production 

Tim Norton 

production@nytek.ca 

Publisher 

Mark Vreugdenhil 

(416) 614-5819 

mark@plumbingandhvac.ca 

Account Manager 

Jordan Chong 

(416) 614-5832 

jordan@plumbingandhvac.ca 

Production Manager 

Lilianna Kantor 

(416) 614-5815 

lkantor@newcom.ca 

Circulation Manager 

Pat Glionna 

Corporate Services 

Anthony Evangelista 

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Industry News 

In Brief 

Equipment sizing initiative 

The Heating, Refrigeration and 

Air Conditioning Institute of 

Canada (HRAI) has submitted a 

proposal to CSA to update the 

CSA F280 standard for sizing 

residential heating and cooling 

equipment. The move follows 

reports from members that following 

the current version results in 

oversized equipment because it 

doesn’t account for new tighter 

homes. 

Air quality study 

The National Research Council’s 

Institute for Research in Con - 

struc tion, along with federal and 

Quebec health officials, have 

launch ed a major study of indoor 

air quality in homes. It includes a 

field study involving the homes of 

about 100 families with asthmatic 

children in the Quebec City 

area over the next two years. To 

support the study, a new indoor 

air research facility has been constructed 

on NRC’s Ottawa campus. 

There, modifications for homes 

will be designed and tested to 

measure the impact of different 

strategies, including variable air 

tightness, flexible room size, 

various HVAC systems and heat 

recovery ventilators, reports HRAI. 

Refrigerant management 

meeting 

Refrigeration Management Canada 

(RMC) held its annual meeting in 

Mississauga, Ont. on Oct. 20. 

Chairman Dennnis Larson, 

Refrigerative Supply, Burnaby, 

B.C. reported that the program 

has collected over 1.4 million 

kilograms and destroyed over 

1.2 million kilograms of ozone 

depleting refrigerant waste since 

the program began in 2001. 

N.S. furnace rebate 

The Canadian Oilheat Association 

(COHA) will administer the new 

Nova Scotia Energy Efficiency 

Furnace Initiative (EFFI). 

Announc ed Sept. 10, the program 

will run until Sept. 11, 2009. 

Unlike the previous “Retire Your 

Furnace” program, the new 

program does not require an 

energy audit. 

RSES conference 

The Refrigeration Service 

Engineers Society of Canada 

(RSES) has announced dates for 

its 2009 conference. The event 

will take place at the Empire 

Landmark Hotel and Conference 

Centre in downtown Vancouver 

April 22-25. For more information, 

visit www.rsescanada.com. 

Over 600 attend joint 

MCAC/WPC conference 

Skilled worker shortage still a concern 

By Simon Blake 

The ongoing shortage of skilled 

workers in this industry is nothing 

new. But it was still very much on 

the minds of delegates at the 67th 

Annual Conference of the Mechanical 

Contractors Association of Canada, 

held at the Hyatt Regency Calgary Hotel 

Sept. 24-27. 

Over 600 delegates from Canada, the 

U.S. and around the world attended the 

event, held in conjunction with the 

World Plumbing Conference and the 

CIPHEX West trade show. 

“We’re still challenged with the idea 

of bringing in bodies versus skilled 

workers,” remarked George Gritziotis, 

executive director of the Ottawa-based 

Construction Sector Council. Workers 

with lower skill levels are driving up the 

cost of projects. The cost of constructing 

the Vancouver Winter Olympics 

facilities has increased from $500 million 

to $800 million and “a lot of that is 

due to wage cost escalation,” he said. 

Gritziotis noted that awareness of 

construction careers has increased 

among young people, “but it is not just 

about getting brochures out there… 

The worst thing you can do is to 

encourage a kid to get into a trade 

where there is no work.” In fact “lack of 

work” is the most common reason given 

for abandoning apprenticeships. 

Labour mobility continues to be a 

challenge, thanks to trade qualification 

rules that differ from province to 

province. Gritziotis noted that the construction 

management side is getting 

stretched pretty thin too, certainly 

nothing new to those in the room. 

Chairman James Derksen, centre, enjoyed a few laughs with rodeo cowboys – 

until he found out the mock hanging was his own! 

Law chills recruiting 

In a lively discussion that followed the 

presentation, Del Pawliuk (R.F. 

Mechanical Contractors, Sault Ste. 

Marie, Ont.) noted that one of the 

toughest barriers in recruiting construction 

managers is Bill C-45, the new 

law that can see managers face serious 

criminal charges in the event of a construction 

site accident. 

“We are going to have an extremely 

difficult time getting construction management. 

Young people don’t want to 

take on the responsibilities,” he 

remarked “You have a better chance of 

going to jail (in the event of a fatal accident) 

than if you take out a gun and 

shoot somebody.” 

MCAC makes gains 

The past year has seen a number of 

achievements for MCA Canada. One of 

the most significant, remarked chairman 

James Derksen (Derksen 

Plumbing & Heating, Winnipeg) in his 

report at the annual general meeting, 

was the successful completion of fund 

raising to sponsor the development of a 

national CSA standard for building 

commissioning. 

Derksen expects the standard to be 

completed within 12 to 18 months. 

From there, an electronic version with 

application tools will be developed, 

along with a comprehensive education 

and certification program. 

The Canadian Mechanical Con - 

Aeroflo has the answers! 

Questioning your 

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tracting Education Foundation continues 

to develop new programs. A supervisory 

training program will be 

launched this year, reported CMCEF 

chairman Terry Billings. 

MCAC was the lead organization in 

creating the National Trade Contractors 

Coalition of Canada, which is currently 

comprised of seven national associations 

representing different trades. The 

Mechanical Service Contractors of 

Canada also held a full-day program 

during the MCAC conference with 

attendance double that of last year’s 

inaugural event. 

MCAC signed a formal agreement 

with the Canadian Institute of Plumbing 

& Heating to work together on mutual 

issues, something that has been occurring 

on an informal basis for years. 

The Canadian National Plumbing 

Inspectors Association held its inaugural 

meeting during the conference. 

Please see ‘MCAC’ on page 11 

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Industry News 

Calgary show draws 

international crowd 

Over 2,100 industry personnel 

attended the CIPHEX West trade 

show in Calgary Sept. 25-26. 

Delegates came from across the West and 

around the world, thanks to the World 

Plumbing Conference (WPC) and the 

Mechanical Contractor’s Association of 

Canada annual conference that occurred 

in conjunction with the event. 

In fact, one of the most interesting 

aspects for exhibitors was that they 

would find themselves chatting with 

contractors from Scotland, Australia, 

the U.S. and many other locations as 

well as those from Canada. There were 

about 300 WPC visitors that attended 

the special breakfast seminar at 

CIPHEX West. 

However, some of the 200 exhibitors 

told P&HVAC that the numbers seemed 

to be down from the last event. While 

that is true, noted show manager Norm 

Schulz, it is only because the 2006 

CIPHEX West show was held in conjunction 

with the Construct Calgary 

show which brought in additional people. 

The actual 2008 CIPHEX West 

attendance was almost identical to the 

2006 event. The 2010 edition of 

CIPHEX West will again co-locate with 

Construct Calgary. 

Twenty-eight manufacturers competed 

with their latest technologies in 

the Gallery of New Products. Winners 

of Most Innovative Product Showcase 

awards were: 

Industrial – Northwestern Ohio 

Foam Products for their Barrier X5 

insulation. 

Commercial Plumbing – Dobbin 

Sales Ltd. for the Sloan Ecos dual flush 

electronic flushometer. 

Residential Plumbing – Sol-R-Link 

with the BRAC system for recycling 

drain water. 

Hydronic Heating – Uponor’s 

Climate Control Multi-function 

Controller. 

Software & Electronic Equipment – 

Allpriser for its new computerized 

Epriser. 

Dennis Lefaebre of Denrite 

Mechanical Ltd. in Edmonton won a 

$4,000 “business makeover.” Over 

$1,200 was raised for Habitat for 

Humanity through the CIPH Calgary 

Region Putting Contest. 

The Canadian Institute for Plumbing 

and Heating (CIPH) produces CIPHEX 

West every two years. CIPH plans 

smaller RoadShow table-top trade 

shows for Edmonton, Vancouver, 

Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon next 

November. For more information, visit 

www.ciph.com. 

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Housing starts 

will drop – CMHC 

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New home construction will moderate 

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“Housing starts will moderate to 

212,200 units in 2008 and 177,975 units 

in 2009.” 




Letters 

Ont. apprenticeship ratios pushing young people away 

Dear editor, 

In response to your October editorial, 

“Poor prospects,” it is great to see this 

issue hitting the headlines. 

I would like to further highlight the 

lack of opportunity for would-be 

apprentices. Any worker brought into 

the workforce must be signed up as an 

apprentice after 90 days. 

If an on-site safety inspection occurs 

by the Ministry of Labour and the 

would-be apprentice is flagged as not 

being signed up, the only choice the 

employer has is to terminate their 

employment. This is the reality. There 

are currently zero opportunities for the 

young to get into this workforce! If there 

were, I could hire a number of employees 

today out of the approximately one 

hundred applications on my desk. 

Furthermore, as the average age rises 

in our shop, the physical portion of this 

job becomes harder and more strenuous 

on these individuals. I see more 

trips to the chiropractor, and general 

disappointment (among employees) 

with the lack of physical help on the job. 

As an employer, I’m not going to ask a 

50-year-old, 30-year experienced plu m - 

ber on my staff to dig out the 80’ sewer 

to the house he/she is working on. I’m 

going to send the 20-year-old apprentice. 

However, I can’t do that right now 

because the Ministry of Labour and the 

Ministry of Training won’t let our company 

hire any 20-year-olds! 

Paul Zubot 

Brouwer Plumbing & Heating Ltd. 

London, Ont. 

Administrative roadblocks 

Dear editor, 

I read the most recent issue of your 

publication last evening and I was very 

pleased that you have decided to shine 

some light on the subject of apprenticeship 

ratios. 

There is an incredible disconnect 

between the pronouncements of government 

policy makers about implementing 

programs to encourage young 

people to enter into apprenticeships 

and an administrative structure that is 

designed to prevent this from happening. 

This has stifled growth in our 

industry and forced contractors to work 

outside the system to bring people on. 

It’s extremely difficult to attract the 

kind of quality people we need when we 

can’t offer them apprenticeships. 

I applaud you and your team for having 

the courage to bring this matter out 

into the open. 

Roger Grochmal, MBA., P.Eng., 

President & CBO 

AtlasCare, Mississauga, Ont. 

Newcomers needed 

Dear editor, 

As I begin my day by cracking the cover 

on the October issue, I feel compelled to 

respond to your Hot Seat topic. I couldn’t 

agree with you more on the apprentice 

ratio that seems so archaic. This 

Stop Pipes from Banging. Permanently. 

industry so desperately needs newcomers 

and the mentor relationship that a 

one-on-one situation builds would far 

exceed the value of the grunt work one 

would see in a three-chief scenario. 

We as an industry wonder where 

tomorrow’s trades are going to come 

from, and here is what seems to me a 

pretty substantial speed bump. Ontario 

needs to recognize these hurdles and 

put in place a plan that would make 

entry into this trade easy for newcomers. 

Thanks for the insight. 

Sean Giberson 

Sales manager, Residential products 

Taco (Canada) Ltd. 

Mississauga, Ont. 

TURN TO QUALITY. TURN TO DAHL. TM 

MCAC Conference 

Continued from page 7 

Built-in piston ensures 

permanent air cushioning 

New executive elected 

MCAC members elected a new executive. 

Bob Hoare (Adelt Mechanical, 

Mississauga, Ont.) becomes chairman. 

Brad Diggens (MJS Mechanical, 

Dahl Supply Stops with Integral 

Calgary) is chairman-elect and vice 

Water Hammer Arrester. Pressure 

chairman – Western. Del Pawliuk is vice 

chairman – Central. Gaëtan Beaulieu 

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Eighteen provincial and zone directors 

were also elected. 

As usual, the MCAC annual conference 

wasn’t all business. One highlight 

was a special rodeo for MCAC and 

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Progressive Builders 

Green homes to provide operating 

classroom for builders, trades 


Deciding what technologies 

to use and from which 

manufacturers wasn’t 

an easy process. 

It’s a common complaint in the 

plumbing and HVAC industry that 

residential home builders are slow to 

adopt new technologies. But builders 

tend to be leery about offering anything 

that may be considered unproven or 

experimental. 

A new training and demonstration 

facility north of Toronto should go a 

long way in alleviating those concerns. 

The Archetype Sustainable Home is 

actually two semi-detached homes – 

one equipped with state-of-the-art 

plumbing and HVAC equipment currently 

available for mass construction 

homes; the second with equipment that 

is expected to become more common in 

the future. 

A joint project of the Building 

Industry and Land Development 

Association (BILD) and the Toronto 

and Region Conservation Authority 

A WaterFurnace heat pump provides 

heating and cooling in House B. 

(TRCA), the home is designed to educate 

both the public and trades on the 

latest green building technologies. It is 

located at the Kortright Centre – an 

865-acre (350 hectares) conservation 

area just north of Toronto. 

“Our role is industry training; 

Kortright’s role is public training,” 

remarked Stephen Dupuis, BILD CEO. 

All equipment will be accessible, with 

cutaways in the walls to display aspects 

that would usually be hidden. 

The technology 

Deciding what technologies to use and 

from which manufacturers wasn’t an 

easy process. “I stayed as far away from 

that as I could,” laughed Dupuis. 

BILD project manager Larry Brydon, 

a senior account manager at Reliance 

Home Comfort, Oshawa, Ont., led a 

team made up of contractors along with 

staff and students from Ryerson 

University, Faculty of Engineering and 

Applied Sciences, in an exhaustive study 

of 17 different HVAC systems. 

Ryerson’s Dr. Alan Fung and his team 

rated systems based on total energy 

consumption, annual greenhouse gas 

emissions, annual energy cost, capital 

cost, life cycle cost and EnerGuide 

house rating. 

The study covered 

everything from high efficiency 

boilers and furnaces 

to more exotic technologies 

like geothermal, solar, 

co-generation and fuel 

cells. 

“We wanted to add a lot 

of technology,” reported 

Alex Waters, Kortright 

Centre manager and 

TRCA’s project manager 

on this build. And the 

technology includes every aspect of the 

each home. The heavily insulated 2x6 

walls, for example, are rated at R-32 

with the ceilings at R-40. 

The basements are made of insulated 

Durisol blocks (similar to insulated concrete 

form (ICF) walls, but made of recycled 

materials). Two-inch XTPS insulation 

board provides under-slab insulation 

and foundation wall insulation. 

Demonstration homes 

Each home demonstrates both an electrical 

and gas heating/cooling alternative. 

House A, at 1,900 sq. ft., features a 

forced air system using a boiler and fan 

coil with hydronic radiant floor heating 

in the basement. 

A Viessmann Vitodens 100 condensing 

gas boiler supplemented by a VitoSol 

flat plate solar collector provides the gas 

heating option. It operates through two 

Uponor Pro Panels – a pre-fabricated 

manifold, pump, etc. system. The first 

provides hot water for the air handler; 

the second does the same for the radiant 

In House B, an Ecologix air handler 

provides floor-by-floor cooling. 

Peter Kinsey explains the heating system in House A to TRCA’s Sabrina Dodaro. 

floor system. All pumps are Wilo Eco- 

Stratus models with ECM motors. 

A Judo Heifi-Top combination sediment 

filter and air eliminator protects 

the system. 

A 200-litre Viessmann indirect tank 

provides DHW. It is equipped with two 

coils – one for the roof-mounted solar 

collector and the second for the boiler. 

A home this size would typically have 

two or three solar panels, but in this 

case the intention is to demonstrate the 

technology and compare it to the evacuated 

tube technology on Home B, 

reported Brydon. 

National design competition 

The electric option is provided by a 

high efficiency two-stage Hallowell 

Acadia air source heat pump from 

MITS Air Conditioning Inc., Mis sis - 

sauga, Ont. This air-to-air heat pump 

can deliver about 35,000 Btu/h of heating 

at -30°C and 36,000 Btu/h of cooling 

at 35°C (95°F). 

Both the boiler and heat pump heat 

the home through the same air handler. 

It is equipped with a variable 

speed ECM motor, a four-pass hydronic 

coil for heating and a three-ton 

evaporator coil for heat pump heating 

and air conditioning. 

The Archetype Sustainable House began with a national design competition 

conducted by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and the 

Design Exchange, “Canada’s design museum,” in downtown Toronto 

(www.dx.org). Architects, engineers and designers across Canada were 

challenged to design the ultimate environmentally friendly home that could 

serve as a model for housing development in the Greater Toronto Area and 

beyond. 

The competition drew 17 qualified designs, and on June 21, 2006, the 

winning entry was drawn. Dubbed “Building Blocks,” it was selected by a 

‘blue ribbon’ panel of judges. Building Blocks was a collaborative effort of 

three design firms: Anne Stevens (Fort Architect Inc.), Clelia Lori (Lori 

Architects) and Terrell Wong (Stone’s Throw Design). Al Davies of Ecologix, 

Cambridge, Ont., was the mechanical engineer for the design competition 

while Randy Van Straaten of Ener model Engineering Ltd., Kitchener, Ont. 

was engineer for the build. 

12 Plumbing & HVAC Product News – November/December 2008 www.plumbingandhvac.ca

A VanEE 3000 HE Gold Series HRV 

provides mechanical ventilation. 

Control is by an Uponor Climate 

Control multi-function programmable 

controller (reviewed in the May/June 

issue of P&HVAC). “It’s like having 20 

controllers,” reported Peter Kinsey of 

Canadian Infloor Heating, which did 

the hydronic installation, and formerly 

of The Morgan Group, Markham, Ont., 

which worked with a number of manufacturers 

to donate equipment. 

However, the control system may 

change, noted Brydon. “There is some 

discussion as to whether this is going to 

be controlled by a home automation 

and energy management system.” 

Coming soon 

House B is slightly larger at 2,300 sq. ft., 

but it has a garage with a “granny flat” 

above. The primary source of heating 

and cooling is a three-ton WaterFurnace 

geothermal heat pump, which does 

heating, cooling and DHW. It was 

donated by Eden Energy Equipment 

Ltd., Guelph, Ont. and installed by 

Erwood Air Inc., Pefferlaw, Ont., with 

Geothermal Solutions, Mansfield, Ont., 

providing the ground loop. The home 

has zoned hydronic radiant floor heating 

on three floors. 

A multi-zone Ecologix air handler 

provides floor-by-floor cooling. 

“It all runs off a buffer tank, so we can 

actually experiment with in-slab cooling 

because we have an ERV, but that will 

probably get all wonky with operable 

windows allowing humidity in,” re mark - 

ed Brydon. “In-slab cooling requires 

strict control of humidity to prevent 

condensation on flooring finishes.” 

A Viessmann evacuated tube solar 

collector supplements the DHW. 

A Nu-Air vertical combined HRV 

and fancoil provides heating and cooling 

for the granny flat with integral heat 

recovery ventilation. 

There are three Uponor ProPanels in 

House B – one for the fancoil, one for 

the radiant floors and one for garage 

heating and, again, with an Uponor 

programmable control. 

The second heating system is considerably 

more radical. Donated by NRCan 

for evaluation, a WhisperGen microcogeneration 

plant by Whisper Tech is 

powered by a natural gas-fueled Stirling 

engine. It generates about 35,000 Btu/h 

of heat and one Kw/h of electricity. 

Photo-voltaic panels on the roof add 

another four Kw/h, with a wind turbine 

adding another three Kw/h. 

(A Stirling engine is similar in design 

to an internal combustion engine, but 

no combustion actually takes place 

inside the engine. Rather, it operates on 

temperature differences caused, typically, 

by an external fuel source such as 

natural gas. Because there is no combustion, 

it is virtually silent.) 

The cogeneration unit can provide 

supplementary heating to take advantage 

of time-of-use electricity rates. 

In addition to their high-tech systems, 

both homes have wood stoves. (This is 

country living, after all!) House A has a 

Napoleon EPA certified high efficiency 

unit, while House B features a Tempcast 

thermal core sealed masonry fireplace. 

“The idea is that we could use any of 

these systems or all of them in combination, 

depending on what fuel source 

makes most sense from a renewable, 

environmental or fuel cost perspective,” 

said Brydon. 

The plumbing 

The plumbing is also a considerable 

advance both in water conservation and 

energy efficiency over what is currently 

being installed in the residential market. 

A recirculation system provides ondemand 

hot water. 

Each home has three or four bathrooms 

along with laundry rooms and 

kitchens. Both have a structured 

plumbing system with on-demand 

DHW recirculation. This results in hot 

water on demand along with some 

gains in energy efficiency, explained 

John Priolo, president of Judo Water 

Treatment, Concord, Ont. who, along 

with instructors from George Brown 

College in Toronto, did the plumbing. 

All faucets and showerheads are lowflow 

and toilets are dual three/six-litre 

flush. All drains lead into a central stack 

for each home. This maximizes the 

effect of a drain water heat recovery system 

that pre-heats the hot water. 

A rainwater harvesting system consists 

of a french drain system that collects 

rainwater from the roofs and 

weeping tiles and directs it into a sump 

pit from which it is pumped into a 

10,000-litre cistern. From there it is 

pumped back into the house for tasks 

like toilet flushing that don’t require 

potable water. Rain barrels and a Brac 

greywater recycling system, donated by 

the Install Team, provide water for 

gardening. 

Both homes rely on a well system for 

potable water. As a result, filtration and 

water softening equipment is a must. 

Waste goes into a small septic tank 

and then into an anaerobic digester and 

then to engineered wetlands. 

The budget for the project was $1.4- 

million, but because so much equipment 

and labour was donated the final 

figure is expected to come in significantly 

lower. 

And the project is aiming and on 

track for every certification available for 

green construction – LEED Gold or 

Platinum, Energy Star, Greenhouse 

Certified Construction and R-2000. 

Research and training 

So what does the future hold for the 

Archetype Sustainable House? One of 

the key objectives was to create a place 

where training could be conducted in a 

live operating house. 

Industry training will take place on a 

number of levels, said Dupuis. “We’re 

going to find every opportunity we can. 

It could be as simple as a wine and 

cheese just to get people out there to see 

the technology, ask questions and get 

their wheels turning – or it could be 

hands on.” 

Tom Ziolkowski of A1 Budget Heating 

& AC works on the sheet metal. 

He expects sessions will be tailored to 

the needs of each individual group – 

owners, site superintendents, trades, etc. 

One of the key roles of the Archetype 

Sustainable House will be to document 

and compare the performance of different 

green technologies, he added. “It won’t be 

perfect data because there’s not a mother 

and father with two kids, a dog and a 

teenager taking 15-minute showers …” 

However, Dupuis expects the 

research will provide considerably better 

information than currently exists 

and that it will be published for the 

industry’s use. 

The project is one more step in getting 

builders, trades and the public to 

adopt green building practices and 

equipment. Ultimately, remarked 

Priolo, “they have no choice. You have 

to think of the community and you 

have to think of sustainability.” 

Both homes feature drainwater heat 

recovery. 



Heating 

Hybrid gas-electric HVAC system 

saves energy at Winnipeg complex 

By Bruce Nagy 

Simple ideas are 

often good 

ideas. 

When a new 

sports and en ter - 

tain ment complex 

was proposed for 

down town Win ni - 

peg, planners wanted to incorporate 

“...the best, well-tested features and 

spectator amenities of...new-generation 

entertainment and sports centres built 

across North America over the past 

decade.” 

This meant the new MTS Centre features 

superb acoustics for concerts, 

clear sight-lines from every seat for 

sporting events, private boxes, event 

suites, three concourses with shopping 

and food, seating for 15,000 hockey 

fans, and yet adaptable for audience 

groups as small as 2,500. Being a centrepiece 

in the downtown core, the building 

would also include exciting 

architectural aesthetics. Top architects, 

engineers and contractors were engaged 

for the project and, when it finally 

opened in 2004, it was indeed a marvel. 

Then, suddenly, the decision was 

made to add an electric boiler alongside 

the two existing natural gas boilers 

already being used to heat the space and 

water. What had gone wrong? Actually 

nothing had gone wrong. The natural 

gas boilers work well and efficiently to 

this day. 

Sempa Power Systems Ltd. of North 

Vancouver, B.C. added the electric 

boiler as part of a hybrid heating system. 

Such systems are saving operators 

of commercial buildings a great deal of 

money every year by taking advantage 

of opportunities associated with energy 

purchasing. 

Time-of-use savings 

One of these opportunities is that electricity 

is much less expensive at night 

than it is during the daytime. For most 

power companies, it doesn’t make business 

sense to stop generating electricity 

at night, but the demand for electricity 

at night is so low that they price it very 

cheaply. This means that a commercial 

The new MTS Centre in Winnipeg is a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment 

facility. The HVAC system is state-of-the-art too. 

building can heat water and space very 

inexpensively at night and then sometimes 

coast through the day. 

The other opportunity is to control 

peak electricity usage by the building. 

Electric companies set kilowatt charges 

based on time of day and also on 

established peak or maximum need. If 

the building’s history shows periods of 

very high maximum demand in a 

billing period, the kilowatt charge goes 

up based on the electric company’s 

responsibility to satisfy that maximum 

de mand at any moment without notice. 



So the game is to keep the peak or 

maximum demand under control. As it 

happens in many cases, if the building’s 

consumption level is below the peak, 

electricity seems to cost less than natural 

gas. It may sound a bit complicated, 

but it’s simple really: Buy things when 

they are the cheapest. 

Heat delivery optimized 

In addition to an extra boiler, a hybrid 

heating system includes a server, software 

and controls to manage heat delivery 

according to these variables. “We 

use a proprietary algorhythm that leverages 

the off-peak electricity rate grid to 

optimize heat delivery between natural 

gas and electric sources,” says Wayne 

McLeod, vice president of operations 

for Sempa (www.sempapower.com). 

The system monitors periodic energy 

rates in real time to automatically determine 

when to instruct HVAC controls 

to switch between natural gas or 

propane and electricity. The system can 

also be used for swimming pools and 

hot tubs. 

In one case the system helped hotel 

officials to understand that when they 

turned everything on simultaneously at 

5:30 a.m., it created a peak that caused 

the kilowatt charge to increase unnecessarily. 

This led to another simple idea: 

Automatically power up each area at 

10 minute intervals, saving significant 

cost. 

In the first quarter of 2008, the company 

had promised its clients that its 17 

projects would save a total of $290,000. 

As it turned out, it exceeded the commitment 

and actually realized more 

than $552,000. This translates to savings 

averaging well over $100,000 per year in 

each location. 

“On a normal operating day our gas 

boilers don’t fire,” says Ed Meichsner, 

MTS director of building operations. 

“One advantage of this is that gas boilers 

can make the boiler room as hot as 

35C, which may not be good for relays 

and other equipment over the long 

term...When the Manitoba Moose are 

playing we have 14,000 fans in the 

stands or using restaurants and concessions 

and two teams all taking showers. 

That’s when we might use the gas 

boilers.” 

“The system operates transparently 

to the building’s occupants while reducing 

costs, reducing green house gas 

emissions and reducing energy consumption,” 

says inventor and Sempa 

founder Malcolm Metcalfe. The investment 

is higher because the system 

requires extra equipment. “Payback is 

generally between two and three years,” 

he added. “We are in the process of having 

the savings verified so that our customers 

can sell them as carbon credits.” 

significantly; particularly in B.C., 

Manitoba and Quebec where most electricity 

is generated without the help of 

fossil fuels. 

According to the company, since a 

hybrid heating system was installed at 

the Four Seasons Hotel in Whistler, B.C. 

in 2005, it has reduced the hotel’s greenhouse 

gas emissions by 32.7 percent and 

saved the customer more than $250,000 

or 19 percent of its energy costs. 

Both the customer and the vendor 

have access to the savings data so 

Metcalfe called his customer after about 

six months and said: “Pretty significant 

savings eh?” 

The customer replied that there were 

no savings. After a bit of investigation it 

was revealed that the customer was only 

looking at his operations financials and 

that the accountant, not sure why 

energy costs had dropped dramatically, 

had accrued $60,000 as a precaution. 

The new electric boiler, at left, allows facility operators to take advantage of 

lower cost night-time electricity rates. 

Chief engineer Doug Wright is pleased with energy savings with the hybrid 

heating system at the Four Seasons Hotel in Whistler, B.C. 

He expected the apparently late energy 

bills to arrive eventually! 

The company has won several awards 

for green innovation and is now 

installing hybrid systems all across the 

continent. It has even filed a patent for a 

residential version. 

Years ago Metcalfe heard a story 

about BC Hydro at one time shutting 

down its own damns at night and buying 

cheap nighttime electricity from 

California, then selling it back to them 

in the daytime at a profit. 

Quebec Hydro still does something 

like this. He was an energy auditor at 

the time who knew that commercial 

operators were not really taking advantage 

of cost opportunities. This inspired 

the hybid heating system; a simple idea, 

but clearly a good one. 

Bruce Nagy is a Toronto-based freelance 

writer that covers the Green Beat 

for P&HVAC. He can be reached at 

bruce.nagy@rogers.com. 

Social responsibility 

One of the big buzz phrases in the business 

world these days is “corporate 

social responsibility” (CSR) which, 

when taken seriously, attracts some segments 

of the investment community. 

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 

is of course a key goal for CSR. 

With the hybrid system GHG is reduced 



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Heating 

Infrared heaters 

Available in eight models and over 100 

different configurations, the new 

PTS/PTU Series Tube Heaters from 

Space-Ray have capacities ranging from 

40,000 to 200,000 Btu/h and minimum 

mounting heights of 10 to 18 feet. Their 

Delivery System, is designed to provide 

labor savings and enhanced performance 

in duct sealant applications. It also 

features an enhanced elasticity when 

cured, enabling easy mobility of sealed 

ductwork and eliminating the cracking 

that often occurs with traditional duct 

sealants when ductwork is moved after 

the sealant application. 

Hardcast Circle no. 303 

supply (red) and system return (blue). 

Boiler connection options include 

unique TISS System continuously monitors 

the clearance between the reflectors 

and the ceiling for excessive heat 

and tube integrity compromise. If the 

heat increases due to heat exchanger 

failure, the safety circuit is broken and 

the gas controls shut down. 

Space Ray Circle no. 300 

New mixing station models 

Viega mixing stations are now available 

in six upgraded base configurations. 

Features include low or high-head, 

three-speed circulators, new sensor 

wells and new ball valves. They can be 

used with conventional and condensing 

boilers, water heaters and geothermal 

heat pumps. Red and blue caps on the 

ProPress Ball Valves indicate system 

ProPress, PEX Press and copper (male). 

Viega Circle no. 304 

Moving air 

The Tjernlund AirShare Ventilator from 

CGF Products moves air though a wall 

cavity to rooms that are too cold or hot. 

These are particularly useful in ductless 

heater, split system and window A/C 

applications. They are easy to install, 

either in hard-wired or concealed 

power cord models. Operation is “whisper 

quiet” and they are designed to 

blend with any décor. 

CGF Products Circle no. 305 

Aftermarket motors 

Source 1, the aftermarket arm of the 

Johnson Controls residential HVAC 

brands, is offering a new line of fractional 

horsepower motors. A variety of 

voltages, applications and 

speeds are available. 

Thirty-inch wires 

along with extended 

mounting bolts 

provide for easier 

installation. An el e - 

ctrical reversing 

plug simplifies rotation 

direction 

chang es. A crossreference 

table readily 

identifies replacement for the models 

of other motor manufacturers. 

Johnson Controls Circle no. 301 

Vacuum cleanout 

Selkirk’s new Vacuum Cleanout Cap 

allows quick and mess-free removal of 

fly ash from pellet stove pipe. It replaces 

the standard cap on three or four-inch 

pellet pipe tees. The operator simply 

removes the threaded cap, attaches a 

fireplace/stove vacuum and cleans out 

the ash, making pellet pipe cleanout a 

breeze. 

Selkirk Circle no. 302 

Spray-on duct sealer 

Hardcast Spray-Seal, when combined 

with the Hardcast Mobile Duct Sealant 



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PermaLynx TM push-to-connect system: ½ – 1½" 

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Controls 

Product Profile 

Honeywell launches wireless 

residential control system 

“Contractors hate running wires,” says 

Mark Schilling, trade marketing leader 

for Honeywell Ltd. Scarborough, Ont. 

And while the company’s new residential 

wireless control system offers num - 

erous advantages for both the home - 

owner and installing contractor, that 

reality alone should make it a best seller. 

About 200 southern Ontario contractors 

attended the Honeywell World 

of Wireless (WOW) presentation at the 

Playdium in Mississauga, Ont. Oct. 7. 

Honeywell has seen similar enthusiasm 

at other WOW events across Canada. 

There are two key components in this 

new residential control system. The 

Wireless FocusPRO thermostat – in programmable 

or non-programmable versions 

– is partnered with the new touchscreen 

Portable Comfort Control (PCC). 

The wireless factor allows the thermostat 

in the living area like a living room or 

den, not out in the hallway as in so many 

homes. All existing features of the hardwired 

FocusPRO are incorporated into 

the wireless version, added Honeywell’s 

Jeff Holmquist. 

Easy operation 

The PCC works like a television remote 

– the homeowner simply carries it into 

the room that needs immediate heating 

or cooling and the unit 

automatically adjusts 

the temperature. As well, 

it controls night setback, 

maintains the schedule 

for the programmable 

thermostat (where used) 

and, with zoning, can be 

used to monitor and 

change the temperature 

of any zone in the house. 

The Portable Comfort Control. 

panel installed on the outside of the 

home which senses and allows outdoor 

temperature and humidity to be displayed 

on the thermostat – again, without 

running any wires. 

Easy zoning 

The fourth component in the system 

makes zoning a home significantly easier. 

With Honeywell’s new TrueZONE wireless 

zoning panels and wireless zoning 

Grundfos VersaFlo ® UPS 

Pump maintenance... 

a thing of the past. 

VersaFlo® UPS wet rotor circulators are 

maintenance-free and whisper-quiet. 

They feature an integrated pump and motor 

design–fewer parts means no maintenance 

worries and greater durability on the job. 

adapter kit, contractors no longer need to 

run thermostat wire to add zoning or add 

additional zones to an existing system. 

Schilling is optimistic that homeowners 

will embrace the new wireless technology. 

“If you install one in a neighborhood, 

you could be installing a bunch more 

because neighbors talk,” he remarked. 

Honeywell also introduced its new 

Prestige Comfort System at the WOW 

event, a high-end, wired high-definition, 

full colour programmable device 

that is also enabled with RedLINK wireless 

technology, making it wireless ready 

and user friendly. 

“The USB configuration allows you 

to set up one system and then transfer 

the data to a USB stick and copy it other 

The Prestige system is easy to install 

and set up. 

systems,” remarked Holmquist. 

Honeywell Circle no. 306 

Maintenace-free Design 

GRUNDFOS VersaFlo® UPS 

> No seals − eliminates hot water leakage 

> Water Cooled − Ultra quiet and no 

bearings to grease 

> No couplers − less moving parts to break 

The system uses RedLINK wireless 

technology, which was originally developed 

for the security industry, reported 

Holmquist. Adapting it to residential 

HVAC use involved four years of testing 

which, among other things, had to 

ensure that the signal between the thermostat, 

the PCC and system components 

could not be affected by cell 

phones and other electronic devices. 

The system has been tested and proven 

to operate reliably in homes up to 6,500 

sq.ft. on multiple levels. 

Also new is Honeywell’s Wireless 

Outdoor Sensor, a RedLINK enabled 

More Great Features 

> Operates at less than 40 db 

> Built-in dimensions to match installed base − 

no need for piping modifications 

> No risk of touching electrically hot windings 

or rotating parts 

www.grundfos.ca/phvacU 

ww.grundfo 

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The wireless FocusPRO retains the 

features of the hard-wired version. 



Hot Water Heating 

Banish the crud! 

Cleaning up an old hydronic system (and keeping it clean) 

By Roy Collver 

Afew weeks ago 

someone asked 

me how to 

clean up an older 

hydronic system so 

that they wouldn’t 

fill up their brand 

new replacement boiler with the disgusting 

black crud that came out of 

their drain valve every time they 

checked it. In my normally decisive and 

concise way, I answered a simple question 

by asking a whole bunch more. 

“What kind of black crud? How old is 

the system? Black iron pipe, copper, 

PEX? How often do you drain this stuff 

out, and how much do you get? Are 

there any chemicals in the system? What 

kind of boiler is there now, and how old 

is it? Has the boiler ever been replaced 

before? How long did it last? Are the 

valves and pumps getting bunged up 

with this stuff? Are there any strainers 

or filters in the system? When do you 

have to replace the boiler?” Lots of 

questions. 

All of this stuff is important. There 

are so many grey areas and very little 

direction when studying this topic. 

Trying to identify the crud is easier said 

than done and most people don’t bother; 

they just flush it down the drain and 

re-fill the system. 

There are problems with this 

approach, however, not the least of 

which is that the environment people 

may take exception to this practice. 

Look at it this way – you put fresh clean 

water (with or without fresh, clean glycol 

and chemicals) into a hydronics system 

and, a few years later, you are getting 

black crud out. A pretty good guess 

would be that the black crud is a product 

of the components and or chemicals 

in the system breaking down. Wouldn’t 

it be good to know what it was that was 

breaking down, and why? 

The common scenario 

A complex topic – to keep it simple, let’s 

look at perhaps the most common scenario 

where this comes up and figure 

out the best way to deal with it. 

In the vast majority of older systems, 

we are dealing with a cast-iron or steel 

boiler, steel or copper piping, and ferrous 

pumps and valves with a 

sprinkling of brass stuff. In systems like 

this, where I have gotten chemical 

analysis done, the majority of the black 

crud is oxides of iron (rust) mixed up 

with some anaerobic bacteria and some 

mineralization from the water (usually 

calcium precipitate). That’s pretty much 

what you would expect, and normally 

safe to just flush out. 

So you want to replace the old boiler 

and clean the system – here is the procedure: 

1. Clean and flush the system. 

2. Re-fill the system. 

3. Install some kind of filtration. 

Trying to identify the crud is easier 

said than done and most people 

don’t bother… 

4. Test the fluid quality. 

5. Then replace the boiler. 

The finer points 

Oh – you want details? 

1. Find a nice, safe, non-toxic hydronic 

heating system specific cleaning 

chemical – there are a number of 

them available these days – and clean 

and flush the system according to the 

chemical people’s instructions. 

Flushing can be easy or extremely 

frustrating depending on the severity 

of the problem. I have seen some 

systems so bunged-up that they 

needed to be flushed and back 

flushed numerous times. I have had 

to add purge valves on branch lines, 

put in cleaner, heat it, circulate it for 

days and even run a sewer snake 

down some lines in order to get 

things moving. And be aware that all 

of this effort may spring numerous 

leaks in an old system. I have seen 

systems turn into sprinkler pipe after 

a thorough cleaning, proving that 

the only thing holding the system 

together was the crud. For your own 

protection, advise your customer of 

this possibility – maybe even get 

them to sign a waiver if you think it 

could be real bad. Everybody does 

the waiver thing these days. I had to 

sign a form before I had heart surgery 

that basically said: “you might 

die as a result of this procedure – 

please sign here that it is okay and 

not our fault.” 

2. Re-fill the system with good clean 

water and add whatever glycol and 

other hydronic heating system specific 

chemicals you think you might need 

to add. I won’t recommend any 

specific products here, check with 

your chemical suppliers, but keep in 

mind that they are in the business of 

selling you chemicals, whether you 

need them or not. Buyer beware – 

unfortunately I have never found a 

totally unbiased “expert” in this field, 

as they all seem to be wanting to get 

you hooked on their particular 

brand of chemicals. Good clean 

water normally means tap water if 

you are in a larger municipality, but 

check with your boiler manufacturer 

to see if they have any special 

requirements. Some of the metal 

alloys they use in boilers today are 

very finicky and need special attention 

to things like Ph levels and mineral 

content. 

3. Install some kind of filtration 

device to catch any bits that may 

break loose in the future. This is a 

very important addition to your 

system because no matter how thoroughly 

you clean the system, there is 

a high probability that more crud 

will continue to liberate itself. 

Although I have never seen a warning 

from any of the manufacturers 

of stainless steel boilers – I do know 

that iron oxide and other ferrous 

bits will contaminate stainless. I am 

guessing you might fail the warranty 

examination if this is the case. 

There are three main filtration 

devices/techniques commonly available 

for hydronic systems: 

“Y” STRAINER 

“Y” strainers are the oldest devices 

used to pick up crud floating around in 

your system. They are inexpensive, reliable 

and simple. The fluid flows 

through a screen, and any particle bigger 

than the mesh size of the screen gets 

caught. Problem no. 1 – they get 

plugged up, and because the complete 

system flow goes through them, they 

can shut your system down if they plug 

up completely. Problem no. 2 – the really 

tiny stuff (like iron oxide) gets 

through. They are best applied in new 

systems to pick up any junk that mysteriously 

got into the piping during 

construction. 

Sidestream micron filters have also 

been around for years, and get all the 

SIDESTREAM MICRON FILTER 

really, really small stuff like iron oxide, 

but they also suffer from getting easily 

plugged up. As the name suggests, they 

are piped in parallel with the main system 

flow, so that if they do get plugged 

up, they won’t shut down your system, 

but they then become a decorative 

DIRT SEPARATOR 

accessory and perform no useful 

function until someone comes and 

replaces the filter cartridge. 

The new kid on the block is a nifty 

little device called a “Dirt Separator.” 

They function like a combination of Y- 

strainer (to get the big chunks) and like 

an air separator to get the small stuff – 

they have a large low velocity chamber 

to slow the flow down, and a coalescing 

media that snags the tiny little bits and 

holds onto them until they get joined by 

enough buddies to make them heavy 

and tired. They then drop out of the 

race and into the sump of the separator 

so you can blow them out. These are 

impressive products – they don’t plug 

up, are easy to clean, and they can 

remove particles as small as five 

microns. 

4. After finding out your boiler manufacturer’s 

fluid quality requirements, 

have the fluid tested to make sure it 

meets them, and then set up a testing 

protocol to ensure that it remains 

“between the lines.” That’s easier said 

than done – again, we are back to the 

chemical people. 

5. Now you can replace the boiler, confident 

that it will live in an environment 

blessed by its manufacturer, 

and that warranties will be honoured. 

Roy Collver is an author and consultant 

on hydronic heating based in 

Peachland, B.C. He can be reached at 

otbc@telus.net. 


©2008 Uponor, Inc. 

“ New technology? Love it. But unless it’s 

easy to use, keep it away from my jobsite.” 

Introducing the innovative Uponor Climate Cŏntrol Line of home comfort systems. 

Three new control systems that combine the latest home comfort technology with hassle-free 

simplicity that increases your profit potential. Turn the page to find out more. 

Formerly Wirsbo 


Uponor enhances your opportunities with home comfort. 

This flexible product line lets you introduce more customers to Uponor Climate Cŏntrol home comfort systems—and expand 

your opportunities for profit. Three innovative new systems combine cutting-edge technology with hassle-free installation and 

set-up. Your customers get the personalized comfort control they’re looking for, and you reduce your time and expenses on the job. 

Climate Cŏntrol Network System 

—Total comfort control 

• Integrates all home comfort functions 

—heating, cooling and ventilation— 

into one precise control 

• Offers broad capabilities in a scalable 

system that is easy to install and 

set up compared to DDC systems 

• Allows homeowners to control home 

comfort levels via the Internet 

• Reduces the expense of house 

calls by allowing you to support 

customers remotely 

• Simplifies the user experience with a 

sleek and easy-to-operate touch panel 

Climate Cŏntrol Zoning System 

—Wireless comfort 

• Provides an ideal solution for retrofits 

and remodels—no thermostat 

wiring necessary 

• Speeds installation in new construction 

• Installs easily and is intuitive to set up 

• Operates up to 12 thermostats 

and 14 actuators per control module 

• Manages household temperatures at 

the touch of a button, from the 

comfort of an easy chair 

• Uses state-of-the-art wireless 

communication technology to 

ensure consistent signal quality 

Climate Cŏntrol Multifunction 

Controller—Simplified comfort 

• Combines the functionality of multiple 

controls into a single platform 

• Manages all hydronic functions with 

a single control: zone pumping, single 

or multiple mixing, boiler control, 

boiler staging, multiple water 

temperature, domestic hot water 

and snowmelt 

• Eliminates the cost and hassle of 

multiple control boxes and complex 

wiring schemes 

• Lets you copy customers’ settings to a 

data stick to speed future installations 

Call 888-994-7726 or visit www.uponor.ca/homecomfort for free 

brochures on the entire Climate Cŏntrol Line, or to talk with an Uponor 

representative about your next project. 

Formerly Wirsbo 


Refrigeration 

Water-to-water heat pumps 

Capitalizing on their advantages in certain applications 

By Ed Gravelle 

In the beginning 

manufacturers of 

air-to-air heat 

pumps experienced a 

lot of failures until 

compressor manufacturers 

developed better units that lead 

to the scroll compressor. They are 

tougher and stand up to the heat and 

loads better than the old reciprocating 

compressors. Higher speeds and better 

motor cooling are a couple of significant 

advances. 

The creation of air-to-air heat pumps 

for residential applications led to multiple 

water-to-air systems on a single 

source water loop, heated or cooled, for 

commercial buildings. Water-to-air 

didn’t answer all the needs of the commercial 

field and water-to-water heat 

pumps came into the market to fill the 

void. They provide the means of moving 

heat from one place to the other 

through a refrigeration process which 

cools one pumped loop (the source) 

and heats another. The second loop is 

called the “load”. 

There are two primary advantages of 

a water source heat pump over an air 

source heat pump. The first is the density 

of water compared to air which 

allows for greater and more efficient 

heat transfer using a smaller heat 

exchanger. The second is that there is 

less of a temperature differential using 

water (35-85°F) than air (0-100°F) as 

the source. 

In a water-to-water heat pump the 

water flow does not have to be 

“switched” as the reversing valve 

changes the flow of refrigerant within 

the system. This allows us to maintain a 

single flow water circuit through both 

the source and load side of the heat 

pump. 

Heating mode 

Heat from a source is absorbed by the 

refrigerant and compressed. Heat output, 

including the motor heat and heat 

of compression, is transferred into the 

water passing through the refrigerant/water 

heat exchanger. Temperature 

rise has to be limited to heating the load 

side water to no more than 130°F 

(54.5C). The heat transferred has to be 

dissipated continually while the compressor 

is running, usually by mixing 

with a separate pumped loop to various 

heat dispersing loads. 

Cooling Mode 

Heat from the load side is absorbed by 

the refrigerant and compressed. Heat 

dissipation, including the motor heat 

and heat of compression, is transferred 

into the water passing thr ough the re - 

frig erant/water heat ex changer. Heat 

transferred has to be dissipated continually 

while the compressor is running, 

usually by mixing 

with a separate 

pumped loop to 

various cooling de - 

vices, such as cooling 

towers, air 

cooled outdoor 

fluid cooler, ground 

loops, wells etc. 

Minimum flow 

Water-to-water 

heat pumps, however, 

have to be 

applied carefully 

and within the temperature 

and GPM 

range shown in the 

manufacturer’s literature, 

with the 

source and load 

side water pumped 

with their own 

pumps, with pump 

demand for a constant 

non-varying flow of water on both 

source and load of not less than 2.25 

GPM per ton. 

The suction temperature at the compressor 

determines the cooling capacity 

of the compressor; the GPM pumped 

determines the rate of transfer. The flow 

required can be calculated by dividing 

the suction capacity by 500 and the 

temperature drop desired. The low limit 

for water temperature must not drop 

temperatures below 35°F (8.6C) without 

antifreeze. Suction temperatures 

above 60°F (16C) can overload compressors 

and may require bypass flow 

control or pressure limit TX valves. 

Required flow capacity can be calculated 

by multiplying the suction capacity 

by 1.25 to 1.30 percent to account for 

the heat of the compressor and motor 

cooling, then dividing it by 500 and the 

maximum temperature rise desired, but 

not more than that recommended by 

the manufacturer. If a water-to-water 

heat pump is going to be used for both 

heating and cooling, the reversing valve 

is switched to change sides. Source 

becomes the load and the load becomes 

the source. 

While there is a difference in the 

minimum GPM required between the 

load and source, pump capacity can’t be 

changed as easily as the reversing valve. 

Hot or cold side water temperatures can only be controlled by return water temperature and by 

compressor operation. 

The GPM for both sides is usually 

selected on the basis of the need on the 

load side to within the area of 2.25 

GPM per ton of ejected heat capacity. 

Storage tank 

Flow in the primary loop can vary when 

cycling flow valves and thermostats 

control cooling or heating flows. A storage 

tank to provide holdover mass is 

advisable to prevent compressor short 

Water-to-water heat pumps, 

however, have to be applied 

carefully… 

cycling, normally sized at around three 

times flow capacity (five tons = 

5X2.25X3=34gal. storage). 

Heat pump control 

When in a heating mode the compressor 

operation is controlled by the return 

water temperature of the hot side. 

When in the cooling mode the compressor 

operation is controlled by the 

return water temperature of the cold 

side. Hot or cold side water temperatures 

can only be controlled by return 

water temperature and by compressor 

operation. The compressor(s) cannot 

be controlled by the hot side return and 

cold side return at the same time. (See 

fig 1) Operating conditions for waterto-water 

heat pump (WWHP) are critical 

and must follow certain rules: 

1. Source side return water cannot be 

higher that 60°F (16C). 

2. Source side return water cannot be 

lower than 35°F (2C) (unless 

antifreeze is added). 

3. Load side return water cannot be 

higher than 120°F (49C). 

4. Load side return water cannot be 

lower than 60°F(15C). (See note 1) 

5. Water flow on both cold and hot 

side cannot be less than 2.25 GPM 

per ton. 

6. Temperature rise cannot exceed 

130°F (54C) on hot side and temperature 

drop on cold side cannot 

be lower than to 38°F (3C) – (unless 

with antifreeze in the loop). 

7. Use a separate pump and loop 

though the heat pump for the hot 

side loop. 

8. Use a separate pump and loop 

though the heat pump for the cold 

side. 

9. When ejected heat is going to be 

used for a multiple of heat transfer 

devices, such as fan coil unit, heat 

exchangers, fluid coolers, or cooling 

towers (to disperse ejected heat) 

and flow and pressure drop is subject 

to variation – off/on or modulating 

flow control – use a separate 

pump and loop on the hot side and 

mix with the heat pump loop. 

10. Install automatic air separators and 

vents at all system high points. 

11. Avoid “bull-headed” tees. 

12. Select pumps with lots of reserve 

head. 

To be continued in the next issue … 

Former contractor (Coast Re frig - 

eration) Ed Gravelle is a consultant on 

refrigeration, air conditioning and heating 

systems based in Brentwood Bay, B.C. 

He can be reached at epgco.08@shaw.ca. 


Beyond the Fundamentals 

A Better Oil-Fired Water Heater by the Numbers 

This residential center flue water heater from Bradford White doesn’t look extraordinary. 

But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll find a huge difference in the details. 

1 Flexible Stainless Steel 

Flue Baffle for easy 

service in tight spaces 

2 Electronic Aquastat 

Controller with 

7-segment troubleshooting 

LED display 

3 Dielectric Waterway Fittings 

minimize the occurrence of 

corrosion formation 

4 Two protective anode rods 

provide added protection 

against corrosion 

5 Beckett Burner is 

compatible up to B5 

(5% Biofuel) 

6 Hydrojet ® Total 

Performance System to 

reduce sediment 

build-up and increase 

First Hour Delivery 

7 Vitraglas ® Lining protects 

against the corrosive 

effects of hot water as 

well as providing a tough 

interior surface for our 

water heaters 

8 Brass Drain Valve 

9 Six year limited tank 

warranty / Two year limited 

parts and burner warranty 

10 Bradford White – Always 

a superior, feature-packed 

product at the best 

possible price 

It’s a simple formula- take a great product and make it better with innovation and real value. 

All 18 residential and commercial models from Bradford White follow this plan. 

The value, performance and premium product features of Bradford White oil-fired water 

heaters is a combination your customers can find nowhere else. 

866.690.0961 | Built to be the Best | www.bradfordwhite.com 

©2008, Bradford White Corporation. All rights reserved. 


Faucets & Fixtures 

Classic filter faucet 

The Classic faucet from Everpure is 

designed to work with the company’s 

water filtration appliances. A ceramic 

disk valve provides 

smooth 

operation while 

an integrated 

aerator reduces 

splashes. The 

single-temperature 

version is 

constructed of 

brass while 

dual temperature 

versions feature stainless steel construction. 

The dual-temp version has a 

spring-loaded hot shut-off safety valve. 

Available finishes are chrome, brushed 

nickel and “Tuscan.” 

Everpure Circle no. 307 

High efficiency, high style 

Gerber Plumbing Fixtures’ new highefficiency 

EPA WaterSense certified decorative 

bathroom faucets offer water at 

1.5 gpm (gallons per minute) as 

compared to the industry standard 2.2 

gpm, These water miser bathroom 

faucets are now available in the com - 

pany’s new Logan Square series (pictured) 

as well as in the Abigail, Brianne, 

Wicker Park, Allerton, Maxwell, and 

Pomeroy styles. Gerber’s commercial 

line of faucets has also achieved the 

WaterSense certification. 

Gerber Circle no. 308 

For the long soak 

Myson’s new mirrored-TV bath accessories 

match the styling, quality and finish 

of the company’s towel warmers. 

Each features a “Magic Mirror” and flat 

screen LCD 

TV, UL ap - 

proved for 

bathroom use. 

The ultra thin 

TV is magnetically 

secured 

to the back of 

the mirror and 

is not visible 

except when it 

is on. 

Myson Circle no. 309 

Eco-friendly basins 

Bradley Corp. has combined ecofriendly 

recycled materials, contemporary 

design and durability into its new 

Terreon RE solid surface material. It is 

composed of an eco-friendly bio-based 


Advanced sensing technology 

Delta Commercial’s H2Optics 

technology is one of the most 

advanced sensing technologies on the 

market today for electronic faucets 

and flush valves. 

It uses the principles of 

triangulation to accurately sense the 

user’s distance. It measures the angle 

of the returned infrared beam from 

the user, calculates the distance and 

activates when the user is at a set distance. This means that the faucet or 

toilet will not activate unnecessarily. 

Traditional sensing technology relies on the intensity of the beam and, 

as a result, factors like light reflection, clothing colour/texture or the 

dryness of one’s skin can have an effect. 

Delta is now offering its H2Optics technology on commercial flush valves 

and faucets. The infra-red detector emits four pulses per second, providing 

a balance between reaction time and battery life. 

Masco Canada Circle no. 310 

resin, pre-consumer recycled granule 

fillers and other natural materials that 

maintain the strength and durability of 

today’s solid surface technology, reports 

the manufacturer. It resists stains, 

burns, chemicals and impact, which 

makes an appealing product for highvolume, 

high-abuse washrooms and 

industrial applications. Bradley Circle no. 311 

Variable-speed circulators 

and controls 

Heat 

exchangers 

Flow control 

and isolation 

valves 

Some Canadians 

have a big secret. 

Three-speed e 

wet 

rotor circulators 

Air 

separators 

They know the best hydronic solutions come from Bell & Gossett. 

The best 

expertise and support. 

With over 90 years of hydronics 

and HVAC systems experience, Bell 

& Gossett delivers the 

knowledge 

you need to 

design a 

system that fits your 

application. Our unmatched product knowledge 

and powerful 

customer 

support 

can also help you maximize your hydronic 

system efficiency. 

Hydronic solution tools 

The best 

products. 

Bell & Gossett can 

provide a complete 

line of hydronic components 

to build a system stem that 

meets your 

unique specifications. And because 

we’ree 

part of ITT, 

the largest pump manufacturer in the 

world, you can feel confident you’ll 

get tough, 

high performing products 

you can depend on. 

The best 

training. 

ng. 

Bell & Gossett has 

been training contractors, installers and engineers on the proper per 

design, installation and maintenance of hydronic 

and steam 

systems 

longer than anyone 

else 

in the 

business. 

It’s 

no secret, 

Bell 

& Gossett 

has 

everything you need ed for hydronic 

heating. 

For more information visit www.bellgossett.com ett.com or call 888-488-4033 

3 



Tools & Instruments 


User-friendly pipe welding 

The new PipePro multi-process welding system from 

Miller Electric is designed to improve welding 

productivity in pipe fabrication applications. 

It provides the user with the ability to use advanced 

welding processes like regulated metal deposition (RMD) 

– a modified short circuiting process designed for root 

pass welds – and Pro-Pulse, which is easier to use than 

conventional pulse in out-of-position pipe welding 

applications. 

This versatile system is designed for field and shop 

fabrication with superior arc performance in all 

processes: stick, TIG, MIG, FCAW, air carbon arc cutting 

and gouging. It includes the PipePro 450 RFC (root-fillcap) 

power source, PipePro 12RC SuitCase or PipePro 

bench-style feeders and Bernard PipeWorx guns. 

One of the key advantages of the system, says Miller’s 

Mike Roth, is that it can reduce labour costs. “The 

PipePro 450 RFC 

with RMD and Pro- 

Pulse makes it 

easier for lessskilled 

operators to 

produce welds that 

meet API, AWS, 

ASME and other 

code requirements.” 

Operators can 

become proficient 

The Miller 

PipePro system 

simplifies pipe 

welding 

processes. 

with the RMD Pro process much faster than they can 

with the TIG or stick processes, he added. 

In addition, Roth says, “substituting RMD Pro for TIG 

and stick can conservatively improve productivity by 25 

percent or more. Cycle time improvements result from 

increased travel speed, improved deposition rates, fewer 

starts and stops and, in the case of stick welding, 

significantly less clean-up time.” 

The PipePro 450 has an output of 450 amps/44 volts 

at 100 percent duty cycle. 

Miller Electric Circle no. 312 

A deeper cut 

The new Hilti DCH 230 and DCH 300 

specialized electric diamond cutters can 

cut to depths 

of 3.4 and 4.7 

inches respectively 

in metal, 

concrete and 

granite – considerably 

deeper 

than with a 

conventional cutting/grinding tool. 

Powered by a 2.6-kilowatt motor, an 

intelligent electronic control system 

constantly regulates motor power to suit 

the material being cut. These units also 

include a direct attachment for the Hilti 

VC20U or VC40U vacuum cleaners. 

Hilti Circle no. 313 

Remote video inspection 

The SnakeEye III from ITM is a lowcost 

hand held remote video inspection 

system. It combines a CCD camera and 

TFT-LCD display technology for a clear 

colour picture. It can be easily configured 

to inspect 

behind walls, 

inside ceilings, 

in and around 

pipes and 

machinery, 

behind computer 

equipment, etc. An interchangeable 

camera head can be attached to a 

rigid wand, a ring finger attachment or 

extendible cables. It can be connected to 

a VCR, computer or handycam to 

record and play back images. 

ITM Circle no. 314 

YOUR VEHICLE IS YOUR BUSINESS 

That’s why we created the GM Business Choice Program. Designed specifically for small business 

owners like you, it offers four different incentive packages to help get your fleet work-ready. All you 

have to do is choose the option that best suits your daily business needs and we will service it personally. 

A 

$2657 

In Equipment 

from Vanteriors* 

B 

gmbusinesschoice.ca 

$750 

Commercial Upfit 

Cash Back 

D 

Save on Gas 

Save 20¢ per litre 

for 2,500 L † 

* Value of equipment depends on upfit package selected. See Dealer for full program details and eligibility. Eligible vehicles, equipment, tools and accessories may differ slightly from versions shown. All incentive packages are 

tax inclusive. Home Depot is a registered trademark of Home Depot Inc. † Preferred Price gas savings card redeemable for $0.20 per litre savings on 2,500 L of motor fuel at participating Petro-Canada retail locations (and 

approved North Atlantic Petroleum locations in Newfoundland) and not redeemable for cash. TM Trademark of Petro-Canada. Used under license. © Copyright 2008 General Motors of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. 

C 

$500 

Home Depot 

Gift Card 

Snake preservative 

Snake Oil from General Pipe Cleaners 

preserves and protects sewer cables. A 

special rust in - 

hibitor cuts 

through moisture 

and replaces it 

with a rust resistant 

coating. A 

deodorant gives 

the sewer cables a 

fresh, clean smell. 

Available in quarts 

or gallons, the company includes a fourounce 

sample bottle with each new 

General floor model power drain cleaning 

machine. 

General Pipe Cleaners Circle no. 315 

Precision temp measurement 

Fluke Model 566 and 568 thermometers 

feature broad infrared (IR) temperature 

measurement functionality, an onscreen 

menu system and a dot-matrix 

display enabling users to take complex 

measurements quickly, easily, and from 

greater distances 

through contact 

and non-contact 

measurement. The 

thermometers provide a 

broad temperature measurement 

range from -40C to 800 

C /-40F to 1472 F (Fluke 568) 

or -40C to 650°C/-40F to 

1202F (Fluke 566) at one percent 

accuracy. 

Fluke Circle no. 316 



Pipes, Valves & Fittings 

Sizing circulators 

in hydronic systems 

By Art Irwin 

Pipe sizing and 

circulator sizing 

are critical 

for hot water heating 

systems. One 

must first ensure the 

piping is properly 

sized to carry the 

hot water from “A” to “B” or, in other 

words, from the heating boiler to the 

radiation via the piping system. 

There are, of course, hundreds of 

sizes of circulators, but it is important 

the circulator be properly sized to deliver 

the required number of BTU’s, carried 

in gallons of water per minute 

(gpm), to its destination. If the circulator 

is too large or too small, we get into 

velocity or noise problems, insufficient 

heat, cavitation and pump failure. 

There are two issues that must be 

addressed when sizing circulators. First, 

how many gallons per minute must the 

circulator pump to deliver the maximum 

heat? 

Item number two – what is the 

“head” or resistance the circulator must 

overcome? There a are a number of 

things that can cause “bumps in the 

road” – length of piping, elbows, tees 

and friction loss. (Refer to the chart at 

right for pipe carrying capacity in 

To obtain the required gallons per 

minute (GPM), divide the total Btu’s 

by 10,000: 

BTU Heat Loss = Gallons per minute. 

10,000 

Example: 

200,000 Btu/hr.= 20 Gal/Min. 

10,000 

Btu/h.) 

Determining pump head 

How do we determine the pump head? 

Here’s a quick way to do it. It’s not 100 

percent accurate, but close enough for 

quick sizing. We must take the total 

equivalent length, which means measuring 

to the most distant radiator from 

the boiler, and back, plus 50 percent, 

and multiply x .04 

PIPE CARRYING CAPACITY 

For Mains For One And Two Pipe Systems 

Piper Size – Inches 

BTU Capacity 

1/2 15,000 – 13,000 –12,000 

3/4" 31,000 – 30,000 – 27,000 

1” 59,000 – 53,000 – 48,000 

1 ¼” 130,000 – 118,000 – 102,000 

1 ½ 185,000 – 175,000 – 156,000 

2” 360,000 – 322,000 – 294,000 

2 ½” 610,000 – 551,000 – 523,000 

3” 1,150,000 – 1000,000 – 900,000 

Note: Use BTU center column as a BTU average. 

Source: B&G Eng. Manual 1954 

Here’s an example: boiler out to the 

most distant radiator, 80 feet and back 

80 feet = 160 feet plus 50 percent (80 ft.) 

for a total of 240 feet. Multiply 240 x .04 

= 9.6 or 10-foot head. 

Therefore, we must purchase a pump 

with a capacity of 20 gallons per minute 

against a 10-foot head. 

Arthur A. Irwin operates Irwin Energy 

Consulting Services in Halifax. He can be 

reached at irwin.a@ns.sympatico.ca. 

ProPress butterfly valves 

Viega has added three new butterfly 

valves to its ProPress press-fit product 

line. The new valves are semi-lug bodies 

with EPDM liners, stainless steel disc 

and stem, with a ten-position handle. 

They are available in 2-1/2”, 3” and 4” 

sizes. The valve addition compliments 

the existing 550 bronze and copper 

ProPress fittings offered in the Viega 

ProPress product line. 

Viega Circle no. 317 

Two-inch plastic fittings 

The new two-inch engineered plastic 

(EP) fittings from Uponor are designed 

to offer a durable solution for commercial 

plumbing applications. The line 

includes tees, elbows and couplings that 

work with the company’s AQUAPEX 

tubing. They are immune to corrosion, 

pitting and scaling; resist the damaging 

effects of aggressive water; and address 

future NSF lead-content initiatives and 

code requirements. 

Uponor Circle no. 318 

New firestop formula 

Tremco Commercial Sealants & 

Waterproofing (CS&W) 

has introduced a new 

formula for its 

TREMstop IA intumescent 

water-based acrylic 

firestop sealant. It is 

designed to provide 

more coverage with less 

material. It can be 

installed around a fourinch 

plastic pipe without 

requiring a collar, sleeve 

or backer rod, reports 

the manufacturer. It 

expands to fill the voids 

left when combustible 

materials burn and deteriorate in a fire. 

Tremco Circle no. 319 

New bronze Y-strainer 

The new Class 125 Cast Bronze Y- 

strainer line from Nibco are designed 

for commercial applications to trap foreign 

matter in steam, water, oil or gas 

pipelines. It includes solder ½” – 2” and 

threaded ¼” – 3” sizes rated 125 SWP / 

200 CWP. Features in clude a solid or 

tapped cap with 

plug, a stainless 

steel 20 mesh or 

perforated 

stainless steel 

screen and a 

dezincification-resistant 

cast bronze body. 

Nibco Circle no. 320 



Trucks for the Trade 

New cargo vans for 2009 

New electronics and a new small van from Ford 


In a year when fuel prices reached 

levels unimaginable just a short time 

ago, many contractors are taking a 

hard look at the vehicles their technicians 

use. While it’s perhaps too early to 

see significant technological changes 

aimed at fuel economy, manufacturers 

nevertheless have fine-tuned their existing 

ranges while adding additional features 

geared specifically to the trade 

The Ford Transit Connect will be available in Canada in mid-summer. 

An extended Dodge Sprinter with “mega”roof can carry a lot of tools and 

equipment. 

Ford’s new small van was designed 

as a work truck. 


The Ford E-Series gains a full menu of work-related electronics options for 2009. 

Wireless Field Service 

Software 

mobilio inc. 866-756-5050 

www.myMobilio.com 

email: sales @ mymobilio.com 

Improve customer service and increases profits with Mobilio 

Mobilio connects 

your technicians in the field 

to the office with the use of 

wirelessly enabled devices and 

hosted software. 

Dispatching 

Time Sheets 

Work Orders 

Invoicing 

mobilio 

contractor. 

For 2009, Ford’s long running E- 

Series (Econoline) van features wider 

opening rear doors, an integrated navigation 

system plus a redesigned instrument 

panel that includes four new 

upfitter switches. 

However, probably the big news is the 

Ford Work Solutions package that 

includes a number of “smart” technologies. 

These include an in-dash computer 

that provides full high-speed internet 

access. This system allows the contractor 

to print invoices and access documents 

stored on their office or home 

computer, access product manufacturer’s 

technical information, and do 

many other things right on the job site. 

Tool Link is another component of 

Work Solutions – a radio frequency iden - 

tification (RFID) asset tracking system 

developed with DeWalt Tools. It enables 

contractors to maintain a detailed realtime 

inventory of tools, equipment and 

parts stored in the vehicle. 

Ford also offers Crew Chief, a dispatch 

and fleet management program 

along with the Cable Lock security system 

to secure large tools and equipment. 

All four Work Solutions technologies 

are also available on the company’s 

pickup trucks, along with the 

new Transit Connect small trade van. A 

navigation system with 6.5-inch touchscreen 

display is offered for the first 

time in the E-Series van, along with 



SIRIUS satellite radio. It can be combined 

with SIRIUS Travel Link that provides 

a collection of data services 

including real-time local traffic, coastto-coast 

weather and fuel price information 

at different gas stations. 

Ford has also added a reverse camera 

system that is activated whenever the 

vehicle is shifted into reverse. The image 

is displayed on the navigation screen for 

vans equipped with that option or on 

the self-dimming rear-view mirror. 

Diesel only 

The German-made Dodge Sprinter was 

revolutionary with its fuel-mizer fivecylinder 

turbo-diesel when it was introduced 

in 2003. When the Sprinter was 

re-designed for 2007, the company 

The interior of the Caravan cargo mini-van seems to 

get more workmanlike every year. 

garages, requiring only two meters 

(6’8”) clearance. While it doesn’t quite 

have the cargo capacity of the much 

missed GM Astro and Safari small vans, 

total cargo capacity is 143 cubic feet and 

it can accommodate loads up to 6.5 ft. 

in length and 4.7 ft. in width, making 

the typical residential furnace or water 

heater an easy fit. There are sliding 

cargo doors on both sides along with 

rear doors that swing open 180 degrees. 

Besides its small size, the fuel economy 

is a big plus at 19 mpg city and 24 

mpg highway. “It drives like a car, works 

like a van and is engineered to be as 

tough as a truck,” reports Rob Stevens, 

chief engineer for the Ford Transit 

Connect. 

Chrysler continues to refine its 

Dodge Grand Caravan 

cargo van to suit the needs 

of business owners as it 

celebrates the 25th 

anniversary of the minivan 

in 2009. New upfit 

options include exterior 

vinyl window shading, full 

width cargo dividers, wire 

mesh and solid metal window 

inserts, a cargo compartment 

floor mat and 

molded wall liner. Cargo 

capacity is almost identical 

to the Transit Connect 

The GMC Savannah and Chevy Express are available with “Pro Access” panels 

for easy tool retrieval. 

at 144.4 ft. Payload capacity is 1,500 lbs. 

GM’s only small van for 2009 is the 

HHR retro panel truck. The base model 

2.2 litre Ecotec engine in the HHR 

receives variable valve timing for 2009, 

which increases horsepower to 155 

from 149 while also boosting mileage. 

The HHR can travel 805 km on its 49- 

litre fuel tank, reports GM. However, 

cargo space is only 63 cubic feet, ruling 

out the ability to carry large pieces of 

equipment. 

Safety features such as GM’s 

StabilTrak electronic stability control 

system, anti-lock brakes and traction 

control are now standard. The commercial 

version of the Chevrolet Uplander 

mini-van will be discontinued at the 

end 2008. 

Radical changes and new designs are 

relatively rare in the cargo van market. 

However, it is reasonable to assume that 

manufacturers are hard at work on 

changes that will boost fuel economy. 

And that leaves contractors with a 

tough decision – whether to upgrade 

now or wait until something better 

comes along. Stay tuned! 

introduced a new 3.5 litre gasoline 

engine for operators that just couldn’t 

get their heads around a diesel – and 

one with an odd number of cylinders at 

that. However, in 2009 the only engine 

available is the 3.0 litre 154 horsepower 

turbocharged V-6 diesel introduced at 

the same time. 

New features for 2009 include 

optional 180-degree rear door opening, 

electric power sliding side door, twostage 

side-door opening and optional 

roof rails. It is available in three vehicle 

lengths on two wheelbases – 144 inches, 

170 inches or 170 inches extended with 

15” rear overhang. There are three interior 

heights: Standard – 65 inches, high 

– 76 inches and “mega” – 84 inches. 

Over at General Motors, 17-inch steel 

wheels will be standard on the 

Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana 

G1500 and H1500 half-ton cargo models, 

with aluminum wheels as an option. 

The gross vehicle weight rating increases 

to 7,300 lbs. (3,311 kg) on both models. 

Those models with the 5.3 litre V-8 

get a more powerful 125 Amp alternator, 

which should be a big help when 

using an inverter to run power tools. An 

engine oil cooler will help 4.3 L V-6 

models run cooler while a fast-idle 

option on models powered by the 6.0 

litre engine makes it easier to run accessories 

while idling. 

The small vans 

The new Ford Transit Connect trade 

van, expected to be available in Canada 

by mid-summer, is the big news in the 

small van category. First launched in 

Europe in 2003, this van was designed 

from the ground up as a commercial 

van for use in busy cities. Its size allows 

easy access to underground parking 

The little HHR panel does look pretty cool! 

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With its aerodynamic shape, Aerocell CW will help 

save you time and money at the pump. 

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www.plumbingandhvac.ca November/December 2008 – Plumbing & HVAC Product News 29 

DISTRIBUTED BY 

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1-866-613-0068

E-Business 

Union Gas launches contractor web site 

Ontario-based Union Gas Limited 

has launched a new web site 

geared to HVAC contractors. 

The site, www.uniongas.com/hvac, 

was created after a survey of over 250 

HVAC contractors in February along 

with breakfast meetings across the 

province showed that a significant 

number of them – about 80 percent – 

would use an online source for information 

and technical support. 

“We have always been very heavily 

involved with residential contractors,” 

remarked Ed Seaward, manager, residential 

program delivery. The survey 

and meetings were geared to determining 

the key things that contractors need 

from the gas company and how best to 

The new Union Gas site offers useful in for mation 

for residential HVAC contractors. 

deliver them. Technical and regulatory/code 

information was near the top of 

the list. 

And while a technical 

support person could handle 

those tasks, the contractors 

surveyed felt a web 

site would more quickly 

answer many of their questions, 

reported Seaward. 

The new site includes: 

• Updates and innovations 

– product recalls, Technical 

Standards and Safety 

Authority (TSSA)/code 

updates, pipeline expansions, 

promotions. 

• Technical support and 

resources – frequently asked questions, 

code facts, fuel comparisons and training 

resources. 

• Energy conservation information and 

incentives – energy savings programs 

for contractors and customers. 

• Forms and requests – Request for 

Action form, excess foot age, meter dial 

cards, Clearances Guide, TSSA At tach - 

ment No.2 form. 

• Union gas contacts. 

Planned future up dates include new 

pro ducts from HVAC man ufacturers, 

manufacturer technical support, and an 

online Request for Action submission 

process. 

Union Gas is en couraging contractors 

to visit the site and send their feedback 

to restechsupport@uniongas.com. 

Union Gas Circle no. 321 

Safety Isn't Just Skin Deep... 

Corrosion 

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Construction 

Stainless 

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Investment 

Cast Stainless 

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Stainless Steel 

Relief Valve 

Cover Screws 

Single Access 

Cover 

Top 

Mounted 

Check 

Retainer 

Torsion 

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Design 

Slotted 

Pivot 

Point 

Straight Tube 

Stainless Steel 

Body 

Patented 

Linkage 

Design 

Uniquely 

Contoured 

Check Valve 

Opening 

Replaceable 

Check Disc 

Rubber 

Specify Superior Backflow Protection from Watts 

When it comes to protecting the health and safety of people, why choose anything but the best? 

The Watts SilverEagle TM Series backflow assemblies incorporate the latest design features to protect 

against contamination at health hazard cross-connections. The SilverEagle series is the 

most compact, the lightest and offers the most flexibility of any backflow assembly in the 

industry. Specify the valve with safety at its core! For additional information and to view 

the latest SilverEagle approvals, visit our website at www.wattscanada.ca 

or call 1-888-208-8927. 

Heritage site to expand 

After three years of design and development, 

the Canadian HVACR Heritage 

Centre will expand its website to display 

new files, exhibits, educational features, 

news and photographs. Nigel Heseltine, 

who designed and developed websites 

for the architectural directory Buildcore 

and the 400-page Reid Construction 

Data site among others, will create sections 

covering the Centre’s Hall of Fame 

recipients and their biographies, industry 

leaders and associations, including 

RSES, HRAI and ASHRAE, several histories 

of HVACR technologies over the 

20th Century, educational commentaries, 

and the programs for exhibitions 

of its artifacts collection. Check it all 

out over the next few months at 

www.hhc-canada.net. 

Rheem design sites 

Rheem Manufacturing has introduced 

its all-new DesignStar home comfort 

system customization tool. Available at 

www.rheemdesignstar.com and 

www.ruuddesignstar.com, this online 

tool allows contractors to interactively 

“drag and drop” individual HVAC system 

components into a customization 

area, thus creating personalized systems 

for homeowners. Once the homeowner 

has their system in place, the 

“Economics” tab displays things like system 

cost, comparative pricing, cumulative 

cost savings, loan payment amounts 

and interest rates. For more information, 

visit rheem.virtualhvac.com. 

Rheem Mfg. Circle no. 322 

Green advice 

Nibco has added a central repository of 

resources and tools to keep contractors 

in formed about green building pra ctices 

and ch anging 

standards and 

codes which are 

driving the 

demand for 

green products 

on the company’s 

web site. To 

learn more, visit www.nibco.com and 

click on the Green link. 

Nibco Inc. Circle no. 323 


30 Plumbing & HVAC Product News – November/December 2008 www.plumbingandhvac.ca 

TM

People & Places 

People 

Usines Giant Factories Inc., 

Montreal, has appointed Jean- 

Claude Lesage to 

the position of vicepresident. 

“J-C” has 

been with the 

company 14 years. 

Marc Blais has 

Jean-Claude 

Lesage 

been named director 

of sales-Canada 

for ITT Industries 

of Canada, Res iden tial & 

Commercial Water, Guelph, Ont. 

Stew Rutherford, Waterloo, 

Ont., has retired from his position 

as Canadian sales rep for Equiguard 

Inc. 

Raman Chauhan, P.Eng, is this 

year’s recipient of 

the Joseph K. 

Seidner Award. 

The Canadian 

Institute of 

Plumbing & 

Heating recognized 

Chauhan, a 

Raman Chauhan 

technical advisor 

to the National Re search Council, 

for his “outstanding contributions 

to Canadian codes and standards.” 

Kim Butts is now president of 

Mechanical Systems 2000 Inc. 

in Calgary. Alan Zanidean has been 

named sales manager. 

Bruce Passmore has been ap - 

point ed vice president of operations 

for McKeough Supply, Brantford, 

Ont. 

Debra Perkins has been named 

executive assistant for the Canadian 

Institute of Plumbing & Heating. 

Companies 

Vanguard Piping Systems 

(Canada) Inc., Burnaby, B.C., has 

announced that its parent company 

has acquired Viega’s remaining 

interest in the company. 

The federal government has 

accepted S.A. Armstrong Limited, 

Toronto, as a “leader” of the 

Canadian Industry Program for 

Energy Conservation (CIPEC). 

In Memoriam 

HVAC wholesaler celebrates 80 years 

Alongtime southwestern Ontario 

HVAC supplier is celebrating 80 

years in business this year. 

In 1928 J.R. Lynn and Haven 

Kimmerly founded L-K Metal Products 

Co. Ltd. in Windsor, Ont. The company 

remained a relatively small operation as 

it survived the Great Depression and 

the Second World War years. Kimmerly 

left the partnership in 1938. 

However, in the early 1950s the company 

began to grow significantly with 

Mr. Lynn’s eldest sons, Jack and Dewart, 

managing L-K Metal and J.R. along 

with youngest son Murray operating 

J.R. Lynn Sheet Metal until J.R.’s retirement 

in 1955. 

The three boys incorporated L-K 

Metal Products in 1952. At this time 

L-K was a heating wholesaler and a 

manufacturer of metal products including 

ductwork, stove pipe and radiator 

cowls for farm machinery. However, by 

the end of the 1950s the company had 

become primarily a wholesaler. 

Space became an issue and in 1966 

The company has grown considerably in the past 80 years. 

the company relocated to its current 

Lincoln Road location. Since that time the 

building has undergone three additions 

and now encompasses 55,000 square feet 

on 3.2 acres in the heart of Windsor. 

In 1966 Silver Leach joined the company 

as an employee. In 2005 Silver 

became the company owner and vice 

president. Murray Lynn remains very 

active as head of purchasing and company 

president. “His experience is priceless 

and his jokes, stories and encouragement 

brighten the day for any who 

will listen,” reports London district general 

manager Dan Garrod. 

Today L-K serves contractors in 

Windsor, Chatham, London and surrounding 

areas. Over the past 80 years 

Former RSES International and RSES Canada 

president Jack Hasick has died at age 84. Surrounded 

by family, Jack passed away on Friday, Nov. 7 at 

Southwood Hospice in Calgary. He “had not been in 

good health, but one would not really know that because 

he was so upbeat and happy to hear from you whenever 

you took the time to call and chat,” reported his friend 

Brian Baker, president, Custom Vac, Winnipeg. “The 

Jack Hasick 

HVACR Industry has lost one of our very last few remaining 

senior statesmen who always put people first and 

whose foundation of values lay with education and training,” he added. Jack was 

born in Hamiota, Man. and moved to Winnipeg where he started his 50-year plus 

HVAC industry career. Later, moving to Calgary, he became leading fund-raiser 

for SAIT Polytechnic – Mechanical Trades Program. Jack is survived by his wife 

Nancy, sons Murray and Gordon and their families. Memorial tributes may be 

made to SAIT Polytechnic – Jack Hasick Endowment. (Photo courtesy of RSES International) 

Silver Leach, left, and Murray Lynn have been key in the company’s success. 

the company has developed many 

long-term relationships with leading 

manufacturers, giving it an edge in 

bringing new technologies to its customers. 

An in-house engineering 

department ensures that customers 

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wallacewireless.com/hvac 

Igniting the mobile enterprise 

receive the right equipment and the 

correct design for their projects. 

Helping contractors keep up to date 

on the latest HVAC technologies 

remains a key priority. L-K operates a 

training facility in Windsor and 

regularly brings in experts to share 

their knowledge. 

Like so many long-lasting companies, 

L-K Metal’s success can be largely 

attributed to the people that work 

there. Today the company has 29 

employees, some of whom have been 

with the company for 30 years or more. 

Visit www.lkmetal.com for more 

information. 

No Paper. No office. 

No Problem. 



Coming Events 

AHR rolls out the green carpet 

The latest in “green” products, technologies, 

trends and solutions will 

take centre stage at the 2009 AHR 

Expo when it takes place Jan. 26-28 at 

McCormick Place in Chicago. 

The 61st edition of the world’s largest 

HVAC/R exposition will place a special 

emphasis on environmentally friendly 

and energy efficient products and technologies. 

“Industry knowledge of sustainability 

is growing and it’s critical for us to 

tell our green story. Attending AHR 

Expo allows us to help our customers 

understand that commitment to the 

environment,” said Stirling Boston, 

marketing manager with boiler manufacturer 

Lochinvar. 

The most innovative green HVAC/R 

product will be selected from among 

exhibitor submissions as the winner of 

the 2009 AHR Expo Innovation Award 

in the Green Building category. 

Green building, sustainable design 

and renewable energy will also be highlighted 

in the seminars. These include a 

presentation on the Energy Star program 

by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, an HVAC mobile 

green classroom, a full-day LEED program 

by the U.S. Green Building 

Council, along with various “green” sessions 

by The Green Mechanical Council 

and the American Society of Heating, 

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning 

Engineers (ASHRAE). 

AHR organizers are hoping to match the massive turnout of last year’s event in 

New York City. 

The Expo will once again present the 

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) designation. 

Companies that showcase products for 

indoor air quality improvement receive 

a special IAQ sign to display in their 

booths. 

Visit www.ahr.com for more 

information. 

Hydronic seminars 

S.A. Armstrong Ltd. will offer both 

introductory and advanced hydronic 

training courses across Ontario in early 

2009. The dates are as follows: 

Barrie:...............................Feb. 3, Mar.25 

Sudbury: ........................................Feb. 4 

Kitchener:........................Feb. 11, Mar. 4 

Hanover: ....................Feb. 16, March 11 

London:...........................Feb. 17, Mar. 3 

Thunder Bay:...............................Feb. 24 

Hamilton: .......................Mar. 18, May 5 

Belleville:..........................Mar. 31, Apr.7 

Peterborough:..................Apr. 1, Apr. 15 

Oshawa: .............................Apr. 8, May 6 

Ottawa: ..........................Apr. 21, Apr. 22 

Registration forms and training 

course brochures will be available at 

plumbing and heating wholesalers. 

Online registration is available at 

www.armstrongpumps.com. For more 

information, contact Mike Smith at 

(519) 803-7394 or e-mail 

msmith@armlink.com. 

One workplace accident is always 

just around the corner, down the hall 

and outside the door. 

What are you doing to protect your people from slipping and falling? 

Slipping and falling is an epidemic that’s annually responsible 

for tens of thousands of industrial accidents and millions 

of lost man hours. Now in the top three of all work-related 

accidents, it places huge burdens on Canadian families, 

organizations and healthcare systems. And it’s an equal 

opportunity hazard, striking people in all industries from 

construction to food service, regardless of work environment 

or weather conditions. Recognizing the toll on people and 

ultimately bottom lines, Canadian businesses are starting to 

put their foot down on the issue. 

If your business is one of them, you should know we are the 

exclusive carrier of TARANTULA Anti-Slip Footwear. 

Developed in concert with University 

researchers, TARANTULA Anti-Slip, 

with its advanced tread designs and 

outsole compounds, makes any Canadian ANTI-SLIP FOOTWEAR 

Making Canada a safer place to walk. 

workplace a safer place to walk. 

Protect your people with breakthrough anti-slip technology 

by calling one of our expert Corporate Sales Managers at 

1.800.663.6275, emailing imagewear@erequest.ca or 

visiting imagewear.ca/PHVAC 

Calendar 

JAN. 24-29: ASHRAE 2009 Technical 

Conference & Winter Meetings, Palmer 

House Hilton, Chicago. Contact: 

(404) 636-8400, www.ashrae.org. 

JAN. 26-28: AHR International Expo 

2009, ASHRAE/ARI Winter Meetings 

and Technical Conference, Chicago. 

Contact: (203) 221-9232, 

www.ahrexpo.com. 

FEB. 5-8: Interior Design Show, 

Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition 

Place, Toronto. Contact: (416) 599- 

3222, info@interiordesignshow.com, 

www.interiordesignshow.com. 

APRIL 8, 9: MCEE 2009 

(Mecanex/Climatex/Electricite/Eclairage), 

Place Bonaventure, Montreal. 

Call 1-800-465-2668 or visit 

www.mecanexclimatex.ca. 

APRIL 15-17: 2008 Foothills 

Hydronics Conference, Mayfield Inn 

and Suites Conference Centre, 

Edmonton. Call (780) 968-6828 or 

visit www.hydronicsalberta.com. 



Mechanical Marketplace 

The bulletin board of products, services, professionals, 

employment opportunities and more for Canada’s 

Mechanical Contracting Industry. 

Selling your business? 

Need employees? 

Looking to buy or sell equipment? 

Advertise 

in 

Marketplace! 

Contact Jordan Chong at (416) 614-5832 

or by e-mail at jchong@newcom.ca 

Coming in the Next Issue 

Hearth & Heating 

• A look at pellet technologies 

• Fireplace venting 

Also, don’t miss: 

• Hydronic heating solutions 

• The new pickups 

• Products, products, products … 

Literature Showcase 

Following are some of the latest catalogues, manuals, software and product 

brochures from the industry’s leading manufacturers. To receive a copy, please 

circle the corresponding number on the Reader Service Card in this issue, fill out 

your contact information, and mail it or fax it to (416) 620-9790. 

Pro contractor program 

REHAU has introduced an eight-page brochure 

providing details on its new professional contractor 

development program. REHAU EDGE is 

a multi-faceted membership program that 

encourages all aspects of contractor growth 

through training, design services, brand merchandise 

and local, regional, and national 

events. Request a copy of the brochure at: Email: 

rehau.mailbox@rehau.com. Fax: 1.800.627.3428. 

Rehau 

Circle no. 132 

Underground Copper Water Services 

The Canadian Copper & Brass Development 

Association has released a new booklet detailing 

the specification and installation of underground 

copper water services. Subjects include 

the different types of copper tube that can be 

used, the alternatives, specifications, lead-free 

fittings, replacement of lead services, installation 

methods along with water efficiency and 

conservation. For more information call 1-877- 

640-0946 (toll free), fax (416) 391-3823, 

e-mail coppercanada@onramp.ca or visit 

www.coppercanada.ca. 

CCBDA 


Made for Canada 

Zuba-Central from Mitsubishi is simply the new 

and better way to provide year-round heating 

and cooling comfort. Made for Canada, this 

easy-to-install, money and space-saving system 

will forever change the way the homeowner 

experiences air conditioning. And because it’s 

Energy Star qualified, they can take comfort in 

knowing they are reducing your carbon footprint. 

Mitsubishi 


Water Conservation Fixture Systems 

Water saving products 

EcoVantage fixture systems from Zurn offer engineers 

and contractors a number of ways to conserve 

water and maximize LEED credits for their 

customers. The EcoVantage water conservation 

fixture systems catalogue details these products. 

They include a low-flow flush valve, dual flush and 

pressure-assisted toilets, ultra low consumption 

and waterless urinals, E-Z sensor faucets, a lowflow 

pre-rinse faucet and showerhead. The company’s 

hydro generator sensor faucet uses water 

flow to drive a turbine that recharges a replaceable 

battery, resulting in 10 years of uninterrupted 

operation. 

Zurn Industries 


RIDGID Product Catalogue 

The new RIDGID 234-page color full-line product 

catalogue includes new products and readerfriendly 

features to help guide customers in choosing 

products. A visual product index divides the 

catalogue into 13 product categories to enhance 

the overall navigation of the catalog. Useful product 

selection charts help customers choose the 

products that best meet their needs. Helpful tool 

tips are located throughout the catalog to further 

educate customers on tool maintenance and product 

selection. www.ridgid.com/catalog. 

Ridgid 


Hydronic guidebook 

The new Hydronic Heating and Hot Water 

Recirc Systems Handbook from Grundfos 

Pumps offers insight into the proper application 

and installation of a broad range of hydronic 

and domestic hot water recirculation system 

components. These include multi-pump zone 

controls, isolation valves and the company’s 

broad offering of wet rotor, three-speed pump 

technology. 

Grundfos 


Index of Advertisers 

Advertisers 

Page 

A.O. Smith 2 

Aeroflo 7 

Bradford White 24 

Chrysler 4 

Dahl Bros. Canada 11 

Delta Faucet 16 

Fantech 28 

Ford 10 

Fujitsu 9 

General Motors 26 

General Pipe Cleaners 8 

Grundfos Canada 19 

ImageWear 32 

ITT 25 

LG Electronics 6 

MAAX 13,15 

Madok Mfg. 5 

Mobilio 28 

Napoleon 17 

Raptor Cutting Tools 34 

Rehau 3 

Ridgid 36 

Selkirk Canada 14 

Sly Fox 27 

Taco Canada 20 

Unicell 29 

Uponor Ltd. 21, 22 

Victaulic 18 

Wallace Wireless 31 

Watts Industries 30 

Zurn Industries 34 

Literature Showcase 33 

Grundfos, Mitsubishi, Rehau, 

Ridgid, Zurn

Shop Management 

Trucks and taxation 

Does taking a commercial vehicle home constitute a taxable benefit? 

The Canada Reve - 

nue Agency 

(CRA) and Trade 

Canada Revenue states that: ‘In 

addition to what would obviously be 

considered use of a motor vehicle supplied 

by an employer that is not in connection 

with or in the course of the 

taxpayer’s office or employment, i.e., 

personal use (e.g., vacation trips, personal 

shopping trips, etc.), such use 

includes travel between the employee’s 

place of work and home, even though 

the employee may have to return to 

work after regular duty hours. 

‘An exception occurs, however, 

where (as required by the employer or 

with the employer’s permission) the 

employee proceeds directly from home 

to a point of call other than the 

employer’s place of business to which 

the employee reports regularly (e.g., to 

If an employee takes a service truck home, like this one belonging to Bruce 

Maly Plumbing in Peterborough, Ont., is that really a benefit to the employee? 

The courts aren’t so sure. 

It would appear to exclude 

technicians who are going to one 

construction site for an extended 

period of time 

Con tractors have a 

love/hate relationship 

with vehicles and the 

taxable implications. 

The personal driving of an employer’s 

vehicle is a taxable benefit to the 

employee. CRA defines personal driving 

is any driving by an employee, or a 

person related to the employee, for 

purposes not related to his or her 

employment. This includes: 

• vacation trips; 

• driving to conduct personal activities; 

and 

• travel between home and work 

(even if you insist that the employee 

drives the vehicle home). 

It is not considered personal driving 

if the employer requires or allows the 

employee to travel directly from home 

to a point of call (such as a technician 

going to the jobsite) other than your 

place of business to which the employee 

regularly reports, or to return home 

from that point. 

85% Water Savings 

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The Pint ® is ideal for hospitals, schools, 

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Reference the promo code 

make repairs at customer’s premises), 

or returns home from such a point. 

These particular trips are not considered 

to be of a personal nature.’ 

(Visit: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca for 

more information.) 

I believe that a service technician 

who goes from his home to the service 

calls on a regular basis would be covered 

as having no personal taxable benefit. 

Get your accountant’s opinion on this 

before taking any implementation. 

However, it would appear to exclude 

technicians who are going to one construction 

site for an extended period of 

time. 

Employers and employees should 

keep these records so that the total kilometres 

driven in a calendar year by an 

employee or a person related to the 

employee may be properly apportioned 

between business use and personal use. 

Court cases 

Court decisions would seem to indicate 

that the standby charge – “the 

benefit employees enjoy when your 

automobile is available for their personal 

use”— does not apply to commercial 

vehicles. 

On July 16, 2002, the Tax Court of 

Canada ruled that extended cab trucks 

and a van which were provided by the 

employer and which the employees 

were required to take home at night 

Date Description Business Private Total Odometer 

Kms Kms Kms 

March 31, 2009 158,000 

April 1, 2009 Drove from home to customer site A, 1,000 0 1,000 159,000 

then to customer site B, then to office, 

then to customer site C, then home 

To survive an audit the employee should keep detailed records. 

because they were on twenty-four hour 

call and which contained equipment 

and instrumentation were for their 

work and were not “automobiles” and 

therefore were not subject to the prescribed 

standby charge. 

On Aug. 13, 2004, the Tax Court of 

Canada ruled that a 1998 Ford 150 x 18 

extended cab truck was not an “automobile” 

because it was designed for 

business and commercial purposes; it 

does not accommodate more than a 

driver and two passengers. The taxpayer 

was allowed the full GST input credit. 

The interpretation is also made that 

there would be no prescribed standby 

charge. To the best of my knowledge 

this ruling has not been overturned. 

(Talk to your accountant). 

A special thanks to chartered ac - 

countant Collin Johnsen for his input. 

“PHVAC-Pint85” with your inquiry. 

Ronald Coleman is a Vancouverbased 

accountant, management consultant, 

author and educator specializing in 

www.zurn.com 

the construction industry. His web site is 

www.ronaldcoleman.ca and he can be 

reach ed by e-mail at 

ronald@ronaldcoleman.ca. 




FlexBalance 

e 

hydraulic bridge 

for 

trouble free systems operation. 

5900 FlexBalance-Plus 

featuring PallRing 

Rings 

FlexBalance-Plus 

Separator 

FlexBalance 

e 

Separator 

r 

5900 FlexBalance & FlexBalance-Plus ance-Plus series 

s Separators 

Patented 

Pall Ring 

micro-bubble 

separation technology 

Taco’s patented 5900 FlexBalance 

and FlexBalance-Plus Separators act as a hydraulic 

bridge between the primary and secondary circuits inhyd 

hydronic heating and cooling 

applications. The FlexBalance-Plus 

product line incorporates Taco’s patented Pall Ring 

technology for deep micro-bubble eand dirt removal. Both 

provide improved system 

energy efficiency, allowing the use 

eofsmaller pumps for each system circuit. 

The Taco 5900 series separators – 

simple, yet smart. 

TACO CANADA LTD. 

8450 Lawson Road, 

Milton, ON 

L9T 

0J8 

Tel. 

905-564-9422 

Fax. 

905-564-9436 

www.taco-hvac.com 

iSeries 

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Air Eliminators 

Electronic 

Controls 

ols 

Hot Water 

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YOU CAN HANDLE A 

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It’s durable. It’s reliable. It’s 

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five second cycle time increases 

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The Emerson logo is a trademark and service mark of Emerson Electric Co. ©2008, RIDGID, Inc. 

Learn more and schedule 

demonstrations: 800.769.7743 

or www.RIDGID.com. 

R P 3 3 0 

The ultimate pressing technology. 


DIAGNOSTICS PRESSING PIPE & TUBE TOOLS DRAIN MAINTENANCE POWER TOOLS

December 2008 - Plumbing & HVAC

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