MCAA and our Supplier Partners know contractors aren’t just looking for solutions, you’re looking for Smart Solutions.
Efficient prefabrication strategies and Victaulic products made it possible for California-based Marelich Mechanical to overcome a tight timeline and space constraints for a 43,000-square-foot data center project by speeding up the installation process and keeping costs down. Marelich Mechanical constructed all of the project’s mechanical and plumbing systems in just three months.
With an impossible deadline to meet, Trautman & Shreve needed an ultra-efficient tool to meet the twin performance criteria of energy efficiency and cost control for the new Research Support Facility (RSF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO. So they prefabricated 42 miles of Uponor’s cross-linked polyethylene (PEX-a) tubing into customized “radiant mats” and installed them in just two days, dramatically cutting both labor time and costs.
By opting for Carrier’s geothermal exchange system, Elliot-Lewis helped The Friends Center in central Philadelphia upgrade its heating and cooling plant and earn LEED® Platinum certification, despite the challenges posed by an urban location and national landmark status. The Friends Center campus in central Philadelphia is owned and operated by The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers.
Soefker Services, LLC, of Memphis, TN, has taken a proactive approach to managing the diminishing supply and rising costs of R-22 refrigerant by using Polar Technology’s TrakRef™ software to manage their reclaim process and get the recovered R-22 back for future use. For years, R-22 has been the refrigerant of choice for commercial and residential systems. With so much demand, production of new R-22 remained strong even as pending U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations sought to reduce use of the refrigerant because of its high potential to contribute to global warming.
When Brandt needed a way to prevent sewer gas odors in the Forest Park Medical Center in Frisco, TX, they turned to the Quad Close Trap Seal Device manufactured by Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.® The time saved installing the Quad Close when compared with trap primers “really makes a big difference,” said Keith Rosson, general superintendent at Brandt.
A major expansion of the 1960s-era Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, VA, is on track and on budget, thanks in part to Warwick Plumbing and Heating, which relied on NIBCO products, prefabrication, and building information modeling (BIM) to keep the project running smoothly. Because lives are at stake, maintaining uninterrupted service during construction in the hospital is crucial.
Using black iron pipe for Buffalo General Hospital’s expansion project saved John W. Danforth Company material costs, while the new Viega MegaPress® carbon steel pipe joining system helped them make clean, consistent black iron pipe connections. Rich Mueller, Danforth’s project manager, said Danforth saved money in two different ways by installing Viega MegaPress. “First, we saved on the cost of the black pipe compared to the copper. And second, we saved on labor by using pressing instead of threading the black pipe.”
Legal actions sometimes cast a wide net, drawing an employer into a claim by alleging that the use of a vehicle in the case was for business purposes. Business use can be alleged as the result of something as simple as storing some small tools in the automobile, taking the mail to the post office, or being on a cell phone call with the office.
Limbach Company uses BuildingAdvice software and sensors to identify energy-saving fixes, helping a Columbus, OH, property management group ensure that its buildings meet ENERGY STAR requirements. That success was the “in” that Limbach needed to secure more opportunities for energy services that may lead to preventive maintenance and retrofit contracts.
For the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, MMC Contractors met the demands posed by a complex design and environmental challenges by using tools from Technical Sales International (TSI). With Autodesk® Fabrication CADmep™ 2013 software, MMC Contractors was able to take the 2D drawings and detail the angles, hangers, couplings and air handling units in a fully-detailed building information modeling (BIM) 3D plan, then fabricate the entirety of the museum’s mechanical systems.
The question often arises within an organization, “For our next project, should we rent or should we buy equipment?” Renting equipment from companies like Lifting Gear Hire Corporation (LGH) comes with effective cost- and time-saving benefits. Keep these 12 reasons to rent in mind when organizing your next project.
Confronted with correcting the performance problems of an R22 direct expansion system with two magnetic levitation, oil-less centrifugal compressors at a building in Newport Beach, CA, ACCO Engineered Systems staff ran energy comparisons between oil-less, centrifugal compressor models and screw compressors. To their surprise, BITZER CSW Screw Compressors provided full load and part load efficiencies comparable to the oil-less, centrifugal compressors.
When faced with the challenges of installing a quiet, energy efficient HVAC system for Eastern Kentucky University’s (EKU’s) new, state-of-theart science building, H&R Mechanical Contractors selected Baltimore Aircoil Company (BAC) PT2 Cooling Towers. The PT2 towers not only solve the energy challenges but are equipped with several features that keep noise to a minimum. The new campus facility, located in Richmond, KY, houses classrooms and labs for the departments of Chemistry, Science, and Physics & Astronomy.
For its new, expanded facility, the Almost Home Animal Shelter in Fort Dodge, IA, needed an air handling system that would heat and cool while saving energy, improve indoor air quality for employees and visitors as well as the animals, eliminate odors, and remove humidity. Not only did Greenheck products meet all of those needs, but the equipment paid for itself in less than two years, thanks to reduced energy costs.
The Central Plant Optimization™ (CPO) software from Johnson Controls that is helping a global marketer and distributor of food service products significantly reduce its central plant energy consumption is also helping Straus Systems of Stafford, TX, advance their position as a leader in the installation of new technologies. “Straus Systems has been in business since 1933, and we continue to build our job resume,” said Vice President of Operations Management Paul Alexander. “Projects like this one that incorporate innovative technologies like CPO30 can help us differentiate our company and grow our business. Our success serves as a springboard to capture new business, particularly among companies interested in best-inclass, energy-saving solutions.”
“Measure twice, cut once” is perhaps the oldest adage in the construction industry. Companies like Grinnell Mechanical Products offer a technical services team of experts who work with engineers and contractors to think through every detail, and the result is improved project management that reduces scrap, decreases labor, and saves money. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of mechanical services.