Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future
How to achieve sustainability through mechanical grooved piping systems
By Larry Thau
In 1989, the United Nations defined sustainability as the ability “to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” With buildings consuming an estimated 40 percent of all energy used in the United States today, building owners, architects and other stakeholders are discovering significant economic and social advantages to designing and building for a healthier planet.
Sustainable (green) development starts with the following commitments on the part of the building owner: to minimize site impact by preserving trees and wetlands; to conserve energy, water and other resources; to reduce dust, noise and air pollution; to use renewable materials and to plan for the impact of transportation and parking on the surrounding neighborhoods.
In addition to promoting aesthetic and social harmony, green buildings provide real cost savings for owners, during initial construction, as well as over a structure’s life cycle, through savings in energy consumption and maintenance. Sustainable design involves more than just site orientation and energy-saving construction techniques. What goes into a building in the way of infrastructure is equally important. Well-planned HVAC, plumbing and other mechanical engineering systems are essential to making a building sustainable throughout its life cycle.
Sustainability is an ongoing process in which every manufacturer and fabricator of building systems plays a key role. This article will describe how grooved mechanical piping systems promote sustainability and a future of safe and efficient operations, from manufacture and installation through operations and maintenance.
Mechanical grooved piping systems rooted in sustainability
Grooved mechanical piping was invented in 1925 and was used during World War I to rapidly deploy essential resources such as fuel and water to the Allies. Through the years, mechanical piping systems were increasingly used on HVAC, plumbing and fire protection applications, due to the time and labor savings associated with installation. Today, grooved piping systems are an excellent alternative to soldering and brazing for potable water distribution, equipment connections on pumps, water softeners and filters, as well as drain, waste and vent piping.
Grooved systems employ a proven roll grooving process to join piping, valves and other components. Using a simple, two-bolt coupling design, pipefitters can make rugged, secure joints quickly and easily, using only basic hand tools. With a union at every joint, contractors have maximum field flexibility for on-site decision making. All couplings are sealed for optimum integrity by means of a durable elastomeric gasket designed to withstand years of sustained high compressive and cyclical loads.
Grooved joining technology is rooted in sustainability; its inherent qualities naturally make it environmentally friendly. Even before the evolution of the green building trend the grooved piping system provided a more efficient, cleaner and safer system versus other pipe joining methods, such as welding, soldering or brazing.
Reducing the need for welding, soldering or brazing means better air quality, less particulate matter released into the atmosphere and decreased fire risk. There also is less material waste, reducing site impact. Indoor and outdoor air quality are preserved because there are no fumes or particulate matter to endanger workers or the environment. Finally, highly recoverable material content is used during the manufacturing of grooved piping system components.
Products made from natural resources
Most top-of-the-line manufacturers have in place processes that help to reduce dependency on natural resources, promoting sustainable manufacturing. The manufacturers of grooved mechanical piping systems are without exception. Most grooved products use recycled steel, and the products are manufactured using the natural elements of fire, sand, water and air. Products may be painted using a dip coating application, which, unlike spray painting, does not atomize, so it is not a source of regulated pollutant emissions. In addition, dip coating eliminates the need for volatile solvents that are used to thin paints in the spray painting process.
The manufacture of mechanical systems requires the use of sand molds. The re-use of sand for the molding of products limits the use of additional raw materials, and sand reclamation programs significantly reduce the amount of sand being sent to landfills each year.
Sustainable job sites
During installation, mechanical grooved piping systems significantly reduce or eliminate waste, emissions and noise pollution on the job site, providing a safer and healthier environment.
The reduced need for soldering reduces emissions on the job site. Byproducts of solder fumes can contain lead oxide, carbon monoxide, V.O.C. (volatile organic compounds) and hydrochloric acid, in addition to many other harmful particles and gases. The elimination of these harmful pollutants means less airborne pollution, providing not only for a more sustainable environment but also for a safer job site during construction, maintenance or retrofit work,
A grooved mechanical pipe joint does not require the use of electricity during installation, reducing the draw on burdened power resources. Pipes that are joined by welding or soldering require the use of vast amounts of electricity for prolonged periods of time consuming up to 4,000 watts of energy per hour on an eight-inch joint.
The installation of a grooved mechanical joint is cleaner than the installation of soldered joints, thus reducing on-site job waste. Unlike soldering and brazing methods, grooved mechanical joints do not require flux to seal the joint, which must be flushed and cleaned from the system prior to operation. Additionally, soldered systems often require as much as 35 percent re-work for failures discovered when pressurizing and testing the completed system, which requires additional resources. Grooved mechanical pipe joints can be visually inspected for proper installation, so re-work is minimal, saving energy, resources and time on the job.
Sustainability for the future of a building
Energy costs typically represent 30 percent of a building’s annual budget and are the single largest operating cost (Energy Star). The Energy Systems Lab at Texas A&M University indicated that energy use in buildings could be reduced from 10 to 40 percent by improving operational strategies in buildings, including maintenance strategies.
In a plumbing system, booster pumps and strainers need routine maintenance to operate efficiently; less deferred maintenance means a higher level of energy efficiency. With soldered or brazed piping systems, accessing valves, strainers, pumps and water softeners is often a time consuming and inconvenient process, due to the necessity of system shutdown and drainage. The more difficult the process, the more likely the maintenance will be deferred.
Mechanical piping joining systems provide an optimal way to effectively maintain piping systems in structures, thereby reducing the deferral of maintenance and promoting operating efficiency and money savings. Their ease of installation and the ability to disassemble and reinstall the same components make them a simple solution for the frequent performance of both routine and irregular maintenance. For access to a grooved piping system, a maintenance person simply loosens the two coupling bolts, without having to shut down the entire system. To speed the maintenance process, grooved piping systems can also be installed wet or dry. These systems are a safe alternative in specialty facilities, where open flames could potentially create a hazardous environment.
Aside from routine maintenance, it is sometimes necessary to join two existing systems within a structure. In retrofit and adaptability projects, the grooved system is easily re-routed, due to a union at every joint. Grooved mechanical pipe joints can be installed on wet lines; this saves the time required to drain the piping system. Because properly placed butterfly valves provide “dead-end” shutoff service for isolation, operating efficiency can be maintained during retrofit work, and systems can remain live. Additionally, because mechanical grooved piping re-work does not negatively affect indoor air quality or introduce a fire hazard, owners can engage in retrofit projects in occupied buildings without having to vacate the space.
LEED -- A blueprint for green development
To better assist owners and architectural design teams in achieving sustainable development goals, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has codified guidelines through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating program.
LEED is a growing effort worldwide to promote sustainable development. Under the program, developers can earn LEED rating points in six key areas: proper site orientation; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process.
In addition to promoting sustainability, incorporating grooved piping systems into a building’s design can help earn LEED points in a number of ways. Since grooved piping system fabrication requires no welding, fewer workers are needed for a shorter duration and there is less material waste, reducing site impact. Indoor and outdoor air quality is preserved, since there are no fumes or particulate matter to endanger workers or the environment. Simple, rugged design combined with the ability to resist seismic moments makes grooved pipe joinery ideal for collection and distribution of gray water and for reducing the possibility of potential contamination of water supplies on or near the site. Finally, the use of highly-recoverable material content during the manufacturing of grooved mechanical piping system components can help contribute to LEED certification points in the Materials and Resources (MR) category.
Conclusion
Building owners, consulting engineers and contractors currently using grooved piping readily acknowledge its superior value and performance in the design of sustainable plumbing, HVAC and other systems. Many owners are already reaping benefits through savings in construction time and costs, reduced waste, advancement of environmental goals and improvements in personnel safety and comfort. Equally important, the resulting long-term efficiency and maintainability will continue to pay dividends over the building’s life cycle.
Larry Thau is chief technical officer for Victaulic Company Inc. A practicing mechanical engineer for 35 years, he holds more than 35 patents and lectures on piping technology around the world.