Document pprb2k1YbRKqr07Gzoe1a13o6

t=LrEhL ma A> P/tO j technical services inc. Deecember 24, 1990 failure analysis product development graphics technology software development Mr. A1 Reventas Shintech, Inc. 24 Greenway Plaza - Suite 811 Houston, TX 77046 Ref: EFT 88-075 Vinyl Institute Consulting Dear Al: Enclosed are four articles related to plumbing code issues and field related matters, as well as a general article on smoke as it relates to HVAC. It was published in the trade magazine Engineered Systems. The article on "combustible construction controversy" appeared in late November following the annual IAPMO meeting. Seasons Greetings! Sincerely yours, p Joseph B. Zicherman, Ph.D. JBZ/jag cc: R. Gottesman P. Toner CTL029590 88-075/Revem.122490jj PHONE 415 548 3451 FAX 548 0290 2322 SIXTH STREET SUITE 107 BERKELEY CALIFORNIA 94710 USA Combustible Construction Controversy Ignites IAPMO Conference as Issue Nearly Ends Relationship with ICBO; Polybutylene Goes Down in Flames by Larry Dill ' ' Well nobody said it was going ;c oe senm-easy"--Billy Cylde Puckett. Semi- Tough The members of the International As sociation of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) faced one of their toughest tests ever when they met in Boise, Idaho for their 61st Annual Edu cation and Business Conference Sep tember 23-27. In addition to knowing that they were certain to have to endure still an other round of debate on the pros and cons of polybutylene (PB) piping and fit tings, the IAPMO membership also en tered the conference faced with the possibility of seeing their organization's relationship with the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO| disintegrate. ICBO, which includes IAPMO's Uniform Plumbing Code as part of its Uniform Building Code, had threat ened to drop its support of the UPC un less IAPMO removed language classify ing certain structures as "combustible construction." The combustible construction defini tion has been in the UPC for more than 11 years. Its origin and primary focus has been as a tool to restrict the use of ABS and PVC DWV products to limited buildings. The definition has long been a sore point of contention during IAPMO's annual conferences as those ad vocating the expanded use of plastics products have argued that such defini.tions and determinations have no place in the plumbing code. Those who have opposed the expanded use of plastics products, on the other hand, have found the combustible construction cat egory to be their preferred language. The combustible construction debate, as well as the less subtle battles regard ing specific plastics products, was par ticularly crucial during the September conference because it represented the last opportunity for changes to be made before IAPMO prints its next edition of the UPC in 1991. The UPC is updated at three year intervals with all code changes voted upon by the membership between printings included in the new edition. Thus, the conference represent ed the last opportunity for the next three years for the plastics industry to gain back ground and have PB and other Tom Hunter, stancmg uniteo /*ssoc;ation Dis trict Council 5 l. plastics products which have been vot ed out of the UPC reinstated in time to be included in the 1991 edition of the UPC. Even more significantly, lAPMO's leadership was feeling the heat being placed upon it by ICBO to make certain changes or run the risk if ending its re lationship with ICBO. ICBO was sched uled to hold its annual conference two weeks before the IAPMO event and it was evident in early September that a delicate situation was developing be tween the two organizations. Prior to its meeting, ICBO's directors issued a notice that they would be pro posing and emergency amendment at the ICBO conference. The emergency amendment on Chapter 59 of the UBC would, in effect, empower ICBO to automatically adopt the UPC by refer ence, but would delete combustible construction from the code. On a deep er note, however, the adoption by ref erence would enable ICBO to amend or change the UPC at will without a vote by the IAPMO membership. lAPMO's executive Director Ed Wachter addressed the issue during an earlier meeting of lAPMO's Central Cali fornia chapter when he noted that he opposed the wording "automatic" adoption because it provided another opportunity for ICBO to attempt to control the UPC. Wachter added that ICBO's staff, not its membership, ap pears to exert the most control over the organization's board of directors. According to the IAPMO interpreta tion of ICBO Emergency Amendment to Chapter 59, the move would have taken Page 8/Reeves Journal CTL029591 away lAPMO's power to amend the code. Such a threat to lAPMO's autono my was viewed as a serious step toward separation of the two organizations. Representatives of the two organiza tions met in a prolonged closed door session shortly before ICBO's annual conference and worked out an apparent compromise. It was agreed that the ICBO directors would withdraw their emergency amendment if IAPMO changed the combustible construction wording to their satisfaction in Boise. The ICBO directors retained their pres sure position, however, by having a res olution passed at their conference which stated that ICBO would readopt the emergency amendment if IAPMO failed to resolve the combustible con struction language issue to their satis faction in Boise. The ICBO power play forced a lot of scrambling by lAPMO's leadership be fore their conference as they attempted to develop language that would satisfy the demands of ICBO without compro mising lAPMO's autonomy and its limi tations on combustible construction, which have been supported by member ship votes for more than a decade. "We were shocked," IAPMO Presi dent Adele Bacon told her membership in an opening address to explain the sit uation with ICBO. "The building code is not the place to amend the plumbing code. If the plumbing code needs to be amended, it must be done under the provisions described in the IAPMO by laws. To provide a parallel system which circumvents the IAPMO by-laws is un thinkable'and unworkable." Bacon then explained ICBO's inten tions to force the issue if the IAPMO membership did not make the desired changes in combustible construction language and restrictions. She asked the membership for its support during the code changes session where the new language was to be introduced. In order to replace the combustible construction language, the IAPMO members voted to adopt code changes in various sections of the UPC which addressed the issue. As an example, the following code change was adopted for Chapter 4, Section 401 -Materials: "(2) ABS and PVC DWV piping instal lations shall be limited to structures not exceeding three floors above grade. For the purpose of this subsection, the first floor of a building shall be that floor that has fifty percent or more of the exterior wall surface area level with or above fin ished grade. One additional level that is the first level and not designed for hu man habitation and used only for vehi cle parking, storage or similar use shall SPACEMAKER WATER HEATS? ENCLOSURES "Wl PUT m mi IH OUR PRODUCT so YOU PORT HM TO-" Circle No. 105 on Reader Action Cord PIPE & SUPPLY WHOLfSXU PUJM8M. root. SPA MUCATION. COOUNG, HEATHS, SOUUt & MDUSTOAL SUPPUES CANOGA PARK 7811 Peering Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304-5093 (818) 346-6532 1-800-564-LEIF FAX NO. 818-884-6458 WESTLAKE 31240 Cedar Valley Dr.. Westlake CA 91362-3809 (805)495-8458 *(818)883-8672 FAX NO. 818-991-0138 GLENDALE 522 W. Windsor Rd. Glendale. CA 91204-1812 (818)500-1644 FAX NO. 818-547-0148 WE DO NOT SELL RETAIL. NEVER HAVE, NEVER WILL!! WE STOCK IN DEPTH THE FOLLOWING PARTS: Eijer, Kilgore, Price Pfister, Moen, Delta, Chicago, Sloan, Bell 8i Gossett, Gerber, Grundfo's, Champion, Superior, Rainbird. Rubber goods of all kinds. Plumbing specialties. Replacement stems. Kohler and American Standard parts. Do not let the 'gloom and doom' people run your business. Continue to do a good job with your customers. Like a mirror it will reflect back to you! Thank you, Respectfully from all of us at Leif Ball Pipe & Supply. Circle N . 106 on Reoder Action Card CTL029592 November 1990/P*ge 9 be permitted." resentatives from the California Pipe Trades Council denounced PB products Combustible Discussion and cited oxidative degradation as a key factor in the alleged failure of PB The debate over the combustible con struction issue was heated, to say the least. plumbing systems. The plastics industry countered with its argument that the majority of failures The Plastic Pipe and Fittings Associa with PB products have been fittings re tion, through attorney Adam Walker, lated and that such problems have been attempted to have discussion on the virtually eliminated since the discontin three specific code change proposals ued use of acetal insert fittings. dealing with the combustible construc William Blaine, U.S. Brass, and Wil tion issue tabled. This maneuver was liam Friedlander, Vanguard Plastics, ar less than warmly received by the mem gued strongly against the claims made bership and did not garner a single sup against PB products. porting vote from the more than 150 voting "A" members in attendance. As in the past, PPFA claimed that such discussions had no place in the plumbing code, but it was apparent that the issue simply was not going to vanish without being resolved. The PPFA con tingent (which was missing executive officer Richard Church and its primary legal adviser William Ives, who were at tending the fall meeting of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute) continued its familiar protests that such limitations are unfair to plastic products and are not "performance based." After prolonged debate and several attempts by the PPFA attorney to side track the discussion with technicalities and other efforts, the necessary lan guage was adopted, much to the cha grin of the plastics camp. PPFA's Jack Lancaster protested the loudest, saying, "We believe their exists a conspiracy." Lancaster further charged that the re strictions against certain plastics prod ucts represented a restraint of trade and "a conspiracy against us and the consumer." Dennis Chada. representing the City of St. Paul, Minn., pointed out the philo sophical goal of model code bodies such Blame stressed that the plastics in as IAPMO and noted that by the nature dustry has responded responsibly to of its assigned task, any such organiza previous problems and has replaced and tion must be exclusionary in a sense if it repaired faulty installations. is to protect the public. "We are in the "The pipe hasn't failed." Blaine said. business of restraining trade." Chada "Every single lawsuit is related to the pointed out as he stressed the goal of a fittings--acetal fittings." he added code to serve as a document to protect while explaining past problems. the health and safety of the public. "We Blaine also challenged the oxidation are here to keep inferior materials and claims by saying "everything oxidizes" products out. What we do does restrict. and "there is no indication this pipe will It's important to do that." oxidize within the normal life of a plumbing system." PB Efforts Fail Friedlander protested the claims made against plastic products and The plastics industry made a final at tempt to have PB products reinstat stressed that PB products need to be "put on a level playing field with other ed to the UPC for water systems inside materials." and outside buildings, but was voted Friedlander questioned reports of down. pipe failures in the San Jose area, which Once again, the debate centered on drew a quick response from Phillip what have become familiar issues. Rep Ribbs. City of San Jose Ribbs retorted Page 10/Reev*$ Journal that the majority of permits being issued in San Jose for plastic pipe work are for re-piping homes, not replacing fittings. Ribbs added that there are contracting firms in San Jose which are working full time on nothing but P3 re-pipmg assign ments. Ribbs also pointed out that more than 5.000 feet of PB piping has been dug up in San Jose from hot and cold water sys tems. Steve Pregan. Shell Chemical, an swered Ribbs claims about the 5.000 feet of defective pipe and said, "We've never see a foot of it." Roger Davidson. City of Dallas, noted that he has previously been a supporter of PB products, but his superiors sent him to the IAPMO conference with spe cific instructions to vote against the product's reinstatement. The efforts to restore PB's status in the UPC were soundly defeated. The product may still be installed, however, under the guidelines of Section 201 of the UPC which permit a jurisdiction to approve any materials which has an ap propriate standard as an alternative ma terial. Under this guideline. PB or any other material may be approved on an individual project basis m IAPMO jurisdictions. A complete summary of the code changes approved by the IAPMO mem bership will appear in the December is sue of Reeves Journal CTL029593 ABS Institute Continues Drive to Fight the Ban of Cellular Core DWV Piping in Lancaster by Larry Dill products, has been caught m the middle of several legal actions after installing ABS piping produced by Centaur, a man ufacturer which is no longer in business. Countless failures have occurred in those homes resulting in millions of dollars in damages, according to Rodio. The pri mary cause for the failures, the contrac tor and other ABS critics contend, was the use of non-virgin resin materials by the extruder. Rodio has also charged that other manufacturers have been guilty of circumventing the ASTM stan dards by using substandard resin materi als, which resulted in pipe failures. The Lancaster issue is complicated by the fact that Rodio's father, Arnie Rodio. Sr., is a member of the Lancaster City Council. The ABS Institute has charged a conflict of interest and has amended its complaint to request that the senior Ro dio not be allowed to vote on city council matters regarding the plumbing code. Foul Play Charged he ABS Institute has enlarged its by the ABS industry that the Lancaster Tcomplaint against the City of Lan City Council acted without cause in ban caster. Calif., in an effort to halt ning cellular core piping and also that it enactment of an ordinance which cadllsid not follow proper protocol in estab for the banning of ABS cellular core pip lishing its new ordinance. The key issue, ing from the city's version of the Uniform however, remains the industry's conten Plumbing Code (UPC). tion that the city council has acted in The ABS concerns returned to court preference of one material over another Aug. 15 with an amended complaint upon heavy lobbying. The ABS Institute against the City of Lancaster and were charges that the banning of cellular core able to win an extension of their tempo ABS was not only without merit, but also rary restraining order against Lancas in preference to competing PVC ter's Ordinance 545 until a hearing on products. Sept. 14 to decide if a permanent injunc The charge against ABS in Lancaster tion is in order. has been led by plumbing contractor Ar- A temporary restraining order was is me Rodio. Jr., who has been involved in a sued on July 26 to halt enforcement of series of lawsuits over ABS failures in res Ordinance 545, which contains an idential installations. Rodio. one of the amendment calling for the controlled use most outspoken critics of ABS DWV of ABS solid core products and a total ban of ABS foam core piping. The Ordi nance was originally scheduled to go into effect July 18. but the ABS Institute took actions to stop enforcement through the courts. At the heart of the de Lancaster has also been informed by bate is the charge bythe California Department of Housing and Community Development that its or the ABS industry thatdinance "contains amendments to the Uniform Plumbing Code which have not the Lancaster Citybeen adopted at the state level." In order for those amendments to be approved, Council acted withoutthe Lancaster city council was required to submit supporting "findings" declar-. cause in banning cel ing its reasons for the alteration of the UPC. lular core piping and The Lancaster City Council's reaction was to meet Aug. 6 and draft a findings also that it did not fol document, which has been submitted to the state and which was also submitted low proper protocol... to the Los Angeles Superior Court hear- ing the industry's complaint. - At the heart of the debate is the charge-- The ABS Institute, which represents six western manufacturers and a number of resin suppliers, contends that the Lancaster ordinance vote should be overturned on the grounds that the city council did not follow proper procedures and that there are no grounds for ban ning its members' products. The city council originally met May 9 to discuss proposed adoption of the new edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code. That meeting was attended by more than two dozen industry representatives, in cluding advocates and opponents of ABS materials. The merits of ABS products were debated at the lengthy session be fore a vote was taken to adopt the UPC. A second vote was required to pass the ordinance under Lancaster's charter. That vote was taken at a June 4 session when the council introduced an amend ment to Ordinance 545 that called for the banning of cellular core ABS and re quired that the use of solid core ABS be controlled by a list of procedures. ABS supporters argue that the June vote was invalid because the amendment was never presented and there was no public discussion on the issue allowed. The ordinance was scheduled to go into effect July 18, which prompted the filing of the ABS Institute's complaint and re quest for injunctive relief. "It was a pure hatchet job," ABS attor ney and spokesman Sanford Millar told Reeves Journal. Millar has argued that there has been no outcry for the banning of ABS prod ucts from Lancaster's plumbing commu nity and that the effort is being guided by the influence of the Rodios and other special interests. "Why was ABS singled out and not PVC?" Millar asks, claiming that the ac- tion is an unfair elimination of his clients' Paoe 24'Reeves Jown-.^i CTL029594 products. The ABS complaint, which will be heard later this month, cites a number of arguments against allowing Ordinance 545 to be approved. The ABS complaint charges that the ordinance adopted June 4 "was com pletely contrary to the proposed ordi nance which was the subject of testimo ny on may 9." The complaint also states that if testimony were allowed in June, "many scientific experts would have ap peared to give testimony" reporting on the merits of cellular core pipe. Among the ABS Institute's Arguments are: That cellular core ABS is a superior product in the overall relationship with the area's climatological, topographical and geological conditions. That competitive products are "in no way superior to cellular core ABS, and that to permit the use of those products, particularly cellular core ABS, was arbi trary and capricious." That the act of writing findings retro actively on Aug. 6 without recommenc ing the legislative process and taking ad ditional public testimony "violates the provisions of Health and Safety Code, Section 17958.7," which requires that findings be made prior to modification of code standards. That participation by Councilman Rodio was inappropriate and in violation of law, "given his declared bias against ABS, and the appearance of a conflict of interest." That the August action to write find ings retroactively without public testimo ny was "an inherent procedural unfairness." Millar has argued that there has been no outcry for the ban ning of ABS products from Lancaster's plumbing community and that the effort is being guided by the influence of the Rodios... Findings Questioned The city council's Aug. 6 findings cited six basic reasons for banning the ABS materials. They included claims that since the city is located in close proximi ty of the San Andreas Fault, there is an increased likelihood of seismic distur bances "of substantial magnitude which would cause consequent damage." They also cited cellular core ABS' combustible properties and potential toxicity in the event of fire. Other local conditions cited included: a potential threat of liquidification in the area; high summer temperatures and below freezing winter conditions; high wind conditions; proximity to a major railway line. Millar told Reeves Journal that the Lan caster findings are almost identical to those submitted in a previous action by the City of San Leandro, Calif. He ac cused the city of obtaining a copy of the San Leandro documents from the Cali fornia Pipe Trades Council and simply "changing some of the geographical information." Millar was particular outspoken in his protests of ABS being singled out while PVC products are allowed to-be used in Lancaster. Such action, he pointed out. TOUGH DEPENDABLE PROVEN! Commercial Plumbing Products. FISHER...the finest in commercial faucets, valves, hose bibbs, angle stops, waste valves, and more. Single source ordering and inventory cuts costs and increases profits. Interchangeable internal parts. Immediate delivery. Call or write today for complete catalog! 213/585-0161 /-- 1ttO-nSHRMfG.COl FISHER MANUFACTURING COMPANY P O. Box 58904, Vernon, CA 90058 PAX: 213/589-4305 Pago 26/Reevas Journal Circle No. 113 on Roodor Action Cord OBSTACLE COURSE Unfortunately mam- employers iust don't realize how vital the National Guard and Resene is to our armed forces. The fact is, they make up over 44% of our national defense. So the next ume someone who works for you needs time off for Guard and Resene duty please give tour full support And let the obstacle course begin at annual training. ITMMMCVOOUTAKAAQMAMlPOPOHaUt oPVt CTL029595 m<S/I creates an unfair market and unfair competition. "The reason we didn't outlaw PVC was because no one uses it here," Council1 man George Theophanis, told Reeves Journal. "If we find it's creating a prob lem, then we ll outlaw PVC. But there are certain things PVC can be used for in the i city, like water lines or under your yard. \ { that don't create a problem." I The ABS Institute contends that there was no reason to ban ABS since there have been no problems reported in Lan caster and that there is no outcry from the plumbing industry to limit its usage. Theophanis replied, "We have pictures of two houses that had problems with the cellular core." He cited leakage from an upstairs water closet that resulted in leakage near a lower floor light fixture and one outside leak. The plumbing community has not made any efforts to seek a ban on cellu lar core ABS, the industry insists. Millar points out that more than 20 plumbing contractors attended the original council hearing in May and the only plumber to speak against ABS was Arme Rodio. Jr. "The plumbers are saying what's fair for one is fair for all," Theophanis said. "In bidding for a house, it doesn't matter as long as they're all bidding the same pipe. As long as it's the same pipe, what's the difference?" The councilman feels the plumbers in the area are "staying neutral on it." Theophanis also said that he did not agree with the charges that the senior Rodio had a conflict of interest despite his background as a contractor or his son's involvement. "There's no conflict of interest "We're trying to pro tect the consumer who buys a house, so he won't have a prob lem seven or eight years down the line..." there," he said. "He's not voting for or against his son. He's voting in the inter ests of the consumer." The councilman, a retired local business man, continued that the city council is acting on behalf of the public, not special interests. "We're trying to protect the consumer who buys a house, so he won't have a problem seven or eight years down the line," he added. He said the majority of failures result at the joints, often from cements. Theophanis said there has been no public dissension against the council's vote. "We haven't had one single thing said against our decision," he said. "And I haven't seen any letters to the editor against it in the local newspapers." In the meantime, the ABS Institute is awaiting a judge's decision on its com plaint. The organization's basic requests are: to declare Ordinance 545 invalid: to eventually issue a permanent injunction enjoining and restraining Lancaster's de fendants from enforcing the ordinance: prohibition of Councilman Rodio from voting on plumbing code issues: and the payment of attorneys fees for their ac tions. and for damages according to proof. 1L - - ' -!^- ;?>-** *-/*.*;*k'-'?'.:r*~.'..';* ,* .>v'v>>.,-.v- .aflSWS^I^es^/^^W'sar'ii __________ ___ 77ie results ofthe request were minimal. Less than half a dozen ofmore than 20,000readers responded- Those responding were kind enough to document their negative experiences. There were no positive respons es among Ae handfulofletters and cards, butpast ex-." perience shows that readers, particularly contractors, ' : rarely take the time to write, unless something is very upsetting to them.. .; tn. percenVoftbe-^contractors re- ^mnditatoaBcentReeves Jocmal; suivty iniialHl they have gpm-' awesome sort of taihues with ABS pip- ingsystemsinjecerityears- ' Ihcqotstioawaiaied aspartof a it- dfershipsorvrylorrWestern P-H-C tnads-Tca pexcentofthe ZTLcontractors wborespondrdto thermal question noted that they had txperieoced some sort of proUenrs. The question asked read: In n- cent months.Rceves journal has imported on failures, withABS DWV piping in cer- tain housing projects.-Have yob recently bad any experiencewith failure of these products?*'. : ; . ' [ - \ . Wlulerbe responses tothe question did notprrwideany overwhelming evidence of a groandsweO offallures. It did indicate there: hawehecnLsntne: incidents. On. the bright side. 90 percent of those answering the question-reported no problems. Also, this survey in no way can be construed as an all encompassing soentificstndy of the issna. Thesole paiposewas. after hearing debate from proponents and opponents of ABSDWV. to simplyseewhat the contrac tor in the streethas to, say abont the issue. * Arecenteditorial ashed readers to write; toBeevesJournalto providetheir input on experiences withABSprodocts.both good and bad. There was nohidden agenda in the request. Once again, the purpose was tohear from thecontractor readers in the field what is actually taking place in the marketplace. ''. Also, the qoestion ashed only forexperi ences with ABS products and not other materials, so il is impossibleto gage what sort ofresponse would have been received far other types of pipinginsach an infor- malpolL/v >-Vl-'-'-v. The following are samples of responses horn contractors: answering the reader CTL029597 Page 24/Reeves Jou-a1 Face Plate -- Ccncea.ec Skewer Valve shower/bath valves master mixing valves Application-engineered plumbing products for non-residential markets;-; "ULTRA SAFE" MIXING VALVES. THE NAME SAYS IT ALL...AND THEY'RE A.S.S.E. CERTIFIED! Mm Soecifiers who want to select a certified shower valve now haveS^^f a choice of one. That's right. T&S' latest- Ultra-Safe shower controfe/`|j are certified as "ano-scaiding devices" under AlS^.E.'s std. No. 10T6cfei There's still a Dread choice--22 models in two sizes (%" or 1 diermostatic or comoination control types; in concealed or e units, capacities rrem Vi to II gpm--to match the need. ' Eut T&S' major achievement with tne Uttra-Safe line, might weltt the companion master mixing valves for multi-outlet operaoortX '" new thermostatic mixers are provioed in four sizes (from ft* to 1 ft?) capacities from 11 to 150 gpm.T&S commends them toyouratteritic Don't speculate--specify Ultra-Safie. Write for literature. ^ vJ T&S BRASSAND BRONZE WORKS; INC A rirm comcnent to ippooon tngnma pkxrorg p>oouasKSi ' 'l' `V-iTr- .%-* . Route 4. Old Buncombe Road/Travelers. Rest SC2?69 1803) 834-4102/Telex 57-031 I/FAX (803) 835iS~ - - _ NEW--TiS "Ouick-Ship" Warefiouses--popular faucets/ISmngs ser.r in 24 Travelers Res: 1-800-4 7 6-4103--8:00am to 4.30pm Daily ___ Reno |for Western areal 1-600-423-8669--8:30am to 4:30pm Daily.: Circle No I 14 on Reoder Aclion Ccro CTL029598 the now defunct manufacturer. - Sanitation has also charged that the Lan- The ABS Institute has beensuccessful In ->caster City `Council did not allow^proper halting enforcement of theLancasterordi- nance through legal actions .and restrain publicliearing and comment on the ques- tipnofABSLandthatlhrmHiianrartfiaL. ing orders. In an ongoing legal battle, judgments thus far havebeen^nadeln fa ly adopted June 4. contained an-amend ment eliminatingthe'ABS products which vor of industry based on a lack of proper wasnotin the originalordinance diseussed : evidence to supportiheLancasterconten at aMay 9 council meeting. ~:'y tions that'ABS 'prbductS -shonld not he 'What is'being questioned The ABS Institute is also critical ofthe .acttpled^--~ - js not the productJtselL - '"findings"-docament retroactivelysubmit* The ABS Institute-wasscheduled lore- him jo a Los Angeles court onSeptember 1 but whether there has ted try theLandastercounal to support its arguments. Theindnstry daims the docu- 14to seek apermanent injunction against been widespread cheat . tnrat. which cited seismic, geological and Lancaster's Ordinance545. Hn City lias ing or hedging by manu climaticreasons foT the elimination ofthe I "already been Informed by'Ibe California'; Dppartmmtof Housing and Community facturers in die resins products in question. 'wasTnearlyirienHral1 toa documentsubmitted in earliersitu- , Developmentxhat itsiordinance "contains . usedto produce the pip atinn by the-City of'Sain XeahdnOCdiL' l amendments-lbTtheLItufoTm-Plumbing < ing. ; :V'-; .- - The ABS Institute charges that thc^Tind- .Codeaathicfa .have notlbeen adopted at the ings~ dnruinent merely mtitatnntrtiffrr- -..state ent geographical descriptions to be tai-^l The.ABS Instihite furs testifjgd.that. . lored to lanrasterVjurisdirrinn. | thereis no evidencesupportingtheattacks: on itsproducts. The organization has also tquestjoned ^f^ABSproduclstiave l)eenr. i,singled ontirhile competing PVCproducts;i icotboI questioned inLancaster. Ibeor- . The ABS Institnte is attempting tohave the Lancaster ordinance.declared finvidid and to have a permanent injunction issued' toenjoin and restrainthecity from gnforcA > ing Ordinance5&5.S -'>Pa ' ' rVW;:.| Take it from Yogi: Genuine B&G parts keep you in the When you neec s mid-season 'eC acsment. you can1: afford to :a->c c.nances. Sc wny gamole wr.n seconc rate performers? Go w;th the best - genuine B&G replacement oans. Our precision engineered motors, couplers anc seais meet B&G's exacting standards. Eacn is fully inspected and tested for season after season of errorless performance. Don't nsk product failures, warranty hassles and cailcac* headaches. Insist on B&G parts at your nearest wholesaler. For a full scouting reoort. contact your B&G sales representative, or write ITT Bell & Gossett, 8200 N. Austin. Morton Grove, IL 60053. OTIlTp Bell & Gossett = ITT Fluid Technology Corporation Page 28'Reeves Journal Circle No 111 on Peoder Action Cora CTL029599 ETTERS ABS Approval I enjoyed the last two articles you wrote in Reeves Journal concerning ABS/DWV. I thought the treatment we manufactur ers of ABS got was even-handed and fair. I continue to be mystified by the gyra tions in Lancaster. It appears to me that Arnie Rodeo [sic] is attempting to ban what in my opinion is a good product (Foam Core ABS) and encourage the use of an inferior product (Solid ABS). As I am sure Mr. Rodeo [sic] recalls, that Centaur solid wall ABS was the product that caused him and others financial pain. Lawrence H. Beasley Apache Plastics, Inc. Stockton, California More Support Thank you for making public the re cent problems of a few ABS pipe produc ers. Hopefully your articles will encour age all manufacturers, wholesalers, plumbing contractors, and homeowners to insist on quality products and proper installation in all plumbing systems. It reminds us of the saying, "The bitter ness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten." In a recent public meeting in Lancaster, our product was referred to as "the best ABS pipe" by Mr. Amie Rodeo [sic] Jr., an active opponent of ABS pipe...In the same meeting, Mr. Arnie Rodeo [sic] Sr., said that Standard Plastic Pipe is "heavier" and has "thicker solid layers" when com pared to some other brands of ABS pipe. In 20 years of manufacturing ABS plas tic pipe we are not aware of any joint fail ures of our product in the building wall. ABS plastic DWV pipe is a durable prod uct and has performed well in millions of trouble free plumbing installations. In any industry, it is impossible to in sure the integrity of your competitors. There are often those who cut comers in the quest for higher margins or cost ad vantages. The resulting products are of ten below the expectations of a trusting customer. In an effort to decrease the future chance of joint failures in our industry, we are sponsoring an ASTM project to bring back the thicker solid layer wall tol erances that were in the original 1979 ASTM ABS Cellular Core Standard. This will be a long and difficult fight but one that we feel will give the best value to the end consumer. In the meantime, our company will continue to manufacturer ABS pipe to these thicker layer tolerances even though they are not required. We invite other ABS manufacturers to give us their support in the ASTM process and to fol low in making their products to these more stringent requirements. Richard N. Reese Standard Plastics Co. Salt Lake City, Utah Inspector Speaks-Out While I do not convey the opinion of my department or dty, I feel a personal reply to Mr. Abdulaziz's column (Reeves Journal, July 1990), on building inspection is in order. Mr. Abdulaziz asserts, "...a significant portion of the work force does nothing other than justify their existence or apolo gize for their lack of effort." (Reference to inspection personnel). Typically a mechanical inspector makes between eight to 12 inspections in a six hour span usually ranging between 25 to 50 miles. A typical inspection re quires a review of plans, inspection, dis cussion, corrections, etc. Most inspectors rarely stop for their allowed lunch break. Mr. Abdulaziz also asserts that there is no legitimate or logical reason why in spections occur between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays and assumes "it is so dvil servants can beat the traffic." It would seem almost obvious that these are not normal business hours, but are in fact, made to coincide with the most com mon construction hours and for the con venience of the contractor. After hours inspection are available at an additional fee. Since inspector's salaries are paid by permit fees it is unlikely most contractors would favor paying overtime costs for the extremely small percentage that would require after hours inspections on a regu lar basis. I would like to bring to your attention an inconspicuous problem inherent in the inspection process. That is this: con struction volume continuously fluctuates while the supply of inspectors remains at least temporarily constant (there is no la bor pool of trained inspectors). Hiring and training takes several months. As far as promoting the legitimate con tractor, we have a most definite interest and concern. We routinely check for jour neyman licenses and contractors' licenses in addition to workman's comp, require ments, an exerdse not directly connected to the inspection process. Nevertheless, we sincerely welcome constructive suggestions from all con cerned. We are in no way oblivious to the frustrations of the contractor and the public, and for the most part we share them. Robert Keegan Sr. Plumbing Inspector City of Los Angeles Credit Where it's Due In your June issue article about the PIPE Medical Gas Fadlity, there is a refer ence to contractor donated labor. No contractors were involved in the construction of this fadlity. It was entire ly built by members of Local 78 on a vol unteer basis... Calvin Emery Plumbers Local Union 78 Los Angeles, California -----------------------------------CTL029600 Saving lives and property is what firefighters are all about. A vital part of their job is to get the smoke out of a burning building as quickly and completely as possible. I first learned about smoke control in buildings back in 1968 during the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) summer meet ing at Lake Placid, NY. Since then. I've amended at least five seminars on sn-cl.e control. I listened to, and learned from, en gineers like 3rooks Semcie. Hebert Taylor, Bill Schmidt, ,'chn Kiote. Rolf Jensen, and others. 3d 1 rad never Joseph B. Olivieri, P.E., Ph.D., Engineering Editor spoken with a firefighter. I visited Southfield, Mi's, fire chief, Walter Chapman, who in troduced me to a fire inspector, Richard Rakestra. Southfield, located 10 miles from downtown Detroit, is typical of many big city suburbs. In 40 years, it de veloped from farmland to a suburban bedroom community to a commercial center with as many skyscrapers as in downtown Detroit. Chapman retired as Detroit's fire chief and, after several years of retire ment, he was enticed to take over the Scuthheld Fire Department. He is a cood role model for those of us m our 60s. He is 67 years old and looks and CTL029601 avciNriPr: SrsTi-vs. Ncvrysir. Decsmss?. 1990 53 Giving smoke a chance lo escape is an important part of fighting building fires, ft lets firemen fight the blaze where they are most effective -- inside the building. acts 50. He has the flat belly of a youngster and. I'm sure, could still actively fight a fire as well as com mand the battle. Ventilation To many, ventilating a fire is a for eign idea. "Why add oxygen? Shouldn't you be trying to smother the fire?'' most ask. "You can't fight what you can't see" was the reaction of the two firefighters. "In addition," they stated, "we have to get to the building occupants." You can't think in terms of evacuating a high-rise building. I told them about a fire driil many years ago at the 22-story Los Angeles City Hall. It took two hours to evacu ate the entire building. They've had similar experiences during Southfield fire drills. The chief remarked that the two hours m the Los Angeles drill was under ideal conditions. A.nd they probably used all of the fire stairs. In a real fire, fire fighters commandeer one of the stair ways, leaving only one. or two at the most, for the occupants. Evacuation is not always practical. "Not only that." said the chief, "not everyone can walk out of a burning building, so refuge areas are needed." As the chief described how to fight a fire, I remembered Robert Taylor's 54 Engines?.-o Systems Ncvembe?/Dsce.v*es 1990 story of a 1978 Cleveland fire. He helped the firefighters get roof ex haust fans started. This cleared the smoke in about 25 minutes. The fire fighters were able to fight the fire where they work most effectively -- inside the building. Fans Each ng in Southfield now carries a 23,000-cfm engine-driven fan. When firemen arrive at a fire, they mount the fan 8 ft from the door, start it, and kick open the door. At the same time, another crew is opening a window or door on the opposite side of the building. In 30 seconds or less, the smoke is clear enough that they can enter the building without masks and get to the heart of the fire Southfield has purchased a smaller 18-in.-dia fan that weighs 60 lb This fan can pass through a window or CTL029602 door, making it usable right on the fire floor. If you try to smother a fir , you cre ate the possibility of a "flashover" -- the explosion that can take place when a door or window is opened. This occurs because, at high temper atures, carbon monoxide is highly flammable. When the door opens, the CO mixes with the oxygen in the fresh air, ignites, and explodes in a fire ball. These ventilation fans have proven to be so successful that the fire is often out by the time the chief reaches it. Stay or go Southfield requires that, in the event of a fire, all supply air to the fire floor must cease. The system goes to 100% exhaust. The two floors above and the floor below the fire floor go to 100% outside air and the stairwells are pressurized. The occupants of these four floors are instructed to walk down four floors and await further instructions. When the firefighters arrive, the com mand officer decides whether to evacuate the building. Evacuation is more difficult than it sounds. The chief told of a recent fire in a 10-story senior citizens apartment building. They decided to evacuate the building. Some of the people could not walk and needed to be car ried. This is more difficult than it was some years ago because fire engine crews are now smaller. At one time, a typical crew was six. Now it's four. Some of the elderly people did not want to leave their homes. To further complicate the evacuation, a number of the occupants could not speak Eng lish. Firefighters really need to be fit. When they fight a fire in a high-rise building, they climb the stairs at a fast Houston consulting engineer Alvin S. Vener developed this patented system to keep elevators free of smoke. Fig. 1 shows the supply duct, which mates with the elevator cab (Fig. 2) by means of a vertical seal (Fig. 3) that automatically adjusts for wear. 56 Engineemd Ststims. November/Decemhis 1290 CTL029603 gait, carrying their equipment. They rest every five floors for 20 seconds. Fire drills are conducted in major buildings on a one-to-two-year rota tion. These fire drills include the fire fighters. The fire companies are required to familiarize themselves with these buildings by making periodic visits. In addition, the fire inspectors pre pare floor plans that include the lo cations of hazardous chemicals, gas meters, electrical panels, hose cabi nets, etc. These floor plans are lami nated and carried in each fire rig. The command officer must also preplan the action to be taken in the event of a fire. 3oth firefighters believe that ail buildings should have sprinklers. The chief stated that this makes good eco Souihfieid fire chief V/aitsr Chcpmcr, retired cs the Detroit fire chief, crjy to answer a coil several years later to head Southfield's department. Now 67. he looks cs though he could stiii get in and fight c fire cs well cs commend. nomic sense. He said one local hotel had its occupancy rate rise to 85% af ter the installation of sprinklers. Ac cording to the chief, all federal government employees are required to stay m sprinklered hotels. General Motors employees must first try to find a sprinklered hotel before staying .n one that isn't. In Southfield, all build ings higher than 45 feet must have sprinklers. Home fire sprinklers are now avail able and becoming popular. They are different than commercial, institu tional, or industrial sprinklers. They are designed to extinguish a fire. But residential sprinklers emit a fine mist, which is intended to cool the air so that the occupants can escape. In the course of our discussion, we touched on testing. I remembered, Firelighters from Southfield, Bloom field, and P.cycl Ock participated in the Safety Council for Southeast Michigcn hotel evacuation safety drill at the Southfield Marriott Inn. Aerial leaders such cs these are effective for the lower floors. 58 Engines*id Systems. NovemberDicsmssb. 1990 CTL029604 Eight: Southfield tire inspector Richer? Rokestra :s c firm believer in the vciue of scnr.k.er systems. Marriott hes emoarked an c plan :z .r.c.'uce sprinklers m of! of its hotels the! don't already hove them, a project that overages SI5.000 per tiocr. Below. left: Each Southfield rig carries a 23 300-cfm engine-driven far. that is set up 8 ft from or. exit doer. In 30 seconds or less, ttreftgr.'eru can enter the building witnout masks and get ;c the r.eart of the fire. back when I was helping write the City of Detroit life safety code, how simple it was to test for pressurization. The inspector stood ;n an open door way and held a sheet of facial tissue. If it stood straight out, the stairwell or elevator was considered under pres sure. It's no longer ccne that way. Now they use macnehehc gauges. In ad dition, they no longer use smoke can dles or bombs to test the effectiveness of smoke systems. Now they use a de vice that creates a nor.-tcnic simu lated smoke. The test smoke is really a vegetable cil mist. The Southfield F.re Department uses this same vegetable oil mist in its fire safety demonstration house. This structure is a two-stcry portable house which is trucked to schools. The chil dren are given lectures tn the house and then take part tr. a fire drill. The house is filled with smoke and the children learn what u's like to be in a smoke-fiiied room. On a larger scale, this vegetable oil-simulated smoke was used at the Southfield Marriott inn on October 5, 1S90. They filled the hall on one floor with smoke. The fire alarm was sounded and fire companies responded as if it were a real fire. Volunteers occupying the rooms made their way to the floor below. Next, the people returned to their rooms and the test was repeated; this time, one ci tr,e volunteers simulated a heart attack. All of this was video taped and later shown during lunch. Thanks to chief Chapman, I was able to talk to retired New York City (ire chief Lucien Imundi, who is now a consultant to fire departments. He echoed what Chapman had said. However, he asked an interesting question. He said, "Look, I read all these papers that you engineers present, particularly those which deal with the neutral plane in a high-rise building. What happens to the neu tral plane when the firefighters begin opening windows and doors on the various floors?" He wondered if the heat of the fire changes the location of the neutral plan . (I believe that the iocction of 60 Engikeeeeo Systems Novemses Decemee?. 1990 CTL029605 the neutral plcne is unchanged, but the heat {row the hre will increcse the flow of air into the building. Let me know what you think, end I'll forward your replies to the chief.) While we were discussing the neu tral plane, he told me how he came to be interested in the neutral plane and how smoke travels upward in a building. On New Year's Eve m Times Square, the ball drops at midnight from the Times Tower building. It is 25 stories high, with several subbase ments. During the 1960s, the chief was fighting a fire in the basement, two floors below street level. They were able to keep the fire from spreading above the basement. However, two firefighters who were nowhere near the basement lost their lives. They were on the 22nd floor. Gas Air Conditioning Offer your customers solid value and real savings with Servel residential and light commercial A/C units. Users save two ways: No costly compressor* to wear out and replace, and no impact from rising electricity rates. Uses Smoke kills. In recent years, I haven't seen an elevator lobby that didn't contain a sign warning against the use of an elevator during a fire. During a past fire in a downtown Detroit hotel, now closed, the occupants of an elevator were killed when the elevator doors opened on the fire floor. Back then, the elevator call buttons were heat-actuated and the elevators were all drawn to the fire floor. I doubt if any elevators are still con trolled this way. However, the danger of an elevator going to the fire floor still exists if someone on the fire floor has pushed the call button. There's also the possibility that large numbers of people trying to en ter the elevator will prevent the doors from closing. In addition, the eleva tor may be rendered inoperativ and the occupants may be trapped in a smoke-filled elevator and shaft. natural gas or propane, roof or ground installations, all single-phase power operation. Shown at left Cooling model, 3-4-5 ton capacities." c "AY" Series: "PAY" Series: "PACC" Series: "RTCB" Series: All-year cooling Complete Sor 10 ton 10 to 25 ton and heating. packaged forced n* ^S?&L 34-5 ton cooling: hot water heating air heating and cooling system. cooling capacity. self contained step (50%) cooling capacity. complete with utility cabinet for 3 up to 135.000 Order ready to modulation electrical BTU/h. go, or assemble in control standard. equipment and the field. accessories. dwellings./ . : Write, rallfyirfaTfnrimmPfiintp details. by Dometic THE DOMEnC CORPORATION' 2300Lynch Road. Evansville, IN47711 Phone (812)424-1800 FAX (812) 422-5117 A new method Alvin S. Vener, a consulting en gineer from Houston, TX, has been awarded a patent for a system that h believes will keep elevators free from smoke and permit their use during a fire. As can be seen in Figur 1, a vertical duct with a vertical seal is lo cated behind the elevator cab. An elongated transfer duct is attached to the elevator cab, Figure 2. The transfer duct opens the seal as it moves along the hoistway and sup plies air to the elevator cab. The rear of the cab contains a plenum into which the pressure d air is in troduced. The openings in th ple num wall to the elevator itself are de signed to evenly distribute the air to the elevator, assuring the occupants of a smoke-free environment. Openings in th duct, as well as leakage through the duct seal, pres surize the elevator shaft. Vener con tends that mounting the seal at an an gle causes the air pressure in the duct to force it to close. In this way. the seal adjusts to wear, Figure 3. It looks good to m , but I am con cerned about maintenance. Tru , th system requires minimum mainte nance, but there will be a tim when the seal doesn't work. What then? Th answer is, make this on more item for th fire inspector's annual inspec tion. Let's hope that there is an annual inspection. Hi] 62 Engineers:; Systems. November December. 1990 Clrd 140 on Roodor Action Cord CTL029606 IPELINE LARRY DILL/Editor 'odes Are Big Business et's face it. The code business is This little zinger created more than ing from a foreign-based listing ser La big money game and those who play it play for heavy stakes. That's why there is so a few restless moments for the folks at IAPMO and resulted in a series of negotiations. The end result was that much competition and bickering bICeBO's members voted on a resolu vice which has a unique selling point to manufacturers. According to IAP MO's interpretation, anyone wishing to attain listing status may do so tween the nation's various code writ tion which said that it would take no by a process which is tantamount to ing organizations. action until after the IAPMO confer self-certification. This approach ap There is nothing wrong with an or ence. BUT, if IAPMO didn't make parently allows a manufacturer ganization making money. That's the to submit tests-- American way. And the free enter performed in the prise system is alive and well in the code business. This was clearly evi "...Isn't the purpose of a listing manufacturer's own laboratory, under dent at the recent International Asso ciation of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials' annual business and educa service to show that the products included have met stringent, the manufacturer's control--to- the list ing agency to sub tion conference in Boise, Idaho, unbiased certification?" stantiate compliance where the membership faced one of with a standard for its most crucial decisions ever. listing. Why bother? The IAPMO membership was changes in a manner satisfactory to Correct us if we're reading too backed into a corner by the Interna ICBO, that group would go back and much into all of this, but isn't the tional Conference of Building Offi revive its amendment. purpose of a listing service to show cials (ICBO), which has a contractual With their backs to the wall, IAP that the products included have met agreement with IAPMO to include MO's leaders were forced to call upon stringent, unbiased certification? the Uniform Plumbing Code as part the membership to concentrate on al Manufacturers are continually hol of the Uniform Building Code. At is ternative language. Compromising lering that the listing services provid sue was certain language which iden language was finally adopted, despite ed by IAPMO and some of the major tified "combustible construction." the efforts of the plastics camp to tor jurisdictions across the nation are in This language has been used for more pedo the issue at every turn. themselves tantamount to highway than 11 years, for all practical pur Another prime example of compe robbery. Why, they ask, should they poses, as a means for IAPMO's mem tition, and egos, of code bodies is evi have to pay for the privilege of hav bership to limit the use of plastic pip dent in the A-40 Code. Yes, it still ing a code body's impressive looking ing products to certain types of does exist. It hasn't disappeared from seal of approval displayed on their residences. Those in the plastics camp the earth, it's just been buried by a lot products? have long argued that such language of delaying tactics, primarily by the Clearly, the code business is com belongs in a building code, not a plastics camp and BOCA, which, sur petitive and there is no love lost be plumbing code. prise, sponsors its own plumbing tween one code writing body and an Although their argument has nev code. This is clearly a case where one^ other. Still, the purpose of a er held water in previous years, it ap code body is feeling the possible com plumbing code, or any other code, parently fell upon the right ears petitive heat from a "newcomer" on should be to protect the health and within the ICBO hierarchy this year, the block. It should come as no sur- safety of the public. And the battles because the building officials made it . prise ,to note that BOCA was civic between_various code bodies should clear that they were going to adopt an minded enough to point out scores of never compromise that commitment "emergency amendment" Chapter what it perceived as flaws in the A-40 to protection. 59 to their code regarding IAPMO document, although some of the lan and the UPC. It would have meant guage questioned was contained in that ICBO could change the UPC any its own model code. way it wanted with IAPMO having ' The latest entry into the competi- - --- (S~' Z no say in how its own code was used. -.tive...m...a..r. k.rert .now appears t.o .be com---"-".TI^ w<<i CTL029607