Featured Project
Wisconsin Paper Mill Relies on Aquatherm Piping System for Dye Distribution
Unique application puts Climatherm front and center with chemical conveyance
Neenah Paper Inc. (NPI) is a producer of premium image and performance-based products, including filtration, specialized substrates used for tapes, labels and other products, and high-end printing papers.
Following NPI's business acquisition of Wausau Paper's Astrobrights® Brand, The Whiting Mill in Stevens Point, WI needed to expand its manufacturing capability to meet the unique demand of producing brightly colored papers. To produce this brightly colored paper, staff at the central-Wisconsin paper mill sought solutions to store and distribute more than 24 different liquid dyes from one of four different sizes of supply tanks to multiple distribution points throughout the mill, and finding the right distribution piping material was top priority.
Aquatherm Pipe Integrated into Green Home Designed to Minimize Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
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While the Sausalito Purhaus features a huge range of environmentally friendly building products, the non-leaching, chemically inert pipe system eliminates toxins from the home's potable water.
What do you do when your home is making you sick? If you are Matt David and Renee Rech you build a new one. The idea took some serious determination but after almost seven years the Sausalito, CA couple has mastered a tight-rope balance of aesthetics and health, with the result being a 2,500-sq-ft coastal home that is standing proof of their architecturally relevant, eco-vision.
For Renee, who suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), creating new construction offered the chance of developing a more sterile and pure environment to live in. For those with MCS—also known as Environmental Illness—exposure to even small amounts of commonplace chemicals becomes toxic and can affect numerous organ systems. For homeowners, the problem is that chemicals are found almost everywhere in everyday building products such as laminated plywood and the formaldehyde found in upholstered furniture.
Read more...CSU chooses PP-R pipe a second time for HVAC overhaul on Visual Arts Building
After the staff at Colorado State University successfully tackled the job of re-piping its roughly 3,600-sq-ft mission critical data center, they decided to put their newly acquired PP-R installation expertise to use on a second university HVAC system retrofit (and a third too).
In 2010, eight Colorado State University in-house maintenance staff plumbers and assistants completed onsite Aquatherm installation training before beginning work on the re-piping of the university's data center with Aquatherm Blue Pipe® a successful retrofit that led to the decision to use polypropylene-random (PP-R) pipe a second time for another major HVAC renovation.
While the university's first project involved a complete overhaul of its mission critical data center facility housed in the CSU Engineering Building's basement, the next project would enhance the HVAC system of a structure better suited for the university's right-brained thinkers – the Visual Arts Building. The Visual Arts Building at Colorado State University in Fort Collins was built in 1975 as a well-equipped complex to accommodate the various areas of study within the university's Visual Arts Department. For years the structure housed a growing populous of CSU's creative minds and visual thinkers, however within its industrial, art-strewn walls was a dated mechanical system in need of updating.
Polypropylene Pipe Helps With Elementary School’s Transition to Geothermal
The Kent (WA) School District leveraged grant money to dramatically upgrade its heating system with an assist from Aquatherm's polypropylene pipe.
Originally completed and opened in 1963, Park Orchard Elementary was part of the local school district's plan to accommodate the growing population in Kent, WA. After undergoing various additions including extra wings and a gym, the district determined that the roughly 50,000-sq-ft building should be retrofitted for energy savings.
The retrofit included replacing classroom heating systems including boilers, pumps, piping, and three rooftop heat pump units. The Kent School District was awarded a $1 million-plus grant from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for project design enhancements including the installation of a ground-source heat pump system with full energy management controls, and roughly $60,000 in additional grant funds from Puget Sound Energy.
Re-pipe Behind Bars Brings Challenges, but PP-R Pipe System Up to the Task
Aggressive water and other factors necessitated a re-pipe at the quarter-century-old King County Jail, but this time officials expect the new pipe system to last for decades.
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Originally built in the mid-1980s, the King County Jail houses over 1,000 inmates and employs over 350 correctional staff. With three towers, each with 20-foot-high floors, the 385,274 sq-ft facility is roughly equivalent to a 17-story building and is situated in the heart of downtown Seattle.
While the building has served the county admirably, time and the elements hadn't necessarily treated it too well. After about 11 years, the domestic water piping system began to leak and the leaking worsened exponentially over the years. Copper was used for the building's distribution system with 4-inch and 6-inch galvanized steel mains distributing water in the sixth floor mechanical rooms.
Facility staff patched holes, replaced small sections, and kept the system operational until it became clear to the county in 2004 that a re-pipe was necessary - 18 years after the jail was built. At that time, Wood Harbinger Inc., a Bellevue-based mechanical and electrical firm was contracted to perform a study of the causes of the leaking pipes and provide design drawings to replace the domestic water pipe. However, the bids for the project came in too high and forced the county to put the project on hold until additional financing could be secured.
