Still Not OK

Quality, Consequences and the Construction Industrial Complex (part 164) – All IMHO:

I have been triggered while working on a project. If we really have to use old technology such as triple duty valves, can we at least install them correctly? 

The photo below is from a project, that will forever be nameless to protect the guilty and innocent. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This installation has been drawn by an engineer, installed by a contractor who should haven known better and reviewed by a resident engineer with no adverse comments. How? 

This supports my theory that most problems found late in construction are not fixed, but are covered up or treated with a shrug of the shoulders. 

The case against triple duty valves was put forward in a previous post so I will not rehash that here. However, if we are going to use triple duty valves, please install them correctly. 

How should triple duty vales be installed in heating and cooling systems? I have reviewed several manufacturers requirements and their advice is:

1. Do not install directly on the pump discharge 

2. Have a minimum of 5 but ideally, 10 pipe diameters of straight pipework leading onto the valve and 5 downstream

A larger impact of leaving poor installation in the field is that it actually exists as a working example. As people get used to seeing it, slowly it becomes the norm and in the future an inexperienced engineer can point to it as an example of what should be done. 

Why is it OK to muddle though with building MEP engineering yet we demand excellence with aeronautical, car and computer engineering? 

If cars were designed and built like buildings they would have misaligned fixtures, inconsistent paint jobs, air-conditioning with a 50% chance of working correctly and escalating maintenance costs. 

For the love of God, please just stop using triple duty valves, they are IMHO, the equivalent of Windows 95 in a world of Windows 10. 

Twitter: @BLDWhisperer

Related posts & links:

#100 – Triple Duty Valves – Still a Thing? ( https://bldwhisperer.com/triple-duty-valves-still-a-thing/ )

#75 – MEP Engineering is a Weak Link Game ( https://bldwhisperer.com/mep-engineering-is-a-weak-link-game/ )

Free download of Pump Detail Minus Triple Duty Valves ( https://bldwhisperer.com/downloads/pump-detail-triple-duty-valves/ )

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