hvacr designer tips

BY AMANDA McKEW

CONDENSING HOT WATER BOILER FOR RADIANT HEAT APPLICATION Design Review and Startup Checklist
Equipment type: Hot water, gas-fired condesing boiler Equipment designation: B-1 Bar code designation: 1111111 Area served: 40,000-sq-ft office space Equipment location: Boiler room

NOTE:
Refer to upcoming May 2004 "HVACR Designer Tips" for the radiant heating space checklist and the June 2004 column for the project closeout checklist.

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION (PER CONTRACT DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATION) YES NO Boiler installation complete. Hot water piping complete. Gas piping complete. Seismic restraints complete. Manufacturers O&M available. Manufacturers startup sheets available. DISTRIBUTION (TO AND FROM EQUIPMENT)
Combustion and ventilation ductwork per contract documents. Piping pressure tested per contract documents. TAB report (with field notes). Identification per contract documents.

YES YES

NO NO

DESIGN REVIEW
Confirm safe access to the equipment and around the equipment. Confirm adequate access for maintenance service and equipment removal. Confirm there will not be short-circuiting of boiler flue exhaust or relief vent gas into air intakes and/or other building openings. Confirm noise levels with boiler(s) operating in NC (noise criteria) in room. Spot check heating capacity based on dividing the Btuh by sq ft of area served for Btuh/sq ft. Spot check design parameters including: Outdoor air temperature (drybulb and wetbulb). Hot water supply and return temperatures. Inlet pump/water pressure (rule of thumb) pump head of 40 to 50 ft for a hot water heating system. Gas pressure to boiler. Confirm design criteria meets the state energy code. Verify combustion air requirement (rule of thumb is 8 cfm/bhp.) Verify boiler room is at atmospheric pressure of positive pressure (not negative pressure). Recommend gauges around boiler be manifold and use one common gauge. Recommend gauges around pumps be manifold and use one common gauge. Spot check that water pipes are not exposed to outdoors conditions (e.g., run in front of air intake louver). Spot check pipe sizing. Spot check for backflow preventor. Spot check for chemical treatment workstation and appropriate eye wash station. Spot check adequate floor drain(s) for condensing pipe, boiler blow-off, and at pump. Spot check for housekeeping pad.

AUTOMATIC CONTROLS
Temperature controls complete. Control points confirmed. Electrical system interlocks complete. Emergency boiler shut-off interface complete.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Complete missing equipment data sheet for CMMS when providing initial PM workorder requirement Have a system flow diagram when starting up the equipment with estimated flows, pressure, and pressure drops noted on diagram. Refer to equipment manufacturers literature for additional data and requirements. This checklist should be completed prior to system commissioning process. ES

CENTRAL EQUIPMENT TERMINAL EQUIPMENT AND SPACE PROJECT CLOSEOUT

STARTUP OBSERVATION
ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION
Electrical completed and disconnect installed per code compliance. Starter and wire sized per contract documents. Motor bumped to verify rotation. Terminations and panel circuit labeled. Voltage and motor amps (per phase) documented.

YES

NO
If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions regarding this designer checklist, contact Amanda McKew at amckew@rdkengineers.com. This column is meant to provide some basic guidelines for good design. Always consult all necessary codes and resources relevant to each particular project.

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Engineered Systems

April 2004