To this point in the troubled US economy, my company (HVAC consulting) has been extremely fortunate and remained busy and profittable. Things have recently really started to slow down. Our backlog of work (typically 4-6 weeks) has dried up down to week by week. We are not keeping everyone...
I've recently been asked to review the drainage design for a new 7 story, open ventilation parking structure. No oil interceptor is provided. I can't find anything in the local codes that requires it, but I would think it's good practice? In a tight budget, is this necessary?
Also, is there a...
I was just given some record plumbing drawings of a grocery store we will soon be renovating. There is a central vacuum system that feeds underground and hits each refrigeration pit. I'm not sure what the system is for. Typically, I see hub drains in the bottom of the pits. No information was...
In hydronic piping systems, my company has always specified copper pipe for sizes 2-1/2" and smaller and black steel for 3" and larger. No one at the firm really knows where the separation came from. Is it just cost? Are there other notable differences?
If copper pipe is cheaper at larger...
Apologies. My intent was not to be glib. This is the exact scenario:
A local manufacturing company is expanding one of their processes. The current line is located in a little shanty adjacent to their factory. It has NO ventilation or exhaust. Coils of a material I'm not to divulge is...
There are some companies that truly do not want any employee to make one personal phone call, etc during work hours. Most realize this is ridiculous and hurts moral, and all the things stated above.
Our handbook has verbage stating no personal phone calls, emails, etc. It also says must be...
I should clarify. I am clear with the engergy ins and outs (makeups, exhausts, etc).
Forget the process for now. A magical, constant temperature 400 degree black box of known surface area exists in the room. How is the convective heat transferred into the space calculated? How is the...
I'm working in a partition wall space (small, easily calculated cooling load) within a larger building. The users will be using a process in which they heat a material to 400 degrees.
Assuming I can determine the surface area of the heated material, how do I calculate the cooling required to...
If you're squeezing, then you better believe they are too. They've also got a business to run and will do what it takes to get their product to market. You're foolish to think you'll get a $5 part for $3. You'll more likely get a $2 piece of crap for $3.
Pay your suppliers what their...
I'm not saying a co-op doesn't look good, I'm sure it does to most companies. I'm saying it's not as helpful to your development as an engineer as it's made out to be. If you were a freshman, I would tell you to absolutely co-op. You're not. I would not rearrange your life to add a note on...
I think most are missing the point of the thread: ideas for getting rid of vendors.
When my office moved over two years ago, we decided not to tell the "bad" vendors. Its been humorous to see even two years later the vendors still show up at the wrong office. Especially when they're toting a...
I disagree with most on this thread. I think the Co-op education is valuable, but not a necessity. In fact, unless you are fortunate enough to Co-op with a company or in a specific job description you discover you want to make a career of, the experience gained is not that much better than...
Our firm does no actual marketting (brochures, mailings, etc), but all of our "marketting" time is spent at the owners. We've found exactly the opposite of some of the above mentioned...
Architects are seeing engineers more and more as a commodity and will succomb to the lowest bidder. We...
I agree. I like the idea of generalities and not specific lengths, etc. We are a construction consulting firm in Ohio.
There are days when dress-down is appropriate as we spend large amounts of time crawling through steam tunnels and dingy mechanical rooms. But, the construction industry is...
Our firm currently adopts a "business casual" philosophy for office dress. The policy is vague on purpose with the intention being able to dress comfortably yet professionally.
Due to a couple of internal complaints and the idea of "professional" being taken a little too liberally, we're...
Our company views our drawings as property of whatever client we produced them for (as they bought them). They can (and have) given them to competition, etc. Our intellectual property is how we came up with the numbers behind the drawings, not the drawings themselves.
I've begun work on a project where the entire roof over a 2800 square foot room (physical therapy) is glass (pitched).
I'm good with caculating the load, but I'm looking for good ways to get the cooling in. I'm thinking with that much glass, regardless of the amount of cooling, the occupants...
If your cost to complete a job (including O&P) is $10, you should get paid $10, even if it takes the other guy $20.
If a job costs me $10, and the owner only pays me $8, I'm pissed - and rightfully so. The reverse should be true from the clients perspective.
For us, fees with new clients...
We've quit using paddle switches for chiller flow verification. We've retrofitted most of our chillers to DP. It's not an expensive change and its much more reliable.
