Regulations in Antigua 1

[friartuck]

We have been asked to design for a hotel in Antigua

Does anyone know what codes of practice they work to here

i.e. CIBSE Guides, British Standards etc. or is design based on US standards.

Also what voltages do they have here

Also where is most of the equipment purchased from. Is it the US (because its nearer) or from anywhere

Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[MintJulep]

Isn't that info in the bid package?

Electric is 60 Hz. "house voltages" are 110/220. I would guess that 480 three-phase would be available for commercial applications.

Is this a chain hotel, or an independant? I suspect that the chains have "house" brands for equipment.

Shipping wise, South America would be best equipment source, but 50 Hz dominates, so US equipment seems the way to go.

Being a member of the Commonweath, I suspect the codes and standards closely follow the British.

 

[AbbyNormal]

I will ask around, I am in the Caymans. Get ready for salt corrosion.

Positive pressure will be your friend

 

[AbbyNormal]

Miami and Tampa supply the caribbean, however companies in Puerto Rico some times have the territories locked up

 

[AbbyNormal]

Places in the Caribbean may or may not of had the expertise of expatriot engineers and architects. Many places were built to the standards that these engineers were accustomed to back home.

Many places now mimic whatever is done in Miami-Dade County to be able to withstand hurricanes and could have a locally ammended set of the SBCCI codes or the current International code sets. We have had offical building codes since 1996. A lot of the development here was new, however we did quite well against a Cat 5 storm.

We work off of the 1999 Standard Set here, as well as the last revisions of the mechanical, plumbing, gas, fire prevention codes in that set. We will be adopting the newest International code set soon.

Some of these codes have northern concepts built into them, such as roofs designed for snow loads, attic ventilation to prevent ice dams.

Anyways, it looks like Antigua has adopted and ammended a code set. This link is an article about building inspectors being trained to the new codes.

http://www.oas.org/CDMP/PGDM/document/BITC/bitc_ann.htm

In the artilce there is a link to a spreadsheet of the 25 people who took the course, and includes some email addresses and phone numbers. Maybe one of these people could give you the local insight you are looking for

People move around the Caribbean quite a bit, I will ask some of the guys what equipment they used there, but I bet it is the export version of the North American stuff, equipment made by Peake in Trinidad, and probably a lot of Asian ductless split systems.

Typically the sales reps are the Latin American Divisions of the main American manufacturers and they will be located in the Miami area. However you end up with a lot of equipment actually manufactured in Brazil, especially with Carrier.

Greenheck is represented out of South Florida as well by SEAG who cover the Caribbean and South America.

McQuay is handled through Puerto Rico.

Factory start up from say Trane or McQuay etc, usually results in a tech rep from Brazil or Venezuala.

Water will be tight there I am sure, I knew an American on an airforce missile base there for a while and they were collecting rain water off of the runways.

Probably your resort will have its own sewage treatment plant. The resort may also have requirements dictated by their insurance companies as well which may exceed local codes.

Be warned though that the effects of humidity are the complete opposite to that in the north. Vapour barriers work 'opposite'.

Also be advised that in the North, solar heat gain through south facing glass is a maximum in December and reduces the heating load.

In a year round cooling environement, the cooling load in the space can peak in December because of the sun, however the ventilation load has dropped. You could have a peak cooling load in August or Sepetember, but require the highest air flow in December.

The resort will be near the beach, you will have salt corrosion problems.

Maybe consider the ASHRAE Humdity Design Control Guide, they have a lot of comments of problems of a hotels in a humid climate. Can get a free chapter here, talks about mold, the benfits of being pressurized by dry air

http://www.masongrant.com/html/humidity_design_guide.html

In closing, the tropics will be quite a bit different than the UK, don't be the imperialist colonizer who thinks he knows better

 

[friartuck]

Thanks for the info

It was useful

Regards

Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[AbbyNormal]

you're welcome

 

[AbbyNormal]

Results from developer taking a design of a hotel in Arizona and building the exact same building (altered facade) in the tropics.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/a_bee_normal/BedroomCondensate.jpg

Constant washroom exhaust up risers to large central exhaust fans, no make up air whatsoever, constant negative pressure. Ambient dewpoints floating from 25C to 27C from June to end of November.

 

[AbbyNormal]

Search a Ron Bailey and "The Paston Effect" as well. Invesitgation of larger residences in coastal florida for some more insights.

Framed construction and vented attics is the worst way to build in the tropics IMHO. EIFS on gypsum and metal studs is bad as well.

If they go with framed construction, lobby for icynene foam in between the studs, it stops air movement.

Some more reading material

http://www.buildingscience.com/resources/mold/Mold_part_1.pdf

http://www.buildingscience.com/resources/mold/Mold_part_2.pdf

http://www.buildingscience.com/topten/south.htm

Don't take the number 1 reason the wrong way, we all have to learn

http://www.buildingscience.com/designsthatwork/hothumid/neworleans/DTW_HotHumid-Chenier.pdf

http://www.buildingscience.com/designsthatwork/hothumid/lakecharles/DTW_HotHumid-Creole.pdf

You may also be interested in the Builder's Guide to the Hot Humid Climate. I have an earlier edition of the book, it is worth getting.

http://www.buildingsciencepress.com/books.asp?CatID=1

When there are storms in the area, can be a couple weeks of heavy rain, high dewpoint,no sunshine. Nothing triggers a thermostat to run the cooling and indoor RH can sky rocket. Ensure AC equipment can handle low SHR, not have a ADP out of range, consider dehumidifiers as well.

Constant fan re-dries a coil in minutes of a compressor cycling off, dries out the standing water in a drain pan. Can elevate RH by 10 percentage points when compared to the AHU fan shutting off when the compressor stops. Most resi equipment now times the blowers off after the compressors, not good IMHO.

Will not really matter what the outdoor temperature is, what matters is how sunny and how humid it is outside.

Last link to look at

http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/bldg/science/mold/index.htm

 

[friartuck]

I Think i am going to have to do a lot of reading here

Thanks for the additional information

Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[AbbyNormal]

Sorry I am long winded on the subject. Looks a little less humid there than here. I doubt you will find publised weather data, but weather underground logs a fair bit of hourly data.

Take the "V" out of HVAC and you are left with a HAC(k) job.

 

[Bubbleheadski]

Wow Abby! WHat a Rack of info!
HHmmmm... wonder if I should move to the carribean!?!?!

BH

 

[AbbyNormal]

lol I am a mechanical guy here who was thrust into a lot of electrical work, kinda the oppositie of you I would suppose

Take the "V" out of HVAC and you are left with a HAC(k) job.

 

[Bubbleheadski]

LMAO...... wanna switch?

 

[AbbyNormal]

sure offer to swtich now, with hurricane season dwindling down and winter approaching up there

Take the "V" out of HVAC and you are left with a HAC(k) job.

 

[friartuck]

Abbynormal

You say you are a mech engineer. Is this designing HVAC systems. If so, I would be interested to know where you have worked and what sort of projects.

Have you worked on offices, houses, factories, hospitals etc.

Do you have consultants where you are or do you have design and build or both.

I am interested to know how the industry works in your part of the world.

Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[Bubbleheadski]

hmmm..... i see ur point. LOL However the offer was genuine! LOL
We had a brush with a cane.... but that was it. We got lucky again!

 

[AbbyNormal]

friar

There is a little information on me in the profile I filled in here, there is no space heating demand here so I only specialize in VAC.

I have a consulting engineering firm here and I compete against firms in South Florida as well as the other areas of the United States, Canada, the UK,as well as with contractors some times.

Have to deal with the cumbersome "QS" system here as well

I have worked for General COntractors on design build projects as well.

Typical projects are office buildings, schools, mercatile occupancies,hotel/resorts, penal buildings, multi-unit residential projects and even large private residences.

Industrial type of work here is limited from a VAC point of view it is mainly ventilation. I do other projects such as water pumping at an RO plant, force main sewers etc, did several projects for the Port Facilites as well.

Can't say what the level of consultants in Antigua is, perhaps the list of who was at the code seminar though would be an indication of a shortage of engineering consultants there, hence hiring you.

I mentioned where I was already and the codes and standards of living here would be deemed 'first world'

In another thread I mentioned a tour of Greenheck facilities once. Was myself and contractors/consultants through out the Caribbean and as well as some from South America, and at one demonstration, the presenter was amazed that we had heard of variable frequency drives.

I mentioned that The Professor had taught us that concept as it was way over Ginger and Maryanne's heads.

Take the "V" out of HVAC and you are left with a HAC(k) job.