Metraflex Improves an Oldie

Metraflex has taken a fresh look at one of the oldest and most often used piping accessories – the simple strainer.  The result is a significant improvement in two important areas.

First, the new Metraflex LPD Y-Strainer/Filter provides significant energy savings over the old Y-strainer. Metraflex has re-engineered the 100-year-old strainer and given it a leaner interior with fewer obstructions.  Slight changes to the bridge wall/body casting structure direct flow in a much straighter line from intake to discharge over traditional designs. Other internal structural improvements also help create a more open internal geometry, allowing for smoother flow throughout the strainer.  The result is significantly lower pressure drops resulting in energy-savings so significant that the LPD Y-strainer can pay for itself in months. Metraflex commissioned a study with the Utah Water Research Lab to quantify the results of this new design- For details :View Utah Water Research Laboratory study.

[https://metraflex1.wpengine.com/lpd-strainer-flow-performance-testing-at-utah-water-research-lab/]

Second, the new LPD Y-strainer internal design also accommodates a significantly larger screen, up to 30% larger. This larger screen has more holes allowing smoother fluid flow. In addition, as debris collects, the same amount of debris trapped by both the new LPD Y-strainer screen and a traditional, old Y-strainer screen covers a significantly smaller percentage of the new LPD Y-strainer screen. This contributes to lower pressure loss. It also takes longer for debris to collect and significantly impact strainer performance.  Operators have the option to open the plug and drain the strainer, or easily access the screen by removing the plate.

To improve the filtration effectiveness even further, systems can be upgraded to the LPD-Mag.   This incorporates a Neodymium magnet to capture iron oxide and other magnetic dirt in the system.  The upgrade is available on new LPD strainers or can be retrofitted to most existing installations.

 

 

 

 

LP Mag success storys.

Bell & Gossett e-80SCXL

Bell and Gossett is pleased to announce the e-80SCXL – the newest enhancement to our highly efficient, split-coupled, vertical inline centrifugal pump – ideal for hydronic heating and cooling systems, light industrial process, and general service.

B&G will be introducing (10) new sizes (8×16, 10×13, 10×15, 10×16, 12×11, 12×17, 14×14, 14×16, 14×18, 18×15) operating at 1800 RPM, 200, 230/460 & 575V, 3 Phase.

Bonus feature: the optimyze™ modular condition monitoring solution comes standard as a bonus feature; this device periodically monitors system vibration and temperature to provide predictive maintenance advice before issues become critical to uptime.

Promotional brochure
Specification sheet
Curve book – includes performance data for sizes, 8×16, 10×13, 10×15, 10×16, 12×17 (remaining sizes coming soon), material configurations, mechanical seals and dimensional data on all sizes.

Motorcycling in Minnesota

By Dan Chudecke

One of my favorite ways to spend time off is riding my motorcycle.  A sign in my office reads “Four wheels move a body; Two wheels move a soul”.  Whether exploring new destinations or merely getting a cup of coffee from a trusted cafe, travelling by motorcycle always recharges me.  Below are some ideas on where you might consider a two-wheeled road trip.   All these destinations can be worth the effort even if you make the trip in your boring car (FYI – All cars are boring to motorcyclists).

Short Ride – Twin Cities Metro-(2-3 hours approximately)

Most people think only of wide-open plains and mountains as worthy motorcycle destinations, but the urban environments offer a lot of opportunities.   These destinations are best visited during lighter traffic times.   Riding around the lakes of Minneapolis and Minnetonka are excellent options if you only have a small block of time.   These areas offer great scenery, and numerous options for food and beverage.  Personally, a niche coffee shop and or bakery is the most common stop for me.  One excellent source for establishments to visit is the Mpls/St. Paul Magazine web site.  Bring your riding gear inside a coffee shop and you’ll likely find yourself in a friendly conversation about your mode of transportation.   Some other options for an interesting ride include Summit and Grand Avenues in St. Paul, Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis, and the Mississippi River Roads.

Mid Ride -Mississippi/St. Croix – (6+ hours?)

The Mississippi and St. Croix present a great ride option providing ample stop options as you follow along the meandering water ways.  This ride is best thought of as multiple smaller circuits –

Danbury WI à St. Croix Falls, WI  à Hudson/Stillwater à Redwing, MN à ETC

Pick one or more of these segments to create a ride.   Some riders I’ve spoken to go ‘Up on side and down the other’ but sticking to one bank also works.   Going the opposite direction at a different time of day changes the experience.

 

Long Ride – Mississippi/Lake Superior (Multiple Days)

Circumnavigating Lake Superior or travelling the length of the Mississippi are for those of you open to a large adventure.   These 1000+ mile journeys require dedication, a comfortable seat and plenty of planning.   Some recommended references sources to consider include:

 

The motorcycle riding season here is short but the opportunities in Minnesota are numerous.   Hope to see you on the open road!

Six Years of Getting It Right

At Mulcahy, we say what we mean, and we do what we say, even when nobody is watching – that starts with the way we treat our employees, empowering them to do the right thing in service of the customer or one another.

We’re proud to announce that Mulcahy has been awarded the 2023 Top 200 Workplaces Award.

Winning the Top Workplaces Award for the sixth consecutive year is validation of our employees-first approach, but it’s more than that. It’s fuel to continue our investment in an environment that allows employees to thrive, personally and professionally.

“Mulcahy does an excellent job of helping employees strengthen their family and community connections. They provide great flexibility and help us grow as people not just professionals; they work hard to take collective action on our purpose, and they truly care and invest in employee well-being.” — Mike Sachi, Project Management.

Crest Hellcat in the Real World

By: Dan Chudecke

For over a decade, the Lochinvar CREST has been an efficient and reliable source of hydronic heat. The product line has been improved over the years to take advantage of new technologies and components.
The latest Crest innovation is the Hellcat Combustion Technology system that continuously adjusts based on real time O2 data to improve operation (aka O2 trim). A common challenge for peak condensing boiler operation is maintaining the proper fuel-to-air ratio, especially considering the wide range of ambient conditions we experience. Excess oxygen in natural gas and liquified Propane combustion prevents a boiler from condensing and capturing 10-12% of energy an owner paid for. Some systems just accept a certain amount of variability in operation. However, if a boiler is to constantly maintain peak performance, the adage of “measure to manage” must be applied. Unlike very large industrial boilers, no cost-effective opportunity for adaptation and improvement existed for smaller commercial-sized systems until now.
Given that heating plants are a CRITICAL system in our region, Mulcahy will only recommend products and options to our customers that operate reliably with minimal attention. In the past, O2 trim systems required frequent sensor replacement and testing. Lochinvar engineers set out to create a system that provided efficient operation but not at the cost of excessive maintenance. A recent visit to a Hellcat installed in the fall of 2021 proved that they were successful.
There is a significant amount of data logging functions inherent to the standard Crest boilers (both with and without Hellcat). A good indicator of proper operation after a system has been online for a while is comparing run times and cycles. Long average run times are good to see and can only happen if all the control elements are properly set for the system. On this project, the boilers operated approximately 18 hours per successful ignition. It would likely have been longer if not for the code requirement that boilers cycle off at least once every 24 hours to test the controls. (See Figure 1)
Another piece of data available on Hellcat units is the is how much life remains on the O2 sensor. At this installation, only 9% of the sensor’s life had been used over two full winters. (See Figure 2). It will be years of operation before the sensor will need service.
There is no better test of a product than the real world and the Lochinvar Crest with Hellcat Combustion Technology has met the challenge. For more information contact Mulcahy Company for any questions.

 

Figure 1

Figure 2

Veritus – A Tool for Decarbonization

By: Dan Chudecke

Mulcahy Company has found that a key element of success is to partner with manufacturers that are always innovating to meet the demands of the marketplace.   From efficiency improvements to customizable controls, the best always strives to be an industry leader.  One new request from customers has been to serve domestic hot water (DHW) loads without using fossil fuels.  This is part of an overall trend amongst building owners and tenants to lower their carbon footprint.

Lochinvar has responded to this market demand with the introduction of the Veritus air source heat pumps.   These 100% made in America air source heat pumps are specifically designed to satisfy domestic hot water loads without consuming fossil fuels on site.  The initial product release will include 60,000 and 140,000 BTU/hr size units.   These individual modules can be banked together to meet the larger loads of commercial buildings with redundancy.  These high Coefficient of Performance (COP) heat pumps utilize low Global Warming Potential (GWP) R-513A refrigerant.

One unique capability of the Veritus Air Source Heat Pumps is that they can be ducted to capture the waste heat from spaces in need of cooling.   The units are deployed in a typical Lochinvar fashion where water is heated separately from the storage tank (‘The Better Idea ‘).  This allows for design flexibility and superior energy efficiency.    Example – Install the Veritus unit in or near a room with constant heat rejection and circulate the water to a DHW tank.  The space is cooled, and potable hot water loads are satisfied.  The DHW tank does not need to be near the area being cooled.  This design approach could be utilized in new and existing buildings.   Such systems are prime candidates to achieve energy consumption targets and are often eligible for utility rebates.

Lochinvar has once again come up with an innovative solution to satisfy the needs of our customers.

For more information visit:

https://www.lochinvar.com/veritus/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ5KeExqOT8

 

Turkey Earthquake Collection

On February 6th, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey, leaving thousands without homes or belongings. This happened just as winter storms were peaking with below freezing temperatures. Mulcahy employee Ben Justman and his wife Ela Justman reached out to friends, family, and coworkers to start collecting donations. Ela has family in Turkey, so it was important to do what we could here. They received an overwhelming response; all of the donations were brought to Mulcahy to be packed and will be shipped where they are needed the most.

Thank you to everyone for your generous donations.

Quincino’s Pizza

Everyone here at Mulcahy was in love this past Valentine’s Day – with Quincino’s Pizza that is! Quincy Williams brought back Quincino’s in the office for the first time since the pandemic, and boy oh boy it was a day you did not want to miss! He ended up making EIGHT of his famous steak, bacon, and egg breakfast pizzas! Thank you, Quincy, for sharing your wonderful talent with us – our bellies thank you as well!

 

AHR Expo Recap

Author: Dan Chudecke

The 2023 AHR Expo was held this year in Atlanta, GA and the well-attended event was the stage for several exciting product announcements.  Here are a few of the highlights.

Bell & Gossett (B&G) added to their pump offering with the introduction of the e-90E Smart Pump .  The e-90 pump is a versatile in-line pump offering wide hydraulic coverage well suited for the small commercial HVAC market. Available in horizontal or vertical installations, the close coupled build of the Series e-90 pump makes it an ideal solution for heating and cooling applications where space is a concern.

The latest improvement comes from the addition of an Ultra-Premium IE-5 motor and variable speed drive to the already efficient hydraulics of the e-90 pump.  This improvement in efficiency expands the range of operation beyond what is available with a standard asynchronous AC motor.

Beyond the inherent pluses of variable speed operation, the e-90 Smart Pump built in control options that allow the pump to capture all the benefits without needing external controls.

The Baltimore Air Coil Company showcased the innovative Trillium Series of adiabatic fluid coolers with their wide offering of heat rejection options.   The modular hybrid unit utilizes high efficient ECM fans to draw air across the coil to reject heat while keeping the water/glycol isolated from the air stream.  The Trillium can operate dry when conditions allow, but the best efficiency is attained via precooling at the air inlets.   The internal pumps circulate water over the adiabatic pads to gain the benefits of evaporative cooling and the water management systems periodically drains the unit to prevent mineral buildup.  The complete system requires no external controls to stage, modulate, and rotate the fans and pumps.   The Trillium controls will also occasionally reverse the air flow to blow off anything that may be lodged in the air inlet.    There is so much more to this unit than can be described in a simple bulletin. For and AR tour for this innovative design follow the link.

Cemline Corporation announced the addition of an electronic mixing valve to complement their wide offering of unfired water heaters.  The Cemline® Digital Tempering Valve (DTV) is designed to provide consistent tempered water to institutional and commercial facilities. The digital controller wired to the stainless-steel control valve can accurately maintain set point within +/-2°F from 0.5 gpm to full flow.

The DTV Series can be used for domestic hot water, or heating/cooling for industrial applications. The controller can remotely communicate with the building management system with options of BACnet (IP or MSTP), Modbus, or Internet. The digital tempering valves include a controller, stainless steel valve, and temperature sensor. The valves are available from 1/2″ to 2-1/2″.   The valve conforms to ASSE 1017, California Lead Free Plumbing Law, CSA B 125 (NSF /ANSI 61 Section 8), and UL listed.

 

Thursday Cocktails – January 2023

This month, Jesse Charpentier shared some of his favorite cocktails with us!

Frisky Whiskey

2 oz your choice of whiskey

2 oz unsweetened cranberry juice

.5 oz unsweetened lime juice

.5 oz simple syrup

 

Skrewball Sour

2 oz Skrewball peanut butter whiskey

1.5 oz sweet and sour mix

4 dashes each angostura and orange bitters

1 cocktail cherry – muddled