The challenges of refurbishment

Mechanical grooved pipe-joining systems overcome many issues that are encountered in refurbishment projects, says Simon Ouellette of Victaulic.

Refurbishing old and historic buildings presents many challenges when it comes to installing HVAC systems. It requires working with existing piping systems and around existing structures, often in confined spaces and with limited access. The tight architectural designs of mechanical rooms in historic buildings puts pressure on consulting engineers and contractors to deliver reliable, cost-effective solutions that fit in the structural constraints and minimise the system’s footprint.

Problems which are impossible to predict are more likely to occur when work begins on a refurbishment project, potentially resulting in untold slippage to the schedule. The need to avoid damage to the building and preserve its interior is also critical.

The pipe-joining method can have a major impact on the success of a retrofit project. The mechanical grooved system addresses many common issues presented by such projects and offers consulting engineers and contractors significant advantages; they include safety, cleanliness, speed, reduced footprint and flexibility.

Older buildings may be particularly vulnerable to fire damage. In addition, internal decoration — along with potentially valuable paintings, furniture and other historical artefacts — may be susceptible to discolouration from welding fumes. A flame-free, clean pipe-joining method avoids such risks and eliminates the need for special precautions.

When working on older buildings, it is not uncommon to encounter unforeseen problems, such as asbestos in the building’s structure, which can cause long delays and result in missed deadlines. Because the mechanical grooved system is quick and easy to install, it can help to recover lost time on the installation and bring the schedule back on track.

Another significant factor in the preservation of a building is humidity. For example, wooden or painted surfaces can crack when humidity is too low, and when it is too high moisture can migrate through the walls. To ensure the HVAC system optimally regulates humidity, it is essential to minimise system downtime. Selecting a system that is quick and easy to install and to maintain is therefore important.

Grooved mechanical pipe-joining systems simplify maintenance and improve onsite material handling. They also enable better prefabrication, which offers major productivity gains and labour efficiencies — especially when there is limited lay-down space on the job site, as is often the case in retrofits.

Within the piping industry, prefabrication is considered to be up to four times more productive than field fabrication.

Although fewer errors occur in a controlled environment, line-up errors can still happen in the field — and even a small number of such errors can have significant impact on an installation schedule. A mechanical joining system which provides a union at every joint allows simple field correction of any alignment errors, minimising schedule disruptions onsite.

Victaulic, pipe joint, grooved pipe coupling. pipe, pipework, pipe services
Grooved pipe-joining systems lend themselves to prefabrication — with the added benefit of a union at every joint allowing simple field correction of any alignment errors.

Another advantage of prefabricating a grooved system is that spools are normally kept straight, while welded spools are usually bent. By working with straight spools, risk of damaging the building and its interior is considerably reduced, and line-up problems are less common.

Without prefabrication and a grooved system, it would have been impossible to meet the tight schedule for the refurbishment of the La Scala theatre in Milan. Using a ‘bag-and-tag’ system offered by the manufacturer enabled prefabricated spool to be delivered to the job site on the day it was required and kept unloading time and interference with traffic in the city centre to a minimum.

This was also the case for the refurbishment of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome. Prefabrication was crucial due to the location of the building in the centre of the most crowded city in Italy. Confined spaces, interference with traffic and the tight schedule were important factors when refurbishing the DN200 (8 in) cooling lines. Prefabrication minimised inconveniences and reduced the installation time.

Excessive vibration and noise caused by a system can be a great challenge for design engineers. Not only does vibration reduce the life of a system but noise can also affect building occupants. In historic buildings, there are even more important factors to take into account. System vibration can weaken structures, cause serious damage and —because insulation in old buildings is often rudimentary — system noise can be easily heard throughout the property.

Grooved couplings have excellent noise and vibration attenuation qualities, as well as the ability to accommodate deflection, expansion and contraction throughout the life of the piping system. Sound attenuation is achieved by placing just three flexible couplings near to one another and close to the source of vibration. Exactly where the couplings are sited is open to choice, offering design flexibility.

Independent testing concluded that, for any given pipe diameter, less vibration is transmitted with each additional grooved coupling. For the La Scala theatre, where acoustics are crucial, this was one of the decisive factors in specifying a grooved mechanical system.

Simon Ouellette is engineering services supervisor with Victaulic.

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