Conventions 2016
Stop by our booth. We can find solutions to your temperature control challenges.
AHR 2016
January 25-27 Orlando, FL
ASLRRA 2016 Connections
April 3-6 National Harbor, MD
HFSE 2016
September 19-21 Orlando, FL
Innotrans 2016
September 20-23 Berlin Germany
ASPE 2016
October 28 – November 2 Phoenix, AZ
Exposed pipes can be the biggest headache for plant managers and maintenance personnel in the harsh winter months. Any sort of pump, valve, or process pipe that is exposed to the harsh effects of the Winter is susceptible to freezing and bursting. As you can imagine, this can create havoc in critical systems.
There are many ways to heat these pipes, but in extreme climates, one of the most effective methods is to apply glycol tracing. Since glycol does not freeze and doesn’t require any special handling in environments that need to be explosion-proof, it makes it an ideal solution.
Glycol has a very low freezing point which allows it to remain in the liquid phase, even in very cold temperatures. The exceptional thermal transfer characteristics also make it the obvious choice for a cost-effective heating medium.
How We Can Help.
ThermOmegaTech manufactures many valves that control the flow of, and maximize the effect of glycol through these systems. Our most popular valves for use in glycol tracing include HAT and TV/HAT.
Our valves are not reliant on electricity to operate. To regulate the flow of glycol, each of these valves contains a thermostatic element inside that modulates open or closed to maintain a constant discharge temperature.
Each of them improves system efficiency by automatically varying the rate at which glycol is pumped through the system.
For years, manual balancing valves have been the industry standard in regulating the flow of recirculating domestic hot water systems.
Particularly in large, populous commercial buildings, such as offices, hotels, and multi-dwelling housing, maintaining perfect hot water distribution was very challenging until Pennsylvania-based manufacturer ThermOmegaTech®, Inc. launched its self-operating temperature actuated CircuitSolver thermal recirculation valve (Circuit Solver) and set a new standard.
“Even people who are very knowledgeable with years of experience in the industry are impressed with what CircuitSolver can achieve,” shares Nick Tallos, vice president of engineering for ThermOmegaTech and 40-year industry veteran. “They ask, ‘where was this 20 years ago,’ and call CircuitSolver a game-changing technology.
However, ThermOmegaTech is no stranger to game-changing products. Since the company was founded by the late Fred Pirkle in 1983, it has been solving temperature control problems all over the country and the world.
“I was working with Fred before he started ThermOmegaTech,” recounts Tallos, in Warminster. “He was working as a sales representative for another company when he was offered a position in product development in Pennsylvania. A few years later, in the early 1980s, he decided to start his own company.
The facts are frightening – especially since the problem can be avoided.
Consider this: As many as one in 10 patients hospitalized in the U.S. contracts an infection, according to the Wall Street Journal. That means nearly 2 million patients annually are infected by a bacterium or other agents.
The end result?
The cost is nearly 100,000 deaths and $6.5 billion in overall losses.
Continue reading
By Nick Tallos
“I turned on the water in the shower and waited for 10 minutes. Warm water finally started flowing, however, it never lasted more than a minute and alternated mostly with cool to cold water.”
Image via Pexels.
That’s the exact quote extracted from an online review of a guest who rated a hotel in Pennsylvania on Tripadvisor.com. The reviewer gave the hotel a rating of two out of a possible five. The site is full of similar comments from guests complaining about how long it took them to get hot water when they wanted to take a shower or wash their hands.
In the hospitality industry, when a guest turns on the hot water in their room, most wait patiently for the water to run a while to the proper temperature. Guests do not like to wait too long for their hot water according to the International Hospitality Association.
In fact, they specifically address “the availability of hot water” as a factor for consideration in their quality standards and star rating systems that they set as the bar for multi-star ratings.
The cost to deliver domestic hot water to ensure customer satisfaction means the domestic hot water system must be balanced in a way that keeps the delivery time low. Until recently, that meant larger recirculating pumps, more recirculating flow, more wear and tear on your hot water system, and more cost.
Read more on Green Lodging News about domestic hot water systems.
In December 2009, a well-known manufacturing plant experienced a safety incident in which an employee was severely burned. The employee was exposed to a caustic chemical that sprayed out of a spigot and came in contact with exposed parts of his neck, hands, and arms. He was rushed to the nearest safety shower and thrust under a deluge of bone-chillingly cold 40°F water. Due to the extremely frigid water, his body’s natural reaction was to leap out before being completely rinsed of the harmful irritant. He was then transported to the medical office where the combination of not being fully cleaned of the chemical and the length of travel time led to worse burns than there should have been.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z358.1-2009 is used to help plant managers and safety professionals comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations requiring employers to provide a safe workplace. This ANSI Standard establishes the universal minimum performance required for all eyewash and drench shower equipment used in plants. It states that all flushing equipment must be located in easy-to-reach areas, with the eyewash station or shower accessible within 10-seconds. This has become referred to as the 10 second rule.
Additionally, eyewash stations and showers must be installed in well-lit and marked areas with a minimum flow rate of .4 GPM at 30PSI and 20 GPM at 30PSI respectively. The ANSI Standard also includes other design and operational specifications to assure that the safety showers and eyewashes are easy to use even in the case of an emergency by a victim with compromised mobility. Such features include valves that are easy to activate and will stay open once activated without having to hold a valve or handle open. OSHA regulations that apply to safety shower eyewash stations expand on the ANSI Standard requirements in certain high risk operations. For example, if open vessels containing hazardous substances are present, OSHA requires specialized safety shower and eyewash equipment to address the higher risks.
From the Bucks County Courier Times Success Through Diversity
“For 30 years, Warminster’s ThermOmegaTech® has been helping to protect locomotives with the smallest pieces of equipment — valves that keep water from freezing and damaging engines.
Today, under new ownership, the valve manufacturer is growing by diversifying its product line to include everything from commercial plumbing products to regulators for barbecue grills.
The company was founded in 1982 by Fred Pirkle — a “modern-day Edison” who held numerous patents, said Jim Logue, President, CEO.”
ThermOmegaTech® began by providing self-powered freeze-protection valves to railroad companies. Over the years, Pirkle and ThermOmegaTech® developed dozens of valve products. But railroads remain its biggest customer, and the company boasts of a 96 percent market penetration in the industry.
But it’s growing in other industries, as well, Logue said.
ThermOmegaTech®’s aptly named BBQ Guru division — which began as a side hobby for Pirkle — is now the company’s fastest-growing business, Logue said. BBQ Guru makes temperature gauges for barbecue grills, and fields an award-winning barbecue team.
“We’re a custom valve manufacturer,” Logue said. “We do valves for all sorts of uses.”
Its newest product is the Circuit Solver®, which saves water and electricity in large buildings like hotels and apartment complexes by allowing the almost instantaneous delivery of hot water. In other words, no more waiting for the shower to heat up. Therm-Omega-Tech already has about 20 projects either underway or in the pipeline that will use the valve.
Keystone Edge recently profiled Jim Logue, President, CEO, for their “Innovation & Job News” section. Jim discusses ThermOmegaTech’s journey into Lean Manufacturing and the growth that we’ve seen with it.
From www.keystoneedge.com:
“A few years ago, when Jim Logue, President, CEO, joined ThermOmegaTech, a Warminster valve maker, he found a solid, old-line manufacturer. Still, he recalls, the assembly shop and the machine shop were not clearly communicating, leading to inefficiencies and delays.
No more Since 2010, Therm has been “on a lean journey,” says Logue. Mentored by the Delaware Valley Industrial Resources Center, Therm has taken steps to eliminate waste in its manufacturing processes and, equally important, change the plant’s culture by sharing information and ensuring that all 60 employees understand the big picture.”
“We basically have empowered every employee to have a say in how to improve their work area, or what they see elsewhere,” says Logue. “It gives purpose to coming to work.”
Since adapting the principles of lean manufacturing, Logue says, people are working better and smarter and operations are more coordinated and efficient. The company has seen 70% growth in revenues in its top products and has grown jobs by 10%. Logue anticipates adding another three positions in the next six to 12 months.
The Circuit Solver Balancing Valve was recently featured in both HPAC Engineering Magazine, as well as Contractor Magazine.
HPAC Engineering is the leading mechanical systems engineering publication and voice of leadership in the buildings industry.
Water-temperature-control valve
The Circuit Solver self-actuating temperature-control valve is designed to solve the problem of domestic hot water not being rapidly delivered to all parts of a building. When entering water temperature is below the valve’s set point, a thermal actuator begins to open the valve to establish a flow rate that will achieve set point.
If the water temperature exceeds the set point, the valve begins to throttle back to find the current equilibrium point. This constant, automatic response to water temperature enables each hot-water branch to quickly and consistently deliver the correct temperature to each connected fixture. The all-stainless-steel valve complies with California AB1953 and meets NSF-61 standards. —Therm-Omega-Tech
View the release here.
Contractor Magazine is the online resource for mechanical contracting.
THE CIRCUIT SOLVER VALVE for domestic hot water systems is easy to install and maintain. It responds to changing water temperature and automatically changes flow to keep temperatures evenly distributed. It is constructed of all stainless steel.
View the release here.
The Circuit Solver Balancing Valve was recently featured in Buildings Magazine, the leading publication for managing facilities.
The Circuit Solver is a valve for domestic hot water systems that reduces water waste, creates energy savings, and improves user satisfaction.
The valve provides an automatic response to water temperature that enables each hot water branch to quickly and consistently deliver the right temperature to each connected fixture.
Recently, an employee at a chemical plant was accidentally exposed to a caustic solution that the plant was processing. He ran to the nearest safety shower in order to rinse the caustic off. Unfortunately, the safety shower was malfunctioning.
Instead of tepid water in the 85°F (29° C) range, he was doused in water under 60° F (15.5° C). His initial reaction was to jump out, but his fellow employees held him under the cold water to rinse off the chemical. As a result, he ended up with hypothermia from the cold water.
ThermOmegaTech, Inc has been honored by having two of our valves nominated for Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine’s annual Product of the Year award. Both the CircuitSolver™ and the DTV are in the running to be the best Plumbing and Water Management product.
Please take a moment and visit CSEMag.com’s voting page here and select CircuitSolver or DTV as your vote for Product of the Year. You may vote as often as you like.
We came across this article on return temperatures. It addresses some key issues in regards to domestic hot water balancing. Our new CircuitSolver™ can be a great way to fix, and even eliminate problems with hot water delivery.
The Importance of Return Temperatures
Delivery & Return Temperatures are the two most critical numbers; these are the temperatures available to the residents at the beginning and at the end of the hot water loop. Too hot is unsafe, too low is unacceptable for cleaning or comfort.
Low Return Temperature is commonly ignored because diagnosis can be tedious and it doesn’t seem like a dangerous problem. Wrong.
Do not ignore a Low Return Temperature Warning! A drop in temperature from delivery to return means that:
Return Temperature is like a canary in a coal mine: if there is anything wrong with the hot water system it is often the first alarm to go off. If your return temperature chart isn’t in the pink, your boilers are probably in fine order. But, if you’re seeing a lot of pink, it’s time to fix things before your residents start seeing red
Special thanks to EDC Technologies, Inc. for letting us re-post this.
Avoid permanent injury, freeze damage and corrosion.
In brief:
Regulations and standards are intended to help keep employees and processes safe. Water temperature can mean the difference between whether an employee incurs permanent injury in an accident, whether outdoor processing facilities avoid expensive freeze damage, and whether a plant can keep operating without extensive maintenance. These matters are critical to operating a safe, compliant, and efficient plant. Continue reading
Frederick (Fred) L. Pirkle, owner of ThermOmegaTech, Inc., in Warminster, PA passed away March 9th at his home.
Fred was born on February 17, 1946 in San Antonio, TX to Charles Earl Pirkle and Zutella Bones Pirkle. He lived in San Antonio throughout his childhood and graduated from Harlandale High School in 1964.
In 1970 Fred received a B.S. from the Department of Industrial Technology at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX and in 1972 he received a Masters degree from the same university.
