Canadian Code Commission & Hydronics Standard

Constance Wrigley-Thomas

for the meeting of the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes. We are trying to get them to reference the CSA B214 Installation Code for Hydronic Heating Systems in Part 9 of the 2005 National Building Code. You may recall hearing that it was rejected by the standing committee which is made up of mostly home builders.

I will be joined by Doug McDonald of Uponor Wirsbo, Dale Riggs of the Residential Hot Water Heating Association of BC and Robert Bean, who brings the perspective of the Alberta Hydronics Advisory Council and ASHRAE. I am feeling confident that our presentation and our submission will convince the Commission members that Canada needs mandatory minimum requirements for hydronic installations.

In the meantime, the Technical Committee for CSA B214 is being formed and formalized (and will include regulators, builders and other hydronics stakeholders). Their mandate will be to begin working on the next edition of the hydronic standard.

Thanks to our friends north and south of the border who wrote letters of support. We now ask that you keep your fingers crossed. I am hoping to report on Monday at approximately 10:00 Pacific Time that the CSA B214 will be an enforceable document and that bad installations become a thing of the past.

Constance Wrigley-Thomas
Program Manager
Canadian Hydronics Council
Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating

Mark (San Diego) Eatherton

The BEAN

will set them free...

You have some pretty good fire power at your command.

Best wishes from San Diego!

ME

DanHolohan

Wonderful work!

Best of luck, and thanks, Constance.

Tom Meyer

New Standard

Good luck Constance! Keep us posted on how it goes.

Tom Meyer
Senior Designer/Trainer
Precision Hydronics Corp
www.precisionhydronics.com

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Constance Wrigley-Thomas

We were ambushed...

Hi Folks,

Doug McDonald [Uponor Canada], Robert Bean, Dale Riggs [Modale Industries] and I were present at the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes meeting on Monday in Victoria. We provided them with our paper-based submission and we made a fifteen minute presentation.

Regrettably, the Commission rejected any referencing of the CSA B214 Installation Code for Hydronic Heating in Part 9 [small buildings and houses] of the National Building Code. The debate was contentious and it was very clear that the home builders had mounted a significant lobby. HRAI's letter supporting CHBA didn't help our case either. Needless to say, we felt ambushed.

The good news (if there is any good news to be gleaned from this) is that they will allow an interim change to Part 9 of the NBC once the standard has been updated by the B214 Technical Committee and another review by the Part 9 committee. This may mean that we get it in by 2006.

Our next steps will be to get representation on the Part 9 Committee (Standing Committee on Houses) and the CCBFC.

Alas, despite our substantial efforts, we were not successful.

All this aside, we're a pretty tenacious lot and we won't give up until the CSA B214 becomes an enforceable standard in the code.

Constance Wrigley-Thomas
Program Manager
CIPH

Mark Eatherton

Abraham Lincoln

Didn't make it in the first round either, nor the second, nor the third... Tenacity is a good characteristic.

Thank you all for continuing to carry the torch. If we can be of assistance on this side of the border, let us know. I would gladly assist in anyway I can.

ME