where can i find design temp, max snow level?

Alan R. Mercurio_3

I think this will help you with what you're looking for?

<a href="http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/monitoring/snowclim/mainpage.html">Monitoring Snow</a>

or


<a href="http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/snow/snow.html">Research Snow</a>


your friend in the industry,
Alan R. Mercurio<BR><BR><a href="http://oiltechtalk.com">www.oiltechtalk.com</a>

Plumbob

info for my area?

(a) I found a list of design temperatures at this link . Are these good numbers? If you use other sources for this data, what are they?

(b) I couldn't find any charts on the web listing max snow levels to be used in positioning vents. Where do professionals get this data?

Of course, people in the field probably use values for their own area that they've known for years and so don't need to look them up any more, but if you can suggest an official or reliable source, I'd be very grateful. I am in the Chicago area, if you need this info.

R. Kalia_3

no clear answers...

Lots of historical data, but about snowfall rather than snow cover. (Snow cover can include weeks of snowfall if none of it has melted.) In ny case I was hoping for an official number. "The HVAC Trade Union has determined that the minimum vent height above ground level will be as follows:

zip code level
nnnnn 18"
mmmmm 20"

and so forth. I guess there's nothing like that?

Glenn Harrison_2

As a service tech near Chicago,

I can comfortably say that 2 feet above grade should keep your pipes clear, although, if they are on the west side of the building, and you can get good gusts on that side, you might want to go with three feet. I have dug out a couple of vents that got buried in 3 foot plus snowdrifts where the wind could blow the snow.

As far as design temp, I was always taught -10° for the Chicago area.

R. Kalia_3

OK, thanks!

OK, thanks, that was what I needed to know. Just double-checking my contractor, but you have said exactly what he did. It is on the west but the building next door and shrubbery will be protecting it, and indeed 24" above ground is where we're putting it, can't easily put it any higher.

Brad White_2

U.S. Air Force Weather Data

is the root of most of ASHRAE numbers. I forget the link but I think it is off of the NOAA web site. As a design engineer it is worth the $75 for the CD for a world of data. Really, the world.

When the USAF has to deploy forces and establish bases, they need to know projected fuel consumption demand, snow, wind, cooling, heating degree days, humididy, everything.

If you could e-mail me with your most specific location, I can send you a copy of the data. It is in handy .pdf format, in color and is 18 pages per location. Lots of graphs. Fun in an engineer sort of way :^)>