Diagnostics Commercial & Residential www.vaporremoval.com (330) 915.2650 Tony McDonald A-Z Solutions, Inc 03.24.15
RN VS VI RN generally has less barriers to public presentation. Homeowners give permission without hesitation. VI generally has a plethora of obstacles and associated paperwork. I use RN for diagnostics and pathway identification examples when practical for this reason. Any of these project could be VI, RN, or both! A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
What is “Diagnostics”? Compiling a dataset of sub-slab airflow measurements at varying pressure for a structure. From this data a functional system design is extrapolated. In simple terms diagnostics is the process of designing a site specific SSD System. Diagnostics is a mixture of science, field experience, and feel. This presentation is about decision making based on diagnostics, not the actual technical process of conducting diagnostics. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Disconnected Pathways A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
House Background Located in Central Ohio. Local geology includes Utica and Marcellus Shale Formations. Initial Radon Levels: First Floor - 148 pCi/L. Basement - about 250 pCi/L. All testing was conducted on first floor. No VI at site. Original system installed by another contractor. We were called in by the homeowner after the original contractor was unable to mitigate the house. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Pre-Mitigation RN Graph 200 180 160 140 120 Hourly 100 4.0 pCi/L Average 80 60 40 20 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Where We Started FR150 - 1.4” 2 X GP501 40 CFM - 2.75” 90 CFM A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Where to start? The contractor used the “Poke and Hope” method. Poke a hole in the concrete, hope it works! Throughout the process the contractor never conducted diagnostics. Without diagnostic data you have no basis for proper decision making. We also want to look for clues in the hourly RN data. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Final Contractor RN Data 160 140 120 100 Hourly 80 4.0 pCi/L Average 60 40 20 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38
Communication Test Results WOW! A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
With PFE like this what could be the problem? All test holes showed adequate PFE. RN / VI Systems are also called Sub-Slab Depressurization systems for a reason right? You depressurize the slab and the RN/VI goes away. NOT ALWAYS…. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Recognizing Disconnected Pathways ( above 50 pCi/L ) No amount of pressure on this slab was going to fix the RN problem. Abnormally high RN levels are not usually associated with extremely high concentrations of U in the ground. They are caused by excessive positive pressure from the soil. Absence of positive pressure under the slab with the system off should point you to finding an additional pathway with positive pressure. Adequate PFE and insignificant RN reduction means you missed at least one pathway. At this house the RN is coming through the walls via pressure from the shale. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Relieve the pressure on the walls to fix the RN. Tony@vaporremoval.com
Wall Extraction Point A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Cleaning up the mess A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Final PFE Results A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Final RN Levels 1.6 pCi/L 16 14 12 10 Hourly 8 4.0 pCi/L Average 6 4 2 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89
Conclusions Hourly RN data can show disconnected pathways. PFE – More pressure is not always better. It is usually just an energy waste. In hard to mitigate homes always look for: Initial positive pressure. Large variations in pressure. Gaps in PFE. Additional entry routes. RN and VI can be taking different paths into a structure. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Commercial Diagnostics A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Background 500,000 FT2 Building located in Northeast OH. COC – TCE. Guaranteed Maximum Project. Funded by CORF. Minimum - 0.020” across entire area. 2 separate Mitigation Areas 110,000 FT2 vacant area. 30 Days to Complete. 12,500 FT2 occupied area. 10 Days to Complete. Tight quarters. 24/7 operation. Our design could not cause downtime at the business. No pipes allowed in this area. Boring logs show: 12” of concrete. C onsistent Clay layer to 6’. No aggregate layer. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Subject Building A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
You could also modify the existing SSD System… Original system had been running for about 2 years. There were 5 of these units throughout the building. 4 were running when we encountered them. Designed by P.E. of previous Environmental Company. Negative impact on the indoor air samples. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
110,000 FT2 Section A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Diagnostics Results Test Hole 1 Test Hole 2 A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Extrapolations 50” of applied vacuum will produce: ~ 10 CFM . 15’ ROI @ - 0.020”. 1 EP would depressurize about 700 ft2. Traditional system design would require approximately 142 EP and fans. Location of EPs would render the building unusable. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
A More Efficient Way Installing suction trenches would eliminate the need for multiple EP’s. As the trench gets longer, the ROI gets wider, CFMs go up, and the system operating pressure gets Lower. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Fan Motors System Fan Watts CFM Pressure - 2.29” 1 FKD12 530 315 - 2.89” 2 FKD12 500 175 - 2.20” 3 FKD12 515 325 - 2.45” 4 FKD12 540 289 A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Final PFE Readings A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
12,500 FT2 Occupied Area A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Limitations of Horizontal Boring Reaming causes Usually does not take compaction which requires advantage of subsidence. higher pressure to compensate. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Final PFE Readings A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
System Efficiency Area 1 w Trench Area 2 w HB Area 1 w EP Total ft2 110,000 12,500 110,000 Number of Fans 4 5 142 Total System 2,085 1,375 46,860 Wattage Monthly cost at $152.22 $100.39 $3,421.15 $0.10 KWH Fan Warranty 5 Years 1 Year 1 Year Life Expectancy 10 Years 3 Years 3 Years Cost to Replace X 4X 4X 9.1 2.13 FT2 47.9 Depressurized per Watt A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Conclusions Suction Trenches are an effective Force Multiplier, but generate large amounts of soil for disposal. Horizontal Borings can be an effective technology to enhance SSD. Usually require the same pressure as a normal EP. ROI becomes a cylinder around bore hole. Does not generate soil for disposal. Be aware of the water table. Systems install in 2012/13 Trench System – No Maintenance. Boring System – 2 Motor Replacements. A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Thank You A-Z Solutions, Inc - 330.915.2650 - Tony@vaporremoval.com
Recommend
More recommend
