Tag Archives: M2

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Fireplace Safety


Many accommodations such as dormitories, fraternities and sororities have working fireplaces — wood burning and natural gas.  Community spaces such as student unions, libraries and recreation spaces also have fireplaces as a central feature.

The purpose of NFPA 211 is to reduce fire hazards by discovering and promulgating best practice for the safe removal of flue gases, the proper installation of solid fuel-burning appliances, and the correct construction and installation of chimneys, fireplaces, and venting systems.  The current 2019 Edition is linked below:

Free Access: NFPA 221 Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances

The 2024 has been released.  To guide our inquiry into safety and sustainability concepts for the 2027 Edition we like review the developmental transcripts of previous edition:

Public Input Report

Second Revisions Report

Public input on the 2027 Edition will be received until June 4, 2024.  We encourage facility managers to recommend improvements to this standard by setting up a (Free) NFPA account the link below:

Online submission of public input and public comments

We maintain this standard on our periodic Prometheus and Housing colloquia.  Consult our CALENDAR for the next online meeting, open to everyone

Link to parent standard:

Code ignis MMXXVII

NFPA 211: Articles and News

University of Rochester Fireplace Safety

American Gas Association: How Natural Gas Fuels Your Holiday Traditions

Natural Gas Transmission & Distribution

 

Ice Swimming

January 1st is Polar Bear Plunge Day in the Great Lakes.  It is also popular among the young in other “watery” universities around the world.

2023 St. Clair College Polar Bear Plunge

Polar Plunge at the University of Michigan

Pleasures and Hazards

Pleasures:

  1. Increased adrenaline rush: Cold water swimming can produce a surge of adrenaline in the body, which can make you feel more energized and alert.
  2. Improved mood: Cold water swimming has been associated with an increased release of endorphins, which can elevate your mood and reduce stress levels.
  3. Improved immune function: Cold water swimming has been shown to improve immune function, possibly due to the stress response induced by the cold water.
  4. Sense of accomplishment: Many people find ice swimming to be a challenging and rewarding experience, providing a sense of accomplishment and pride.
  5. Social bonding: Ice swimming can be a social activity, with groups of people coming together to share the experience and support each other.

Hazards:

  1. Hypothermia: Prolonged exposure to cold water can cause hypothermia, which can be life-threatening if left untreated.
  2. Cold shock response: Entering cold water can cause an involuntary gasp reflex, which can lead to drowning if it occurs while the head is underwater.
  3. Heart problems: Cold water swimming can put a strain on the heart and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke in people with underlying cardiovascular disease.
  4. Frostbite: Exposed skin can become frostbitten in cold water, particularly in extremities such as the fingers and toes.
  5. Injury from slipping or falling: Ice swimming can be hazardous if proper safety precautions are not taken, such as wearing appropriate footwear and using a rope or ladder to enter and exit the water.

 

College Polar Bear Plunges

2023 St. Clair College Polar Bear Plunge

Polar Plunge at the University of Michigan

How to Wear A Kilt

Heat Tracing Installation

“Vue de toits (effet de neige)” 1878 Gustave Caillebotte

One of the core documents for heat tracing is entering a new 5-year revision cycle; a consensus standard that is especially relevant this time of year because of the personal danger and property damage that is possible in the winter months.  Education communities depend upon heat tracing for several reasons; just a few of them listed below:

  • Ice damming in roof gutters that can cause failure of roof and gutter structural support
  • Piping systems for sprinkler systems and emergency power generation equipment
  • Sidewalk, ramp and stairway protection

IEEE 515 Standard for the Testing, Design, Installation, and Maintenance of Electrical Resistance Trace Heating for Industrial Applications is one of several consensus documents for trace heating technology.   Its inspiration originates in the petrochemical industry but its principles apply to all education facilities exposed to cold temperature and snow.   From its prospectus:

This standard provides requirements for the testing, design,installation, and maintenance of electrical resistance trace heating in general industries as applied to pipelines, vessels, pre-traced and thermally insulated instrument tubing and piping, and mechanical equipment. The electrical resistance trace heating is in the form of series trace heaters, parallel trace heaters, and surface heating devices. The requirements also include test criteria to determine the suitability of these heating devices utilized in unclassified (ordinary) locations.

Its principles can, and should be applied with respect to other related documents:

National Electrical Code Article 427

NECA 202 Standard for Installing and Maintaining Industrial Heat Tracing Systems

IEC 62395 Electrical resistance trace heating systems for industrial and commercial applications

 ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings

Lowell House / Harvard University

We are happy to explain the use of this document in design guidelines and/or construction specifications during any of our daily colloquia.   We generally find more authoritative voices in collaborations with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets 4 times per month in Europe and in the Americas.  We maintain this title on the standing agenda of our Snow & Ice colloquia.  See our CALENDER for the next online meeting.

Issue: [18-331]

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Kane Howard

Category: Electrical, #SmartCampus


LEARN MORE:

Good Building Practice for Northern Facilities

Electrical Heat Tracing:International Harmonization Now and in the Future, IEEE Industry Standards Magazine, May/June 2002 pages 50-56

 

Missouri Compromise

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Lincoln Memorial University

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Back Matter | From the Archives of Lapham’s Quarterly
Valentine’s Day is almost here, but in a letter sent on April Fools’ Day in 1838, Abraham Lincoln—born on this day in 1809—showed himself to be not much of a romantic. He declared that he would never marry “for this reason—I can never be satisfied with anyone who would be blockhead enough to have me.” He married Mary Todd four years later. Mary Owens, who may have been the woman maligned in the letter below, said of her suitor, “I thought Mr. Lincoln was deficient in those little links which make up the chain of woman’s happiness—at least it was so in my case.”
Valentine, c. 1880. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1838 | Springfield, IL

Abraham Lincoln Loses the Girl

Without apologizing for being egotistical, I shall make the history of so much of my life as has elapsed since I saw you the subject of this letter. And, by the way, I now discover that in order to give a full and intelligible account of the things I have done and suffered since I saw you, I shall necessarily have to relate some that happened before.

It was, then, in the autumn of 1836 that a married lady of my acquaintance, and who was a great friend of mine, being about to pay a visit to her father and other relatives residing in Kentucky, proposed to me that on her return, she would bring a sister of hers with her, on condition that I would engage to become her brother-in-law with all convenient dispatch. I, of course, accepted the proposal, for you know I could not have done otherwise had I really been averse to it; but privately, between you and me, I was most confoundedly well pleased with the project. I had seen the said sister some three years before, thought her intelligent and agreeable, and saw no good objection to plodding life through hand in hand with her. Time passed on, the lady took her journey, and in due time returned, sister in company, sure enough. This astonished me a little, for it appeared to me that her coming so readily showed that she was a trifle too willing, but on reflection it occurred to me that she might have been prevailed on by her married sister to come, without anything concerning me ever having been mentioned to her, and so I concluded that if no other objection presented itself, I would consent to waive this. All this occurred to me on hearing of her arrival in the neighborhood—for, be it remembered, I had not yet seen her, except about three years previous, as above mentioned. In a few days we had an interview, and although I had seen her before, she did not look as my imagination had pictured her.

 

Valentine

Kim DelPizzo

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February in Academia

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