MECHANICAL WORKS

(HVAC System)

INTRODUCTION TO MECHANICAL WORKS

Brief Introduction
Nowadays the mechanicals are the main source in terms of innovation such as machines, automotive, robotics,
refrigerators, gears, cars, and other types that supplies in everyday life that makes everyone to work easily. It also
contributes the economy and continues to invent any types of technology and obviously will improve every year until
they create a new one. As a civil engineering student, we can deal with the advantages of having a mechanical as a part of
a plan and also to consider the disadvantages so that we can determine the potential mistakes with further computations
before it applies to the real construction.

Definition of Mechanical Works

The term “mechanical” means to produce any types of machines that can generate as a single device either it is
stationary or not. For as long as the engines and machines can work then it is also considered as a mechanical. In terms
of estimation, the professionals can allow to compute the minimum number of mechanical utilities that fits in a respective
plan or where the types of utilities (such as HVAC, water tank, ventilators, and others) can place based on the initial
computations.

Applications of Mechanical Works

The mechanical works has a several applications that are link to the respective machine/engines and also has
major impact to the society. The following applications are the mechanical design, transportation systems that is related
to civil engineering, system dynamics and control, ground vehicle systems, and other applications that did not mentioned.
All of the applications can greatly contributed to our society including the economy and still continues nowadays to
innovate something can make people more comfortable than before.
Mechanical system in any building comprises heating system, cooling system, distribution system details and
fans that would certainly contribute a lot to the ease and comfort of the occupants. It also is created to provide an
environment that protects the structure and generate safe and healthy surrounding. Mechanical works is generally
subcontracted out to mechanical specialties, which prepare estimates for plumbing and heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning systems (HVAC).

Scope of Work
They have several types of works that can deal with the agreement so that can do their responsibilities as a
worker and can perform until such time the plan is complete. For example, the mechanical contractor has a major role in
terms of in charge for cooling system, piping, and/or plumbing of the respective structures and will maintain those
machines/engines everyday. Because of the potential risk regarding the technology, the mechanical contractor can
regulate monitor those things that has a potential malfunctioning before they perform. The main purpose of having a
scope of work is to perform based on their responsibilities under the contract and to follow the schedule based on the
agreement.

Mechanical Engineering Law (RA 8495)

This law contains a several importance related to the mechanical engineering as of 1998. The purposes of
having a law are to strictly follow the general guidelines and policies specially the types of machines/engines that are
applicable only in the Philippines. The main contents of mechanical engineering are under Article IV, Section 35 of RA
8495, stated that “"It is unlawful for any person to order or otherwise cause the fabrication, construction, erection,
installation or alteration of any mechanical equipment, machinery or process for any mechanical works, projects, or
plants, unless the designs, plans, layouts or specifications have been prepared by or under the responsible charge of, and
duly signed and sealed by a professional mechanical engineer”. It means that the mechanical engineer will follow the
guidelines and policies in terms of the mechanical project. Do not violate any sections of the law to avoid possible
revocation as a licensed mechanical engineer.

For More Contents of the Mechanical Engineering Law (RA 8495)

 https://psme.org.ph/page/RA8495/RA-8495---Philippine-Mechanical-Engineering-Act-of-1998.htm

People Involved
The following people involved in the respective plans are the mechanical engineering, mechanical contractors,
quantity surveyors, owners or client, project manager, mechanical utilities, architect, civil engineering, master plumbers,
and other professionals involved in the plans including the other roles of mechanical works. Those workers that assigned
their roles including the professionals shall work together as a one team and can perform well especially the mechanical
until the work is done.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Mechanical Contractor:
 Responsible for cooling system, plumbing, plumbing and other types of machine/engines that involved
in the construction site.
 Generally supplies shop drawings for the installation of the HVAC system and is
responsible for all fees and permits for the HVAC installation.
 Coordinates all mechanical work with the plumbing and electrical contractors when required.
 In some cases, the responsibilities of the mechanical and electrical trades may appear to overlap.
 Can check the specifications as to where the responsibility of each lies. If there is no such matter
in the specifications, owner and contractors should establish the responsibility prior to the
contract.
 The mechanical contractor is in charge of the conduit installation, and maintenance of the units and
internal controls and wiring, including the thermostat cable from the unit.
 An alternative approach is that the electrical contractor is responsible for the installationof the conduit
and wiring from the power supply, the disconnect, and the internal wiringof the control system,
whereas the mechanical contractor is liable only for the installation of the equipment and
maintenance of the mechanical parts within the unit.
2. Mechanical Engineer – responsible for monitoring and analyzing the mechanical problems that require
alternative solutions that involved in the construction site.
3. Mechanical Surveyor – responsible for estimating mechanical related problems with daily manage in terms of the
machines/engines.
4. Master Plumber – responsible for installing the piping system and maintain in a clean way.
5. Owner/Client – responsible for financing the whole project and can also monitor if they want.
6. Design Professionals – responsible for assessing the owner/client for the whole project including the budget,
project detail, schedule, prepare any types of contract documents, and others.
7. Others – responsible for doing their designated position until the work is done especially the mechanical works.
Note: All are under the contract documents and serves as an agreement prior to the start of the construction until the
construction is done.
II. HVAC SYSTEM
Discussion of Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC)
Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems use mechanical means to cool, heat, clean, humidify,
and replace air within a building. The general function of this to control environmental factors in a specific
structure either for human comfort or the operation of the machines. It must provide acceptable indoor air quality
and thermal comfort.
To perform such work, energy sources of the systems include electrical, natural gas, coal, and/or oil,
whereas heating and cooling media include water, air, steam, or chemical refrigerants. During the system design,
the choices of energy source and heating and cooling media are based on the climate, building use, and local energy
costs.
Regardless of the design and its choices, each HVAC system usually consists of:

Five Basic Components:

1. Heating equipment- generates heat to warm the building. It includes equipment such as electrical heaters,
heat pumps, gas and oil fired unit heaters, and boiler systems.
 Boiler systems could either utilize water or stream as a medium and electricity, gas, or oil as a source of
energy. This would include pumps, piping, expansion tanks, terminal units, vents, and controls.
2. Cooling Equipment – removing excess heat off a building to cool it down. This would include water- and
air-cooled chillers, water- and air-cooled condensers, cooling towers, coils, piping, pumps, and controls.
Cooling systems use water, air, and/or chemical refrigerants as a medium and electricity as an energy
source.
3. Air handling equipment - moves conditioned air to the areas where it is needed in the building. This
category includes duct work, fan coil units, air handling units, VAV boxes, fans, dampers, duct heaters,
and coils.
4. Exhaust systems – it generally removes air to help control fumes, odors, and smoke. Common exhaust
systems are duct work, exhaust fans, and ventilators.
5. Piping - is the means by which water, steam, and chemical refrigerants are distributed throughout the
building. Piping systems include pipe, coupling, fittings, valves, and hangers.

Symbols and Abbreviations:

Residential HVAC Systems vs. Commercial HVAC Systems
Residential HVAC System:
 Residential HVAC unit is much smaller since it needs to cool or heat a smaller space as well.
 Typically placed in the backyard or the sides of the house
 Single pan can be used for an entire draining system.
 HVAC Units parts are split between the indoors and the outdoors and it cannot be modified or expanded.
 Manufactured as a standalone system
 The equipment is not that large for small occupancies like residential.
 For the maintenance cost, it is not that expensive and can be done by the owner alone.

Commercial HVAC System:

 The unit is larger as it need to cool and heat a much larger space. The components are quite different as
well, since it includes thermostats, condenser fans, compressor, evaporator, blower and dampers.
 HVAC System is placed in a swamp coolers of the building’s roof tor great space saving and for no noise
pollution.
 It needs to be more adaptable depending on the building where they are being installed. The complexity
matters.
 Consists of multiple pipes and pans for the draining purpose to ensure complete evaporation and no
overflowing.
 Manufactured as a modular system.
 Customized for effective heating and cooling and are very intensive.
 Need skilled and experience technicians for maintenance with higher maintenance cost.

Labor for HVAC Systems

Specific Trades for Installation
• Asbestos workers - usually involved in operations where pipe and ductwork insulation using asbestos-
related materials and insulation of outside exposed surfaces of the air-conditioned spaces are carried out.
• Boiler makers – are needed to use all necessary tools and materials to install the boiler units of a heating
system.
• Insulation workers –are needed in order to install the heat insulators such as insulating fiberboard,
plasterboard, rockwool, and woodwool to insulate the pipes or ductwork that carry the air-conditioning or
heating media.
• Plumbers - perform variety of tasks including shaping and fixing flexible metal roofing, cutting, bending,
and joining water pipes, installing soil pipes and water systems, and sometimes gas pipes as well. The
usual metals they work in are copper, lead, iron, zinc, and mild steel.
• Plumber helpers - are usually required to help plumbers perform such work.
• Sheet metal workers - are needed to shape sheet steel with a hammer or machines. Their job deals with
joining sheets by riveting, seaming, welding, soldering, or brazing. They may be specialized as air-duct
makers, chimney-cowl makers, or ventilator makers.
• Steamfitters, sometimes called pipefitters, are required to install pipes for water, steam, gas, oil, or
chemical plans. The pipes may be screwed, flanged, loose-flanged or arc-wielded.
Examples of Drawings/ Layouts for HVAC System:

Figure 1.0. Plan View of Residential System

Figure 1.2. Isometric View of a Residential System

Figure 1.3. Supply Air in a Base Cabinet Figure 1.4. Return Air Using Framing Members
 Figure 1.5. Radiant Heating Pipe Layout
(a)

(b)
 Figure 2.0 (a) and (b) Typical HVAC layout plan

Cost Estimates
Cost estimation for HVAC systems requires expert knowledge because most jobs are designed and laid out
prior to the estimate. The mechanical contractor therefore needs to determine the heating loads and design a system
to fit the required conditions before the estimating process takes place.
On the other hand, larger work requires the heating contractor to develop details for piping, equipment connections,
and controls.
To perform a detailed cost estimate for HVAC systems, the estimator must consider the categories: (1)
materials, (2) equipment, (3) labor, and (4) supplementary costs. The summation of these costs is the final total cost
for HVAC systems.

Steps in Estimating HVAC system

1. Study HVAC Plans and Specifications

In order to make a detailed estimate of HVAC system, plans and specifications must be studied thoroughly in
order to be familiarized with the required HVAC systems. It is important that the estimator is well-oriented with
HVAC symbols and abbreviations as shown in the figure. In cases where conflicts occur between specifications and
plans, it is a rule of thumb that the specifications would overrule the blueprints.

2. Take Off HVAC Materials and Compute Materials Costs

It is important that the materials or components present in the HVAC system to be identified as well as its
commercial costs so that the quantities and total cost of the system.
 3. Fixed Equipment Cost
As stated above, there are basic components present in a HVAC system. These includes machines and
equipment like chillers, pumps, and exchanger, and equipment in isolated areas includes heaters, fans, and
collectors. The cost for HVAC equipment are estimated using assemblies’ costs where possible and actual local unit
costs are necessary.
4. Labor Costs
Labor expenses for an HVAC system is determined by the cost of assemblies and units. The amount for labor cost
is added to the total cost based on the number of working hours required to finish a single task as reflected in the
planned system or program of works.
5. Estimate Supplementary Costs
To finalize HVAC system estimate, supplemental costs should be added to the direct cost. These includes
contingencies, miscellaneous products, job overhead, and profit.

Sample Problems

Sample Problem 01 (Heating and Cooling Loads)

In a sample respective plan as shown in the figure 01, it contains four rooms and one side which contain
also a mechanical room. Each designated room has its own values in terms of kilowatts as shown in the figure 01.
Determine the total loads for heating and cooling in kilowatts. Determine also which is the highest load? Either
heating or cooling?

Figure 01: Heating and Cooling Loads

Given:

Table 01: Heating and Cooling Loads

Room Designation Heating (in kW) Cooling (in kW)
Room 01 1.6 2.1
Room 02 1.8 2.4
Room 03 1.2 1.8
Room 04 1.0 1.6
Solution:

Step 01: Sum the total heating loads and total cooling loads after listing the values in the table.

Total Heating = sum of the heating loads

Total Cooling = sum of the heating loads

Step 02: Sum up the heating loads and cooling loads.

Total Heating = 1.6 kW + 1.8kW + 1.2kW + 1.0kW

𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝟓. 𝟔 𝐤𝐖
Total Cooling = 2.1 kW + 2.4kW + 1.8kW + 1.6kW
𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝟕. 𝟗 𝐤
Step 03: Determine the highest total load.

𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝟓. 𝟔 𝐤𝐖
𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝟕. 𝟗 𝐤𝐖 ← 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝

Step 04: Make a write-up with summary

Summary:

𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝟓. 𝟔 𝐤𝐖
𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝟕. 𝟗 𝐤𝐖

Highest Total Load:

𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝟕. 𝟗 𝐤𝐖

Write-up:
 The figure 01 shows the four respective with different values in terms of heating and cooling loads
including the mechanical room. It is a simple plan wherein the four rooms will compute the total heating
loads and cooling load. It is also a necessary to know in which loads got the highest value so that they can
maintain the loads and to avoid possible malfunctioning of the mechanical utilities

Sample Problem 02: (Radiant Heating System)

In a radiant heating system as shown in the figure 02, consists of multiple values in terms of the
measurements and also has a 10 foot by 10 foot room. Calculate the piping requirements for a radiant heating
system as with 10 foot by 10 foot room including total length of the pipe. If the answer is odd number, in terms of
pipe needed, then add one to make it even number. It allows also 40 feet of pipe to connect the pipe in the room of
the boiler. The following values are as follows:
Radius of the Bends: one-half of the pipe = ½ (12 inches) = 6 inches
Distance from the south wall with north wall = 6 inches + 3 inches = 9 inches
Pipe needed = 8.25 inches
Each Pipe = 7.75 inches
Length of the pipe for 180 – degree turn = 1.60 feet
Length of the pipe needed for a 90 – degree turn = 0.80 feet
 Figure 02: Radiant Heating System

Solution:
Step 01: Solve the number of pipes and 1 ft. serves as the allowance.
9 ft
Number =
1 ft
Number = 9
Note: the number of pipes that is running from north to south should be an even number from the main supply
including the return in order to enter the room at the same point.
Thus 9 + 1
Number = 10 pipes
Step 02: Calculate the total length of pipe with 40 feet much needed to connect to the boiler.
Total Length = 9 ft + 8.25 ft + 9 (7.75ft) + 9 (1.6 ft) + 2(0.8 ft) + 40 ft
Total Length = 143 feet
Summary:
Number of pipes = 10 pipes
Total Length of the Pipe = 143 feet

Write-up:
 The figure 02 shows the length of the pipes with diameter including the four directions such as north, west,
east, and south. It is necessary to solve the number of pipes before the total length of the pipe in order to
supply the pipes based on the computations. It consists of return and supply including the length between
two pipes and their measurements.

----------------------- End of Discussion -----------------------

GROUP MEMBERS:
 AMBULO, LYNETTE CADIGAL
 CALUMBA, JOANNA MARIE PUA
 CARANIAS, FRITZ GERALD GILBOY
 CONSUELO, SANDRA LUZVIMINDA ABORDO
 DELUVIO, GARY GIRAY
 GERALE, KENZO BRAYE RENDORA
 GONZALES, JETHRO CHRISTIAN FUENTES
 MAGNO, ALEXANDER POLIQUIT
 MONTENEGRO, LIKHA YCOY
 ORAIZ, AIRA ALMINE
 PERNITES, MARK JOSEPH SILVIO
 RODRIGUEZ, JORDAN BORLAZA
 SORIMA, KRIZZA TUGONON
 VILLACAMPA, RAZEL LUICA CATIONG

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