AMCA Members-Only Newsletter

Aug. 31, 2020

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

AMCA insite Webinar: Laboratory Exhaust-Fan Selection—Considering Energy Consumption; the Next Step: Exhaust Stack Discharge Volume Reduction (ESDVR)
Sept. 16, 2 p.m. ET
Register

AMCA insite Webinar: Environmental Noise Due to Fans and Equipment
Sept. 30, 2 p.m. ET
Register

AMCA insite Webinar: Basics of Fan Noise
Oct. 14, 2 p.m. ET
Register

AMCA insite Webinar: Vibration Isolation and Wind and Seismic Restraint for Mechanical Equipment
Oct. 28, 2 p.m. ET
Register

AMCA insite Webinar: High-Wind Testing and Certification of Fans
Nov. 18, 2 p.m. ET
Register

AMCA insite Webinar: Louvers—Selection and Application
Dec. 9, 2 p.m. ET
Register

2020 AMCA Annual Meeting
Jan. 27, 2021
8 a.m. to noon
Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago
More information

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Fluent in English and Fans: Spanish Translator No Stranger to AMCA


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In its efforts “to advance the knowledge of air systems … on behalf of AMCA members worldwide,” AMCA is getting an assist from an old friend.

Fernando Ruiz, who as technical director applied for and was granted AMCA membership for his family’s fan-manufacturing company, Equipos Electromecánicos, during the mid-1990s and went on to serve on committees for numerous AMCA publications and standards, is providing Spanish translations of AMCA insiteTM webinar presentations, including the entire series of pop-up webinars.

So far, Ruiz, currently an independent consultant providing manufacturing-costs-calculation, fan-selection and quoting, sales-coordination, financial-statement-analysis, and special-project production-overview services, has translated the presentations for:

A native of Mexico City, Ruiz is 100-percent-fluent not only in spoken and written English, but fans.

“All my life has revolved around fans,” Ruiz, who has a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering and a master’s degree in administration and corporate finance from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), said. “This makes it very easy for me to do the translations.”

Ruiz said that, with his knowledge of fans, he is able to understand and translate concepts, not just perform a literal translation of words.

“When translating technical texts, a dictionary is not enough,” Ruiz said. “Technical knowledge is a must in order to be accurate.”

Equipos Electromecánicos was founded in 1945 by Ruiz’s grandfather, Antonio Ruiz Maravilla.

“I started going to the plant at a very young age,” Ruiz said. “My father took me there to work during school vacations. I learned how to weld, balance impellers, design, engineering, costing, sales—everything that had to do with fans.

“I also did field performance testing and field balance, vibration analysis, and combustion analysis for bagasse boilers,” Ruiz continued. “I developed tools for administration, manufacturing, and sales, and I still do for the new company (Equipos Electromecánicos ceased operations in 2017 and Ruiz’s father went on to form Ventiladores Armee), but as an external advisor.”

Ruiz said he is happy to be affiliated with AMCA again.

“I’ve always respected AMCA and used all the information that AMCA gives,” Ruiz explained. “I went to seminars at AMCA and liked what I was able to get from my relationship with it. But my love for AMCA—staff and members—started when my family and I attended our first Annual Meeting in Kawaii. There, I was fortunate to meet great people—Dan Hartlein, Mike Barry, Mike Ivanovich, Lee Buddrus, Jeff Clark, Clark Reed, Joe Brooks, Rad Ganesh, John Cermak, just to name a few. I think the people at AMCA think and feel the same way as I do about the industry. I love fans.”



For AMCA Members’ Eyes Only: ConstructConnect Research Available


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To gauge the prevalence of AMCA standards and publications and information related to AMCA-scope products in U.S. construction-project specifications, AMCA Advocacy Manager Aaron Gunzner recently conducted a series of searches of the database of ConstructConnect, provider of construction-management software and tools. The results of that research are detailed in a report available to AMCA members.

The report includes results of searches related to:

  • Fan energy index.
  • Life-safety dampers.
  • The AMCA Certified Ratings Program.
  • Every AMCA standard and publication, with particular attention paid to standards and publications pertaining to louvers and sound.
  • Air-measurement stations.
  • The use of “ANSI” (American National Standards Institute) in connection with AMCA standards.

The report also includes three appendices with informative tables concerning projects for which AMCA standards and publications were specified from 2015 to 2020.

To download the report, click here. AMCA requests that the report not be shared or discussed with anyone outside of the association.

Please direct any questions or comments related to the report to Aaron Gunzner at [email protected].



FEI Certifications Nearing 300


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The fan energy index (FEI) efficiency metric is taking hold. As of mid-August, nearly 300 products from a dozen companies had been FEI-certified, with more on the horizon, AMCA Technical Director Nazme Mohsina reported. Likely reasons for the surge in interest in certification:

  • FEI soon will be in all of the model energy codes and standards: ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2019, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings; ANSI/ASHRAE/ICC/USGBC/IES 189.1-2020, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings; the 2021 International Green Construction Code; and the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
  • The IECC requires approved third-party ratings.
  • The Florida Building Commission adopted the 2018 IECC for the seventh (2020) edition of Florida Building Code: Energy Conservation, but updated to the 2021 IECC FEI language, so certified FEI ratings will be required in Florida starting on Dec. 31, when the 2020 edition of Florida Building Code: Energy Conservation takes effect.
  • Connecticut is following the same path as Florida for the next edition of the Connecticut Energy Conservation Code.
  • Following the lead of Florida and Connecticut, other progressive states may leapfrog to FEI code language.
  • An FEI certification requirement has been proposed for the 2022 edition of California Title 24.
  • Rebate programs for AMCA-certified FEI-rated fans are in development.

For a current list of FEI certifications, click here.

For more information on FEI certification, contact Nazme Mohsina at [email protected].


AMCA-Advocated Provisions Set for 2020 Florida Building Codes


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When the seventh (2020) editions of the Florida Building Codes take effect Dec. 31, they will include a number of AMCA-advocated measures, including:

  • The recognition of ANSI/AMCA Standard 540, Test Method for Louvers Impacted by Wind Borne Debris, as equivalent to Florida Testing Application Standard (TAS) 201, Impact Test Procedures. No longer will louver manufacturers who certify their products to the more stringent ANSI/AMCA Standard 540 have to test their products to two relatively similar impact-test procedures to receive approval for the high-velocity-hurricane zones of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
  • The certification of the AMCA International laboratory for ANSI/AMCA Standard 540 product testing.
  • The updating of the reference to ANSI/AMCA Standard 550, Test Method for High Velocity Wind Driven Rain Resistant Louvers, from the 2008 version to the 2015 (revised in 2018) version in Florida Building Code: Mechanical.
  • The addition of a reference to ANSI/AMCA Standard 210/ASHRAE Standard 51, Laboratory Methods of Testing Fans for Certified Aerodynamic Performance Rating, for minimum airflow requirements for exhaust-ventilation equipment serving single-dwelling units in Florida Building Code: Mechanical.
  • The addition of a section (No. 929) on large-diameter ceiling fans that references ANSI/AMCA Standard 230, Laboratory Methods of Testing Air Circulating Fans for Rating and Certification, and UL 507, Standard for Electric Fans, in Florida Building Code: Mechanical.
  • The replacement of a fan-efficiency provision using the fan efficiency grade (FEG) metric with 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) language using the fan energy index (FEI) metric. Unlike FEG, FEI, which is based on ANSI/AMCA Standard 208, Calculation of the Fan Energy Index, includes the effects of motors and drives on a fan system and can be calculated using fan static or total pressure. It does away with the sizing/selection window needed with FEG. In addition to using FEI, the 2021 IECC language lowers the minimum fan size from 5 HP to 1 HP and removes the exception for powered roof and wall ventilators.
  • Changes related to damper maintenance, access, and identification in Section 607.4 of Florida Building Code: Mechanical.

Based on the International Codes (I-Codes), the nine Florida Building Codes are required to be updated by the Florida Building Commission every three years in part to incorporate changes proposed by industry members and other interested parties.

The 2020 Florida Building Codes can be ordered at https://bit.ly/2020_FLcodes.

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