One of the conclusions includes, “… due to lower air movement between rooms, radiant heat models showed larger increases in moisture levels, and therefore larger decreases in influenza virus.”

You will need to read the report for the significance of this as it relates to the study.

Relatives of a family of four killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in an Aspen area home filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday targeting 12 defendants, including three local men indicted on criminal charges for the deaths, the owner of the house where they died, the manufacturer of the boiler that allegedly leaked the poisonous gas, Pitkin County and the county’s community development department.

The suit, filed in Denver district court, contains 39 pages of allegations against the 12 parties, including claims of negligence, manslaughter, product liability, and civil rights violations.

Parker and Caroline Lofgren of Denver and their two young children were poisoned by carbon monoxide in a home east of Aspen on Thanksgiving night 2008.

“Our hope is that the civil case will allow us to determine what caused their deaths,” said Hildy Feuerbach, Caroline Lofgren’s sister. “Our ultimate goal is to make sure that this never happens again.”

The suit is one part of a campaign waged by the Lofgrens’ relatives to raise awareness about carbon monoxide poisoning and tighten laws and building codes to prevent it. Since the November 2008 incident, stricter carbon monoxide laws have been passed in Colorado, Oregon, Maine and Washington.

The court filing by Denver attorney William Hansen requests a jury trial and an undisclosed sum in monetary damages, exceeding $100,000.

“This is a sad day,” Feuerbach said. “I don’t think there will ever be closure for us, but this is all we can do. We just need to find out what happened and get the facts.”

Because the criminal case was handled through a closed-door grand jury proceeding, and the evidence from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office has not been made public, this civil suit offers the most complete breakdown of what may have caused the Thanksgiving tragedy on Popcorn Lane.

It states that the Lofgrens won the Aspen vacation at an auction, titled “Life is Sweet,” to benefit St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Denver, where Owen and Sophie were enrolled. They bid $6,000 with another family for the trip. At the auction, a description of the home read, in part, “This historic home was meticulously renovated by a renowned team of craftsmen.”

Their second night in the home, Thanksgiving, after the family went to sleep, it began to snow outside, and the house’s gas-fired snowmelt system was activated as a result. It then leaked the carbon monoxide believed to have killed the family.

The next day, a family coming to join them on the vacation found all four Lofgrens dead, some bloodied from hemorrhaging through their noses and mouths, later determined to be caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.

The lawsuit states that the original source of the poison gas was the boiler, housed in a mechanical room beneath the room where the family was found together.

It claims five preventable causes that led to the family poisoning.

One, that the exhaust piping was disconnected, because it had been “neither properly primed, glued or sealed and was not securely attached, supported or braced in any way.”

Two, that a vent designed to take in fresh air from the outdoors was disconnected and recirculating carbon monoxide into the boiler due to similar problems.

Three, that the boiler itself was defectively designed. The suit claims it should have automatically shut off when the high levels of carbon monoxide were present. Instead, the suit claims the “boiler failed to sense this danger and shut off but, rather, continued to operate producing yet deadlier levels of carbon monoxide.”

Four, that a ventilation system that should have funneled the gas out had been improperly installed.

Five, that there was no carbon monoxide detector in the house.

“The absence, elimination, or correction of any one of these conditions may have prevented the deaths of one or more members of the Lofgren Family, or substantially reduced the risk of such deaths,” the suit concludes.

The suit claims negligence on the part of Roaring Fork Plumbing and Heating Company and its owner Marlin Brown, who installed the boiler and venting system and allegedly failed to read the manufacturer’s instructions, while also not complying with Pitkin County’s building code. Brown has also been indicted criminally for negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. He is scheduled for his first court appearance on Monday in Aspen.

The same claim is made against Eagle Air Systems, for improper installation of the venting system.

Proguard Protection Services is also named as negligent, for not installing a carbon monoxide detector when it put in fire and security systems at the home. A CO detector was required under the county code.

Integrity Construction and its owner John Wheeler were also named negligent, for overseeing work on the home, including the installation of the snowmelt system.

Jonathan Thomas and his company, Black Diamond Land Development, are also named negligent for their oversight of the project. They owned the house at the time of the incident, and had it on the real estate market for $8.95 million.

Brown, Roaring Fork Plumbing, Black Diamond, Integrity Construction and John Wheeler are additionally named in a claim for “negligent performance of an inherently dangerous activity” for their work on the house.

A claim for felonious killing, or manslaughter, again names Brown, Roaring Fork Plumbing, Eagle Air, Proguard, Integrity Construction, John Wheeler, Black Diamond and Thomas.

The suit claims product liability on the part of Heat Transfer Products, of Massachusetts, for manufacturing the “Munchkin” brand boiler that allegedly created the lethal carbon monoxide gas. It further claims that Heat Transfer violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act by advertising the Munchkin as “the safest operating appliance available” when it had caused other poisoning incidents.

The suit alleges Pitkin County violated the Lofgrens’ right to life under the 14th Amendment of the  Constitution, and names the county community development department and its employees Erik Peltonen and Brian Pawl as defendants. Peltonen was indicted last month for four counts of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. Pawl was also indicted, for misdemeanor reckless endangerment. They are due in district court on Monday. The county and city of Aspen have pledged to pay for their criminal defense.

The civil suit says the men inspected the home and granted it a certificate of occupancy, overlooking all the defective work on the snowmelt and ventilation system.

“[T]he sole focus of the inspection,” the suit alleges, “should have been the proper installation of the ‘Munchkin’ boiler, its gas line, and the venting system located in the mechanical room at 10 Popcorn Lane, and protruding from the roof.” It claims they recklessly disregarded obvious flaws in those installations before signing off on the property. It further claims the men showed “a knowing, purposeful and reckless pattern of nonenforcement or selective enforcement of the Pitkin County Code.”

It claims the county itself also violated the Lofgrens’ right to live by inadequately training the inspectors, and also for not disciplining the men, and coming to their defense following the criminal indictment.

The suit was filed on behalf of Jean Rittenour, Parker Lofgren’s mother and Owen and Sophie’s grandmother; Frederick J. Feuerbach, Jr., Caroline Lofgren’s father and Owen and Sophie’s grandfather; and Hildy Feuerbach, Caroline Lofgren’s sister. The family is spread out across the country, from Oregon to Massachusetts, but they held a collective press conference in Denver on Wednesday to speak about the lawsuit and their carbon monoxide awareness campaign.

“If Parker and Caroline were alive today they would do everything within their power to find out what caused this preventable tragedy, to hold those responsible accountable, and to ensure that such a tragedy would never happen again. We are their voices,” said Jean Rittenour, Parker Lofgren’s mother.

by Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

For more information concerning Amanda’s Law in the State of New York that requires the installation of a carbon monoxide detectors be installed by your plumbing and heating contractor if they are servicing or installing equipment in your home please visit http://dos.state.ny.us/code/COAlarm.htm.

The AquaSmart is designed for use on residential and light commercial boiler systems and is featured in both 120VAC oil and 24VAC gas versions. The AquaSmart was designed to meet the Department of Energy’s (2012) regulation and NRCan’s (2010) law mandating an “automatic means for adjusting water temperature” be installed on all boilers.

The release of the GeniSys burner control in 2007 was Beckett’s first solo step into the control market. The GeniSys™ is proving itself successful as a high quality, simple to use, and technologically advanced control. Beckett also introduced the HeatManager as a fuel-economizing device for boiler heating systems and domestic hot water systems. Its dynamic temperature reset technology provides 10-20% fuel consumption savings. Beckett has leveraged the success of these two products, the advanced design of the GeniSys and the energy saving technology of the HeatManager into the AquaSmart boiler control.

Every year, millions of dollars worth of fuel is wasted by heating systems that often run at a higher output level than needed. The AquaSmart solves this problem by automatically adjusting burner firing patterns and average boiler water temperature to accurately match system heat loads as energy requirements change. The process is similar to the outdoor reset method, but does not require any additional sensors. The AquaSmart works to reduce fuel consumption, burner maintenance, and flue emissions, while extending system life. It provides worry-free, fail-safe operation at all times and is backed by Beckett’s no hassle 5-year warranty.

The AquaSmart control includes a backlit LCD digital display with a touch pad to easily program such energy saving features as dynamic temperature reset, temperature limits, and differentials.  Other advanced features include: a built in power disconnect switch, priority override for domestic hot water, and a circulator pump on-delay and off-delay. The AquaSmart also stores system history to assist with diagnostics and troubleshooting and mounts easily onto most existing appliances.

The future of the HVAC industry will be defined by companies who develop products that are both technologically advanced and simple to use. Beckett is excited to provide the support and quality you expect from their line of controls, while saving customers 10-20% on their heating bill. With its troubleshooting and programmability features, and compliance with the 2012 DOE standard, the AquaSmart is a superior control at a competitive price, and is available from wholesalers now.

About Beckett:

Located in North Ridgeville, Ohio, R.W. Beckett Corp. is a leading US manufacturer of HVAC equipment with products in approximately 40 million US homes. From the basement of its founder’s home in 1937, the Beckett family of companies has grown to employ more than 400 employees at four manufacturing facilities. The core values of integrity, excellence, and a profound respect for the individual provide the foundation for how Beckett strives to conduct business.

Product Literature

AquaSmart FAQ

AquaSmart Tech Bulletin

Product Information Sheet

Product Manual

Product Cross-Reference Sheet

Quick Reference Guide

Home Owner Brochure

Bell & Gossett announced its training course schedule for the fourth quarter of 2010. The free training seminars are offered at the Bell & Gossett Little Red Schoolhouse Education Center in Morton Grove, IL, and are open to engineers, contractors and facility maintenance professionals.

The seminars are tailored to various industry occupations and cover a wide range of important topics:

• Modern Hydronics Basic Seminar — October 4-6
• Steam System Operation & Maintenance — October 11-13
• Design & Application Seminar — November 1-3
• Large Chilled Water Design Seminar — November 15-17
• Steam System Design & Application — December 6-8
• Modern Hydronics Advanced Seminar — December 13-15

 
The lead seminar instructor is LEED-certified for all programs. Upon completion of the three-day seminars, CEU credits are awarded to graduates.  

For complete descriptions and enrollment information for the Little Red Schoolhouse educational seminars, visit http://schoolhouse.itt.com/. Seminar reservations must be made through Bell & Gossett Representatives.

The Mission of Unico Training is simple:
Assure Superior Indoor Comfort for the end user

The goals of the Unico Training Department are to:

• Educate the Contractor on best practices of Unico System design and installation
• Provide a platform for continuous improvement and learning
• Position the Unico Product Trained Contractor (CPT) as a Trusted Advisor to specifying professionals

By achieving these objectives, Unico, together with their CPT partners, maintain the integrity of the Unico installation process that exceeds all expectations of the end user.

Unico Training is divided in three general categories -

BASIC PRODUCT TRAINING (BPT)
Unico’s Basic Training is a series of courses which provide an overview of Unico ranging from a basic introduction of the Unico System and all of its main components including the UniChiller RC and the Advanced Control Board. The purpose of these courses is to provide a general understanding of the workings and applications of the Unico System

CONTRACTOR PRODUCT TRAINING (CPT)
This in-depth training assures that the participant is fully educated on the design and installation of the Unico System. Contractors who successfully complete this level of training earn the designation of a Unico Product Trained Contractor.

The CPT training course now qualifies for NATE Knowledge Area of Technical Expertise (KATE) continuing education hour credits. Click here for details.

ADVANCED PRODUCT TRAINING (APT)
After completion of the 2-day CPT Course, contractors can participate in Advanced Training including:

Advanced System Principals
Advanced UniChiller RC
Advanced Control /Zoning

Like other tankless water heaters, the new concentric-vented NR83-DVC saves energy (Energy Factor: 0.82) and protects the environment by heating water strictly on demand, while offering a longer product life cycle than storage tank-type models. In addition, it promises lower emissions, reduced electrical consumption, smaller amounts of potentially hazardous construction materials, and easier recyclability of those materials and components once the product is removed from service.

Greener than ever: The eco-friendly design of the NR83-DVC includes the following green improvements over the previous generation of tankless water heaters:

• reduced amounts of hexad chrome in the coating of the exterior and the burner case;
• reduced amounts of lead in the water-flow servomotor, the lightning protector and the circuit board;
• reduced amount of cadmium in the inlet/outlet bracket;
• reduced consumption of standby electricity.

In addition, Noritz has affixed specific alpha codes to various plastic components within the NR83-DVC to help identify their material makeup when it is time to recycle the unit. For example, the polystyrene PCB cover is labeled “OS.”

“Noritz is committed to investing in technologies and products that will reduce the burdens on our environment, including atmospheric pollution,” says Bob Hitchner, Vice President – Business Development & Marketing for the Noritz America Corporation.

“We are also committed to providing our distributors and their contractor customers with the most complete lineup of whole-house tankless products on the market. The NR83-DVC allows us to achieve both goals, giving professional contractors even more options to meet the needs of their customers.”

Product specifications: With inputs ranging from 18,000 BTU per hour to 180,000 BTU/H and flow rates from 0.5 gallons per minute to 8.3 GPM, the NR83-DVC is designed specifically for one-bathroom homes in the Northeast, the Midwest and Canada, as well as two-bath residences in the Southeast and Southwest. At a 45°F rise in temperature, the unit will operate at a flow rate of 6.7 GPM, delivering water temperatures from 100°F to 140°F.

“The intermediate size of this unit enables the contractor to offer smaller homes a more affordable tankless solution, while meeting all of a household’s daily hot-water needs,” Hitchner explains.

Measuring a compact 23.6 inches x 13.8 inches x 9.4 inches, the 49-pound water heater offers these important features:

• Low NOx, Eco-Burner™: The NR83-DVC is the first model in the Noritz residential line to use a new, high-efficiency low-NOx Eco-Burner that reduces emissions.
• Commercial-grade heat exchanger: The NR83-DVC is the only tankless water heater in its category with a commercial-grade heat exchanger that features a pipe diameter 15% larger and 25% thicker than a standard residential unit. Built for higher performance as well as longer life, the NR83-DVC heat exchanger also has a larger “fixed” bypass to boost its maximum flow rate from 7.1 GPM to an industry-leading 8.3 GPM, a 17% gain in capacity over the Noritz NR71.
• Adjustable concentric venting: The 3-inch/5-inch, pipe-within-a-pipe construction of the Category III Stainless Steel Venting Kit reduces installation time over a two-pipe system by offering zero clearance to combustibles and by requiring only one wall penetration, not two. In addition, Noritz venting materials are fully adjustable to the length of the vent run and the number of elbows. This flexibility spares the installer from the time-consuming chore of custom-cutting and assembling lengths of pipe and fittings to build a system. Vent runs can extend up to 38 feet with no elbows; to 21 feet with three elbows. This kit can also be used with the Noritz NR98-DVC model, designed for larger residential applications, thus reducing venting-material inventories a contractor needs to fully serve the whole-home tankless water heater segment.
• Dipswitch adjustments: The NR83-DVC further simplifies the installation job by eliminating all wire connectors. Adjustments for vent length, high-elevation settings and default temperature settings can be made on a dipswitch bank that is readily accessible near the top of the circuit board inside the unit. The NR83-DVC accommodates four different high-elevation settings: standard, 2,000 feet, 4,000 feet and 6,000 feet.
• Programmable remote controller: Displaying temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius, this new controller can be programmed to remind the homeowner to call for servicing at six-, 12- or 24-month intervals, but without disrupting normal operations.

Available at supply houses nationwide in early September, the new NR83-DVC is eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $1,500. “We are targeting a late summer launch,” says Hitchner, “to give contractors and their customers plenty of time to purchase and install the NR83-DVC before the tax credit possibly expires at year-end.”

For more information on the new NR83-DVC tankless water heater and other Noritz products, visit www.noritz.com

For editorial assistance, contact Leanne Newman at (519) 756-2709; e-mail: leanne@flyingcamel.com

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NORITZ AMERICA CORPORATION, a subsidiary of Noritz Japan, has corporate offices in Fountain Valley, Calif., as well as in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and Hawthorne, N.Y. Offering a full line of tankless water heaters to meet the hot water demands of residential and commercial applications. Noritz supports its products with a national network of skilled representatives and employees who are committed to providing the finest products and services to our communities by helping consumers live in a more comfortable, efficient and healthy lifestyle.

For more information on Noritz America and the entire line of Noritz’s ENERGY STAR® tankless water heaters, please call (877) 986-6748 or visit our website at www.Noritz.com

With Lambda Pro, Viessmann has set the new Vitodens 200 apart from all other gas-fired wall-mounted condensing boilers. With a simple electronic adjustment, the Lambda Pro combustion management system ensures efficient operation at all times regardless of altitude, gas type and quality – a factor that becomes increasingly important as international gas supplies vary in heating value.

“With the new Vitodens 200, we have further expanded our line of wall-mounted gas-fired condensing boilers. With industry leading technology and the most standard features, including our proven stainless steel Inox-Radial heat exchanger and MatriX cylinder burner, the Vitodens 200 offers the best value in its class and is suitable for all applications. We are pleased that the new Vitodens 200 has received the CIPH Innovation Award and is recognized as one of the industry’s most innovative products”, says Ken Webster, Director of Sales and Marketing for Viessmann Canada.

Viessmann manufactures a multi-level program of technologically advanced hydronic heating solutions and renewable energy systems for residential, commercial and industrial applications in 12 production locations worldwide. Annual sales are in excess of 1.2 billion (US$) with employment exceeding 8,500. For additional information about Viessmann visit www.viessmann-us.com.

Chicago, IL

 “We at Wilo USA are extremely proud to accept this award. Quality, Innovation and Technology have always been held in the highest regard here at Wilo“ said Steve Thompson, Vice President of Building Serivces at Wilo USA LLC. “The German American business community is as dynamic and innovative as ever.“

Wilo USA provides pump and circulators to the HVAC-R industry, as well as pumps and mixers for munipal water supply and treatment. The innovative Stratos and Stratos ECO circulators can achieve up to an 80% energy savings over constant speed circulators.

 This year’s awards ceremony celebrating “A Decade of Excellence in German American Business“ was held Friday, May 7th, in downtown Chicago, IL.

For more information on Wilo Pumps visit www.wilo-usa.com.