09-26-2007, 08:06 PM
And they are technically illegal.... I am not a fan of Mayor Daily - but have to give him credit for the green stuff. He used his muscle to force those installs. They got some 60 day trial waiver thing... so a gray area... but not surprisingly, once they be in - they be staying.
On the PVC thing - Plenum and other non-PVC alternatives stuff costs A TON MORE and they get a bigger markup too. We had to use Plenum in our facility for a lot of stuff including our network cables.
However - it wasn't because, in our case, that PVC was banned - it had to do with the air return system. In a high efficiency system, if there was a fire and the PVC burned - the air system would very quickly distribute the toxins burning PVC releases throughout the building. Even though we have quite a sprinkler/fire suppression system and the likelihood of a fire is remote regardless, this is the safe way to go. If our air return system was different, we'd not have had the code requirement concerning PVC.
You don't have to be a 'tree hugger' to respect the environment. I see things in a practical way that also considers fair use and what I'll be leaving for my kids.
I will say this - if there is regulation requiring something - at least 75% of the time, it's because some special interest benefited from the regulation and not because it really has a practical benefit to health/safety/environment. There may be an example used to make whatever case for it... but whether that case is really representative or not, whole other story.
It's all about balance.
[quote Mr Downtown]Banned in Illinois? They installed them last year in Chicago City Hall. I think they're in some Park District buildings, too.
Chicago's unions have successfully fought for years to forbid PVC piping, on the grounds that it would cause nasty fumes in case of a fire. Because there is no other plastic in the average Chicago building . . .
On the PVC thing - Plenum and other non-PVC alternatives stuff costs A TON MORE and they get a bigger markup too. We had to use Plenum in our facility for a lot of stuff including our network cables.
However - it wasn't because, in our case, that PVC was banned - it had to do with the air return system. In a high efficiency system, if there was a fire and the PVC burned - the air system would very quickly distribute the toxins burning PVC releases throughout the building. Even though we have quite a sprinkler/fire suppression system and the likelihood of a fire is remote regardless, this is the safe way to go. If our air return system was different, we'd not have had the code requirement concerning PVC.
You don't have to be a 'tree hugger' to respect the environment. I see things in a practical way that also considers fair use and what I'll be leaving for my kids.
I will say this - if there is regulation requiring something - at least 75% of the time, it's because some special interest benefited from the regulation and not because it really has a practical benefit to health/safety/environment. There may be an example used to make whatever case for it... but whether that case is really representative or not, whole other story.
It's all about balance.
[quote Mr Downtown]Banned in Illinois? They installed them last year in Chicago City Hall. I think they're in some Park District buildings, too.
Chicago's unions have successfully fought for years to forbid PVC piping, on the grounds that it would cause nasty fumes in case of a fire. Because there is no other plastic in the average Chicago building . . .