“Before we committed to the product we had representatives from GreenSeam Industries demonstrate that the pipe would perform as promised,” said Meacham. “After the testing, we were convinced this product was for us.
Middle Tennessee has seen its population surge over the past decade. Rutherford and surrounding counties are experiencing one of the highest growth rates in the country. Although the affected counties have long-range strategies for the expansion of their schools, these plans were recently updated to match the surging population. The increase has resulted in the region constructing at least one and as many as three schools every year for the past ten years.
The city of Nolensville has been dealing with this influx of people as well, and many of its classrooms are facing overcrowding. The community had been planning to build a new high school and elementary facility since 2013. The new Nolensville high school will allow the school district to reduce class size and address the district’s concerns regarding overcrowding when it is completed in the 2015/2016 time period.
The sheet metal sub-contractor for the Nolensville high school was Roscoe Brown, Inc. With 75 years of experience, Roscoe Brown, Inc. services the middle Tennessee market through a network of facilities located in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Tullahoma. The company serves the commercial and residential markets and has a full sheet metal shop along with its other service offerings.
Mike Meacham heads their sheet metal department and has over 30 years of experience working in the industry, 17 alone with Roscoe Brown. He said Central Tennessee is booming and is the fastest growing area in the country.
“By all accounts and reports in newspapers like the Wall Street Journal, this area is playing catchup with infrastructures like schools,” said Meacham. “For the last ten years, we have been building new schools at a rate of one to three per year.”
During this rush to get the new schools online, Roscoe Brown investigated ways to speed production and installation while keeping costs under control. They were introduced to GreenSeam+ (Plus) new self-sealing snap-lock pipe and were impressed by its simplicity. GreenSeam+ factory sealed ducting is manufactured by GreenSeam Industries, a sister company of Ductmate Industries, a leading producer of the duct and HVAC-related products. GreenSeam Industries engineered a completely factory-sealed pipe and fittings duct system for the low-pressure side of HVAC systems.
“Before we committed to the product we had representatives from GreenSeam Industries demonstrate that the pipe would perform as promised,” said Meacham. “After the testing, we were convinced this product was for us.
Meacham said the high school is a 260,000-square-foot building on two levels. Roscoe Brown fabricated all of the trunk ducts for the project and used GreenSeam+ for the runouts to diffusers.
GreenSeam+ eliminates both material and labor costs associated with external sealing and taping of the ducting. The time and material savings from using GreenSeam+ more than makeup for the slight cost premium. Proper sealing of the duct system is a critical step in almost every installation. Insufficient or faulty sealant application will lead to leakage problems, which can place additional strain on the HVAC system while increasing fuel usage.
Conklin Metal Industries has served the Southeast since it was founded in 1874 with sheet metal and HVAC products and is a local distributor of GreenSeam Industries ducting products. Ryan Wigginton is the territory manager working with Roscoe Brown and other sheet metal contractors. Wigginton said GreenSeam Industries engineered the GreenSeam+ low-pressure duct system to perform to the highest standards.
“A button lock is used verses a reeves lock because it is less likely to separate over time or through rough handling,” said Wigginton. “The snap lock pipe is supplied with a pre-installed EPDM gasket in the longitudinal seam and transverse joint, requiring no additional sealing once snapped together.
Wigginton said all factory joints have the exact amount of sealant necessary to provide the system with a positive seal preventing wasteful oversealing or undersealing that can lead to leakage. The VOC-free gasket has a shelf life of 20 years minimum, a melting point of 300° F, and meets the requirements of ASTM E84-05. GreenSeam+ is available in diameters 4″ – 14″ and in lengths 24″ and 60″. GreenSeam Industries also provides a complete line of factory-sealed conicals, high-efficiency take-offs, reducers, collars, and fittings.
To date Meacham said they installed over 2,000 feet each of 8” and 10” GreenSeam+ pipe and plan to stay with it. Besides installing fast and saving time, they have had no reworking due to product failure. Meacham noted that faster installation times are beneficial in keeping up with tight schedules. Jobs like the Nolensville high school had been delayed by poor winter weather and the faster installation helps us make up for the lost time.
Many contractors are initially apprehensive to install a product not specified by engineers because of possible repercussions if the product does not perform as claimed. GreenSeam Plus ducting has captured the interest of contractors and engineers alike and is fast becoming the product of choice for low-pressure duct applications.
