The H-Factor

Reducing Entropy

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  • How Listing Quantities work – ‘Feet’ versus ‘Each’

    From a customer:

    Q: On the Miscellaneous tab I put the following, thinking I would get twelve 1" diameter 21’ pieces of pipe…

    Quantity: 12
    PN: 00004DB110 (the part number for 1" schedule 40 domestic pipe)
    Description: 1” diameter Dom Blk Sch 40 Pipe

    …Thinking I would get 12-21’ pieces of pipe. However, the processed list only listed 12 FT of 1” pipe. Did I input this wrong or is this a glitch in the program?

    A: The units for that item is set to 'FT' (for feet) in the Part Number (P/N) table. So, all quantities entered are assumed to be length based. If you need a count of items, then you need to set the units for the parts to 'EA' (for each).

    Note: If you are pricing material with HydraLIST, the cost is based on the units. With the units set at FT the price is based on a foot of pipe. With the units set at EA, the price is based on the stock length of pipe (21', 24', 25', etc). The default database has both unit length and stock length part numbers created.

    Furthermore, if the part number is used as a pipe type option for mains or lines then the units are required to be 'FT'. Many of our customers carry pipe in 21’ 24’ and 25’ lengths. When the mains and lines are entered, the appropriate pipe type is selected based on the pipe description which includes a stock length. Our default units are setup based on this use.

    Below is an example where I first listed Schedule 40 Domestic pipe in the traditional Lines and Mains tabs, and also added pipe in Miscellaneous where the units were the default of 'FT'.

    I then changed the units of the parts in my database to EA for the stock lengths of the pipe part numbers and processed the report again:
    Before:

    After:

    Note that the last five items now report the units of EA as opposed to the default of FT.

    How to change the units? Here is how:

    1. In HydraLIST, pick the General Data button:

    2. Put in the first few characters of the Part Number into the Search PN Mask field and pick Find. This will help you find the exact parts easier. In the example below, I put in 00004DB.

    In this view you can see both the per unit length and stock length parts

    3. In the Units field, simply double-click on the FT and type in EA. I did that on three diameters of pipe, below:

    4. Pick the Save SpreadSheet button, then pick the Project Data button and your changes will be saved. Note that this means you will use a different part number for the stock (Miscellaneous) lengths as opposed to the by length pipes (Lines and Mains)

     

     

     

  • Picking up Fittings, Valves and Backflows in AutoCalc

    Last year we added a new feature to HydraCAD that allows users to add Fittings, Valves and Backflows to the drawing in order that they may be picked up in AutoCalc and brought over to HydraCALC. The command is Add Calculation Fittings from the Calculation toolbar:

    Pick this command. This will display a dialog box explaining the steps needed to add these fittings:

    Step 1 is Raise the Drawing to 3D. Pick this button if your drawing is not already in the System Model mode. Then, pick the Add Calculation Fittings command again.

    Step 2 will Add or Remove fittings to the pipe you want. Pick this button. You will be asked to select the pipe to add fittings to. In the example below, I am picking the riser pipe.

    After selecting the pipe, you will be asked to select the fitting, etc, to add. Note that this is the same dialog box found in the HydraCALC standalone program:

    If you want to remove fittings, pick the Clear button and pick OK or select new fittings

    Step 3 is used to return the drawing to 2D

    Step 4 is an optional step that will scan the drawing an add text alerting you to which fittings have been added, and where. This is not necessary for the proper operation of the program, but is simply there for your own information:

  • Navigating Autodesk Account

    Autodesk Account has replaced the former Autodesk Subscription Center as the place to get new versions, previous versions, request help, download installations and patches, and check your serial numbers and product keys, among others. 3

    Each of the following topics has a section on how to access them:

    • Logging into Autodesk Account
    • Downloading Installations
    • Serial Numbers and Product Keys
    • Downloading Updates
    • Contract Details, Expiration and Number
    • Getting Help from Autodesk
    • Giving users rights to use Autodesk Products (referenced)

     

    To Log in or Create an Account

    1. Log into Autodesk Account

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    – OR-

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    2. Pick Create Account if you have not done so already. Otherwise, log in using the credentials of the 'Subscription Coordinator' of your company, as registered with Autodesk. The 'Subscription Coordinator' is indicated in the Contact Email field of your Autodesk license certificate: 

     

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    3. From the screen that appears when you log in, select Manage products and downloads 

     

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    4. Pick All Products & Services

     

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    This displays the products associated with this account:

     

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    To Download an Installation

    A. Pick the View downloads button to the right of the product you wish to download

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    B. This brings up the download dialog 

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    C. Select the Version, Platform and Language you want

    D. Pick the View all link. This will display your options. Note: not all options are available for every product

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    E. Choose your method and pick the updated button to proceed


    To Find Your Serial Numbers and Product Keys

    Pick anywhere on the product you need these for:

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    To Download an Update (Service Pack)

    Pick the Product Updates menu item from the Management screen:

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    Check the updates you want and then pick Download for each

     

    To Find your Contract Details, Expiration and Number

    Pick Contracts from the management screen. This will bring up the contracts you have currently, their numbers and which items are covered under each contract

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    Select a product. This will bring up the products covered under that contract

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    To get Help

    Pick the Home item from the left margin list

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    To Give users rights to use Autodesk Products, visit this blog entry: Giving Users Authorization to Use Autodesk Products

  • Using Pressure Reducing Valves

    My coworker Bill wrote this up, based on frequent requests for help with Pressure Reducing Valves:

    There are two types of PRV valves, so there are two ways to handle the calculation:

    Type 1 – Fixed PRV

    Three calculations are required for a factory set or field adjustable PRV: Static at PRV, System Demand at PRV and Maximum Residual Pressure Available at PRV. Use those calculation results to determine which setting to use for the required flow demand.

    Two HydraCALC Input files are required for each of those three calculations: Input file 1 – The sprinkler system to the PRV and Input file 2 – the PRV to the supply.

    You can find a document for this named Fixed PRV Calculation.pdf in your \HES\HydraCALC\Ver50\Docs folder

    Type 2 – Auto-Adjusting PRV

    A Cla-Val – Pressure Reducing Valve (there are other brands available) will automatically reduce a higher inlet pressure to a steady lower downstream pressure, regardless of changing flow rate and/or varying inlet pressure. You will need the manufacturer's material specification sheet for the valve you are using and enter the pressure loss for that valve.

    The pressure loss for this type of PRV can be entered into HydraCALC as a fixed pressure loss. You can find a document for this named Auto-Adjusting PRV Calculation.pdf in your \HES\HydraCALC\Ver50\Docs folder

    Note:

    If the PRV is located at a fire pump (Usually a Cla-Val type) the information can be entered into the HydraCALC pump curve. Enter the pressure limit (such as 175 psi max) and enter the PRV type and model in the “Regulated By” input field. The calculation process will take care of the PRV in the pump curve.

  • Using Libraries to Point to HydraCALC and HydraLIST Jobs

    This idea is from long time customer and frequent good advice giver, Larry Howell at L & K Fire Protection in Marion, Illinois

    "I wanted to share windows file explorer libraries with the blog users, as I just discovered their usefulness. When choosing a place to save calculations and stock listing files, the default does not work for us, finding the right directory on the server takes several clicks and looking. When choosing where to save the file, favorites do not appear but libraries do appear in the save options, if current job files are added to the libraries you can be only a couple clicks away. This would save more time with the more calculations and listings you have. This also saves us from moving files from our local “hes” folder to the proper directory for the project on the file server."

    Using graphics to illustrate Larry's suggestion, here is how to do this:

    Say that you, like Larry, want to write your listing (or calc) jobs to a location other than our default location. This is typically done by picking the Browse button and steering to the desired location:

    But… this can get tedious and tiring, especially if the location is buried deep in a path structure on a different drive.

    So,

    1. Find the folder to be your Listing files location

    2. Right-click on it, pick Include in library, then pick Create new library

    This will create a new Library with the same name as the folder you clicked on

    3. Now when you pick Browse in the Start AutoList (or Start AutoCalc) command, the folder you created is very easy to locate and select. The HydraLIST job will be created in that folder!

  • Changing the Program Associated with a File Extension

    I had a customer contact me today because he was unable to use any of the internet spawning commands in HydraCAD including Send an Email to Hydratec, Hydratec Website and Hydratec Support Blog (this blog). The cause of his problem was that a browser was not associated with HTML files. Instead, some other program was.

    This can be fixed by tweaking the registry, but there is a more friendly, safer way to do it:

    1. Go into Control Panel
    2. Pick Default Programs
    3. Pick Associate a file type or protocol with a program

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        4. Pick HTML (for example) from the list that displays (above). This make take a while on a computer with a lot of program on it
        5. Pick Change program
        6. Pick the program you want from either the list supplied, or, if you don't see the one you want, use the Browse button and hunt for the .exe file of the application you want

     

  • Getting Automatic Main/Line Tags with AutoList

    One of the best features added in HydraCAD V50+ (long overdue IMHO), was the addition of automatic line and main tags.Where are the settings for adding these found?

    When you start AutoList (SAL), pick the Options button:

    In the Listing Options, you will find two options pertaining to the tags, one for lines and one for mains. Select the ones you want to see and away you go. These settings are now stored on your computer for each subsequent job.

    PS – A recent update turned on the welded Line option, as many people were not aware of that feature.

  • Purging Drawings of DGN (MicroStation) Stuff, Shrinking them Magically

    A customer contacted us about a problem with his drawing as the drawing only had about a hundred heads but was 32+ megs. It turns out that the drawing had a large number of DGN Linetypes, and these really bulked up the DWG file. Before we got to dig too deep into the problem, the customer contacted us again and told us that he discovered that AutoCAD has an option built into the PURGE command to eliminate these. The option is the 'Automatically purge orphaned data' option in the PURGE dialog.

    This reduced this particular drawing to less than one meg and prevents further problems with 'junk' data from DGN files from coming back as background details get copy and pasted into the drawing.

    AutoCAD 2013 and 2014 do not have this command, but Autodesk has created a fix that removes these:

    AutoCAD® DGN Hotfix

  • Calculating a Dry System

    From a customer:

    "Hello.  I have used Hydratec for a number of years and believe it is the best and easiest software to use.  I do have a suggestion.  Is it possible to put a drop-down on the beginning of Hydra-Calc Setup along with the head area, first node, etc. that would allow you to choose the C-Factor of the lines and mains?  When calculating dry system, currently you have to choose each line to change the C-Factor.  I think adding this would make calculating dry systems easier and faster."

    There is a faster way to do this already. It is especially useful since many authorities now insist that even galvanized piping be calculated using a C-Factor of 100.

    There have long been two pipe types that are set up with a default C-Factor of 100. The idea is to select these pipe types when AutoCalculating (or manual calculating). You will then maybe only need to change the riser pipe to C=120.

    When you pick start AutoCalc, it brings up a dialog. Pick the Sizing button.

    This brings up the Sizing Schedule. Pick the dry pipe types you want for your branchlines, riser nipples and mains.
    Note that there are currently four dry pipe tables:

    DRY SCHED-40 C=100
    DRY SCHED-40 C=120

    DRY SCHED-10 C=100
    DRY SCHED-10 C=120

    Pick Ok and these will be used for your calculation and are now the defaults for the next calc as well.

  • Showing Armovers as Dashed Lines

    From a longtime customer:

    Q: What do you think about having the option to do arms as an option for pretty pipes, example why; I have an existing system and the lines and mains are existing and the arms are new so I want the pretty pipes of the existing to be blue dashed and the arms to be red solid?

    A: We will indeed consider a separate item for Pretty Pipes, but there are two options right now:

    1. Pretty Pipes already produces polylines that exactly match the linetype of the piping drawn! So, you can use the Existing Line and Existing Main command to draw the mains and lines using the HIDDEN linetype. These will then be Pretty Piped using the same (HIDDEN) linetype when that command is run.

    Note: be sure to select the regular Line or Main command when done drawing existing piping, in order to reset the linetype to ByLayer (CONTINUOUS). Conversely, you could simply change the linetype using the AutoCAD option for that command:

    -OR-

    2. HydraCAD has long had a command called Change item Colors. It is found right after Pretty Pipes on the Cleanup toolbar. What does it do? It lets you assign colors to different parts of your drawing. It is run after you run Pretty Pipes, hence it's location on that toolbar.

    You can assign three additional colors to Pretty Pipes such as Existing Pipe, Demo Pipe and New Pipe. You can also assign different linetypes to these parts of the drawing as well. The colors and linetypes can be applied to the areas you select or to just one pipe if you want. Sprinkler heads and other objects will change color as well.