Understanding and Maintaining Your Ventilation Device is Key to Making it Last

Last month we took apart two Ultimate Air RecoupAerator 200DX whole house ERV units that required specific maintenance; one a new motor, the other new bearings. When taking these apart, we were reminded how elegant a design the units were. We were also reminded how dirty they get after 5+ years of use! In case you are wondering, yes, we successfully repaired both units and they have been running smoothly.

RRCL has expertise in mechanical ventilating devices – balancing, commissioning and maintenance. Contact richman@rrcl.ca for more information.

A roof with a view…

We were recently assessing the building envelope of an office building in downtown Ottawa. As we climbed up the roof ladder and surveyed our surroundings (our normal procedure when going on roofs), I noticed this special view.

Contact RRCL to conduct building envelope and roofing assessments. Whether you need long-term repair and maintenance forecasting, or an immediate water penetration investigation, RRCL is an industry leader in enclosure performance and forensics.

Custom WUFI® Pro Workshops for Your Firm

RRCL recently delivered a two-day WUFI workshop to a building science group within a large Ontario consulting engineering firm. Here’s what they had to say:

“A group from our building science team recently completed a two-day WUFI training with Russell. We all had different levels of knowledge and experience using the software. Russell successfully managed to cover all the basics of the software and expand on the modelling, analysis, and delivery of results. The training was very engaging and focused on our needs. We were able to work on various case studies, with refences to real projects, gaining practical knowledge and experience with the software. The benefits of having a customized training course was invaluable.  We could ask questions and resolve issues that were specific to our projects and field of work. It was an extremely effective course and we left with a lot of practical and useful information. Russell is an excellent instructor with real passion for building science.” 

Contact Dr. Richman directly at richman@rrcl.ca to start discussions on your firms custom training.

Metal Cladding Corrosion

Here is an incredible example of metal cladding corrosion at one of our projects visited in late June 2020. Wasted from an industrial process was stored for long periods below this area. Corrosive gasses accumulated at the top of the warehouse building and caused the deterioration to the metal cladding.

More Praise for Custom THERM and WUFI Workshops

RRCL continues to be a leader in the industry for custom THERM and WUFI workshops This training can be designed for groups as small as 2 to groups as large as 15.

Benefits of custom training include:

  • Receiving more one-on-one time with the instructor
  • Focussing on project specific issues for your firm
  • The ability to adapt content and delivery in real-time to maximize training benefit
  • Using project specific examples from  your firm to learn the software

Here is more feedback from a recent training at a large building science consulting firm…

“Our building science team recently found itself in the position of having to expand our thermal modelling expertise in order to meet the modelling requirements for a large historic masonry building retrofit project. Russell created a 2 day THERM and WINDOW training session customized to our team’s needs and interests. His delivery was engaging, focused, informative, and on point. Russell’s extensive knowledge of the software as well as window and curtain wall systems was invaluable and he was able to engage in discussions with all levels of experience. The 2 day session gave our team the foundation, knowledge base, and skills required to start meaningfully contributing to our thermal analysis modeling efforts and meet the timelines defined by our project.”

Contact richman@rrcl.ca to inquire about custom training for your firm.

Interested in Custom WUFI and/or THERM Training for your Firm?

In the past few years, RRCL has been asked to provide custom training to specific firms in both THERM and WUFI.  This training can be designed for groups as small as 2 to groups as large as 15.

Benefits of custom training include:

  • Receiving more one-on-one time with the instructor
  • Focussing on project specific issues for your firm
  • The ability to adapt content and delivery in real-time to maximize training benefit
  • Using project specific examples from  your firm to learn the software

Here is what a few past firms have to say about custom training…

“I was thrilled to be able to arrange our custom training program for THERM and WUFI with Russell.  We have been working in the arena of Passive House for several years and have completed a couple standard trainings with these tools, which augment our capacity to detail durable assemblies.  For me the benefits of the custom training were heads and shoulders above the standard programs.  We were able to move through the material at our own rate, get to the complex issues quickly and work through scenarios that are specific to our projects and still had time to wander into broader discussions about high performance buildings and the challenges of implementation. Russell is an excellent instructor. He is passionate about building science, practical about the implementation in high performance buildings, and brings a wealth of knowledge to his training.”

 

“Having Russell Richman conduct a customized THERM course for the members of
our firm had two main advantages over a general workshop – the ability to
customize the content that we wanted to cover, and the ability to have the
course material covered at a pace that best suited the needs of our group.
Russell was an excellent instructor who was able to control the flow of
information delivery to the correct pace.  He was also able to provide
one-on-one instruction when required.”

Contact richman@rrcl.ca to inquire about custom training for your firm.

2015 THERM and WUFI Workshops a Success!

The 2015 THERM and WUFI workshops happened in December 2015.  Here are a few things participants had to say…

“The instructor had extensive knowledge of the software and concepts…helped me troubleshoot my errors”

“Knowledgeable and engaging instructor”

“Good instructor, enjoyable, kept your attention”

“Organized well”

“Each exercise built on the previous one”

Keep your eye out for upcoming workshops.  If you have any questions regarding workshops, email Russell at richman@rrcl.ca