BIM Coordinator Program (INT) April 22, 2024

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MEP ADD-ON

Anonymous
Not applicable
Good Morning
How I can give a slope on a total pipe system? using the new MEP module from Archicad.
11 REPLIES 11
gpowless
Advocate
I received my MEP last week and have had a few moments to try it out.

What I find a bit disappointing is that lack of fittings that would normally be found in residential systems - boots, top take-offs, panning, etc.

I wonder if anyone else has worked through or found solutions to this and whether ot not you are satisfied with it as it comes out of the box?
Intel i7-6700@3.4GHz 16g
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Windows 10 Archicad 26 USA Full
Anonymous
Not applicable
HI gpowless
I too have been looking at MEP, so:
Please excuse my ignorance, but 30 yrs as a residential contractor and plumbing contractor, I don't know what you mean by "boots, top take-offs, panning.
I off course I have my guesses,.
Do you mind explaining what these are?
Maybe it's a shortfall I would be concerned with.
Thanks
Bier
gpowless
Advocate
These refer to HVAC
Boots - outlets at the end of a run that usually penetrate a floor or ceiling
Top take-offs - the connections of branch ducts to the main trunks
Panning - enclosing floor joist to form a duct space for cold air return.

Of course these are only a few of the standard duct parts in an HVAC system.
Intel i7-6700@3.4GHz 16g
GeForce GTX 745 4g HP Pavilion 25xw
Windows 10 Archicad 26 USA Full
Dwight
Newcomer
I'm grateful for the clarification. It saves me from these assumptions:

Boots: In case of Canadian weather.
Top Take-off: yer basic feller's haircut.
Panning: a disapproving movie review.
Dwight Atkinson
gpowless
Advocate
Duct - avoiding answering a question
Trunk - clothing for a one legged swimmer
Plenum - "abundance" for Albertan rednecks.
Damper - central Canada's winters.
CFMs - the amount of air put out by a lumberjack during sleep.
End boot - that last down in Canadian football.
Universal boot - what CEO's should receive during this economic downturn
Intel i7-6700@3.4GHz 16g
GeForce GTX 745 4g HP Pavilion 25xw
Windows 10 Archicad 26 USA Full
David Maudlin
Virtuoso
gpowless wrote:
Top take-offs - the connections of branch ducts to the main trunks
Duct Take-off 12 should work. You have the option of using the Duct Tee 12, Duct Take-off 12 or Duct Wye 12 when starting a branch duct from a main duct. The Duct Take-off 12 may also work as a direct connection between duct and register.

You may need to illustrate the others, they may be part of MEP under other names, or if not, give the development team ideas for additional parts.

HTH

David
David Maudlin / Architect
www.davidmaudlin.com
Digital Architecture
AC27 USA • iMac 27" 4.0GHz Quad-core i7 OSX11 | 24 gb ram • MacBook Pro M3 Pro | 36 gb ram OSX14
Karl Ottenstein
Moderator
gpowless wrote:
Panning - enclosing floor joist to form a duct space for cold air return.
I suppose you could use the electrical pan for this. But, most articles I've read in recent years recommend against this 'old' technique as one which can lead to environmental issues and recommend solid ducts instead.

Cheers,
Karl
One of the forum moderators
AC 27 USA and earlier   •   macOS Ventura 13.6.6, MacBook Pro M2 Max 12CPU/30GPU cores, 32GB
Anonymous
Not applicable
Karl wrote:..." recommend against this 'old' technique as one which can lead to environmental issues..."

Besides, you might get electrocuted:-))
Bier
gpowless
Advocate
David wrote:
gpowless wrote:
Top take-offs - the connections of branch ducts to the main trunks
Duct Take-off 12 should work. You have the option of using the Duct Tee 12, Duct Take-off 12 or Duct Wye 12 when starting a branch duct from a main duct. The Duct Take-off 12 may also work as a direct connection between duct and register.

You may need to illustrate the others, they may be part of MEP under other names, or if not, give the development team ideas for additional parts.

HTH

David
I've started to create some of those that I would need. However, I would have expected a few more to have been built in.

See the attached for some of the more common connections.

As well we seem to be missing grills and floor registers that become part of the MEP system. In designing a system we always start with the outlet and work backwards to the equipment. Calculations for residential projects follow the same pattern. So each part of the system is required from the grills to the plenum to the drop.

With respect, we use unlined floor joists spaces for cold air returns where we are. They are permitted by code and of course since it doesn't cost much to employ the contractors won't have it any other way.
PAH Ducts.jpg
Intel i7-6700@3.4GHz 16g
GeForce GTX 745 4g HP Pavilion 25xw
Windows 10 Archicad 26 USA Full
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