Meeting Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Place: Ol’ South Pancake House
Address: 1509 S. University, Fort Worth, 76107
**Please note this meeting is at a new venue. The Reata is currently not available**
Check In at 11:30am.
Chapter News begins at 11:50am.
Presentation begins at 12:00pm.
Cost: $25.00 for members, $30.00 for non-members and $20.00 for students
PROGRAM:
The Dangers of Specifying Non-Isolated Plumbing Under Isolated Slabs
Presented by:
Mr. Tyler McFarlin, P.E.
Bio:
Title: Owner – McFarlin Construction Services
Engineering Manager – Skyways
Tyler has 12 years working as a structural engineer in the state of Texas and has provided engineering guidance all over the country and has experience utilizing all material types as well as all foundation types. He is currently the engineering manager at Skyways and is also the owner of McFarlin Construction Service. He is familiar with expansive soils and the impact they have on both structures and utilities. For projects utilizing isolated plumbing, he works with the engineers during the design phase to ensure an economical and coordinated design while also working with the contractor during the bidding/construction phase to ensure the isolated plumbing elements are properly bid as well as installed.
Presentation Description:
In some areas with expansive soil, the term “Isolated Slabs” refers to slabs that are elevated above a subgrade, such as slabs-on-crawlspaces or slabs-on-voidwork. The term “Non-Isolated Plumbing” in this context refers to plumbing installed in a way that expected expansive soil swelling and shrinking forces are imparted onto plumbing, hangers or supports. Common examples of Non-Isolated Plumbing are conventionally buried plumbing and plumbing that is installed in Non-Isolated Void Systems. Non-Isolated Void Systems allow soil swelling and shrinking forces to be imparted onto plumbing, hangers or supports even though the plumbing itself is not in direct contact with expansive soil. Manufacturers of Non-Isolated Void Systems often claim their products will isolate plumbing from these forces when in fact they do not. The Standard of Care for engineers in Texas is defined by the practice of competent engineers. Mechanical Engineers that blindly accept manufacturer’s claims that clearly violate engineering principles as basic as Newton’s 3rd law are not competent engineers. By the Texas Engineering Practice Act, Mechanical Engineers are required to be responsible for their specifications. Structural Engineers have reported that some common proprietary Non-Isolated Void Systems can be 100 times overstressed by code-required soil loads. Industry has documented failures of conventionally buried plumbing and failures of plumbing in Non-Isolated Void Systems when these types of Non-Isolated Plumbing have been installed under Isolated Slabs. And, Building Officials do not have the authority to waive code requirements. In 2021, SEAoT successfully proposed language that was added in the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) to prohibit non-isolated plumbing under isolated slabs. This language was drafted by a dozen engineers in Texas including mechanical, structural and geotechnical engineers, and supported by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and various engineering organizations. However, the 2024 IPC code change was only a clarification of provisions already in all previous versions of the IPC and all versions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC). Mechanical Engineers that specify Non-Isolated Plumbing under Isolated Slabs today under any set of construction codes are creating a recognized public health, safety and welfare problem by negligently ignoring expected expansive soil swelling and shrinking forces. 9 different engineers from 9 different firms have presented across the country on this issue. The ASPE Handbook, guidelines by GBA, FPA’s SC-11, and articles in Plumbing Engineering Magazine are all examples of industry publications that are in alignment on this issue. Many Mechanical Engineering firms today have office policies that prohibit Non-Isolated Plumbing under Isolated Slabs. However, the practice of specifying Non-Isolated Plumbing under Isolated Slabs persists in other Mechanical Engineering firms. In a lawsuit related to a project in San Antonio, a Judge ruled as a finding of fact that the designers were negligent for specifying non-isolated plumbing under an isolated slab. Structural Engineers have the education and experience to recognize this negligence but they are not the ones writing the Mechanical Engineer’s specifications. This presentation is intended to better inform Structural Engineers of this negligence and how they can help educate Mechanical Engineers.
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