Contractormag Com Sites Contractormag com Files Uploads 2012 05 Par Mechanical1
Contractormag Com Sites Contractormag com Files Uploads 2012 05 Par Mechanical1
Contractormag Com Sites Contractormag com Files Uploads 2012 05 Par Mechanical1
Contractormag Com Sites Contractormag com Files Uploads 2012 05 Par Mechanical1
Contractormag Com Sites Contractormag com Files Uploads 2012 05 Par Mechanical1

Par Mechanical wins Lochinvar’s February VIP Installation Showcase

May 4, 2012
MONTROSE, COLO. — Par Mechanical, a full-service HVAC contractor specializing in radiant heating, located here, was selected as the February winner of Lochinvar’s VIP Installation Showcase contest.  

MONTROSE, COLO. — Par Mechanical, a full-service HVAC contractor specializing in radiant heating, located here, was selected as the February winner of Lochinvar’s VIP Installation Showcase contest. The Par Mechanical team made up of Mark Perpar, who installs mechanical systems, and Pete Cassidy, who designs mechanical systems, oversaw all aspects of the in-floor radiant heating and snow melt systems of a 8,200-sq.ft. home plus guest house with 1,000- sq.ft. of outdoor snow melt space.

Since 1974, Par Mechanical has been serving Telluride and Gunnison, Colo., focusing on high-end residential and light commercial projects.

“We started installing infloor heat back in the early 80s with the 3/8-in. polybutelyne,” said Perpar.“We did many of the first systems in our area. And over the years we have learned what works and what doesn’t.”

The homeowner went to Par Mechanical with the goal of improving energy efficiency and reducing heating bills.

“We actually did some service work on the owner’s previous heating system and he was very happy,” said Perpar. “When it was time to build, he gave us a call.”

“We chose the KNIGHT for this job because it offers the ultimate in comfort and cost savings, as well as easy installation and setup with the SMART SYSTEM control,” said Cassidy. “The homeowner was incredibly satisfied with this installation, and winning the VIP Showcase is an added bonus for a highly successful job.” 

“The Lochinvar boilers are very efficient with virtually no call backs,” said Pepar.  “We have two in the main house and one in the guest house.” 

Three 119-gal. domestic Lochinvar Squire indirect water heaters were also installed along with Grundfos Alpha pumps.

“We like to use the Alpha pumps on the radiant heat and standard UPS pumps on everything else,” said Pepar.

It took a little over one month for the entire project to be completed. Cassidy designed the system in about two days, and it took Pepar about four weeks to install the system.

“My biggest challenge was trying to make it a full 95% efficient system,” said Cassidy. “That’s why I did creative stuff with the snow melt, such as mechanical speed injection on the system that runs on outdoor rest.” 

For the in-floor radiant heat and snow melt system, Uponor Wirsbo hePex tubing was used. And since comfort and control was one of the homeowner’s goals, there are 17 zones of in-floor heat. The radiant heating and snow melt systems are controlled via the tekmar TN4 system connected to a Crestron home automation system for internet access. The homeowners can easily control the comfort of each room in their home by simply using their iPad.  

The tekmarNet 4 Gateway 483 allows remote access to tekmarNet compatible controls through a computer web browser or mobile device browsers, allowing temperature adjustment of thermostats and setpoint controls, monitoring of system temperatures and run-times, adjustment of setback schedules and overrides as well as the graphing of trends of any of these parameters. The tekmar Universal Reset Module 423 is also used to operate all of the mechanical equipment in the system, coordinating operation through network communication, and the tekmarNet 4 Zone Manager 335 provides a zoning solution for heating systems.

Since the guest house, which is connected to the main house by a bridge over the garage, is separate from the main home, it was easier, more cost effective and more efficient to install a separate boiler and indirect water heater said Pepar.

“Often times a caretaker will live in the guest house and then the main house can stay in ‘unoccupied’ mode for a good part of the year,” explained Pepar. 

“Everyone was excited and it was a great project to be involved with,” added Pepar.  “Lots of pride went into this project.”

This monthly installation contest is a part of Lochinvar’s VIP Contractor Program, promoting advanced training of Lochinvar products and provides approved contractors with a wealth of resources and rewards. 

Approved Lochinvar VIP Contractors can showcase their handiwork on a monthly basis by submitting photos of their best installations online on the VIP Connection.

The contractor with the most impressive project of the heating season will be selected as the grand prize winner and will receive an all-expenses-paid, three-day trip for two to Nashville, Tenn. The trip includes a stay at the legendary Opryland Resort, a dinner cruise on the General Jackson Showboat, a night of entertainment at the Grand Ole Opry, a tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery and a visit to Lochinvar headquarters for a roundtable discussion. To view winners of the monthly installation contest go to:http://www.knightheatingboiler.com/knight/contractor/contest.aspx?mode=year.

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