WARREN Welcomes Mechanical Engineer Brian Tenace, M.S.M.E., P.E.
Leave a CommentBrian’s Areas of Expertise Include:
Forensic Engineers and Consultants
Tag Archive: forensic testing
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How Fire Alarm Information Can Fill in a Loss Puzzle
Leave a CommentDid I lose you in the title? Fire alarms! Ah, those mysterious systems required by, discussed in, and described by hundreds of pages of sometimes baffling and circular code text. They can be intimidating to think about. Have you considered that these mysterious red boxes could have information helpful in a loss? Let me describe why it could be advantageous to have a knowledgeable person to check out the fire alarm system after a loss, and not just for fires. Just as an airplane’s black box may hold information (more…)
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The Potential Leak in Your Kitchen Cabinet – Flexible Supply Connectors
Leave a CommentOne of the more innovative products to emerge on the plumbing scene in the past 20 years or so (in my opinion) is the flexible supply connector. A lot of people have seen but probably not paid much attention to them under their sink or perhaps from the toilet supply valve to the toilet tank. Most have (more…)
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More HVAC Equipment Changes on the Way
Leave a CommentThe United States Department of Energy (DOE) finalized energy efficiency standards for residential gas furnaces in late 2023. These new standards are slated for implementation in late 2028. The last time the DOE raised the efficiency rating of gas furnaces was in 2007, when the minimum efficiency for gas fired furnaces was raised from 78% to 80% efficient.
Let’s look at what efficiency means in this context. In simple terms, (more…)
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New Year, New HVAC Refrigerant
Leave a CommentAs we ring in the new year 2025, a significant change is coming for several heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) systems that are currently used in both residential and commercial applications. The 2020 American Innovation & Manufacturing (AIM) Act is bipartisan legislation that was signed into law. The AIM legislation empowers the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the production and consumption of hydroflourocarbons HFCs by 85 percent by the year 2035. (more…)
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Safety Distance in Machine Safeguarding
Leave a CommentHazard can be defined as a potential source of harm. Machine safeguarding seeks to protect people from these potential sources of harm. Often distance from a hazard will play a key role in providing a means of protection.
One would often think of distance as it relates to the location of a barrier guard from a hazard. ANSI B11.19, Performance Criteria for Safeguarding, defines safety distance as “the distance a safeguard is installed from a hazard such that individuals are not exposed to a hazard.” An example from ANSI B11.19 of the recommended distance of a slotted opening in a barrier guard from a hazard is shown (more…)
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The Life of a Smoke Alarm – How A Decade Flies!
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A smoke alarm milestone birthday party!
No kidding, I’m passionate about fire protection! To prove it, I could tell you stories about the damage I have seen from various failures from freezes to fire pump cooling to what happens when a fire hydrant’s weep holes are clogged…. But instead, I will tell you about smoke alarms!
Although it’s still new in my head, my home just turned 10 years old. The decade has seen the replacement of two household appliances and at least one HVAC repair… now what? A paint and décor refresh? Maybe, but that’s not what the fire protection engineer is thinking! It’s time to replace the smoke alarms! (more…)
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What’s Up Doc? Collision Scene Documentation & Techniques
Leave a CommentA proper collision scene documentation, lovingly referred to as a scene doc, will make or break the investigation… guaranteed! While not necessarily all inclusive, here are a few evidence collection / documentation techniques that have served me well over the years.
Some, if not most, collision scene evidence is short lived, and tire marks (more…)
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Turkey Fryers- Product Design is Critical to Consumer Safety
Leave a CommentAs the holiday season nears, thoughts turn to wonderful home-cooked meals with family. Few things in life are more pleasurable than a traditional holiday turkey feast. Yet for an unfortunate few, holiday meal time can turn tragic if a turkey frying accident occurs. While fried turkeys may be tasty, many fire safety experts feel that the reward is not worth the risk. (more…)
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The 9-Cell Collision Matrix – The Environment
Leave a Comment“Was a dark stormy night as the train rattled on…” Anybody? 1985? Scarecrow? Come on… this was when Cougar was still a Mellencamp! Ok… it was called Grandma’s Theme… you’ll have to look that one up… but as I sat down to write this blog on the environment, that song kept running though my head. If you look it up, it will have a similar effect… just a little warning.
In our last installment of the 9-Cell Collision Matrix let’s travel down the wet, slippery slope of environmental factors that can contribute to car crashes, and maybe take a closer look at the things around us, at or near our crash scene that may reveal some important clues. (more…)
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