By: Leo Boshardy
Students from College of DuPage’s Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program recently partnered with Porter Pipe and Co. to create a heated snow and ice melt (SIM) concrete slab at the Technical Education Center on the College’s Glen Ellyn campus.
“The whole point isn’t to do it ‘right’,” said HVACR student Angelo Pascente, “It’s meant to be a learning experience for the class by identifying the correct and incorrect processes for SIM installation.”
The concrete slab is designed to instruct students on the difference between using one-half, five-eighths and three-fourths size pipes and the affects each option has on an installation. According to HVACR Professor Bob Clark, students in HVACR’s Installation 2220 class will study the effects of weathering for each tube size in the slab in order to get an idea of “the good, the bad and the ugly side of SIM installation.”
“Porter is one of many great examples of industry partners that support our college, our students and our program,” Clark said. “Industry partnerships are vital to the strength of any Career and Technical Education program.”
Snow and ice melt systems have been around since ancient Rome to heat bath houses and regulate the internal temperature of buildings.
“My role with this project is unique because I’m a COD student and a Porter Pipe team member,” said Saul Flores. “The hands-on installation we practiced under the guidance of our teachers allowed the student to understand the key elements critical to the real-life snow-melting systems they might engage with in the future.”
Clark said the 35 feet by 21 feet installation utilizes a snow and ice melt pipe system provided by Porter Pipe and Co. to heat the concrete installation and melt any standing precipitation that may collect during winter months.
“Our snow melt project will allow research and clarity to snow melt design considerations,” he said. “We will be sharing the data, the research and the layouts of our project with our partner colleges across the country.”