Ring Wall Ventilation System Installation Procedure

DRAFT

12 December 2001

1. Preparation

Safety perimeter
Staging Area
Place barricade at the entry to the basement road.
Installation Area – Northern Sectors
Place barricade from Northeast corner of Control & Service Building to closest edge of mountain to restrict access to the area.
Installation Area – Southern Sectors
Place barricade across road at the entry to Mt. Fowlkes.
Notify the Visitors Center that work is in progress and no tours are permitted on Mt. Fowlkes until further notice.
Unloading & Transport of Louver Modules
Place barricade across road at the entry to Mt. Fowlkes.
Notify the Visitors Center that work is in progress and no tours are permitted on Mt. Fowlkes for the duration of work.
Lifting & Installation of Louver Modules
Place barricade across road at the entry to Mt. Fowlkes.
Notify the Visitors Center that work is in progress and no tours are permitted on Mt. Fowlkes for the duration of work.
Weather curtain mounting
Note: Curtain rail mounting should FOLLOW completion of Steps 2a & 2b (but not 2c).
Fasten top rail (two sections) to siding above upper cut made in Step 2b, making sure to align holes with high portion of siding ridges. Rail mounting plate should be flush with cut in siding.
Fasten bottom rail (two sections) to the siding below the lower cut, making sure to align the holes with the high portion of the siding ridges. The position of the rail in elevation should be determined by allowing 1.5” of slack in the curtain. One rail section should cover the portion of wall to be removed, and the other should cover the portion of wall to be removed next.
Using the shutter rail hoist, lift the top of the curtain into alignment with the top rail and engage the curtain runners on the rail (man lift access required). At the same time (using a second man lift) engage the bottom curtain runners to the lower rail.
Interior scaffolding
Set up scaffolding inside the wall section to allow access to all four corners of the new opening. Scaffolding should be aligned and positioned to permit convenient attachment of tarps as described in Step 1d.
Interior curtain barrier
Hang tarps from the three outside faces of the scaffolding to create a barrier between work on the wall opening and the interior of the HET enclosure. The curtain should extend from the floor to the catwalk.
Place tarps on the floor grating of the catwalk to block air flow to the interior of the HET enclosure from work on the wall opening. Tarps should extend from the edge of the catwalk and cover the top of the scaffolding to completely seal the work area from the interior environment.
Staging & Louver Assembly
Louvers will be assembled and staged for lifting on the basement road directly in front of the doors. Louver sections shall be positioned lying face-up, with the top closest to the building. The sections shall be placed upon 4” x 4” lumber to permit lifting and repositioning, as well as protection of the painted surface.
Louver sections shall be brought into alignment as close as possible and bolted together using splice plates provided in the shipment. Access to the louver splice points can be accomplished by opening the louvers to the fully opened position. This is easily accomplished by opening the louvers by hand. There are 5 small splice plates on the back face, two long splice plates on the front face, two splice plates on the bottom and two on the top. Bolting shall be Type 8 structural blots with cadmium plating. Bolts shall be tightened by means of impact wrench. A bead of sealant shall be placed under the two splice plates at on the face of the louvers, since these plates also function as a weather seal.
The actuator assembly is now ready to be mounted in the louver pair. Extend the actuator arm ¼” from its fully retracted position. This can be accomplished by turning the actuator arm by hand 1 or 2 times, or the actuator can be hooked up to the temporary wiring harness (used in the demo) and move until it is in the proper position.
Complete bolting of the clevis base for the actuator assembly at the base of the louver pair, and mount the actuator to by means of the clevis pin (the motor faces up). Remove the ¼-20 cap screws from the rod attachment clamps at the other end of the actuator and spread the ¾” tie rods apart enough to force the clamp assembly between the rods. Re-attach the clamps and cap screws and tighten to moderate torque.
Attach the temporary wiring harness to the actuator. Check the travel of the louvers and verify motor cut-off at the end of travel. End limits are easily adjusted by removing 4 screws from the flat cover from the base of the actuator.
Position the louvers in the closed position.
Attach the lifting fixtures (2 ea.) to the front upper corners of the louver pair. The louver pair is now ready for rigging and installation.

2. Wall Removal

Spoils, unless otherwise noted, will be placed in a disposal dumpster made available for the project. Due to safety and weather concerns, spoils should not be allowed to accumulate on the grounds of the HET, and should be placed in the dumpster as soon as practical. A person should be dedicated to ground support of the work crew in order to keep spoils under control as well as other tasks.
Establish top and bottom line for cutting outer sheet metal siding in accordance with drawing S3. The upper line shall be 6” below the vent screen framing. The lower line shall be 18’-4” below the vent screen framing.
Cut through siding panels from column to column.
Secure individual panels to a nylon strap by means of TEK screws and remove panel screws.
Cut and remove horizontal radiused Hat Channels. Save two Hat Channels for use in next step.
Insert waste Hat Channel under the upper and lower edge of the siding and reconnect using new TEK screws.
Cut and remove vertical metal studs within the same perimeter established by the siding removed.
Remove horizontal Hat Channels from Sheathing and Gypsum Board panels.
Remove sheathing and gypsum board panels.
Cut and remove insulation.
Remove horizontal “Z” girts.
Cut and grind column attachment plates flush to the column face and past the center of the column. Note: Plates must be removed to allow placement of louver welding clips.
Remove white plastic facing.
Grind or wire brush the paint off the outside face of the columns for welding the louver to the columns. There should be 5 patches of paint removed measuring 2” wide and 16” long on the center of the face of the columns and spaced about 3’-6” apart.
IF louver will not be installed following removal of any portion of the Sheathing/Gypsum board barrier then the weather curtain must be deployed as described in Section 3.

3. Weather Curtain Deployment

The following steps apply ONLY when the outer skin of the ring wall is removed AS WELL AS all steel up to the sheathing and gypsum board, AND any portion of the gypsum board is removed.
Attach 4 ea. Nylon strap come-alongs to the outside face of the exposed columns in the horizontal position and spaced at equal intervals across the opened portion of the wall.
Attach the DEFLATED back-up pad to the come-alongs by means of the straps provided.
Fully inflate the back-up pad.
Deploy the weather curtain over the opening and attach the vertical edges to the existing sheet metal by means of self-drilling TEK screws. Use washers on the screws to assure coverage of the hole in the curtain buckle. IMPORTANT: Do not pull the cover taut when fastening the screws into the building. Approximately 1” to 1.5” of slack should be in the curtain after attachment.

4. Louver Installation

Prior to lifting the louver the following personnel (12 total), not including supervision, should be assembled;
4 men on the interior 4 corners of the opening and equipped with 4 come-alongs (1 per person).
4 men on the exterior 4 corners of the louver for control of the louver by means of ropes.
1 man controlling the hoist.
1 man controlling the dome rotation.
1 man equipped to weld the assembly to the columns, and 10 ea. bent metal brackets ready for attachment between the louver and column.
1 man to drive the man lift basket and assist the welder.
Prior to lifting, a piece of 4” x 4” x 2’-6” long angle steel should be welded to each column at a height of X’-Y” below Top of Steel. This will serve as a rest position for the bottom of the louver during welding.
Prior to lifting, the Sill Flashing should be placed on the bottom of the wall opening and tacked in place by means of self-tapping TEK screws.
Prior to lifting, establish the precise angular orientation of the dome at the destination position, AS WELL AS the location of any stops along the way which may be necessary for repositioning of men controlling the guide ropes.
Attach rigging; including control ropes at all 4 corners, and lift the louver assembly. Use two pallet jacks on the bottom corners of the louver to prevent dragging on the surface of the road, and walk the bottom of the louvers in as the load rises. Be sure to control the position of the leading edge of the louver to avoid contact with the chill water piping, and continue to control the position of the louvers by means of the ropes throughout the travel of the load.
Once the louver is centered in front of the opening, attach come-alongs between the four corners of the louvers and the columns. Draw the load in as close to vertical as possible until within 1” of the column. Lower the load until it rests on the angles welded to the columns.
Fine position the louver with come-alongs and pry bars and clamp the special welding brackets to the louvers edges.
Tack weld the brackets to the column first and then remove the clamps.
Fine adjust the position of the louvers and tack weld the brackets to the louvers.
Weld-out the brackets to the columns and to the louvers.

5. Flashings Installation

General Preparation
A full set of the latest drawings issued by M3 Engineering & Technology Corp. should be obtained and studied by the installer prior to work on the flashings, and should be made available for reference during the progress of work.
Following the installation and weld out of the louver modules, and PRIOR to the installation of flashings, the rails for the weather-proof curtain should be removed and repositioned to cover the section for the next louver installation.
All joints and seams shall be sealed with a bead of urethane sealant (supplied for the project). Where possible the bead of caulk should be placed 1” inside the edge of the flashing. If, during the attachment of fasteners, caulk is extruded outside of the joint, it should be removed and wiped smooth PRIOR to curing of the sealant. The resulting joint should have a good appearance with minimal smearing of the sealant over the painted surfaces of the metal. The solvent should not be allowed to attack the painted surfaces of the metal. A suitable solvent and rags shall be made available PRIOR to beginning work to facilitate clean-up. Protective gloves and clothing should be worn during installation, since removal of caulk from skin is difficult and impossible from clothing.
For flashings interfacing with the louver structure, self drilling/self tapping TEK screws (supplied for the project) should be used. These screws are recognized by their fine pitched threads, which are designed especially for attaching sheet metal to structural steel. The drill bit shaft located at the tip of each screw should be long enough to completely penetrate the structural steel PRIOR to reaching the threaded portion of the screw. The installer should avoid driving screws in to the portions of the louver structure that are thicker than the depth of the drill shaft of the screw.
For flashings interfacing with the sheet metal siding, self-drilling TEK screws with larger threads should be used. The threaded portion of the screw should be long enough to engage the combined thickness of all layers of the metal beneath the flashing, and the drill shaft on the tip of the screw should be long enough to penetrate all layers PRIOR to engagement of the threaded portion of the screw.
Flashings shall be handled with care and not removed from their shipping crates until ready for installation. Wind conditions shall be suitable for safe control of loose flashings to prevent bending and kinking of the loose and unsupported pieces.
When positioning the flashings a minimal number of screws shall be used until proper alignment and fit-up is assured. Once fit-up is established the remainder of screws shall be used in accordance with spacing and placement established in the drawings.
Care should be taken in the placement of screws to assure uniform alignment and spacing, and good appearance of the screw head array. Erasable lines can be established on the flashing to aid in proper and uniform placement.
Header Flashings (see M3 drawing S6, detail 6, & drawing S8, detail 4, & drawing S9, detail 6)
Following installation and weld-out of the louver pair, flashings at the top of the louver should be installed. The header flashings are made up of 3 pieces and should be installed in the sequence which prevents drainage of water into the joints.
The first header flashing shall mount directly to the top edge of the louver pair, centered, and fastened in place with the minimal number of screws.
The second header flashing rests on the top of the first flashing and fits to the curvature of the existing corregated siding. Following attachment to the existing siding by a minimal number of screws, a bead of caulk shall be placed under the overlap between the first and second piece.
Prior to placing the third flashing (called the flashing closure piece, on drawing S9, detail 6), a bead of caulk shall be place 1” from the lower inside edge. The third flashing, shall be placed to overlap the second piece and close-off the vented portion of the existing wall. Centering and place the minimal number of screws to hold the piece in place. DO NOT PLACE SCREWS WITHIN 18” OF EITHER END of the third flashing piece since the Header Splice (drawing S8, detail 1) must insert under these piece once the adjacent louver flashings are installed.
Populate the header flashing seams with TEK screws on 12” centers, in accordance with drawing S6, detail 6.
Clean-up excess caulk in accordance with Section 5.a.iii.
Temporary Flashing (see M3 drawing S6, detail 7, & S9, detail 3)
Following installation of the header flashings a temporary louver jamb flashing shall be installed on both sides of the louver pair. Do not use caulk. Screw spacing shall be 12”.
Temporary sealing of corners shall be accomplished with heavy plastic and duct tape.

6. Hood Installation (see M3 drawing S4 & S12, detail 1 & 2)