Condenser Water Piping Seminar
June 24, 2019 Leave a comment
Two of the insurance industry’s biggest risk groups are builder’s risk and professional liability for architects and engineers. Both of these groups are involved in the design and installation of HVAC as well as process cooling equipment. We recently attended a seminar on the design and installation of condenser water piping. The condensers that are referred to are large pieces of equipment that are used in conjunction with cooling towers and large tonnage refrigeration machines. A number of problems can arise if the piping is not considered correctly. For example, the life of a water circulating pump can be reduced dramatically if the friction loss through the piping exceeds the capability of the pump. In addition, it is possible to introduce air into the suction line of the pump if the tower bypass is not done properly. The net result will be flow instability. Freeze protection can be another problem if not considered carefully. In some applications, water is drained from the tower when subfreezing temperatures are expected. But, if for some reason, water stays in a part of the piping and then freezes, the result will be a burst water pipe. If the failure is not detected prior to start-up, then a large amount of water will escape from the system and clean-up can be become very costly, in addition to the piping repair. These are the kinds of problems for which claims are filed and lawsuits can result.
Would you Hire an Expert to Help you Deal With an Insurance Company?
July 16, 2011 Leave a comment
In my last post, I talked about how people sometimes get angry when they find out that their claim is about to be denied because some engineer doesn’t see things their way. All of a sudden, the engineer becomes a target for some nasty comments. I also mentioned that insurance companies aren’t the only ones that could hire an engineer or any other expert for that matter. Individual policyholders can do the same thing. However, the reason that most don’t is because of the expense, preferring instead, to allow the insurance company to hire the expert. I’ve thought about this quite a bit and am wondering if this is really true. How many policyholders would actually hire an engineer (or adjuster, appraiser, etc) to determine if they have a claim and then pursue it if there is merit? After practicing forensic engineering for over 20 years, I’ve lost count of the number of times that people have told me how cheated they have felt when their claims were denied. Some believe that paying premiums faithfully for years entitles them to an unquestionable settlement. Others believe that an investigation by an engineer, private investigator, or other expert amounts to an invasion of privacy and is insulting at the very least. Regardless of a consumer’s attitude, it is in their best interest to engage the appropriate expert (if affordable). Imagine having somebody on your side when you enter into negotiations with your insurer. Or, imagine when, there is a disagreement between you and your insurer about how your property was damaged and, you have someone to speak on your behalf. Remember that your expert is not your “mouthpiece”. In other words, you are not hiring someone to speak for you regardless of the facts. If you hire an engineer, the evidence must support your contentions if that person is to be able to present your case and DEFEND it. If the facts don’t support your position, your engineer (or any other expert) is obligated to advise you. In other words, the engineer has to make an unbiased call based on the evidence. If the claim goes to court, the last thing you need is to have your expert’s testimony disqualified because of bias.
So, having said all of the above, would you hire an expert to review your claim and help you deal with your insurance company?
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Filed under Defective Products, Investigations Tagged with "mouthpiece", adjuster, appraiser, bias, claims, claims denied, comments, engineer, expense, forensic engineering, invasion of privacy, negotiations, policyholder, premiums, private investigator, property, settlement, unbiased call, would you hire an expert to help you deal with your insurance company