Vol 35 No 7

MEGNUS

Murray Mason
Trevor Kingston

Building Services Software NEWS

Catherine Baker
ABN 32 065 247 850

www.ozemail.com.au/~acadsbsg

[email protected]

To receive MEGNUS contact Catherine on [email protected]

Aug 2014
ACADS-BSG
18 High Street
Glen Iris VIC 3146
Tel (03) 9885 6586
Fax (03) 9885 5974

I know a guy who is addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.

EDITORIAL
Attitude
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When
someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!'
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the
positive side of the situation.
His style really made me curious, so one day I asked him, 'I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do
you do it?' He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good
mood or, you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose
to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can
choose to accept their complaining or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested. 'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every
situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a
good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.'
I reflected on what he said. Soon after, I started my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a
choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 20 meters from a communications tower.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be
twins...Wanna see my scars?' I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident
took place. 'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then,
as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live.'
'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked. He continued, '...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I
was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the operating theatre and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors
and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.'
'What did you do?' I asked. 'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic
to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and
yelled, 'Gravity''. Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude...I learned from him that every day we have
the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. After all, today is the tomorrow you worried
about yesterday. You have two choices now: (i) File this issue of MEGNUS away. (ii) Forward it to the people you care
about. You know the choice I made.

Program News
HYENA An update is currently being planned for HYENA and SPRINK (the North American version).
In the current version, there is a set array of nominal pipe sizes from 15mm to 1200 mm. This is fine for steel,
cast iron and copper pipes. HDPE (High Density PolyEthelene) pipes are often used in Sprinkler/Hydrant
systems, and these have a greater number of nominal diameters. Up to 100mm diameter the nominal sizes are
the same, but between 90 and 200 the steel, cast iron and copper pipes nominal sizes are 90, 100, 125, 150 and 200, while for
HDPE pipes, the nominal sizes are 90, 110, 125, 140, 160, 180, 200; ie 7 sizes in lieu of 5. Similarly between 250 and 400mm
there are 5 nominal sizes in lieu of 4; 250, 280, 315, 355 and 400 in lieu of 250, 300, 350 and 400.
Because of this, these extra internal pipe diameters for HDPE pipes cannot currently be entered in the User defined pipes. They
also have a range of wall thicknesses that result in quite different internal pipe diameters. It is proposed to include the HDPE
pipes in the standard pipes, and increase the number of nominal pipe diameters in the User Defined Pipes.
The next problem however is what to do about HDPE fitting equivalent lengths.

One possibility is to use the standard equivalent fitting lengths in the various codes for steel pipes without any correction for
pipe diameter. An alternative is to use the following formula, supplied to us by one of the pipe suppliers:
LE = 35.k.D where LE = the fitting equivalent length, k = loss factor and D is the pipe diameter in meters.
Fitting
k Factor

45 deg Elbow
0.35

90 deg Elbow
1.10

L.R.Elbow
0.5

Tee Branch
1.0

Gate Valve
0.2

Globe Valve
10.0

Check Valve
2.5

In addition with Mist systems, small bore stainless steel tube or stainless steel pipe is often used and these also have more
nominal sizes. The diameters for steel allowed in HYENA (and SPRINK) and required for stainless steel pipes & tubes are:
Diam
Steel, etc
SSPipe
SSTube

1/8

1/4

3/8

1/2

5/8

3/4

15
6

8
6

10
10

13

7/8

20
15
16

20
19

21.3
22

2 1/2

25

1 1/8

32

40

50

65

80

90

100

25
25

32
32

40
38

50
51

65
64

80
76

90

100

26

1 1/4

1 3/8

35

1 1/2

1 3/4

44

4 1/2

125
114

125

The shaded boxes are the new nominal diameters. For Mist systems it is proposed that stainless steel pipes and tubes be added
to the standard pipes but no provision made for these extra diameters in the User Pipes or User Fittings.
Another feature being considered for inclusion is an option in the results to quote elevations as RLs with a user entered
correction from user entered elevations to RLs.
If any HYENA/SPRINK user has any comments on these proposed changes please phone in or email them to us.

CURRENT & COMING BSG & RELATED EVENTS

Sydney: Mon August 25: Workshop on program HYENA. Wed August 27: Workshop on program CAMEL
Brisbane: Mon, Tues, Wed September 9, 10, 11, Workshop on program HYENA , CAMELand BEAVER.
October: Possible 3 day workshop on PHOENICS. David Glyn from CHAM in the UK will be running a
workshop on PHOENICS during September in Singapore and if there is enough interest, we are considering
inviting him to run a course in Australia. This will be an opportunity not to miss, as it is not often that we have people with the
expertise that David has visit us down under. If you are interested in attending please let Catherine know and we will place you
on the mailing list for further information as it comes to hand.
If you are interested in attending any of these workshops or workshop on any of our programs in other locations,
contact Catherine on 613 9885 6586 or email [email protected] to be included on the list for notification when
workshops are arranged.

MEGNUS GAMES
Answer to Last Months Game - 35 Bottles of Wine at Sale Price
The invoice read: Wine, 35 bottles Total Price $ -68.0-. The first and last digits were missing.
The total cost is $586.05 because this is the only 5 figure dollar and cents number when divided by 35 results in a 4 digit dollar
and cents price ($16.23 the price per bottle)
Proof: The price per bottle = (68+(N x 100) + M/100)/35 where N is the first digit and M the last digit. Setting this up in a
spreadsheet with N going from 1 to 9 (in the first column) and M from 0 to 9 (in the first row), the only resulting 4 digit number
is 16.23 with M and N both equal to 5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

4.8
7.657143
10.51429
13.37143
16.22857
19.08571
21.94286
24.8
27.65714

4.800286
7.657429
10.51457
13.37171
16.22886
19.086
21.94314
24.80029
27.65743

4.800571
7.657714
10.51486
13.372
16.22914
19.08629
21.94343
24.80057
27.65771

4.800857
7.658
10.51514
13.37229
16.22943
19.08657
21.94371
24.80086
27.658

4.801143
7.658286
10.51543
13.37257
16.22971
19.08686
21.944
24.80114
27.65829

4.801429
7.658571
10.51571
13.37286
16.23
19.08714
21.94429
24.80143
27.65857

4.801714
7.658857
10.516
13.37314
16.23029
19.08743
21.94457
24.80171
27.65886

4.802
7.659143
10.51629
13.37343
16.23057
19.08771
21.94486
24.802
27.65914

4.802286
7.659429
10.51657
13.37371
16.23086
19.088
21.94514
24.80229
27.65943

4.802571
7.659714
10.51686
13.374
16.23114
19.08829
21.94543
24.80257
27.65971

Mystery Numbers
In the square of numbers to the left, can you determine the value of A, B and
C such that the rows, columns and diagonals have a unique property.
In the Star to the right, can you find a relationship with the numbers in the
small triangles to discover the value of the question mark.
The version numbers and release dates of the ACADS-BSG programs are:
CAMEL 5.10.5 Oct 13

KOALA 5.00.0 Nov 12

BEAVER 7.11.0 Oct 13

DONKEY 4.60.4AJun 12 DOLPHIN 1.00.3 Feb 13

HYENA 6.10.2 Feb 12

AutoHYENA 4.00.3 Jun 12

SPRINK 1.00.2A June 12 ASPRINK 4.00.3 Jun12

PYTHON 2.00.0 July 07

LLAMA 3.00.3 Dec 04

WOMBAT 2.00.3 Jun 05

PHOENICS 2012 April 13