From Ottawa to Nunavut: plumbing and heating with a bigger challenge

Some projects show just how far plumbing and heating skills can take you. For our crew, one of those jobs was in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, at a research centre owned by the Arctic Eider Society.

HPAC Magazine featured the project in “Net Zero in Nunavut,” by Doug Picklyk, published August 23, 2023. The article follows the building’s mechanical design and the challenges of installing it in a remote Arctic community. Candor was responsible for the plumbing and mechanical installation.

A building with several jobs to do

The roughly 5,000-square-foot centre combines research and office space with accommodation for visiting researchers. That mix calls for a team that can connect individual fixtures and rooms to the larger building systems.

The Arctic Eider Society owns the centre. Jeff Armstrong of Cold Climate Building led the project, and Cameron Haines of Southface Engineering designed its mechanical system. Our role was to bring that design together on site.

The work starts before the crew arrives

For a remote installation, preparation is part of the trade. Our team packed three shipping containers in Ottawa, arranging parts in installation order. Every fitting needed to be considered before shipping.

HPAC describes five crew trips, beginning in January 2022. Cold conditions, travel connections and limited access to supplies made planning and coordination central to the job.

Thinking beyond a single piece of equipment

The heating design connects three air-to-water heat pumps to buffer tanks, with radiant floor heating and heating coils distributing warmth through the building. Domestic hot water and backup heating also form part of the system.

For a plumber, that is an opportunity to follow how the pipework, pumps, controls and equipment work together. It is the kind of connected thinking we value in our commercial service work.

Good work is worth sharing

This project is part of Candor’s history of plumbing and mechanical work. It also gives future team members a closer look at the care and preparation behind a demanding installation.

Our current opening is for an Ottawa commercial service plumber. If you enjoy diagnosing systems, taking ownership of a call and working through a challenge, explore the role and pay package.