Calc Check Ups

Layer(s): ERROR

Shortcut: HCH

Associated: View Checkup Summary

Ribbon: Process Panel

An automated routine to check the drawing for drafting errors. This will check for a multitude of errors which would make it difficult or impossible to obtain the correct hydraulic calculation.

ALWAYS run Checkups before attempting to run AutoCalc for the first time! It is better to correct drawing errors in the early stages of the calculation process rather than later. If you have made only minor changes after the first run through calculations, then you do not necessarily need to run Checkups again. However, if you encounter problems while running AutoCalc you should run Checkups and correct any errors you may find.

Select AutoCalc Check as the Diagnostic Type. This will preset all the options you will need for an AutoCalc check.

The Tolerance controls the Piping Network options. It is the distance that will be used around each end point to detect if a pipe or sprinkler is connected. Any heads not on a pipe but within this tolerance to a pipe will be moved to that end of that pipe. Also, any pipes equal to or shorter than this tolerance will be erased. Any pipes with a gap to a nearby pipe will be stretched to meet other pipes found within this tolerance. It is advisable to leave the default at 1/2” (12.5mm). If the Tolerance is set too large, important piping may be erased. For example, if the Tolerance is set to 6” (150mm) and you have 4” (100mm) armovers on your drawing, the armovers will be erased.

Under the System section, the Sprinklers, Defined Heads and All restricted (which includes pipes, hangers, risers, etc.) options check to make sure all sprinkler heads are in the proper layer, that only AutoCAD Lines are found in the piping layer, and that nothing unanticipated is found in the other restricted layers.

Under the Piping Network section, the Sprinklers option checks to make sure all heads are connected. If some are not, but within the Tolerance mentioned earlier, they will be moved to the nearest pipe endpoint or flagged if outside it. Piping deletes pipes shorter than the Tolerance and stretches pipes to coincide if a gap is found between pipes that is less than the Tolerance. Unconnected AutoCalc blocks will be moved to nearby pipes or sprinklers if falling within the Tolerance specified.

Under Miscellaneous, the Misplaced pipe sizes option moves sizes to the nearest midpoint within the tolerance or flagged if outside it. Valid pipes sizes/lengths check for proper formatting and characters in these strings. Erase duplicate objects (OVERKILL) runs the AutoCAD OVERKILL command, internally preset to only erase duplicated pipes. Perform Audit is also an option. This will perfom an AutoCAD AUDIT to check for internal drawing errors.

Other has two options. Verbal confirmation if no errors are found will give you audio stating “Congratulations” if no errors are found. This can cause hardware errors on certain computers, so the option can be deselected and that setting will be recorded in the registry as a default. Display list of errors found, if any will launch a dialog box of found errors, if any. This is the same dialog launched by the View Checkup Errors command on this flyout.

Running Checkups

Press OK to begin checking. Check Ups will ask you to pick the System Boundary you want to check. If there are no boundaries, it will only check those entities visible on the screen, so zoom to what you want checked. After you have found and corrected any errors, run Checkups again to make sure.

Check Ups should correct most of the errors that it finds. Those errors that it cannot correct will be tagged with error messages. Use these messages to diagnose and manually correct the errors. When finished, the following summary will appear:

Refer to this dialog to verify that you have only one Water Supply inserted. Check that you have the correct number of Heads Flowing, Hoses/Added Flows, and Jumps. The term ‘All’ refers to those items defined for Area 0. The Water Supply falls under the ‘All’ designation because only one is allowed per drawing.

If you have no errors, you will get this dialog:

You will also get a verbal confirmation of “Congratulations” if the option Verbal confirmation if no errors are found is selected and you have no found errors.

Errors

If you have errors, yellow and/or red error tags will be inserted on the drawing. Minor errors (yellow) denote possible problems, but AutoCalc should still run through. Major (red) errors denote serious problems that must be corrected or AutoCalc will crash or stop with a warning.

If the Display list of errors found, if any option is checked, and there were indeed, errors, then you will also see a dialog box of those errors. This is the same dialog launched by the View Checkup Errors command on this flyout.

Common Errors:

Here are some common errors. The underground is not connected (via physical connection or Jump) to any other pipe (and is outside the Tolerance value). This results in the messages MAIN NOT connected and Dead End Main?

ERROR MESSAGE: Line/Main Not Connected

PROBLEM: The line/main does not connect to another line or main or does not have a head, riser or riser nipple at one or more ends. This is not necessarily a problem but could indicate that a line/main has been drawn on top of another line or main or that the main or line is not connected.

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ERROR MESSAGE: Text/Block/Line in Sensitive or Wrong Layer

PROBLEM: The entity is in the wrong layer. If a block is the cause, it’s name will appear in the error message. To correct these, move the entit(ies) out of HydraCAD protected layers.

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ERROR MESSAGE: Line/Main Should be Broken?

PROBLEM: This usually means that a line or main is not broken at the point of intersection with another line or main (i.e. the lines are overlapping).

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ERROR MESSAGE: Head* Not Connected

PROBLEM: A sprinkler or calculation tagging block is not attached to a branch line or a main. Move the sprinkler onto the line or main.

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ERROR MESSAGE: Area Number Invalid

PROBLEM: The area number used to insert calculation tags is not a number from 0 to 99. Erase the blocks and reinsert them.

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MAKE SURE that your drawing does not have any significant errors before running AutoCalcs!

Tip - if minor (yellow) errors are noted outside of the area that you are calculating they will not interfere with the AutoCalc process. Severe (red) errors should always be corrected.

HydraCARDs (Troubleshooting)

For HydraCARDs regarding Calc Check Ups: [Click Here]