Format for Installation Instructions

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Author Message Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 458 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Friday, February 15, 2019 - 05:58 pm:    Is there a standard format for writing manufacturer's installation instructions? Any informal guidelines. Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS 1-818-219-4937 www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru James Sandoz, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: jsandoz Post Number: 254 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Monday, February 18, 2019 - 11:06 am:    Michael, I may not understand your question but I would think organizing the installation instructions in the same order of Articles in Part 3 of the specification would be a good format. As far as the actual installation the steps should be in chronological order. David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1755 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, February 18, 2019 - 12:29 pm:    Michael, Are you referring to how a manufacturer should write their installation instructions on their product literature or how a manufacturer should write Part 3 Execution in their guide specifications? David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 459 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Monday, February 18, 2019 - 03:20 pm:    David: When the project manual say, "Submit manufacturer's installation instructions.", what do you expect to see? How should it be organized? James: SectionFormat is a good beginning, yet does not cover issues that may have to be in installation instructions, such as tools and safety procedures. A related question: Do you read installation instructions before specifying a product? Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS 1-818-219-4937 www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1756 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, February 18, 2019 - 03:35 pm:    Michael, I don't really have a preconceived expectation of installation instructions so long as they are readable and make sense. I find that some manufacturers are gravitating towards YouTube or other videos to explain to the contractor how to install their products. In the old days, CSI used to produce a thing called "Manu-Spec" that set up a format on how a manufacturer would organize there product data sheets. I will occasionally read the manufacturer's installation instructions if I have a question on how to install the product. And yes I will watch their videos. David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC James Sandoz, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: jsandoz Post Number: 258 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Monday, February 18, 2019 - 04:26 pm:    I do read the manufacturer's installation instructions and make note of those procedures that are particular to a product. Likewise I sometimes feel the need to "fill in" missing information about protecting work in place for example. I am very, very cautious about specifying safety procedures. In fact, I don't go farther than to remind the contractor to adhere to OSHA or other jurisdictional requirements. I am not a safety engineer or an industrial hygienist. Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 621 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2019 - 05:20 pm:    Although I may read manufacturer's installation instructions as part of design research, I do not want them as a submittal. Why would an architect want to review or even receive them? I do require that they be accessible on-site (either in hard copy or online) so that they can be reviewed in a preinstallation conference and if needed for a site review. But I seldom see any advantage in assuming an architect should receive a formal submittal and thereby assume some responsibility toward the content. Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 622 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2019 - 05:21 pm:    That said - back to Michael's original inquiry. I have not seen a recommended format for installation instructions. It's not a bad idea, but there's so much variation based upon product types that it would be a significant task to come up with one. Anything in the ISO family of documents? Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 464 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2019 - 06:33 pm:    Phil's comment about ISO got me thinking about standards published by industry association. As an example, I make frequent reference to NFPA 780- Installation for Lightning Protection Systems. It has chapters for Administration, Referenced Publications, Definitions, General Requirements, Specific types of installations, and appendices for supplementary information. It has ample illustrations to complement the text, and the instructions are adequately detailed. Years ago,I worked with an engineer writing an installation manual for assembling pre-engineered metal building. It was for a manufacturer that hoped to introduce PEMB to the Arabian peninsula, and it was quite a challenge to provide technology transfer -- it had to explain things we take for granted, like nomenclature for screws. A challenge for installation instructions is to understand the audience. Is it intended for the mechanic that may not be literate in english? For the construction superintendent responsible for coordination and quality control? Is anyone going to read the document prior to getting into trouble? The topic of installation manuals is very much on my mind, as I have taken the past few days to edit a draft of a user manual that a client wrote. He used the word "your" 136 times, in sentences such as, "Before beginning your work, measure your room and cut pieces your required sizes." The manual described three installation methods, and repeated the same instructions for cleaning in three locations instead of saying it once. The product is a ceiling tile. Almost all the instructions a professional installer needs are in CISCA and ASTM -- but this was meant for do-it-yourself installers. That left me wondering if I could use "technical" words like "substrate". I got to change lay to lie, backside to back. I have a hard time imagining that homeowners will read it, or understand it if they did. Better they make a video with voice over. Well, I am rambling. I think i'll take a nap before starting the second shift. Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS 1-818-219-4937 www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru George A. Everding, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 889 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2019 - 11:04 pm:    Manufacturers' installation instructions should be Youtube videos. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=adjusting+the+LCN+door+closer&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#kpvalbx=1 Not meant to be a product sales pitch - it's just the first one I saw. When I was working for Allegion, a product rep pulled this up on his iPhone and showed it to a school district maintenance guy. I was sold immediately - it doesn't get any clearer than this. James Sandoz, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: jsandoz Post Number: 259 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2019 - 09:03 am:    I soooo agree with George about YouTube. When my then 17 year-old daughter knocked the side mirror off her car I decided to do a little experiment. She is an intelligent woman but had no previous experience working on automobiles. I had her go on-line and order the replacement part. There she learned the importance of knowing her car's model year, trim level, and even the serial number. When the part arrived with its somewhat sketchy printed installation instructions she went to YouTube to see if anyone had a video to replace a side mirror on a Ford Focus. Not only did she find a video for the exact model as her car the video was 'produced,' that is narrated and demonstrated, by a young woman who must have been in her early to mid-twenties. This was perfect for my daughter. Not only was the vocabulary easily understood (remember jargon is the most deadly of the inert gasses) the narrator even pointed out possible pitfalls to be avoided - those she experienced first hand. I sat in a lawn chair in the driveway and watched my daughter install the replacement mirror without a hitch. All I did was hand her the tools and made sure they all wound up back in my tool chest when the job was complete. ;-) Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 760 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2019 - 11:20 am:    My kids, who are teenagers, seldom use Google. They search for anything they need to find on YouTube. It doesn't even occur to them to use Google. James, good story about your daughter. I learned how to rebuild the engine in my daughters first car by watching YouTube videos. It took a few months, but it runs fine now and its her daily driver. Amazing. I would have never attempted such a thing without a resource like YouTube Dave Metzger Senior Member Username: davemetzger Post Number: 744 Registered: 07-2001 Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2019 - 12:12 pm:    Ikea has very clear printed installation instructions for their furniture, using just graphics and drawings. The packing slip is in multiple European and Asian languages, but the wordless installation instructions can be used in any country. YouTube videos have been helpful for me also, but they vary greatly in usefulness. The great advantage of the Ikea instructions is that they are language-independent. Paul Sweet (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2019 - 12:22 pm:    YouTube videos are very helpful, and clarify what the shop manual or installation instructions are trying to say. Installation instructions should have Cautions where somebody not doing something stupid could get hurt, but most manufacturers instructions I've seen go way overboard with them, probably as CYA for the manufacturer. I stop reading the cautions after the first 20 or so. Dave Metzger Senior Member Username: davemetzger Post Number: 745 Registered: 07-2001 Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2019 - 12:43 pm:    Actually, Ikea instructions are more accurately described as "assembly" than "installation" Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 465 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2019 - 02:14 pm:    This is a helpful discussion. Video and illustration are great; is there still a place for written instructions? -- Like they say about Project Manuals, "at least the attorneys read them." -- It can be faster finding the info needed by scanning headings instead of playing a video waiting for the right info to come up. -- Play a video, and the installer has to remember or write a lot of stuff instead of glancing at the written instructions to see the required torque for a fastener or the proportions to mix ingredients. I will welcome links to instructions that you think are good or bad. Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS 1-818-219-4937 www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 466 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2019 - 02:41 pm:    George, The LCN video you recommended is a masterpiece. I feel that even I could install the closer now. Note that a large sheet of installation instructions is taped to door for installer to reference; it also looks well organized and illustrated. Perhaps part of the answer to my questions about installation instructions is that one style does not fit all, and a manufacturer may need several presentations to meet the needs of various audiences. Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS 1-818-219-4937 www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru Mark Gilligan SE, Senior Member Username: mark_gilligan Post Number: 873 Registered: 10-2007 Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2019 - 04:06 pm:    Traditionally manufacturer's installations (MII) instructions were mentioned in specifications because compliance with them was necessary if the manufacturer was to honor the warranty. The MII might also be referenced in the belief it would insure a given result. In this content the MII are what the manufacturer says they are and should be treated as an information submittal. Over time the IBC has come to contain a number of provisions requiring compliance with the MII. This creates several problems. Now the manufacturer can include any requirement in the MII that they want and you cannot object. You cannot use a product in a manner contrary to that recommended by the manufacturer. I believe that this change is the result of individuals not understanding the original reason for specifying MII. Also not everything that may be good practice should be codified. Louis Medcalf, FCSI, CCS Senior Member Username: louis_medcalf Post Number: 102 Registered: 11-2010 Posted on Thursday, March 14, 2019 - 10:00 am:    I occasionally see specs requiring "strict compliance with manufacturer instructions" for some but not all products. I believe this to be a liability peril because an adversary lawyer would argue that the architect or engineer has a corresponding duty for enforcing those instructions and performing more stringent observations and inspections. Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 1027 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Tuesday, April 02, 2019 - 08:24 pm:    As opposed to un-strict compliance? Compliance is an absolute. As Yoda might say, "Comply or comply not. There is no almost." John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1774 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Friday, April 12, 2019 - 04:26 pm:    I don't agree with the idea that there is increased liability of the designer here. The designer is never obligated to perform exhaustive enough inspections of all aspects of construction to find every bit of non-conforming work. Lots of things are drawn or specified that the designer never sees or specifically approves of. The obligation to construct per the documents falls squarely on the contractor. There may be a small liability if the designer creates a requirement in conflict with the manufacturer's requirements, but there would be a lot of other factors that come into play for this to create a liability to the designer, principally negligence by the designer. Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 623 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2019 - 02:22 pm:    I'm still not convinced to include the MII as a submittal of any kind. Instead, Division 01, or individual sections, should just stipulate that the Contractor maintain access to MII on site, whether hard copy or web based. It is not necessary to place the information into the submittal stream in order to accomplish this. The design professional has duties toward informational submittals that are almost as rigorous as action submittals - the only difference is, a response is not required. I prefer to keep responsibility for compliance with the Contractor.