20 - PHCP Pros · 2017-07-19 · IPS & SWT • 2 in 1 alternative replaces a tee ﬁ tting + a boiler drain • Install anywhere a drain or purge valve is required ... homebuilding

A Publication

july 2010vol. 11, no. 72010 Internet Usage Survey

Top20

Under20

DanHolohanon boilers

Hangargetshydronicfacelift

Frank & Lindy Plumbing& Heating Service Co.

nabs top spot asPHC NEWS features theTop 20 plumbing andhydronic companiesunder 20 employees.

Take Controlwith Burnham

Alpine™

• LP/Gas fired condensing boiler, 80-500 MBH

• 95% AFUE, ENERGY STAR rated

• Stainless steel heat exchanger

• Equipped with the powerful and easy-to-use Burnham Sage2™ Boiler Control System

• User-friendly two-color touchscreen interface

• Wall-hung model available in four sizes (80-210)

• Stackable for modular applications (floor mount only)

• Outstanding ease of installation and setup

www.usboiler.burnham.com

EASY TO USE!

Producing an ultra-high efficiency condensing boiler is one thing. Making it easy to install and use is

quite another. The Burnham Alpine boiler delivers an impressive 95% AFUE, but is also very easy to

install, set up, and use. Offering single side connections, single point power, a unique patent pending

condensate trap, and controls which are sealed and separated from the lower jacket, every aspect of the

Alpine boiler has been engineered for ease of use and longevity.

Thanks to the new Burnham Sage2 control system, the complex nature of computer controlled boiler

control systems has been streamlined and simplified as well. By using a touchscreen interface, the

Sage2 puts an impressive array of boiler control features at your fingertips... literally. What’s most

impressive about the Sage2 is that this information is easy to access and understand thanks to it’s

intuitive menu design which displays information in clear, simple statements, not cryptic codes. The

design of this interface also eliminates the frustrating, seemingly endless scrolling associated with many

other boiler control systems.

Come see the Alpine boiler and the Sage2 control system at NAOHSM, in booth 423.

UNMATCHED

UNMATCHED

UNMATCHED

T

ake TTake Contr

e Co

ontr

ol r

95% AFUE,•

ed conden LP/Gas fir•

Eq ipped ith the po

Stainless steel heat •

ENERGY S

, 80-500 MBH nsing boiler r, 80-500 MBH

eas tof l and

exchanger

ratedAR ST TAR

H

Stackable for modul •

Wall-hung model ava •

-c -friendly twoUser•

nham Sage2™ B BurEquipped with the po•

ar applications (floor m

ailable in four sizes (80-

faceeen interolor touchscr

ol System Boiler Contr-use easy-toful and ower

mount only)

-210)

ace

e

roducing an ultra-high efficiency condensing boiler is one thing. Making it easy to install and use is P

nham . The Burquite another r. The Bur

install, set up, and use. Offering single side connections, single point power

condensate trap, and controls which are sealed and separated from the lower jacket, ever

Outstanding ease of •

iciency condensing boiler is one thing. Making it easy to install and use is

m Alpine boiler delivers an impres

ering single side connections, single point power

rols which are sealed and separated from the lower jacket, ever

installation and setup

thing. Making it easy to install and use is

y ssive 95% AFUE, but is also ver

, a unique patent pending ngle point power r, a unique patent pending

y a ted from the lower jacket, ever

nd use is

easy to

t pending

aspect of the

nham Thanks to the new Bur

control systems has been streamlined and simplified as well. By using a touchscreen inter

Sage2 puts an impressive ar

impressive about the Sage2

intuitive menu design which displays infor

face also design of this inter

other boiler control systems.

m Sage2 control system, the complex nature of computer controlled boiler

streamlined and simplified as well. By using a touchscreen inter

ray of boiler control features at ar

mation is easy to access and understand thanks to it’s 2 is that this infor

, si mation in clear r, simple statements, not cr h displays infor

ustrating, seem o eliminates the fr

s.

.

mplex nature of computer controlled boiler

fa ll. By using a touchscreen inter

. What’s most tips... literally your finger

to access and understand thanks to it’s

yptic codes. The mple statements, not cr

mingly endless scrolling associated with many

led boiler

ace, the

s most

s to it’s

des. The

ed with many

.bur.usboilerr.burnham.comwww

Come see the Alpine boiler

rnham.com

and the Sage2 control system at NAOHSM, in booth 423.

t NAOHSM, in booth 423.

Circle 1 on Reader Reply Card


4 Phc News — JULY 2010In thIs Issue

www.webstonevalves.comTel: (800) 225-9529 • Fax (800) 336-5133

FASTERINSTALLATION

FEWERLEAK PATHS

“Better quality than the fabricated alternative.”

Delmar GehmanEarl Weaver Contractors

Lebanon, PA

• Installs in half the time

• Fewer leak paths— full fl ow

• Available in 1/2"– 2" IPS & SWT

• 2 in 1 alternative replaces a tee fi tting + a boiler drain

• Install anywhere a drain or purge valve is required

• Hi-fl ow alternative for fi lling closed-loop hydronic systems

• Eliminates assemblies needed for installing drains into a line

G U A R A N T E E D F O R L I F E

REPLACES:® ™


www.phcnews.com

Owner

Tom M. Brown, Jr.

Chief EditorJohn MesenbrinkManaging EditorJames SchaibleContributing EditorsMary Jo MartinMark BrunoRichard DiTomaMorris R. BeschlossDan HolohanEllen Rohr

Production ManagerCate C. BrownAdministrative AssistantSadie Bechtold

Editorial Offices1838 Techny Court

Northbrook, IL 60062Phone: 847/564-1127Fax: 847/564-1264,

[email protected]

Sales OfficesDavid Schulte, PublisherMidwest, Southeast,Eastern Canada

1838 Techny CourtNorthbrook, IL 60062

847/564-1127Fax: 847/564-1264

[email protected]

Brad Burnside, East1838 Techny Court

Northbrook, IL 60062847/564-1127

Fax: 847/[email protected]

Diane Spangler, West, TexasDiane SpanglerP.O. Box 9802

Fountain Valley, CA 92728714/839-6700

Fax: 714/[email protected]

Direct subscriptioninquiries to:Cynthia LewisCreative Data Services519 E. Briarcliff RoadBolingbrook, IL [email protected] 630-739-0900 x203Fax: 630-739-7648

TMB Publishing, Inc.

Tom M. Brown Jr., President

plumbing & hydronic contractor news

Departments

Inside Watts Radiant — pg. 50

New life for Connies with help ofradiant-floor heat — pg. 54

ColumnsDAN HOLOHAN: Boilers sometimes suck, but they don’t mean it . . .20BOB “HOT ROD” ROHR: Energy in its newest forms . . . . . . . . . . . . .22BRISTOL STICKNEY: The hot and cold of flat-plate collectors . . . . . . . . .24ELLEN ROHR: Your knowledge will face huge future challenges . . . . . . .28RICHARD DITOMA: Don’t mimic bad behavior of competitors . . . . . .30MORRIS BESCHLOSS: Economy looking up but not consistently . . . . . . . .34

Field Reports“Connie” rebuilding hangar the ‘ultimate use’ of radiant heat . .54

In the NewsTakagi, A.O. Smith join forces in tankless campaign . . . . . . . . . .6Grand Hall sponsors racer . . . . . .10Jay R. Smith joins Acorn Engineering in business alliance . . . . . . . . .14Plastic pipe a growing force in green buildings . . . . . . . . . . . .23Welbend exec Burke dead at 86 . . .46Radiant products not just a business; they’re Watts Radiant’s mission .50Control valves need the proper actuators to function right . . . .59Product update . . . . . . . . . .60, 62Tool Crib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

From the EditorsTell us your critter stories! . . . . . .66

42 2010 Internet Usage SurveyWe polled hundreds of contractors to determine theirpatterns of Internet activities. A surprise result is theyhave discovered how to use social networking media toenhance their businesses.

48 Focus on water conservationThe Gulf oil gusher illustrates how precious clean watercan be, and toilet manufacturers are advancing the tec-nology of water savings into new territory as the lowlytoilet leads the pack in conservation.

Features

On the CoverMark Giardina is field supervisor for Frank& Lindy Plumbing & Heating Service Co.,No, 1 on Phc News’ 2010 Top 20 Under 20listing. In this issue we extend kudos tothose contractors employing fewer than20; their efficiency and ingenuity are ahallmark of their business smarts.Section begins on page 40.

G U A R A N T E E D F O R L I F E

www.webstonevalves.comTel: (800) 225-9529

REPLACES:

FASTERINSTALLATION

FEWERLEAK PATHS

• One-piece valve replaces 7 individual components

• Simultaneously drain, fl ush and refi ll any hydronic system

• Eliminates 6 leak paths & saves nearly an hour of labor

• T-pattern fl ow path quickly and easily isolates the fl ow between the two hose thread valves

• Flow is diverted in one hose thread valve and out the other hose thread valve


Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.® offers a variety of

Green Building Products, Webinars, CaseStudies and Specification Guidelinesto help make it easier to be green.The green movement is redefining everything we believe about building products, transportinggoods, conserving resources and in constructing buildings. It is not just a good idea, it is the right idea. It was conceived with the notion that wecan build a healthier environment around us,where we work and live.

It shows us that we can build buildings,manufacture products and move peopleand goods in a way that is good for us all.

On-Line Training and Continuing Education(CEU/LU) for the Design ProfessionalA wide range of webinars, educationsessions and presentations areavailable at www.jrsmith.com.

To learn more about these greenproducts visit the Green Building Products section of www.jrsmith.com

6 Phc News — JULY 2010

MILWAUKEE — A. O. Smith Corpora-tion and Takagi Industrial Co. Ltd. ofFuji-city, Shizuoka, Japan, an-nounced that they are establishing ajoint venture to market and manu-facture tankless water heaters in

North America. As part of the jointventure, A. O. Smith will take overthe management of Takagi’s existingNorth American sales and distribu-tion organization, maintaining Tak-agi’s North American headquartersin Irvine, Calif. The companies ex-pect the transaction to close in thethird quarter. “This venture is an important in-

vestment by A. O. Smith that willfurther expand our offering of high-efficiency water heating products,”said Ajita G. Rajendra, president ofA. O. Smith Water Products Com-pany. “It represents a rare opportu-nity to combine Takagi’swell-known brand and world-classtankless technology with the strongbrands, customer relationships, andextensive distribution of A. O.Smith.” Through the joint venture, A. O.

Smith will offer a full line of tanklessgas water heaters under its ownbrands in association with the Tak-agi brand and will assume responsi-bility for the Takagi brand in the U.S.and Canada. Takagi currently manufactures a

full line of gas tankless water heater

models in Japan for residential andcommercial applications includingthe recently released “second gen-eration” 92 percent efficient T-H2model designed for residential orlight commercial applications. For more information, visit

www.aosmith.com.

Sponsored player wins Nationwide event

Former A. O. Smith employee andcurrent sponsored player, Tommy

“Two Gloves” Gainey, won the Mel-wood Prince George’s County Open,his first career title on the Nation-wide Tour.

Gainey secured the title with a72nd hole birdie and final-round, 6-under 65 at the University of Mary-land Golf Course in College Park.

In briefEemax, Inc. joins HomeSphere®OXFORD, CONN. — Eemax, Inc., aleader in commercial and residen-tial electric tankless water heaters,and HomeSphere, Inc., the pre-mier provider of technology-lever-aged supply chain services to thehomebuilding and remodeling in-dustry, announced that they haveentered into a joint agreement tooffer Eemax products to Home-Sphere's network of builders, usingHomeSphere’s technology-lever-aged services. “Teaming up with HomeSphereprovides a powerful way for ourcompany to further extend our na-tional manufacturing and distribu-tion network,” said Aaron Siegel,vice president of sales at Eemax.“This partnership grows marketshare among our potential cus-tomers, allows builders to leveragetheir purchases, and creates de-mand that is beneficial to us as amanufacturer.”For info, www.eemax.com.

Rinnai extends warrantyPEACHTREE CITY, GA. — RinnaiCorp. has extended the heat ex-changer warranty on RC98HPe,RC98HPi, RC80HPe and RC80HPicondensing tankless water heatersused in recirculating applicationsfrom three years to 12 years. Thenew warranty pertains to recircu-lating systems that are controlledthrough an aquastat/ thermostat, atimer or an on-demand system.The change means that Rinnai®brand condensing tankless prod-ucts used in qualified recirculatingsystems will now feature the same12-year heat exchanger warrantyas all residential installations. For more info, www.rinnai.us.

Viking announces nationalpartnership with Toll BrothersHASTINGS, MICH.— Viking Group, aglobal leader in fire protection andlife safety systems, announced thatToll Brothers has selected Vikingas its partner to provide fire sup-pression materials throughout theUnited States. The new agreement,which is effective immediately, in-cludes Viking sprinklers, CPVC pipe,and related products for residentialfire sprinkler systems. With thisnew partnership, Viking SupplyNetwill supply Toll Brothers’ networkof preferred installers with fire pro-tection products from the com-pany’s integrated distributionnetwork, which includes morethan 30 U.S. locations.

A. O. Smith enters into a tankless waterheater joint venture with Takagi

Industry news


SHEBOYGAN FALLS, WIS. — BemisManufacturing Company, a leaderin toilet seat engineering and de-sign, is proud — and a little sur-prised — to find itself participatingin the Redneck Games at the Inde-pendence Day festival of Cape Gi-rardeau, Mo.Looking for ways to stir up some

fun and some funds at the festival,which ran July 2-4, U.S.A. VeteransCommander Rodger Brown ap-proached Bemis Manufacturing witha request for donated seats for use ina newly created game — the toiletseat toss.Bob Davis, Bemis director of mar-

keting — Plumbing North America,responded by sending a dozen lidlessopen-front toilet seats to be used inthe games. Bemis also donated somehigh-end showroom seats to be usedas prizes.“This event is tied to supporting

our veterans, so it’s a worthy cause,”said Davis, who added that it was thefirst time he received a request forseats to be used in a toilet seat toss.“We got quite a kick out of the con-cept,” he said.

Bemis® Toilet SeatsJoins Fourth of JulyRedneck Games

EverClean® technology incorporates a permanent, antimicrobial additive to protect

surfaces from mold, mildew, algae and fungus so toilets stay cleaner, longer.

It’s earned the industry’s maximum flush rating and is rated #1 by a leading consumer magazine.

Maximum MaP rating and industry’s largest flush valve and siphonic trapway moves 70% more mass

than a standard toilet.

The Champion® 4 has a powerful flush that virtually eliminates clogs and callbacks. Welcome to style that works better TM for you.

www.americanstandard.com

© 2010 AS America, Inc.



LEBANON, TENN. — Lochinvar Corp.celebrated the success of the 12 top-selling participants in its fifth annualVIP Contractor Program by awardingthem an all-expenses paid trip to Ten-nessee for the 2010 Nashville Experi-ence. To show the company’sappreciation for the contractors’ out-standing sales, each of the winnersand a guest of their choice were in-vited to enjoy an action-packed,three-day getaway in Lochinvar’s

hometown. These 12 winning VIPswere nationwide top sellers of the fol-lowing product lines: KNIGHT®, Effi-ciency+®, and Solution™ residentialboiler product lines, the KNIGHT XL®Commercial Boiler and the Squire®Indirect Water Heater.

The winners of the 2010 NashvilleExperience included the followingVIP Contractors:

• Jack DeWaal of Triple H Hydron-ics, Inc. in Calgary, Alberta;

• Mike Helmbrecht of TimberlineMechanical in Crested Butte, Colo.;

• Larry Gemma of GEM Plumbingin Lincoln, R.I.;

• Alex LaPierre of Plomberie Nor-mand in Montreal, Quebec;

• Erik Lindow of JourneymanPlumbing and Heating in Kenai,Alaska;

• Andy Mickelson of 4G Plumbingand Heating in Missoula, Mont.;

• Tim Sandlin of Klebs Mechanicalin Anchorage, Alaska;

• Joe Pomerleau of Pomerleau’sHeating in Winslow, Maine;

• Mike Bernasconi of CentralCooling & Heating in Woburn, Mass.;

• John McCain of Jack McCainPlumbing and Heating in Bay Port,Mich.;

• Alan Eldridge of A & A Mechan-ical in Crested Butte, Colo.; and

• Zac Roth of Klebs Mechanical inAnchorage, Alaska.

Nexstar® Super Meetingoffers success strategies

PLUMBING, HVAC AND ELECTRICAL homeservice contractors across the conti-nent have the opportunity to experi-ence the rapid results of Nexstar®Network, as the trades’ leading busi-ness development organization opensthe doors of its Austin, Texas SuperMeeting September 23-25.

Nexstar president and CEO, GregNiemi said, “Attendees have the po-tential to return to their businessesand get rapid results, guided by ourexperienced coaches, surefire sys-tems and peer connections.”

Economist Brian Beaulieu will re-lease his economic forecast and un-veil tactics for making sure yourbusiness thrives, not simply surviveswhat lies ahead in 2011 and beyond.

CNN news anchor Natalie Allenwill host a live news program and takeyou inside three notable U.S. plumb-ing, HVAC and electrical businessesthat are productive and profitable.For info, www.nexstarnetwork.com.

Lochinvar honors top VIP contractors Industry news

3 inlets (toilet, shower/bath and sink)

Pre-assembled with check valves included

Pumping distance of up to 15’ vertically or 150’ horizontally

2-year warranty New Sanitop model also

available for half bathrooms

The original plumbing solution since 1958

1-800-571-8191 | www.saniflo.com

Cabanas

Under the stairs

Garages Install a complete bathroom anywhere you need!

Basements

The original plumbing solution since 1958


Under the stairs

Basements

Under the stairs

Basements

¾” discharge pipe

The original plumbing solution since 1958The original plumbing solution since 1958The original plumbing solution since 1958



www.symmons.comCopyright © 2010 Symmons Industries, Inc., Braintree, Massachusetts

From hotels to hospitals, from schools to stadiums,

Symmons products have been trusted by

professionals for 70 years.

FOR COMMERCIAL PROJECTSTHE SOLUTION IS SYMMONS®


GARLAND, TEX. — Grand Hall, man-ufacturer of the Eternal HybridWater Heaters, has teamed up withReno Power, located in Tampa, Fla.,to sponsor Justin Larson Racing ashe speeds off in pursuit of victory inthe Super Late Model races, as wellas the Hoosier Elite series at Desoto

Super Speedway.The #88 Reno Power/Eternal Hy-

brid Chevrolet, driven by Justin Lar-son, will be racing across Florida inthe Super Late Model series thissummer. On July the 1 NASCAR week-end, Larson returned to the NewSmyrna Speedway as part of the

FAST Touring Series, and Eternalrepresentatives.

Reno Power provides repair serv-ice for all tankless water heaters, butprefers installing Eternal HybridWater Heaters. The latest EternalCondensing Hybrid is a smaller unit,98+ percent efficient and every bit

just as powerful as the original. Eter-nal is economical to own costingvery little to run and maintain butprovides endless hot water with noperformance sacrifices with a 20-year no leak warranty.

Grand Hall teams with Reno Power to sponsor racer

10 Phc News — JULY 2010Industry news


TUCSON, ARIZ. — The Ronald McDon-ald House in Tucson, Ariz. is dedi-cated to improving the health andwell-being of children within the com-munity; however, the organization’snewest home had a recurring problem— broken toilets. To ensure the fami-lies could focus on their children in-stead of their bathrooms, GerberPlumbing Fixtures LLC and the Ari-zona GreenPlumbers joined togetherto retrofit the home with quality,water-conserving plumbing productsresulting in a WaterSmart Businessdesignation and peace of mind.

With capacity for 28 families inthe newly established house, theoriginally installed plumbing prod-

ucts were not meeting the needs ofthe residents. Instead of simply re-placing the poor performing fixtureswith standard products, Green-Plumbers appointed Gerber to retro-fit the new home with WaterSensecertified toilets and faucets, includ-ing Maxwell® Dual Flush toilets,Allerton™ kitchen faucets andWicker Park™ bathroom faucets.Moreover, due to the 20 percentwater-savings associated with thenewly replaced plumbing fixtures,the City of Tucson declared theRonald McDonald House a WaterS-mart Business.

Gerber and Green-Plumbers build sustainable RonaldMcDonald home

Learn more at halseytaylor.com

Bottle Filling Station

AGREEN Solution.


Phc News — JULY 2010 11Industry news

DAVID DUGGER, PRESIDENT AND CEO of Shoffn-erKalthoff Mechanical Electrical Service ofKnoxville, Tenn., and his wife, Jan, have beennamed as Benefactors to the Plumbing-Heat-ing-Cooling Contractors — National Associa-tion’s (PHCC) Educational Foundation Board ofGovernors.

“We are delighted to welcome David and JanDugger as Benefactor donors,” said Cindy Sheri-dan, chief operating officer of the PHCC Educa-tional Foundation. “Their contribution will gofar in helping us continue to provide outstand-ing educational programs for p-h-c contractorsand their employees.”

A member of the PHCC — National AssociationBoard of Directors, David Dugger is a strong sup-porter of the p-h-c industry, serving as statepresident and board member of the PHCC in Ten-nessee and other national and local committees.

Dugger started his mechanical constructioncareer in 1971 as a sheet metal and piping ap-

prentice while studying mechanical engineeringat the University of Tennessee. His career hasincluded numerous management positions, aswell as project management and estimating. Hehas been involved with a variety of projects interms of both size and complexity, ranging fromhealthcare, manufacturing facilities, institu-tional, commercial office and mixed-use build-ings. He holds licenses in more than 12 statesand has extensive experience in mechanical de-sign/build construction.

Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., and inbusiness for more than 50 years, Shoffn-erKalthoff Mechanical Electrical Service pro-vides new and post-construction servicesincluding HVAC, plumbing, electrical, processpiping, industrial ventilation, millwright, boilerrepair, sheet metal fabrication, design/build, andcomplete service and maintenance for HVAC,plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, and DDCcontrols.

PHCC names new benefactor donors of the Educational Foundation Board of Governors

FAIRFIELD, N.J. — A freshly rehabbed home thatwas donated to Twin Cities Habitat for Human-

ity in Minnesota hasbeen plumbed usingSpeedfit® fittings andPEX piping donated byits manufacturer, JohnGuest® USA. The three-bedroom, two-storyhome, which was re-moved from its base andmoved to a new prop-erty across town, is lo-cated in Prior Lake,south of the Twin Cities.

Donation of theSpeedfit fittings and

John Guest donates to Minnesota Habitat for HumanityPEX was coordinated by John Guest’s RegionalSales Manager for the Midwest, Jeff Nehring.Nehring approached the plumbing contractoron the job, Infinity Plumbing Inc. of Dennison,MN, to use Speedfit product to connect the ex-isting copper pipe to the new plumbing system,which was accepted. Infinity owner Bob Berge,who had used Speedfit before but not in awhole-house application, reports that Speedfitwas easy to install and reduced his crew’s timeon the job considerably. “It worked well and itwent so fast,” he says, echoing what otherplumbers are discovering about Speedfit, a rel-atively new product introduction into the NorthAmerican plumbing and heating market. “It’s avery good product and I can see it catching on,”he commented.

OLATHE, KAN. — Grundfos Pumps was recog-nized by the Kansas School for the Deaf (KSD)for the school year of 2009 – 2010. The recog-nized was for Grundfos Pumps continued in-volvement in the Career Training programoffered to the students through the KSD.

Beginning in 2003, Grundfos in cooperationwith the Kansas School for the Deaf has mentoredsix students in the Career Training program, twoof which became KSD valedictorians. The CareerTraining program allows students who wish topursue a certain field of interest an early start totheir chosen career. The students have worked in

Grundfos recognized by Kansas School for the Deafa variety of roles at Grundfos including finance,human resources, and partner services.

Grundfos raises $55,000 at golf eventSunny skies and near 90-degree temperatures

greeted a group of more than (200) employees,customers, suppliers, friends and family of In-dianapolis-based Peerless Pump Company(Peerless was acquired by Grundfos in 2007), asthey descended upon Ironwood Golf Course inFishers, Indiana, for their 11th annual CampRiley Golf Outing.

For more info, www.grundfos.com.

WARREN, MICH. — The Jomar Group haslaunched a new website aimed at promotingunity across Jomar Group’s three divisions ofJomar Valve, HCi, and Evosolar. The JomarGroup has a diverse collection of products andthe new site will provide a window into each.

“We decided to consolidate our business prac-

Jomar Group launches new websitetices and needed a way to present our productfamily in full and in one place,” said Paul Craig,president of the Jomar Group. Jomar.com,which was once the domain for the line of ballvalves now resides at jomarvalve.com andjomar.com now provides the domain for theJomar Group.

MORTON GROVE, ILL. — ITT has pub-lished a new bulletin that provides acomprehensive summary of its Bell& Gossett brand solutions for hy-dronic balancing. Included in thebulletin is a Balancing System Selec-tion Guide, which allows users toidentify the valves most suitable for

their specific projects from manualvalves to field adjustable, automatictemperature control valves.

The new bulletin (A-509) alsohelps users select the most efficientbalancing solutions for reducing en-ergy and operating costs while in-creasing comfort. The six categories

of balancing valves covered in thebulletin include:

• OPTIFLO™ (PICV) — field ad-justable control valve

• ULTRASET — externally fieldadjustable automatic valve

• CIRCUIT SENTRY — automat-ically maintains set flow rate

• CIRCUIT SENTRY LOW FLOW— internally field adjustable auto-matic

• CIRCUIT SETTER PLUS — ex-ternally field adjustable manual

• VENTURI BALL/BUTTERFLYVALVE — standard valve providingventure flow accuracy

Also included in the bulletin is de-tailed information on Bell & GossettCoil Kits, including:

• Coil Supply Line Options• Union ended ball valve/Y-

strainer UBY & UBL)• Union ended ball valve (UBV)• Coil Return Line Options• Union Accessory (Model UA)• Temperature Control Valves• Bypass Control Valve Options• Hose Kit AssembliesFor more information, visit

www.balancevalves.com.

B&G offers hydronic balancing solutions bulletin


Quality’s finest hour.www.johnguest.com

Made of high quality engineered plastic, John Guest products have always been lead free (less than .025% weightedaverage lead content on wetted surfaces). Made in Great Britain and sold by John Guest USA. Tel: 800.94.JGUSA

With a simple push-in action, our Speed�t® �ttings join for durable, leak-free connections. No tools, no slip, no sweat. Designed and manufactured strictly in the UK for the USA.

Speed�t® �ttings come in all the precision con�gurations you need for your job. Once you work with Speed�t®you’ll wonder where we’ve been all your life. And you might ask what

you’ll do with all the time you just saved.

Stubborn on Quality.

W

S

i-hsupelpmisahtiW

bbbbuubtS

n d ee Sp

rnob

d�t® s gnitt�

Qno

htllahtiwodll’uoy

tiitlauQ

e h

.yy.tty

a�

s

ruo,noitca deeSp

barudroffoniojsgnitt�noitcennoceerf-kael

o n,pilson,slootoNd nadengiseD.taewsyltcirtsderutcafunam

d�t®

e, lb. s

d niy

aniemocarug�nocojruoyroffohtiwkrownowll’uoyeebev’ew

n oisicerpehtllad eenuoysnoita

u oyecnO.boh d�t®eeSp

e rehwredne. ffe. ilruoyllane

devastsujuoyemit

.d

ytctsdeutcaua. ASUehtroffoKUeht

s’ytilauQ

y eebeeuoydnA

.ruohtseniffis

e. uoyaet ahwksathgim

.

daMva

eenigneyttyilauqhgihfoedwnotnetnocdaelegarev

sytilauQ.jowww

ptseuGnhoJ,c,itsalpdereniedaM.)secaffarusdette

.ruohtseniffisom.cohnguest

eebsyawlaevahstcudorpybdlosdnaniatirBtaerG

.

520.nahtssel(eerffrdaelne008:leTTe.ASUtseuGnhoJy

dethgiew%5ASUGJ.49.0


SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Roth Industries isoffering free training and certifica-tion for its solar products at its Syra-cuse facility.

When: Tuesday, August 17, 2010,9 a.m.– 2 p.m.

Roth radiant: Wednesday, August18, 2010, 9 a.m.– 2 p.m.

The seminar is free of charge.Lunch and refreshments provided.

Contact Katrin at [email protected] or call 401-562-0325 tocheck availability.

Roth offers solar training

CRYSTAL LAKE, ILL. — Knaack LLCannounced the launch of its newonline dealer locator to make websearches simpler for prospectiveend users.

A dealer locator is a tool that al-lows website visitors to search forthe nearest jobsite, truck and vanequipment dealers based on azip/postal code and radius search.

The new dealer locator usesGoogle Maps 3.0 as its platform. Thistechnology will allow customers to

find the store closest to them in theshortest amount of time. In addition,through easy-to-use icons, the newdealer locator also will directprospective buyers to the most rele-vant dealers to fill their needs. Forinfo, www.knaack.com.

Knaack LLC launchesonline dealer locator

D I A G N O S T I C S P R E S S I N G P I P E & T U B E T O O L S D R A I N M A I N T E N A N C E P O W E R T O O L S

The LT1000 Laptop Interface combines the fl exibility of your laptop with your SeeSnake® Reel.

The SeeSnake LT1000 & LT1000M Laptop Interface Systems from

RIDGID® let you use your laptop to monitor, record, and manage your

inspections with the included SeeSnake HQ inspection software.

Combined with your SeeSnake Reel, the LT1000 System gives you

the most flexible digital drain inspection system on the market.

Learn more and schedule demonstrations: 800.769.7743 or

RIDGIDUpgrade.com

Unlock the possibilities.


Call 800-655-9896 [email protected]

“With the encouragement of my Nexstar business coach, I started a separate drain division of my company. Fellow members showed proof of the payoff for the investment and guided our team through Nexstar’s proven system, leading us to tripling drain revenues within two years.”

CHRISTOPHER CORLEYNexstar member since 1996Owner, Corley Plumbing and Electric

GUIDED BY:Experienced Coaches Surefire Systems Incredible Peer Connections

J O I N N E X S T A R F O R :

Corley excels with trenchless sewer replacement. One small

access hole protects landscaping.

This Could Be You! Come to Nexstar’s

September 23-25

LIMITEDSPACE

AVAILABLE

LIMITEDSPACE

AVAILABLE



CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIF. & MONT-GOMERY, ALA. — Acorn EngineeringCompany and Smith Industries Incannounced a new business allianceand a jointly owned company. Effec-

tive June 15, 2010, Jay R. Smith Mfg.Co., a Division of Smith Industrieswill join the Acorn Engineering fam-ily of companies, and Acorn Engi-neering will be a 50 percent ownerof Smith Industries. The name of thecompany will remain Jay R. Smith

Mfg. Co., a Division of Smith Indus-tries, Inc.

Jay R. Smith (Smith Industries)and Earl L. Morris (Elmco Sales Inc.and Acorn Engineering) were bothmodern-day pioneers in the industryand founders of their individualcompanies. They each developedstrong companies and were partnersand friends from 1954 (when Elmcobecame a Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. rep-resentative) until they passed away.The instant relationship and per-sonal bond transcends three gener-ations and continues with the Smithand Morris families.

Jay L. Smith, Don Morris, andDon’s brother, Dennis Morris, sec-ond generation sons of Jay R. andEarl, have continued their businessand personal relationships for morethan 50 years. The next generationof Smith’s and Morris’ (Jay L.

Smith’s daughters, Dr. Holly L. Rothand Debbie Smith, and Don Morris’children, Kristin Kahle, Randall Mor-ris and Barrett Morris) pledge to con-tinue what their grandfathers

started. The Smith and Morris fami-lies will be represented on the newBoard of Directors.

The new alliance of Acorn Engi-neering and Smith Industries will bethe foundation for an exceptionallystrong company and will be compet-itively anchored in the industry. For

the realigned Smith Industries, DonMorris will assume the role of chiefexecutive officer (CEO) of Smith In-dustries, Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. Divi-sion and the Canadian subsidiary.Jay L. will continue as president andchairman of the Board of Directors.The management teams of bothAcorn Engineering and Jay R. SmithMfg. Co. will remain the same.

Acorn Engineering & Jay R. Smith announce affiliation and unification

Jay L. Smith and Don Morris

LENOX Institute ofTechnology now openEAST LONGMEADOW, MASS. —LENOX®, a leading manufacturer ofpremium power tool accessories,hand tools, torches, solder and bandsaw blades, has opened its newLENOX Institute of Technology (LIT),located within the company head-quarters in East Longmeadow. Thegrand opening ribbon cutting tookplace on June 7.

The 1,500-square-ft. LIT trainingcenter is designed to provide hands-on training with LENOX tools andthe materials that users encounter inthe field. The facility includes a large

training room, conference room,café and e-lounge. The LENOX runtraining programs will be availablefor domestic and global distributors,sales, and technical teams.

KANSAS CITY, MO. — Six plumbingstudents got top prizes in the plumb-ing competition of the annual Skill-sUSA National Leadership and SkillsContest.

This year’s honors went to:• 1st Place Secondary — Ryan Spinden,

Paul M. Hodgson Vo-Tech, Newark, Del.• 1st Place Postsecondary — Alex Swan-

son, Minuteman Regional High School, Lex-ington, Mass.

• 2nd Place Secondary — Richard Carlo,Virginia Beach Technical and Career Cen-ter, Virginia Beach, Va.

• 2nd Place Postsecondary — Joel Jack-son, Salt Lake Community College, SaltLake City, Utah

• 3rd Place Secondary — StevenOliveira, Emmett O’Brien Technical HighSchool, Ansonia, Conn.

• 3rd Place Postsecondary — MiloradPudja, Sarasota County Technical Institute,Sarasota, Fla.

PHCC announcesSkillsUSA competitionplumbing winners

The water heaters featured above: the Voltex™ Hybrid Electric Heat Pump, the Effex™ High Efficiency Gas, the NEXT Hybrid™ Gas and the Cirrex™ Solar.

The innovative minds at A. O. Smith are taking high efficiencywater heaters to new heights! From hybrid gas water heatersto solar panel systems, A. O. Smith has a high efficiency waterheater to fit the needs of any lifestyle. This is the beginning ofan exciting new era in water heating.

Welcome to the high efficiency revolution.

Go to www.hotwater.com for more information on our new products.

www.hotwater.com

JOIN THE HIGH EFFICIENCY

REVOLUTION

These products qualify for double points until 8/31/10.


Industry

Movers



www.webstonevalves.com • Tel: (800) 225-9529

REMOVE

REPAIR

C-Clip Removal Tool

DOES IT ALL

The only removable and repairable push-on valves and fi ttings available today.

PRO PERFORMANCEPUSH CONVENIENCEGUARANTEED FOR LIFE

Complies w/ NSF/ANSI 61 & ASSE 1061

DZR Brass


EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS. —LENOX®, a leading manu-facturer of premium powertool accessories, hand tools,torches, solder and band sawblades, announces that effec-tive immediately, RichWuerthele has been ap-pointed president of Indus-trial Products and Services ofLENOX, a Newell Rubbermaidcompany.

LENOX® announces new president

Wuerthele

The Board of Directors of thePlumbing-Heating-CoolingContractors of California(CAPHCC) announced the ap-pointment of Peggy J. Hall astheir interim executive vicepresident. Peggy is replacingHarry Moos who has retired,but has been retained as aconsultant to PHCC.

The California PHCC recentlyelected their new officers and directors at thePHCC West annual convention in Napa, Califor-nia. In addition to President Tom LeDuc, theyare: Vice President: John Roeber, Roeber’s, Inc.,Castro Valley; Secretary/Treasurer: GeorgeSalet, George Salet Plumbing, Brisbane, andpast-President Jerry Hotarek, San Francisco. Di-rectors are: Guy Tankersley, Cal-Delta Plumb-ing, Sacramento; Chuck Barrett, KCs 231/2Hour Plumbing Service, Orange; Jeff Eisen, J &J Plumbing Service, S. Pasadena; RogerLighthart, The Lighthart Corporation, Los An-geles; and, Ed O’Connell, O’Connell Plumbing,Fairfax. The PHCC National Zone 4 Director isSteve Rivers, Rivers Plumbing, Heating & Air,Pleasanton.

CAPHCC announces appointments,retirement

Hall

NOVI, MICH. — Michael S. Pierron has joinedBrassCraft Manufacturing Company as nationalsales manager for Special Markets. In this posi-tion, Pierron will oversee all sales initiatives forthe industrial and international markets. Hisspecial focus will be on growing BrassCraft ex-port business in emerging markets in strategicareas.

BrassCraft names national sales manager

RAYNHAM, MASS. — Sweeney Rogers Geraghtyannounced that Jeff Woods has joined the or-ganization in the role of business developmentmanager for the Mestek Products Division. Jeffgot his start in the industry at Sweeney RogersCorporation in 2000.

Sweeney Rogers Geraghty appointsbusiness development manager

��"��*'��/'4+%#0��'%18'4:�#0&��'+08'56/'06�%6�4'%'06.:�5+)0'&�+061�.#9�+0%.7&'5�#�7:��/'4+%#0�2418+5+10�(#814+0)�&1/'56+%5174%'5��'.'%6+0)�241&7%65�6*#6�/''66*'�4'37+4'/'065�1(�6*+5��%6�%#0�*'.25722146�,1$5�#%4155�6*'� ��#0&�#55+56+0�174�'%101/+%�4'%18'4:��8'4��1(�*+%#)1��#7%'65�241&7%65��/14'�6*#0��+6'/5��/''6�6*'5'�4'37+4'/'065��*+%#)1��#7%'65��709#8'4+0)�%1//+6/'06�61�37#.+6:��$#%-'&�$:-019�*19�#0&�&'6'4/+0#6+10�6*#6�+570+37'.:��/'4+%#0�

��!�� "��*+%#)1��#7%'65�5*19'4�8#.8'5�2418+&'#�%105+56'06��5#('�6'/2'4#674'�4#0)'�#0&�*'.2�4'&7%'�6*'�4+5-�1(�5%#.&+0)��'.'%6�(41/�24'5574'�$#.#0%+0)�#0&�6*'4/156#6+%�24'5574'�$#.#0%+0)�/1&'.5�#..�&'5+)0'&�61�2418+&'�&'2'0&#$.'�2'4(14/#0%'�+0�*+)*�75'�#4'#5��&'#.�(14�'&7%#6+10��*'#.6*%#4'��*152+6#.+6:��/7.6+�(#/+.:��#0&�(+60'55�#22.+%#6+105��

�� "�*'��:�410+%; (41/��*+%#)1��#7%'65�*#5�$''0�$7+.6�#0&�6'56'&�9+6*�10'�)1#.�+0�/+0&�

61�$'�6*'�/156�4'.+#$.'�'.'%6410+%�(#7%'6�10�6*'�/#4-'6��"#6'4�6+)*6�'.'%6410+%5�#0&

8#0&#.�4'5+56#06�('#674'5��%1/$+0'&�9+6*�#�.10)�.+('�.+6*+7/�$#66'4:��'0574'�4'.+#$.'�

2'4(14/#0%'�(14�:'#45�61�%1/'��14�#�(4''��:�410+%��41&7%6��+6�9+6*�&'/10564#6+10��

%#..�� 14�%+4%.'�6*'�07/$'4�$'.19�10�6*'�4'#&'4�5'48+%'�%#4&�

��# ��(41/��*+%#)1��#7%'65��+5�6*'�.+0'�1(�&74#$.'��*+)*�37#.+6:�$4#55

(#7%'65�6*#6�#4'�&'5+)0'&�#0&�/#07(#%674'&�9+6*�.'55�6*#0�10'�37#46'4

1(�10'�2'4%'06��616#.�.'#&�%106'06�$:�9'+)*6'&�#8'4#)'��*'5'

241&7%65�#4'�+06'0&'&�(14�+056#..#6+10�9*'4'�56#6'�.#95�#0&�.1%#.�%1&'5

/#0&#6'�.'#&�%106'06�.'8'.5�14�9*'4'�.'#&�%106'06�+5�#�%10%'40��

!+5+6�� (14�/14'�+0(14/#6+10�






Polish your hydronic heating sleuthing skills by identifying 3 problems with this hydronicheating system. When you are confi dent youhave correctly identifi ed these problems, log onto www.Lochinvar.com and fi nd the solution.

HINTS: - Age old problems associated with closed loop systems

SymptomsSymptoms1. Fluctuating temp on domestic2. Relief valve weeping on solar loop3. Noisy pump operation on solar loop

ANSWER:www.Lochinvar.com

Venting not illustrated for this example and can be excluded as causes for the symptoms listed above.

3 0 0 M a d d o x S i m p s o n P a r k w a y3 0 0 M a d d o x S i m p s o n P a r k w a y | L e b a n o n, T N 3 7 0 9 0 L e b a n o n, T N 3 7 0 9 0 | 6 1 5 - 8 8 9 - 8 9 0 0 6 1 5 - 8 8 9 - 8 9 0 0 | w ww w ww .. L o c h i n v a rL o c h i n v a r .. cc oo mm

Paul Rohrs - Lochinvar Product [email protected]

Lochinvar is a leading manufacturer of high effi ciency residential and commercial water heaters, boilers and pool heaters and is based in Lebanon, Tennessee.

This Hydronic Heating Sleuth’s Challenge will be featured monthly in PHC News and represents real life scenarios that we see in the fi eld and hear about from our installing contractors. We encourage you to test your hydronic heating sleuthing skills and solve the mystery each month and then check your answers against what was actually found in the fi eld by visitingwww.Lochinvar.com.

If you would like to contribute a story to us to be considered for inclusion in this feature, please e-mail your information including photos, drawings or electrical schematics plus a description to:

18 Phc News — JULY 2010radIant solutIons


HeatIng Help

We talked about it and I got himthinking like steam, which

always makes this stuff easierto understand.

gets left behind in the kettle, and in the boiler (all the wayback to the boiler waterline) is a vacuum.

With me so far? Good. Now think of the waterline inthe boiler. It has a pressure above it that’s lower than thepressure of the atmosphere. The water in the condensatereceiver, which vents to the atmosphere, has atmosphericpressure sitting on top of it. In Brooklyn, this happens tobe 14.7 pounds per square inch.

Okay, we have two containers of water (the boiler andthe condensate receiver), and they’re connected with apipe. One container is under a pressure that’s higherthan the pressure that sits atop the other container Sep-arating these two containers of water is that pipe, andin that pipe there’s a spring-loaded check valve. This isfacing in the direction of the container that contains thelow pressure.

You ever put air in your car’s tires? High pressure goesto low pressure, right? You bet it does. Always. So thewater inside the condensate receiver is going to flow intothe boiler and flood it. From the outside, it looks likesomething is wrong with the automatic water feeder, butthat device is innocent, so don’t curse it and don’t replaceit; it’s not at fault.

“You need to add a vacuum breaker to the boiler,” I toldmy friend. “Put it anywhere above the boiler waterlineand you’ll be fine.”

“Simple as that?” he said.“Yep, and then you can fuggedaboutit,” I said.Simple, right? Here’s the other place where this can

happen, and this is a bit more complicated. Nowadays, when you replace a steam boiler that serves

a big building you’ll often find a vacuum pump on the re-turn piping. Engineers specified those pumps becausethose pumps increased the differential pressure betweenthe steam-supply pipes and the condensate-return pipes.That allowed the engineer to downsize every pipe, valve,and fitting in the building, which cut costs on the instal-lation, but which also means that once it’s a vacuum sys-tem, it’s always a vacuum system.

When you change the boiler, you’re probably going tobe installing a replacement that doesn’t contain nearly asmuch water as the old boiler held. That’s just the natureof modern steam boilers. The new boiler may need aboiler-feed pump to hold the water that used to be in theold boiler, but isn’t in the new one. The challenge is thatthe system still needs the vacuum pump because of thesize of the pipes throughout the building.

So here’s what you’ll do. You’ll install the new boiler-feed pump between the new boiler and the old vacuumpump. The vacuum pump will start with the burner andpull the air from the system. It will suck the air from thereturn lines, the radiators, the supply mains, and all theway back to the boiler’s water line. The steam will follow,and when the condensate returns to the vacuum pump,the vacuum pump will discharge it into the new boiler-feed pump.

And that’s the problem. You see the new boiler-feedpump has a vent that’s open to the atmosphere. It’s notpart of the vacuum loop that makes up the rest of the sys-tem (boiler, to supply mains, to radiators, to returnmains). As the vacuum pump sucks on the system, it’salso sucking on the air from the surface of the boilerwater. At that point, the atmospheric pressure inside thevented boiler-feed pump’s receiver will shove the waterthat’s in the receiver into the boiler and flood it.

You can’t use a vacuum breaker this time because you

Iheard from an old friend the other day. This guyworks in Brooklyn, NY, and usually on some very in-teresting stuff. He’s not one to say fuggedaboutit when

there’s a problem on a job. Here’s what he wrote.“Dan, I just finished installing a new Weil-McLain LGB-

4 gas-fired boiler. This boiler is providing steam for asteam kettle in a commercial kitchen in a school. We in-stalled main vents, a bucket trap for the main return line,and a Float & Thermostatic trap for the kettle. We also in-stalled a condensate-receiving tank since we don’t haveenough height for the condensate to return to the boilerby gravity alone. We have a solenoid valve on the tank forfeed water, as well as a tank overflow line to a drain, anda vent line so that the air can leave the kettle and ventfrom the tank.

“Today was the first time that we fired the boiler, and itwent just as we had planned. After we cycled the boiler afew times, though, we shut down the system and watchedas something very interesting happened. After the boilerstarted to cool down, water started to enter into the boiler,even though the feeder on the boiler was satisfied and thewater was at the proper level. It just kept rising. And bythe way, we have a spring-loaded check valve between thecondensate pump and the boiler.”

I was in my car in the parking lot of an open-air shop-ping mall when I got his e-mail. It was pouring rain andI was waiting for The Lovely Marianne to finish shop-ping, which is sort of like doing time in a Super Maxpenitentiary.

My buddy had sent a lot of photos attached to his e-mail, and my phone was taking its sweet time download-ing them because of me being in the penitentiary and all,so I just called him. Sometimes it’s quicker to be old-fash-ioned, and besides, I didn’t need the photos to know whatwas wrong with this one.

He told me how he and his helper watched the waterfly up the boiler’s gauge glass. “It was like it was beingsucked right in,” he said.

“It was,” I said.“What do you mean?”“The boiler was sucking it in,” I said. “Well, actually,

the atmosphere was pushing it in, but you get the picture.There was a vacuum inside the boiler. It happens a lotwith this sort of installation.”

We talked about it and I got him thinking like steam,which always makes this stuff easier to understand. Youjust have to pretend you’re the steam and then thinkabout what you would do inside that system.

For instance, you begin as water in the boiler. The firecomes on and you get hot. When the flame adds enoughsensible and latent heat to you, you decide it’s time tochange state from a liquid to a gas, and at that point, yougo off like microwave popcorn. In fact, you go off evenbetter than popcorn. You expand 1,700 times, shoving allthe air that’s around you toward the steam kettle. The airpasses through the kettle, enters the kettle’s steam trap,sails right through that trap and leaves the systemthrough the vent on the condensate receiver.

As steam, you’re now in the kettle. You can’t get out ofthe kettle because of that steam trap (steam traps trapsteam). So you give up your latent heat to the soup in thebig kettle, which causes it to boil, and then you startshrinking back into liquid water. And as you do this, itwould be wonderful if the air could work its way back intothe kettle to fill the empty space you’re leaving behind asyou condense, but that steam trap is still closed. So what

BY DAN HOLOHANguest writer

When boilers suck


D

Tracy Zach

P

uponor logic =

Why just be the plumbing

contractor when you can be the

fi re sprinkler contractor too?

RADIANT HEATING

PLUMBING

FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS

BUILD ON YOUR PLUMBING EXPERTISE. GET TRAINED

IN UPONOR SPRINKLER INSTALLATION AND TURN THE RESIDENTIAL

FIRE SPRINKLER MANDATE INTO YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.

800.321.4739 | UPONOR-USA.COM/TRAINING

©2

010

Up

on

or,

In

c.

��

� � � �

��

��


But I do believe we could domore to embrace energy sourcesthat are home grown or fallingfrom the sky, and splashing onour shores — as in waves, not

spilled oil.

alternatIve energy

AE, RE the Rx?

BY BOB “HOT ROD” ROHRcontributing writer

Have you noticed the acronyms AE and RE arepopping up a lot these days? You will see themused almost daily in magazines and online news

and information sites. You certainly hear them used atvarious trade shows that cater to the plumbing, HVAC andhome builder markets. Even local home and energyshows in my area revolve around AE and RE — alterna-tive energy and renewable energy, respectively.

Many would agree that our main energy sources are:

• Coal • Oil and Gas• Nuclear• Hydro-electric

With these sources, we cover our heating and electricalneeds. There are a wide variety of opinions on how longwe can expect those sources of energy to be available, andat what cost.

Rx originates from the Latin root “to take,” as in pre-scription or subscription. (When I Googled it, I alsolearned it is derived from the astrological sign for Jupiter,and traditionally placed on a prescription to invoke ablessing for the patient’s recovery.)

Is AE the prescription for our energy addiction? My def-inition of AE would be an energy source that is not cur-rently in the list above. Some examples would be solar,wind, geothermal, biomass and wave-generated energy.

RE renewable energy would be a source the keeps ongiving. I feel solar and wind and wave-generated energyalso fit into that category. Biomass can represent renew-able energy, as well, depending on how it’s harvested.

As I consider the list I’m looking for energy sources thatthe readers of this article could get involved in and offertheir customers now. I will pick two of my favorites andshare some thoughts.

Being of the hydronic mindset, solar fits nicely into ourskill set. Plumbers and HVAC providers and designers al-ready have the ability to design and install thermal solar.It’s pipes and fluid handling! It a boiler powered by thesun, basically. You transfer the energy from the sun via afluid into a load or storage mechanism. With this simple-to-harvest energy source we can provide 50% of domestichot water (DHW) for a family in most of the United States.At a reasonable and doable cost. In some cases, the en-ergy harvested beyond what a is required for a daily DHW

load could be used to supplement some heating load. Ora pool or hot tub load. More and more technology andequipment is showing up on the market to help interestedinstallers and designers get on board with solar thermal.Learn the fine points of successful, dependable, long last-ing installation. Then develop a plan to market this tech-nology to your current customer base, and to develop newbuyers. There are classes available both in person and on-line on a daily basis to help you make the jump to this ex-citing field.

Biomass fuel on the up-techThe next technology that intrigues me is biomass. I’m

talking about boilers that are powered by pellets, for ex-ample. Recently, while driving across Colorado I wit-nessed the enormous fuel potential. Sadly, the fuel is inthe form of beetle kill pine trees. Several business en-trepreneurs have already set up companies to turn thiswood into pellets for a fuel source. Last year we visiteda pellet mill near Utica, N.Y., as part of the Radiant Panel

Association (RPA) event. There are other pellet millsscattered throughout the country. Several in my area ofthe Midwest squeeze pellets from the byproducts of thehardwood industry. Others grow special quick growthgrasses for pellet production. To our north, Canada isone of the world leaders in pellet production. In Sweden,biomass has just surpassed oil as a heating fuel and Swe-den is on track to have 50% of its energy from renewablesources by 2020. I feel this is a fuel source that is plen-tiful and here to stay.

Turning the fuel into heat or hot water is the next stepand the step where your expertise is required. If you burnsolid fuels it needs to be done efficiently. I realize there isa movement to ban, or limit wood burning appliances thatburn inefficiently and cause issues for “down winders.”My experiences show that clean burning is possible withgasification boilers. These are available in solid fuel, cord-wood and pellet versions. Basically a gasification processdirects the exhaust into a ceramic chamber. Here the flue

gases are elevated to 200ºF and additional energy is trans-ferred that would normally go up to flue in non-gasifica-tion equipment. The gasification appliances, whenproperly setup and maintained and properly fueled, willmeet the EPA emission standards now coming into effect.

It is important to know that high efficiency equipmentrequires more maintenance. Many of us have learned thislesson with mod con boilers. It is in everyone best interestto keep this equipment tuned and updated. Perhaps all ofthese installations should include a yearly clean andcheck. The customer would pay for this service and itmay be required to maintain the warranty.

I understand and agree that there isn’t a magic productout there to end our dependence on imported energysources. Coal, gas, oil, and nuclear energy sources will allbe part of the mix — in my lifetime for sure. But I do be-lieve we could do more to embrace energy sources thatare home grown or falling from the sky, and splashing onour shores — as in waves, not spilled oil.

The progressive contractors and designers know this. Isee them lining the aisles at AE, RE and green buildingshows. Are you one of them? n

Bob “hot rod” Rohr has been a plumbing, radiant heatand solar contractor for 30 years. A long-time RPA mem-ber, Bob is manager of training and education for CaleffiNorth America.

It is important to know that high efficiency

equipment requires more maintenance. Many

of us have learned this lesson with mod con

boilers. It is in everyone best interest to keep

this equipment tuned and updated. Perhaps

all of these installations should include

a yearly clean and check.


RADIANT HEATING

PLUMBING

FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS

uponor academyNow enrolling for Summer and Fall.

Join us for upcoming classes, all held

at our new Apple Valley, Minnesota

training center. With the upcoming fi re

sprinkler mandate, Uponor has the

classes you need to get trained and get

out there installing.

■ AquaSAFETM Level II (1 Day)

This course offers plumbing

professionals on-the-job experience to

properly install AquaSAFE multipurpose

residential

fi re sprinkler

systems.

Participants are

given a set of plans to lay

out an AquaSAFE system

from start to fi nish. Course

offering includes:

• Looped installation methods

• Site plan review

• Sprinkler head placement

• Piping layout considerations

• Flow testing

■ AquaSAFE Levels I and II (2 Days)

This course is designed for plumbing

professionals interested in Uponor

AquaSAFE multipurpose residential

fi re sprinkler systems.

Participants will

review installation

guidelines for

installing AquaSAFE

in one- and two-family

dwellings and manufactured

homes according to NFPA

13D guidelines. Course offering

includes:

• Multipurpose system design

• Installation

• Sprinkler spacing

• Obstruction rules

• Code interpretation

• Troubleshooting

• AquaSAFE certifi cation test

Find out what more than 100,000

professionals know about the value

of Uponor factory courses and on-the-job

training. Courses are subject to change.

For training dates and to register, visit

uponor-usa.com/training.

©2010 Uponor, Inc.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��


Phc News — JULY 2010 23Industry news

have a vacuum maker on the return. Having avacuum maker and a vacuum breaker in thesame system is like having a humidifier and adehumidifier in the same room. They’ll just goto war with each other to see who’s the toughest.

Here’s how to solve this problem. Instead ofusing a spring-loaded check valve between theboiler-feed pump and the boiler, use a motor-ized valve. Control the motorized valve with apump controller on the boiler. When the boilerneeds water, it will open the valve, which, inturn, will start the boiler-feed pump though itsend switch. The boiler will get the water itneeds, and once the motorized valve closes, theatmosphere won’t be able to shove any un-wanted water into the boiler.

And then you, too, can fuggedaboutit. One last thing. On every steam system that

has a vacuum pump, you’ll also see a small equal-izing line that runs from the pump’s receiver tothe boiler. This line will dip down at some pointto form a U-tube that will always have water init. In the low point of that U-tube there will be acheck valve that points toward the boiler.

This line is there to equalize the natural vac-uum that can form inside the supply mains andradiators during the fall and the spring when thepipes are cold on start-up. That naturally in-duced vacuum, caused by that 1,700:1 ratio ofcontraction when steam condenses, can causea greater vacuum in the supply lines than thevacuum pump is making in the return lines, andthat will keep the condensate from leaving theradiators. Equalizers equalizer.

None of this is that complicate. Just think likesteam. n

Study shows plastic piping systems enable proper performance of green building technologies

Holohan(Continued from page 20.)

A special reminder that the new Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA) LeadPaint rule is now in effect. Any contractorwho disturbs more than six square feet oflead paint or does any window replacementor demolition must be Lead-Safe Certified.Those who aren’t could face tens of thou-sands of dollars in fines per violation, perday and potential lawsuits.

Get lead safe certified

GLEN ELLYN, ILL. — Plastic pipe, tubing and fit-tings play an integral role in the proper func-tional, safety and environmental performance of11 key green building technologies. That’s theconclusion of a new study, “Green Building Tech-nologies that Use Plastic Pipe and Tubing toFunction,” which highlights the advantages ofplastic pipe, tube and fittings in the residentialand commercial application of the green buildingtechnologies and provides information that canassist in the evaluation, selection, design and im-plementation of these technologies in new con-struction or remodeling of homes and buildings.

The study details the use of piping systemsand those situations where plastic is preferredover alternatives. The primary advantages citedfor plastic piping systems generally include:

• Durability and strength combined withchemical, weather and corrosion resistance andbiological inertness, leading to effective per-formance and long service life in the field

• Extensive testing and compliance with na-tionally accepted consensus standards, third-party certification, and approval in buildingcodes and regulations.

• Material flexibility and lighter weight, en-abling greater design flexibility, ease of installa-tion and lower installation time and cost

• Ease of color coding and marking to identifysafe acceptable uses and applications

• Cost-effectiveness in terms of manufactur-ing, transportation and ease of installation

The report contains a chapter on residentialand commercial application of each of the fol-lowing eleven technologies:

1. Gray water reuse 2. Rainwater harvesting 3. Geothermal ground loops 4. Higher efficiency hot water distribution 5. Radiant heating 6. Solar hot water 7. Water efficient irrigation 8. Radon venting 9. Decentralized wastewater treatment 10. Central vacuum systems

11. Residential fire sprinklersFor each technology reviewed, information

was compiled on: description, benefits andlimitations; energy and/or water savings poten-tial for a hypothetical scenario, associated sim-ple economic payback period and estimatedCO2 equivalent (CO2e) greenhouse gas reduc-tions; life safety impacts, where applicable; In-door environmental quality (IEQ) impacts,where applicable; materials used for piping,tubing, fittings; and operating examples de-scribing selected examples of installations.

Plastic piping systems are increasingly beingused in green building to take advantage ofstate and local governments offering incen-tives for green buildings in the form of taxcredits (income and property tax, sales tax),fast-tracking building permit approvals, utilitysubsidies, grants and loans. Innovative financ-ing mechanisms are increasingly being madeavailable to assist with capital costs of in-stalling green building technologies, especiallywhen favorable projected operating cost sav-ings can be demonstrated.

The study’s relevance in green buildings isunderscored by data that notes that an Amer-ican family of four can use 400 gallons (3,338pounds) of water per day.

For more information on the study, visit thePlastic Pipe and Fittings Association at plas-ticpiping.org.

24 Phc News — JULY 2010Solar SolutionS

Flat plate collectors — heating vs. cooling by climate

BY BRISTOL STICKNEYcontributing writer

Last month I introduced some of the computer soft-ware available to model and analyze solar heatinginstallations in virtually any climate. Using this

type of software with its detailed weather data andthe ability to export data to supplementary spread-sheets allows the solar heating designer to answerquestions and visualize the range of performancelike never before. Let me show you what I mean witha practical example.In the past few months, an increasing number of

people have been asking me about using flat platesolar thermal panels for both daytime solar heatingand night time radiant cooling. The inevitable designquestions come up in nearly every project:

1. Can I use unglazed panels for both heating andcooling all year round?2. How much better will the glazed panels per-

form in winter compared to unglazed?3. If I use glazed panels only, is it worth while to

run them at night for summer cooling?4. How much solar heat and how much night cooling

will each type of panel provide?

Of course the answers to these questions depend entirelyon the climate at each different project, since solar heat

production and radiant cooling availability are driven en-tirely by local weather and temperature patterns. Since thesolar heating computer models give virtually instant accessto thousands of climate locations, this seems like an idealway to answer these questions quickly and thoroughly.

Modeling the temps and solar heat available with SAM

I decided to try the free solar design program fromNREL called SAM (Solar Adviser Model). This softwareallows the user to enter the collector efficiency rat-ings (available from the SRCC tests) and then calcu-lates the solar heat output hour by hour using TMY orEPW weather data. A built-in routine called Data View(DView) allows you to graph the weather data andthe simulation results hourly, daily or monthly. Onceyou see a graph you like, you can right click on thegraph, and a menu allows you to export the data seenon that graph into a text file that is compatible withthe Excel spreadsheet. My goal was to compare data from various collec-

tors in various climates on a month by month basis.SAM allows the user to keep the same collector con-

figuration and instantly change climates, so building aspreadsheet using several different collectors in a numberof different climates proved to be a rapid process.

My method was to enter one glazed collector and oneunglazed panel of the same size into the program at afixed tilt and orientation. Then change the climate loca-tion and plot the results on a graph using Excel. Since SAMdoes not include the capability to analyze Night Sky Ra-diant Cooling (NSRC), I plan to use the climate data pro-

vided by SAM and some additional spreadsheetcalculations to accomplish that.The following conditions were assumed in these

collector simulation models:Panel Size — 4x 10 , 40 ft2, (3.7 m2)Tilt — 45 degreesOrientation — South (within 5 degrees)Net heating & cooling energy will be used (pump

energy is deducted)Solar heating temperatures are assumed to be

within the normal DHW range.Comfort cooling for mass floors uses 75F fluid

provided to the cooling panel.Glazed panels use selective surface black ab-

sorbers with single glass.Unglazed panels are black plastic non-selective

rectangular tube plates.

Estimating NSRC using the ‘Dew Point Method’The dew point method for estimating NSRC heat loss

rates is based on an original study that I completed in2006 along with co-researchers Mark Chalom and KateSnyder and support from the State of New Mexico. One

In the past few months,

an increasing number

of people have been asking

me about using flat plate

solar thermal panels for

both daytime solar heating

and night time radiant cooling.

(Turn to Flat plate collectors, page 26.)

EXCELLENCEBY DESIGN®

CALL 1 (888) 878-8750 TO FIND OUT MORE, OR GO ONLINEHeliodyne, Inc. • 4910 Seaport Avenue • Richmond, CA 94804

T: 1.888.878.8750 or 510.237.9614 • F: 510.237.7018Information & Support: [email protected]

Sales Inquiries: [email protected]

H


FROM THE DESK OF...

John Hazen White, Jr.

American Made!JOHN HAZEN WHITE, JR.

President & CEO, Taco Inc.

I saw a news item recently about Mack Trucks putting people back to work here in America. Amidst all the down-side news about our struggling economy that we’re seeing all the time, this was a good sign for our manufacturing econo-my, of which HVAC is a solid part. It gets back to Made in America and how important that is to all of us. We need to see more companies hiring here at home and not overseas. We need to rebuild American manufacturing.

Yes, many American companies in the last decade or two have taken their jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor. While most of them found that produc-ing goods overseas might have bottom line advantages at first, those advantages have gradually disappeared or shrunk considerably as wage levels rose, commodity prices increased, and transportation costs weighed in. Quality control can also be an issue in some overseas manufacturing, as we’ve seen with certain goods com-ing in from China.

Some American companies never made the easy move to manufacture overseas. I am proud to say that Taco was one of those companies. Long ago, we made a com-

mitment to our employees to stay where we began and to improve our manufacturing process so that we could manufacture competitively right here at home. We ac-complished that, and we continue to work on perfecting it.

Just as we are an American company, in business since 1920, we are also an international company. We source and buy materials from around the world. We also sell Taco products overseas in certain markets like Asia and the Middle East, where there has been significant busi-ness for us, based on fast growing economies. Every American manufacturer needs to have an international presence today and to grow their overseas business as best they can. Exports, after all, help our economy and lower our worrisome trade deficit.

But when it comes to manufacturing, what goes out our doors to you, our customers, is something we do not out-source overseas. We make the best products right here in America and we’ve learned how to do it competitively against any foreign company. As an American manufac-turer we build products focused on our domestic HVAC market. These products are specifically designed and built for use in American systems, based on our long experience in servicing them.

We build the products you need to service your custom-ers in the best way possible. We want your installs to be quick and easy, and for you to have peace of mind in knowing that you installed the best and most advanced products available today. We stand 100-percent behind all of our products as we stand behind you. We want you to prosper using our products, services and support, and in doing so to build a secure future.

In return we hope that Made in America means some-thing important to you too. Because we are all in this together. That’s why our latest ad campaign, Your job is our job emphasizes the vital connection that starts on our factory floors in Cranston, RI and Fall River, MA. Working there day to day are some of the finest and most efficient workers to be found anywhere in the world. We didn’t have to search the globe to find them; we had them all along. They are our partners in the Taco enterprise.

That’s why I say that my most important constituency is my 500 employees. It all starts with them, and our success goes back to them. They’re proud to be engaged in helping make an American company an enduing suc-cess, and we all appreciate your support and trust in us.

“We made a commitment to our employees to stay where we began...

We are an American company... since 1920”

of the findings from this study was that the fol-lowing formula (Equation 24-1) provides a rea-sonably simple way of estimating the coolingpotential for NSRC in various climates using DewPoint and Air Temperature.

Q=U*A*[Tin-(Tdew+(Tair-Tdew)/2)] {Equa-tion 24-1}

The terms in Equation 24-1are defined as follows:

Q - Btu/hr — Heat Loss(Cooling) available per Hourfrom a radiator plate(Multiply times 10 hours for

typical Heat Loss per Night.)(Divide by 3,413 to convert to

Heat Loss per night in units ofkilo-Watt Hours.)

U - Btu/hr-ft2-°F — Heat LossCoefficient for a collector/radia-tor panel.(Determined by the author by

field measurement.) e.g. glazed=1.22, unglazed = 1.98(The most common radiator plates typically

fit into a range from 1 to 2. Radiator plates withglazing, selective surfaces, widely spaced tubingand poor thermal contact between the fluid andthe plate surface will have lower values. Platesthat are “fully wetted,” closely spaced tubes, noselective surface and good thermal contact be-tween the fluid and the surface will have highervalues.)A - ft2 — Area of the cooling panel. e.g. 40 ft2

Tin - °F — Fluid inlet temperature enteringthe panel e.g. 75F for direct floor cooling. Highertemperatures for cooling jobs.Tair -°F — Ambient (dry bulb) outdoor air

temperature.Tdew -°F — Dew Point outdoor air

temperature.

Using the temperatures provided by SAM, (Tairand Tdew), this equation can be used to esti-mate the cooling available very quickly using aspreadsheet.

Annual heating and cooling graphsThe results of this series of computer models

are shown in the graphs, Figure 24-1 throughFigure 24-4. Four sample climate locations areshown month by month with the solar heatavailable and the NSRC cooling potential for botha glazed and an unglazed collector panel. Withthese results, we can begin to answer the ques-tions posed at the top of this article for each ofthese climate locations.Looking at these graphs, we can observe some

interesting general trends, some obvious somenot so obvious. • Glazed panels tend to produce twice as

much heat as unglazed panels.• Unglazed panels tend to produce twice as

much cooling as glazed panels.• Unglazed panels don’t heat very well in win-

ter in climates like New York.• Unglazed panels heat surprisingly consis-

tently in climates like LA and Miami.• NSRC cooling is an energy resource that mir-

rors the solar heating resource.• NSRC comfort cooling does not work in high

humidity (like Miami in summer).• A couple of panels may be enough to cool a

single room in drier climates.• Plenty of “free” cooling is available through

the year in the non-summer months.Keep in mind that these graphs were con-

structed for home heating and cooling applica-tions were comfort cooling fluid from hydronicfloors is typically around 75F. Much more radi-ant cooling can be accomplished at higher fluidtemperatures. So for example, if some processrequired cooling fluid at 100F, twice as muchNSRC heat loss can be achieved at this highertemperature. For commercial buildings and in-dustrial processes, NSRC cooling even in winteris not such a crazy idea.Brand names, organizations, suppliers and

manufacturers are mentioned in these articlesonly to provide examples for illustration anddiscussion and do not constitute any recom-mendation or endorsement. Calculations andestimates are for example only, and not for in-tended for any particular design application. n

Bristol Stickney has been designing, manu-facturing, repairing and installing solar hy-dronic heating systems for more than 30 years.He holds a Bachelor of Science in MechanicalEngineering and is a licensed Mechanical Con-tractor in New Mexico. He is the Chief Techni-cal Officer for SolarLogic LLC in Santa Fe,N.M., and is involved in training programs forsolar heating professionals. For more informa-tion visit www.solarlogicllc.com.


26 Phc News — JULY 2010Solar SolutionS

Flat plate collectors(Continued from page 24.)

In this series of articles, I have been making the case that the

key ingredients for solar/hydronic design and installation can be

divided into six categories, listed below, roughly in order of their

importance.

1. RELIABILITY

2. EFFECTIVENESS

3. COMPATIBILITY

4. ELEGANCE

5. SERVICEABILITY

6. EFFICIENCY

The success of any solar hydronic home heating installation

depends on the often-conflicting balance between any of these

six principles. Finding the balance between them defines the art

of solar heating design.

www.taco-hvac.com

Great warm-ups.

The Taco Family of Solar ProductsDomestic water heating is the #2 user of energy in most parts of the country. That’s why homeowners are warm ing up to solar. With Taco Variable Speed Solar Pumps with integral controls, system performance can increase by as much as 20%. Our Solar X-Pump Block’s patent-pending design includes a variable speed solar di� erential control, collector circu lator, storage tank circulator and brazed-plate heat exchanger for system isolation, all in a single unit. The Solar Pumping Station is a complete closed loop system. With just 5

connections – 2 to the collector(s), 2 to the storage tank’s heat exchanger, and 1 to the expansion tank – the installation is done!

Flexible applications.All Taco solar products work beautifully with any solar thermal application: open or closed loop, drain-back, 1 or 2 storage tanks and more. And each is a snap to install. It’s solar everyone can warm up to.


Now more than ever,

the world needs the skills

you have. As someone who

might get hurt picking up a

Channellocks, may I say,

“Thank you for all you do.”

Bare Bones Biz

How things work

BY ELLEN ROHRcontributing writer

When we were first married, Hot Rod and I livedin a little cabin outside Whitefish, Montana. Itwas 11 by 15 feet, perched on four fairly flat

rocks which served as the foundation. It had a single pitchshed roof, with corrugated steel sheeting for the rain todance on. We called it the Villa Debris. Just prior to hitch-ing up with me, Hot Rod had taken his total savings,$5,000, and used it drill a well on the property. He neverhit water. So, we had a cabin, 10 acres — and a $5,000hole. Still, it was heaven living at the Villa. Being married to a plumber has its perks. Hot Rod

rigged up a rain collection system that fed into a cistern.He tapped into the creek when it was running to fill thetank, too. We used that water for showers and, yep, weeven had a hot tub! He had pumps and pipes all arrangedso that it was very civilized. It was adventurous, too, be-cause when the creek dried up and it didn’t rain, we“poached” water from a neighbor’s stream. We used a gaspowered pump, and under the cloak of night, we suckedtheir water into our 700-gallon glass-lined tank (previ-ously used by another neighbor for milk storage.) We had a lovely outhouse. An outhouse can be delight-

ful if you maintain it and shovel some stove ashes into the“composting matter” now and then. We hauled drinking water from town. I could stretch

five gallons of drinking water. I used it by the teaspoonwhen I brushed my teeth. It never felt like a burden; Iconserved because I had to. I got used to it and it becamea non-issue. We moved back to the city and to well water and, well,

my conservation efforts got sloppy. While I don’t leave thehouse with the water running, I don’t turn the water offwhen I brush my teeth anymore. Unless it hurts — it’sexpensive or a hassle — I don’t think conservation isgoing to go mainstream. Some folks, like Hot Rod, are justenvironmentally conscious. It breaks his heart to see aplastic bottle hit the landfill. Other folks, like me, need tobe coerced into it. And we will get used to it. If water and fuel were priced as they should be, as the

precious commodities they are, we would figure out howto squeeze the most out of every drop. We would be solarpowered by now. We, and by “we,” I mean, “you,” wouldhave this figured out because that is what you know howto do. You know how things work. Last night Hot Rod and I watched a documentary called

Gasland (www.gaslandthemovie.com). It’s about oneman’s investigation into the effects of drilling for naturalgas, using a process called “fracking.” Bottom line: theGulf Oil crisis is one of many disasters caused by our ad-diction to oil coupled with unsafe, unregulated drillingmethods. “Fracking” is causing deadly pollution all acrossour country, and other parts of the world. I’m not being acatastrophist. You know how water systems work. Youcan’t randomly crack the ground and not expect to getthe toxic drilling chemicals and fuel and water all mixedup. You know that, in spite of what any politicians or oilexecutives say. You know this because you know howthings work. There are safe (at least, much safer) ways to drill and

regulations are part of a responsible approach. Regula-tions impose safety equipment and systems of checksand balances. Those things cost money and should driveup the cost of fuel. So be it. Fuel should be expensive.Our dependence on fuel has a major impact on our en-vironment, economy and national security. I understandthat all our energy decisions have consequences. I also

know from firsthand experience that we will get used togetting by with less if we have to pay more. Now is thetime to make these decisions and adopt different energysources. One of the things I love about Hot Rod is how capable

he is when it comes to all things mechanical. A disabledaircraft carrier could find its way to the pond on KnowIt All Lane and he could figure out how to get it sea-wor-thy and sailing again. Hot Rod can take the power of thesun and convert it to reliable, comfortable warm waterand warm floors. So can you because you know how todo these things. Recently Hot Rod rigged up an outdoor

soaking tub for me. I love taking a bath and sitting out-side on a hot summer night, under the stars with thefireflies for company. He can rig up a tub with sun-heated water and provide that nice experience for me.You can do nice things like that, too. No matter whereyou are in your business, or in your life, stop and con-sider how wonderful your specific skill set is. You knowhow to make water warm, through a multitude of differ-ent arrangements and fuel sources. You know how totranslate that warm water into warm floors, cleanclothes and comfortable people. You know how to keepthe good water from bad water. You know how to link itall up with electricity and fuel and sunshine withoutblowing anyone up. Or permanently crippling the envi-ronment. Now more than ever, the world needs theskills you have. As someone who might get hurt pickingup a Channellocks, may I say, “Thank you for all youdo.” We have challenges before us. I know that you can fig-

ure out these challenges. Some people may lose their cur-rent jobs in the oil fields. Perhaps they can find new jobsin the solar and wind energy industries, or in the pursuitof better regulations for drilling. There is an economy tojump start and our planet to salvage and you know howto do all of these things. Because you know how thingswork. n

Al Levi and I help you spend the least effort (andmoney) for the most success in your business and life.Join us for the Step by Step Success program. The powerof one simple, focused action…one step at a time. Reachme at 417.753.1111 or [email protected] out www.StepByStepBusinessBuilding.com.

If water and fuel were priced

as they should be, as the precious

commodities they are, we would figure

out how to squeeze the most out of every drop.

We would be solar powered by now.

We, and by “we,” I mean, “you,” would have

this figured out because that is what you

know how to do. You know how things work.


www.bradfordwhite.com | Built to be the Best™ | To Find A Wholesaler Call 800.523.2931

*Ranking is based on the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 CLEAReports by Clear Seas Research. Please visit www.clearseasresearch.com for additional information. © 2010, Bradford White Corporation. All rights reserved.

“Solid, long lasting and easy

to repair”

“Fit and finish of their product

is first class”

And the number oneresponse…“Quality”

“The largest portion of ourtanks installed are Bradford

White natural draft, we like the FVIR system”

“(They) have a great engineering

department”

“Support of PHCC”

“We serviceBradford White andhave thousands ofdollars (worth) oftheir parts and

never use them”

“Bradford is just all around

(a) better heater and company”

“Water Heater with the best gas control valve

on the market”

“American Made”“Not sold retail”

“My dealer and Bradford

White couldnot be anybetter than they are”

For the Fourth Consecutive Year, Bradford White remains the tank water heater brand most purchased

by Plumbing and Heating Contractors. We are also, again, the most recommended brand.

The comments above are just a few taken from the 2009 CLEAReport* by Clear Seas Research.

We wanted to let your industry colleagues speak for us. They prove that our commitment to the trade

and our pledge to provide a premium product at the best

possible price is the way to do business.

Thank you for your continued support. We’ll keep striving, innovating, and working hard every day

to be the water heater brand of choice for all plumbing and heating professionals. Remember, if your

wholesaler doesn’t carry Bradford White, ask why!

We’re the Talk of the Industry. Here’s a Sampling of Contractor Reviews…

“Solid, long lasting and easy

to repair”

“Fit and finish of their product

is first class”

And the number oneresponse…“Quality”

“The largest portion of ourtanks installed are Bradford

White natural draft, we like the FVIR system”

“(They) have a great engineering

department”

“Support of PHCC”

“We serviceBradford White andhave thousands ofdollars (worth) oftheir parts and

never use them”

“Bradford is just all around

(a) better heater and company”

“Water Heater with the best gas control valve

on the market”

“American Made”“Not sold retail”

“My dealer and Bradford

White couldnot be anybetter than they are”


30 Phc News — JULY 2010PlumBing BuSineSS

Stop following bad examples!

BY RICHARD P. DiTOMA, L.M.P. contributing writer

Contractors often make the detrimental mistake offollowing the flawed business practices of theircompetition. If you do this, you will be placing

your business on a very slippery slope, which leads tomounting debt and increasing stress and frustration. I am often asked by contractors who are just beginning

with my coaching assistance, “What do other contractorsyou have coached charge?” My response is always basedon something my mother used to say to me as a childwhen I looked at what others had or were doing. “Lookin your plate!”She also said, “If your friends jumped off a bridge,

would you follow them?” This came up whenever Iwanted to do something my friends were doing that shethought was wrong or dangerous. Those axioms were truedecades ago. They are true today. Unfortunately, most contractors charge prices which

are below their true cost of operation and set up badbusiness practices because they follow the bad exampleof their competitors. As a contractor, you would be bet-ter off not following the business style of people whodon’t know how to properly operate their own business.These buffoons are most likely cheating themselves.They are probably also cheating their employees and/orclientele in an effort to make their wrong numbers andfoolish procedures work. That’s not the proper way torun a successful business.

Your clientele deserve excellence for the hard earneddollars they pay you for your services. Excellence in thecontracting business requires owners with the intent, andtechnicians with the ability, to deliver top quality work-manship. Cheating can only lead to business failure.That’s why the so-called “going rate” of most contractorsis really the “going broke rate.”Following your competitors’ erroneous prices and

protocols says that you are not sure about the way inwhich you are running your business. Instead of look-ing at your competition as an example to follow, youwould be wiser to concentrate on your business costs,selling prices and protocols rather than imitating thepractices of those who are ignorant to their own situa-tion. Then, you could regard them as a good exampleof a bad example.Ignorance in business can only put you on the road that

leads to wrong results. Egotism will keep you from realiz-ing you are on that road. Fear of changing direction andworry about the potential of bad things that might happen(but probably won’t) if you change direction keeps youfrom getting where you want to go.Every contractor I have coached in proper contracting

business protocols who understood and properly imple-mented the theories and methods I showed them has im-proved their business results. But, each of them started

Instead of looking at your

competition as an example

to follow, you would be wiser

to concentrate on your business

costs, selling prices and

protocols rather than imitating

the practices of those who are

ignorant to their own situation.

(Turn to Bad examples, page 32.)

Figure 1 Figure 2



with a very fearful heart. That’s onlynatural. They had been doing thewrong thing for so many years thethought of change scared the excre-ment out of them.

Their fear soon changed to ecstasywhen they began to succeed ratherthan continue to flounder in a sea ofconfusion, flawed ideology and in-creasing debt, stress and frustration.

But, if they ever slip into their oldways, they will once again be on theroad to their own destruction.

You must start thinking “out of thebox” as they say. Find ways to makeyour business different from that ofyour competition. Deliver excellencein performance; properly warrantyour workmanship; create serviceagreements that benefit both youand your clientele; correctly identifyand calculate your true cost of oper-ation; develop properly profitable

selling prices that allow you to re-cover your true cost and earn the re-ward you deserve; and utilizecontract pricing where you quoteprices before work commences(after you have seen the circum-stances of any task — not sight un-seen over the phone);

All of these suggestions can bestbe accomplished with correct con-tract pricing protocols and properbusiness procedures rather than theold and flawed time & material pric-ing method. It is not wise for con-sumers to give contractors workingon their home a blank check basedon the time and material to performthe task. If the contractors are lack-ing in their knowledge and abilitythe consumer pays for their short-comings. Good contractors who

have knowledge of the services theyoffer to consumers possess the dataneeded to calculate proper profitableprices before commencing work.Those good contractors with the in-tent of delivering excellence who donot realize they have this informa-tion can be shown how to recognizethe fact that they really do have thisability by a good contracting busi-ness coach. T & M pricing is a crutchfor bad contractors who hire inept

mediocre technicians. Figures 1 & 2show the differences between con-tract pricing and T & M pricing.

The best way to improve ournoble industry is for contractors whoare running their businesses prop-erly to set a good example for othercontractors. Some of the contractorsI have coached agree and have beengracious enough to supply me with,and allow me to print, a comparisonof the revenue they would have real-ized using their old flawed protocols

and incorrect numbers (which werecausing them to lose money) to therevenue they actually received forthe same work using thesound proper businessprotocols I coached themto consider using.

Figure 3 shows the im-proved results of two ofthose contractors who arecurrently in the infancy oftheir respective changes.They are from differentparts of the country andwere both utilizing incor-rect numbers and wrongbusiness procedures. Theyimproved their businessresults with my coaching;contract pricing; my Read-ily Available Pricing Infor-

mation Digest© for the PlumbingHeating and Cooling Contractor; andtheir intent to change and imple-ment correct prices and proper busi-ness procedures. Their operationalcosts are different and the resultsthey achieved vary with their costs,ability to understand and properlyimplement proper business proto-cols, and the degree of error theypreviously used regarding their for-mer incorrect numbers.

Column 1 shows their geographicarea. Column 2 indicates the num-ber of tasks performed for the resultsshown. Column 3 explains the actualhours (including travel time) spentto complete the jobs. Column 4shows the amount of revenue theirbusinesses would have brought inusing incorrect numbers and wrongprotocols. Column 5 gives the mate-rial cost for the tasks performed.Column 6 shows the money thosetasks actually brought in due to mycoaching, contract pricing and myprice guide (customized to theirlabor costs, overhead costs, andprofit margin). Column 7 and 8prove the value they received fortheir decision to change and showthe extra revenue these contractorsrealized in dollars and percentages.

For information on my theoriesand methods, coaching assistance,contract pricing, customized priceguides, consultations and/or semi-nars, give me a call at 845-639-5050.The process is not painful. And as

you can see, the results can be mostenjoyable. I wish you Good Healthand Much Prosperity! n

News in briefShowHouse® sponsors Kansas City Showhouse

NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO — Show-House®, Moen’s luxury brand, hasplayed an integral role in the KansasCity Showhouse, the nation’s longest-running, continuous showhousefundraising project. Several Show-House brand kitchen and bath prod-ucts were featured in the designer

Showhouse, a custom-designed andfully furnished home conceived bylocal interior designers and artists.The home was featured in a home tourin April and May, with proceeds bene-fiting the Kansas City Symphony.

Rinnai offers boiler rebateto contractors/dealers

PEACHTREE CITY, GA. — Through August31, 2010, Rinnai America Corp. is offer-ing contractors/dealers a rebate of up to

$1,000 on select boiler products. Toqualify for the rebate, boiler units mustbe purchased from a Rinnai distributorat their published price and registeredwith the Rinnai Partner Portal(http://partners.rinnai.us).

Following the unit’s registration,contractors/dealers will be e-mailed arebate voucher, which can be appliedto a second boiler unit purchasedprior to August 31, 2010. After thesecond unit is purchased, the rebatevoucher and distributor invoiceshould be mailed to Rinnai by Sept.30, 2010 for processing. There is amaximum of one rebate voucher percontractor/dealer location, and theamount of rebate varies according tothe boiler unit type:• Models: E75C/E110C — $300 rebate• Models: Q85S/Q130S — $600 rebate• Models Q175S/Q205S — $800 re-bate• Model: Q175C — $1,000 rebate

For more info, www.rinnai.us.

(Continued from 30.)

Don’t follow bad examplesPlumbing business

Your clientele deserve excellence for the hard earned dollars they pay you for your services. Excellence in the contracting business requires owners with the intent, and technicians

with the ability, to deliver top quality workmanship.

Figure 3

www.franklin-electric.com/lg

When you purchase a Little Giant 5 Series utility pump from Franklin Electric, you’re getting an industry-proven product, trusted by professionals. Performing at 1200 gph, the compact 5 Series offers 26 feet of maximum lift and pumps down to 1/8 inch, providing unmatched performance. Our dependable pumps will always


34 Phc News — JULY 2010beschloss beat

U.S. manufacturing, construction generate surprise rebound

BY MORRIS BESCHLOSSPVF & economic analyst emeritus

Among the welter of bad news, including thespreading Gulf oil slick, the out-of-control govern-ment expenditures, and nagging high unemploy-

ment, the rebound of the ailing manufacturing andconstruction sectors shone through as welcome goodnews in late spring.

Manufacturing has been flexing its flaccid muscles forthe past consecutive 10 months, with new orders and in-creased export activity providing an orderly growth pat-tern within the confines of an expanding demandeconomy. Although major new projects are lagging in allmanufacturing sub-sectors, there is enough maintenance,repair and expansion for the current pace’s momentumto be maintained.

The turnaround in construction is even more exhila-rating. With a 10-year-high jump — 02.7% in April overMarch, the 4.4% spending on residential constructiontook observers completely by surprise. Simultaneously,spending on non-residential construction gained 1.7%.This was undergirded by increased outlays on powerplants and factory construction. This offset an expecteddownturn in spending on commercial properties, such asshopping malls and office buildings.

A continuation of this trend will strengthen the twomajor sectors of business and industry that got hit thehardest in the wake of the Great Recession. Although thereawakening of these main pillars will add to their mone-tary liquidity, steady growth, and profitability, the under-lying unemployment problems will continue to besetAmerica’s overall economic troubles.

Such steady demand growth could even add to the un-employment rolls, as thousands of domestic businessesturn to mechanization, automation and upgrading toshield themselves from the raft of new taxes that business,industry, and the consumer will be faced with in the turnto 2011.

Despite the possibility of greater balance between theexecutive and legislative branches, the White House willredouble its efforts to shift America’s future direction intothe hands of government operatives.

Entitlement culture threatens America’s entrepreneurial economy

Even before President Obama’s massive healthcare gov-ernment takeover threatens to kick in, the income gapbetween government workers and those employed in theprivate sector is widening.

According to best estimates provided by relevant or-ganizations, the average income and benefits provided toexpanding taxpayer-supported professions and jobs is es-timated at $79,000 per year. Comparable jobs generatedin the entrepreneurial private sector economy lag at$49,000. This gap is sure to widen after the first of theyear, as the Bush-era tax cuts disappear and a prolifera-tion of the Obama Administration’s new tax programsbegin to kick in.

Unless there are dramatic reversals in the current di-rection, due to major political upheavals in the Novemberelections, this trend is headed for a point of no return.

It will spell the end of American exceptionalism andthe incentivized super American economy that is respon-sible for more than one fourth of the world’s gross do-mestic product with less than five percent of the globalpopulation.

The best example of what will happen to the UnitedStates under present circumstances is not Greece and the

smaller countries of the European Union, but the UnitedKingdom, which lags only Denmark and France in itsclose to 40% of that nation’s gross domestic product ofgoods and services spent for taxes.

It’s become a matter of recent historical fact that theground-breaking technological changes and economicevolution are coming from the wellsprings provided bythe energies released in the developing nations of theworld. These are using an ever-increasing availability ofprivate funds to inspire the innovative capability of theirindigenous populations.

The current U.S. government’s penchant for wealth re-distribution will broaden a climate of economic stagna-tion, feasting on the residue of creativity provided byindependent-minded predecessor generations. Worse, anincreasing number of American voters, dependent on gov-ernment largesse, will be motivated to retain the tax-payer-supported status quo which will doom the U.S. tothe malaise of the likes of the U.K. and other increasinglySocialistic European nations.

Gulf of Mexico ‘Perfect Storm’ could provoke double dip recession

The total frustration engendered by the U.S. Govern-ment’s lack of leadership and British Petroleum’s inade-quacy in stopping the oil gusher polluting the Gulf’sproximity could instigate unexpected consequences.

A number of potentially disastrous factors are begin-ning to coalesce in undermining an already shaky eco-nomic U.S. recovery.

1) Of the six million barrels of oil per day now beingproduced in the 50 U.S. states, a third had been pumpedfrom the Western Gulf of Mexico. An executive decree hasnow put such production under a six-month moratorium,which will likely extend indefinitely.

This will not only make the U.S. even more dependenton foreign oil, but will negatively impact the thousands ofcomponent manufacturers, distributors, contractors andservices related to this important domestic industry.

2) With a forecast of 12-14 hurricanes predicted duringthe upcoming season (June-November), total havoc couldensue along the greater American coastline, as the oil-pol-luted waters are driven far beyond their point of origin.

3) Unemployment, already at unacceptable levels,could reach depression era volumes as allied industriessuch as fishing, boating, and tourism are afflicted by thedisaster’s ongoing aftermath.

These and other evolving negatives will further under-mine the runaway debt and deficit, to which the ObamaAdministration seems totally impervious.

With predictions of problem solution extending to lateAugust and beyond, the near-term outlook of America’seconomic future looks increasingly uncertain, coming ata time when the business and industrial community waspulling itself up by its bootstraps, despite increasing gov-ernment interference.

This ill-starred set of circumstances will likely incitemajor political, as well as economic, consequences as themid-term elections approach.

Solar power on verge of major global breakthrough There is one energy factor that the U.S. Energy Depart-

ment, the International Energy Administration, theAmerican government and China seem to agree on —solar power is the energy wave of the future.

The current U.S. government’s

penchant for wealth

redistribution will broaden

a climate of economic

stagnation, feasting

on the residue of creativity

provided by independent-minded

predecessor generations.

(Turn to Construction... page 38.)


WHAT?You won’t ship my orderCOMPLETE until whenwhenwhen?

" thru 60". �

It’s time to call WeldbendAt Weldbend our � rst consideration is YOU,the Distributor!

Weldbend manufactures carbon steel � ttings and � anges at our facility in Chicago, allowing us to stock a large inventory for prompt shipments.

With little, or no lead time for shipments, Weldbend’s extensive inventory gives you the ability to complete your projects on-time, every time.

TEL: (708) 594-1700 FAX: (708) 458-0106

� e Weldbend Corporation is an American manufacturer of butt-weld

carbon steel fi ttings and fl anges ½ " thru 60". � e Weldbend plant is located in Chicago, Illinois USA and on the internet at www.weldbend.com.

ISO 9001:2008


traded companies with their multi-faceted structure, and privately-owned small business is becomingmore pronounced as larger corpora-tions are benefiting from a manufac-turing and inventory-replenishmentrecovery. This allows for greater flex-

ibility in employee cutbacks andcapital budgets to enhance overallproductivity.The large corporations have gen-

erated amazing results in profitabil-ity and monetary retention sincehitting their low point in March2009. They are aggressively hittingtheir stride, although still 24% belowtheir 2007 peak.However, privately-owned small

businesses, which historically havegenerated 65% of America’s 158 mil-lion potential employment, havebeen much more stringent in hold-ing back on personnel rehires. Thispractically guarantees that the per-centage of unemployed will stay indouble digits when considering newentries into the workforce, andgreater dependence on part-timeemployees. Although large corpora-tions are substantially increasingtheir capital budgets to becomemore automated and mechanized,their very size and diversity makethem greater candidates for addingto their workforces.But all types of small businesses,

which are wary of the extent of the re-covery and further government inter-ference, cannot afford further workeradd-ons if they are to survive prof-itably during the remainder of 2010.This likely means that other than

urgent attrition replacement, mostof the new rehires will have to comefrom the large corporate sector,which will offer only limited oppor-tunities to the huge bulk of unem-ployed, coagulating on the sidelines.

Productivity becomes hallmarkof U.S. business and industry As the U.S. economy extricates it-

self from the entanglements of the“Great Recession,” productivity isbecoming an increasingly valuable

by-product of the current recovery.This is particularly significant sincesuch a continuing trend willstrengthen the continuity and prof-itability of thousands of businessesthat were committed to growth atany price before the cold shock of fi-nancial collapse threatened in thelate summer of 2008.This evolution bodes well for the

re-emergence of America’s indus-trial base and the effectiveness of astrengthened service sector. Withlower cost per unit, America’s fast-growing export sector will be greatlyenhanced. Together with highly rec-ognized brand-name identity andwell-deserved quality standards,both foreign and domestic buyerswill be increasingly attracted to“Buy American.”But, as in every major evolution,

there are winners and losers. Thosebenefiting mightily are the providersof technology for the back office, aswell as the shop floor. This has got-ten the tech manufacturers off to ajump start this year. On the otherhand, the hundreds of thousands ofjobs that normally accompaniedeven a moderate recovery are thescarcest they have ever been at thisstage of any previous economiccomeback.Only about two million plus jobs

for those personnel technologicallyexpert are going begging for lack ofaccomplished applicants.To even keep up with the neces-

sary absorption utilization of thecurrent employment level, at least250,000 new monthly job openingsare needed. At the present economicmomentum, slowed by the shrink-age of construction and automotivemanufacturing, etc., it’s unlikely thatthe percentage of unemployed willdecline appreciably before the No-vember mid-term elections.With the vast majority of the 65%

of a total employment pool of 158million working for non-corporateindependent businesses, little jobabsorption is expected by these en-tities, and this already oversizedbacklog of job seekers is expected toexpand this summer as high schooland college graduates are expectedto join their ranks. n

To stay up to date with my dailyblogging, be sure to log on to my hy-perlink at www.theworldreport.organd then click on “Morrie’s page,”announced in the middle of theWorld Report website. Your recom-mendation for my blog, as well asthe individual columns will bemuch appreciated.

Although certain parts of theworld are more amenable to sunpower than others, its use is stillspotty in the world today. Surpris-ingly cold, damp Germany, no pro-genitor of intense sunshine, is the

leading utilizer of sun power in theworld today.Nobody questions the fact that the

acknowledged controller of the solarsystem, the sun, contains unlimitedpower; however, its effective har-nessing is currently being debated.Cost-effective production of solar

panels, inhospitable climates, andsupport of utilities and the public arehurdles that have to be overcomeand are now being dealt with. Asusual, Congress has gotten wayahead of itself by forcing the issuewith utilities in legislating a demandof 20% solar power of total utilityusage by 2020.To expedite this process, the Inter-

nal Revenue Service, most of Amer-ica’s electric utilities and even somestates have kicked in with attractivesubsidies to give solar power a mas-sive sendoff. This expedient has not,as yet, had the same empowering ef-fect as the failed ethanol experimenthad on the oil derivative sector.Since the current Administration

has put renewable energy — espe-cially solar — on its top priority list,you can be sure that Obama & Com-pany will go all out to make solarbreakthrough a certainty during thefour-year term that the President isnow serving.

Record corporate profits cloaksmall business survival mode Corporate publicly-listed compa-

nies are turning in smashing profitperformances, while thousands ofsmall businesses are pursuing an em-ployment cutback mode while strug-gling for profitable survival. This isdue to an increasingly difficult busi-ness climate, partially caused by in-creasing government interference, atnational and state levels.This schism between publicly-

News in briefEMCOR subsidiary awarded

contract at LaGuardia AirportNORWALK, CONN. — EMCOR Group,Inc.’s Heritage Mechanical Serv-ices, Inc. has been awarded a con-tract for the installation of stormwater pumps at LaGuardia Inter-national Airport in Flushing, NewYork. LaGuardia is one of NewYork’s two major airports and oneof the busiest airports in theUnited States.Heritage Mechanical Services

will be the prime contractor forthis project. It will be responsiblefor all aspects of work related tothe replacement of two existinghigh capacity storm water pumpsthat have been in service for 40years within a system of pumphouses, pumping storm water thatcollects within the airport areaduring major rain storms, intonearby Bowery Bay. The replace-ment pumps will be high horse-power, high voltage submersiblepumps, each capable of pumping33,000 gallons per minute.For info, www.emcorgroup.com.

Triangle Tube provides online training registration

BLACKWOOD, N.J. — Triangle Tube, aleader in high efficiency boilers and

hot water heating systems, an-nounced the availability of onlineproduct training registration. Theability to select and register forcourses online makes the processextremely efficient.Triangle Tube has now imple-

mented the industry’s most effi-cient training registration process.Registrants can now select courselocations and dates on-line, regis-ter, and pay the tuition all in onetransaction. Registration is con-firmed immediately via email. Theevent can be added instantly to theregistrant’s Outlook calendar, andcustomized directions to the train-ing locations are also available.Triangle Tube has recently

opened a training center in Denver,in addition to the centers in Black-wood, N.J. and Toronto, Ontario,Canada.Convenient scheduling is pro-

vided with over 45 training eventseach year. Class size is limited toensure that any questions can beaddressed.For more information, visit

www.triangletube.com.

Manufacturing, construction making rebound

Beschloss Beat

(Continued from page 34.)

Manufacturing has been flexing its flaccidmuscles for the past consecutive 10 months,with new orders and increased export activityproviding an orderly growth pattern within theconfines of an expanding demand economy.

From basic hydraulic separation to full primary/secondary zoning systems, PHP provides cost-effective, space-saving, innovative piping solutions with our new U.S. Patent Pending products.

Specify PHP Hydraulic Separators for use with modulating/condensing and traditional boiler/heating sources for assured quality, correct piping arrangements, installations that meet your expectations and limit your liability.

Available as basic or complete systems with Grundfos or Taco pump options.

For more information, visit www.phpinc.us and contact your PHP rep for a quote on your next project.

• Correct pump and pipe size for heat source • Correct primary/secondary piping • Pre-made components limit installation errors • Space-saving installations

• Pressure tested and factory warranted

Featured Product:

Sep-CanTM

PHP-SEPC-4

Patent Pending

Mini-Sep PlusTM

Patent Pending

Sep-Can PlusTM

Patent Pending

Low-Loss Header PlusTM

Patent Pending

Low-Loss HeaderTM

Patent Pending

AllcanTM

Patent Pending

Mini-SepTM

Patent Pending

A complete line of products from the industry’s most innovative manufacturer

Innovative, compact piping solutions with PHP hydraulic separators

PrecisionHydronics

PrecisionTM

®

U.S.GRE

ENBUILDING CO

UNCIL

USGBC

www.phpinc.us

Precision Hydronic Products - Division of JL industries, inc. 6730 NE 79th Court - Portland, OR 97218

www.phpinc.us - ©2009 Rev 01/10Circle 28 on Reader Reply Card

1. Frank & Lindy Plbg. & Htg. Svc. Co. ...Peekskill, NY

2. Mid City Plumbing Inc. .................Franklin Park, IL

3. Harkins Mech. Construction Inc.. .Lansdowne, PA

4. Aqua Plumbing.........................................Crete, NE

5. Herrin Plumbing Co. Inc. ......................Dacula, GA

6. Pepe Plbg. & Htg. Co.........Hasbrouck Heights, NJ

7. Bienvenu Brothers Plumbing..............Metairie, LA

8. Grayton Plumbing.........................Washington, DC

9. A-Able Plumbing, Inc. ......................Broadway, VA

10. CDJ Electric Plbg. & Htg. ....................Britton, SD

COMPANY City, State

11. Frey Heating & Plumbing ..................Franklin, NJ

12. Jon’s Plbg. & Htg. Inc. ..........Mount Vernon, Ohio

13. Arnolds Plbg. & Htg. ........West Long Branch, NJ

14. Climate-Tech Inc. ..............North Ridgeville, Ohio

15. Carls Plumbing Services Inc. ........Milwaukee, WI

16. Ack-Temp Mech. Svs. ...................Lake Zurich, IL

17. Thomas’ Plbg. Svs. .......Commerce Township, MI

18. K & B Plbg. & Htg. ............................Cortland, NY

19. R L Burtis Enterprises Inc. .............Lynbrook, NY

20. Park Plbg. and Htg. ...........................Harrison, NY

COMPANY City, State

Top 20 Under 20 40 Phc News — JULY 2010

Smaller companies get their props

Running lean and more effi-cient. You could say that is themotto for most PHC companies

surviving in this economy — from thetop mechanical firms to the smallerplumbing service and repair shops. This month, Phc News identifies

the top 20 PHC companies with

under 20 employees. It is a nice wayfor some of the smaller companiesacross the country to be recognized.The results were compiled based onvoluntary results.Frank & Lindy Home Services,

Peekskill, N.Y., took top honors in the“Top 20 Under 20.” The companywas founded in 1959 by Frank Cal-caterra and Lindy Lindenbaum as asister service company to their exist-ing installation company. It currentlyprovides residential plumbing, heat-ing and air conditioning service and

replacement. In the late 1980s,Lindy’s son, Bruce, took over thecompany. Bill Raymond became apartner in 1995. The company joinedthe Nexstar® Network in 1996, withBill Raymond a master trainer withNexstar® and former chairman of theBoard of Directors. Phc News re-cently spoke to Bill Raymond aboutthe company’s business.

How has the economy affectedyour business?The economy has had a significant

impact on our business. 2009 wasespecially challenging. The “new”spending/buying behavior of our cus-tomer base has significantly reducedour sales volume. We have attacked

the challenge two ways. We in-creased our customer service andsales training to maximize oppor-tunities. In addition, we combedthrough our operating costs andreduced them significantly. Wereviewed every single line item onour P&L statement. Bottom lineis we have had to become moreaggressive to drive revenue andmanage costs.

Can you offer some businessadvice to other contractors?Right size your business

quickly to the current revenue —hoping sales will return is not agood strategy! Do what you canto drive revenue by upgradingyour staff and training and coach-ing. Consider joining an affinitygroup (like Nexstar® Network) togain access to vital business toolsand coaches along with the abilityto network with other contractorsgoing through similar challenges.

How do you run lean andmore efficient?We run lean by keeping our

overhead low. We have reducedour staff (office and field) and nowhave people wearing multiple hats.We have reduced our marketingexpense and are focusing prima-rily on our existing customer base.In addition, we do our best tomaximize efficiency throughpreparation. We work hard to besure we have everything we needfor a job — information and mate-rials — to minimize call backs andjobs that run over. n

What they’re sayingTo gauge just how hard contrac-tors are working these days, hereare some thoughts from some ofthe Top 20 Under 20.

• “We are seeing decreasedcutom homes, more competitivepricing, clients taking longer topay bills and a decreased workforce.” — James Arnold, ArnoldsPlumbing and Heating, West LongBranch, NJ.

• “The economy has made itharder to find an HVAC contractorfor combined bids.” — James Fye,A-Able Plumbing, Inc., BroadwayVa.

• “The economy has caused us tobecome more efficient. The keysto our success has been treatingour employees very well.” —Ralph Burtis, R L Burtis Enter-prises, Inc., Lynbrook, N.Y.

• “Our sales are down, but our ad-vertising is up. The keys to oursuccess is knowing numbers andmaintaining our service callcount.” — Frankey Grayton,Grayton Plumbing, Washington,DC.

• “We have found less quality bid-ding opportunities. The long-termoutlook is our key to success.” —Carl Czerwonka, Carls PlumbingServices Inc., Milwaukee.

Frank & Lindy Plumbing & Heating Service Co. ranks #1 on the Phc News’ 2010 Top20 Under 20 listing.

Exemplifying good customer servicepractices always wins out.

$2-$3 million+

$1million - $2 million+

$600,000 - $1 million

Note: The information for this listing was based on voluntary results. If your company is

not listed and you feel it should be, contact editor John Mesenbrink at [email protected].

Phc News — APRIL 2010 41Top 20 Under 20

Revenue spent by category

PlumbingRank Revenue

1. Frank & Lindy Services . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500,000

2. Herrin Plumbing Company Inc. . . . . . .$1,420,000

3. Bienvenu Brothers Plumbing . . . . . . . .$1,318,467

4. Grayton Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,082,000

5. Pepe Plumbing & Heating Co. . . . . . . .$1,000,000

Based on voluntary responses

HydronicsRank Revenue

1. Frank & Lindy Services . . . . . . . . . . . . .$600,000

1. Aqua Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$600,000

3. Pepe Plumbing & Heating Co. . . . . . . . .$300,000

4. R L Burtis Enterprises Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .$241,598

5. CDJ Electric Plumbing & Heating . . . . .$150,000

PipingRank Revenue

1. Harkins Mech. Construction Inc. . . . . .$2,300,000

2. A-Able Plumbing, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500,000

3. Pepe Plumbing & Heating Co. . . . . . . . .$100,000

4. Grayton Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$93,000

1. Frank & Lindy Home ServicesBill Raymond, Vice President2 John Walsh BlvdPeekskill, NY 10566www.frankandlindy.comEmployees — 16

2. Mid City Plumbing Inc.Mario Morrone, President321 S County Line RoadFranklin Park, IL 60131-1022www.midcityplumbinginc.comEmployees — 18

3. Harkins Mech. Construction Inc.John Harkins, President130 E.Baltimore Ave.Landsdowne, PA 19050-0206484-461-3000Employees — 3

4. Aqua PlumbingMitch Martin, President1025 W 10th StreetCrete, NE 68333-2631402-826-2101Employees — 6

5. Herrin Plumbing Co. Inc.Jimmy Herrin, President360 Franklin DriveDacula, GA 30019-3434www.herrinplumbing.comEmployees — 15

6. Pepe Plumbing & HeatingGarrett Pepe, Owner171 BoulevardHasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604www.pepeplumbinginc.comEmployees — 12

7. Bienvenu Brothers PlumbingLouis Bienvenu, President212 Elmeer Ave.Metairie, LA 70005-3328504-835-7783Employees — 14

8. Grayton PlumbingFrankey Grayton15 O St SW.Washington, DC 20024-4105www.graytonplumbing.comEmployees — 15

9. A-Able Plumbing, Inc.James Fye, Owner320 Shenandaoh Ave.Broadway, VA 22815www.aableplumbinginc.comEmployees — 9

10. CDJ Electric Plg. & Htg.Craig Teveldal, Owner11059 SD Highway 27Britton, SD 57430-5720Employees — 6

11. Frey Heating & PlumbingRichard Russinko, Owner418 State Rt 23 Ste AFranklin, NJ 07416-2129www.freyheatingndplumbing.comEmployees — 7

12. Jon’s Plbg. & Htg. Inc.Jon Sells, President14580 Wooster Rd.Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050-9774Employees — 7

13. Arnolds Plumbing & HeatingJames Arnold, Owner8 Wall StreetWest Long Branch, NJ 07764732-222-6232Employees — 4

14. Climate-Tech Inc.John Dubecky, Owner7900 Root Rd. Ste ANorth Ridgeville, Ohio 44039-4086www.climate-tech.comEmployees — 9

15. Carls Plumbing Services Inc.Carl Czerwonka, President1756 S 56th St.Milwaukee, WI 53214-5281www.carlsplumbing.comEmployees — 6

16. Ack-Temp Mech. ServiceRussell Ackerman, Owner805 Oakwood Rd. Ste BLake Zurich, IL 60047-1551www.acktemp.comEmployees — 4

17. Thomas’ Plumbing ServicesThomas Bargone, President3050 Union Lake Rd. #8FCommerce Township, MI 48382www.thomasplumbing.bizEmployees — 3

18. K & B Plumbing & HeatingMark Baranello, Owner62 Madison St.Cortland, NY 13045-1702607-756-7077Employees — 4

19. R L Burtis Enterprises Inc.Ralph Burtis, PresidentPO Box 485Lynbrook, NY 11563-0485516-872-4250Employees — 4

20. Park Plumbing & HeatingAnthony Filice, PresidentPO Box 126Harrison, NY 10528-0126Employees — 3


Within the span of about 20years, the Internet hasgone from a curiosity and

scientific tool to a necessity used bybillions around the globe. It has be-come indispensable to businesseseverywhere, and every day the Netsurges with staggering amounts ofinformation.Not surprisingly, the 2010 Phc

News Internet Usage Survey re-vealed most contractors log on to theInternet each day. They are comfort-able making purchases over the Net,and use it to buy products fromwholesalers. They find it is a usefulplace to obtain training for their em-ployees, and much more.One of its strongest features of the

Internet is social networking sites

that allow users to stay connected 24hours a day, sharing information,ranging from pets’ birthdays to life’smilestones. Critics renounce socialnetworking as a dangerous waste oftime, while adherents claim it as the

next phase in human social develop-ment. As with all social experiments,the real ramifications eventually willsort themselves out.Beyond the obvious attraction of

social networking sites for connect-edness, however, is their powerfulpotential as business tools, and pro-fessionals are beginning to pick upon this potential.

As part of the Internet Usage Sur-vey we included questions abouthow contractors use social network-ing sites, and some surprising resultscame back.First, a significant and growing

number of contractors find socialmedia a useful tool to build relation-ships with their customers, increase

(Turn to Social... page 44.)

Contractors logging on tosocial networking sites asbusiness enhancement tool

InTerneT Usage sUrvey

How much time do you spend onthe Internet as it relates to work?Never .......................................2%Every day...............................74%Few times a week ...................17%Once a week...............................7%

If every day, how much time per day?0-15 minutes ..............9% 16-30 minutes ..............17%31-60 minutes...........31% 1-2 hours.....................25%

2+ hours………...15%

Tradepublications: 65%

Where do you go for product/industry information?

Trade publicationwebsites: 55% Catalogs: 41%

Do you make purchasesdirectly from the Web?

Yes 59%No 41%

Do you feel secure makingpurchases via the internet?

Yes 71%No 29%

Do you use Web-basedmanagement applications?

No: 86%

Yes: 14%

Do you use the Internet foreducation and training?

Yes: 73%

No: 27%

Reasons you engage in social media networksIncrease brand awareness for my business ................78%Building stronger relationships with existing customers.70%Generate qualified leads ......................................65%Announce new products and services .......................61%Improve customer service experience ......................61%

Reasons given:Do not use Find contacts

Not enough time to spend on everythingOffer unique hard-to-find products

What is thesize of yourcompany?1-5 ..........46%6-10........18%11-25......17%26-50........4%51+ .........13%

Purchasing over the Internet has become commonplace, and most respondents findit a useful, safe way to purchase products.

Most respondents use the Internet about an hour a day.

Trade publications remain a favorite means of obtaining industry news and infor-mation about products.

Relatively few contractors are attracted to Web-based management tools, althoughmost find it useful to help educate and train employees.

Contractors are becoming aware that social media networks can be a valuablemeans generating new customers and reaching out to current customers.

How much time do you spendon social media marketing?

1-2 hours/week.............82%2-5 hours/week ..............8%5-10 hours/week .............3%10-15 hours/week ............5%

More than 15 hours/week .....1%

For how long have you beenusing social media tools?

Just getting started ..22% For a few months.................30%For a few years .......13% Planning to start in the future ..35%

Social media tools are gaining in popularity among contractors, with a significantnumber making plans to begin using them soon.

Meet ASSE 1070 and Cut Installation Time Dramatically!

Get the inside story at LavSafe.com

With LavSafe, there’s never a need to install a separate thermostatic valve below the counter

because ASSE 1070 protection is built inside the faucet itself. That reduces installation

time by as much as 50%! And LavSafe’s above-counter accessibility makes maintenance and limit-

stop adjustment fast and easy. Say goodbye to struggling in tight, dark and hard-to-reach spaces.

LavSafe protects public restrooms as referenced in the Uniform and International Plumbing Codes

and meets the most stringent lead free laws. For retrofi t or new construction, install LavSafe for the

smart combination of safety, simplicity and style.

Introducing LavSafeTM Thermostatic Faucets

Safe

Simple

Stylish

Smart

Adjustable Limit Stop

WaterSense® models available


44 Phc News — JULY 2010Internet Usage sUrvey

awareness of their “brands,” plusthey see it as a handy means of find-ing qualified leads.

Second, the bulk of contractorsthat use social media marketingspend at least an hour a week on it.They find it a handy place to an-nounce new products and brandsand improve customer service. So-cial media can stand in for the busycontractor whose day already is“programmed up” — it increasesthe contractor’s presence in thecommunity while alowing him totake care of business in the field.This is a bonus for smaller busi-

nesses — the largest group ofrespondents are shops withone to five on the job.

Contractors who use socialmedia like the capacity to providelinks to their websites or manufac-turers’ sites, as well.

The social media site of choice isFacebook®, probably because it isthe most popular site for all formsof connectedness. While users logon to share information such aschildrens’ birthdays and class re-unions, they also can discover whathot new products contractors areoffering for installation in thatbathroom renovation they’ve been


Social networking sitesbecoming popular business tool How does/did social media

impact your business?Increased traffic to the website ...........57%Improved rankings in search engines....41%Enhanced customer service & support...43%Helped generate business leads ..........65%Reduced overall marketing expenses......28%

Are you currently using social media for your business?

No:

79%

Yes:

21%

If yes, which social media toolsare you utilizing for business?Facebook®: 67%

Online Forums: 39%

Blogs: 22%

LinkedIn®: 20%

Twitter®: 17%

MySpace®: 1%

YouTube®: 1%

Among contractors who use social networking sites as business tools, Facebook isthe overwhelming favorite.

Links to their websites are a big attraction of social mediafor users, who see it as a means to move closer to the topof search engines.

Do you use the Internet to place orderswith wholesaler suppliers?

Yes 56%No 44% If yes, how much per month?

1-5 ........46% 6-10.....25%11-15 ....11% 16-20.....4%21-50 ......5% 50+........4%

More than half of all contractors now place orders to wholesalers via the Internet.

planning.When referring to respondents, we

say “him” because a full 93% of thecontractors who responded to the

survey are male. The largest age cat-egory of respondents are more than56 years old as well, proving old dogscan learn new tricks. n

INTRODUCING THE ACCELERA© 300 HEAT PUMP WATER HEATER:ACCELERATE YOUR SAVINGS!

The new Accelera® 300 can extract up to 80% of its energy requirements from the air around it. Heat pumps have been around for decades, but a heat pump water heater is a brand new concept. The Accelera® 300 works like an air conditioner - but instead of dumping the heat outdoors, it puts it into the water.

Energy from nature.

The Accelera’s compressor and fan consume only 1 kWh of electricity to generate the heat equivalent of 3 – 5 kWh. The efficiency of the unit goes up with increasing ambient air temperatures. This ground breaking efficiency redefines what a water heater is capable of, and what savings can really mean !

TOLL FREE 800.582.8423 www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com

Simply the Best

SAVEENERGYWATERMONEY

New!

REDUCES HOT WATER COSTS BY UP TO 80 %

COOLS AND DEHUMIDIFIES THE AIR AROUND IT

LOW STAND-BY LOSSES THROUGH GOOD INSULATION

FEDERAL TAX CREDIT:SAVE 30% UP TO $1,500

OF THE TOTAL SYSTEM COST!



A. O. Smith Voltex™

Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water HeaterVoltex™ from A. O. Smith is the latest advancement in electric water heating. The hybrid electric design integrates heat pump technology to produce a product that is twice as efficient as a standard electric water heater. The Voltex pulls heat from the surrounding air and deposits it into the 80-gallon storage tank, allowing the heater to operate in the most efficient mode. With an Energy Factor of 2.3, the Voltex is ENERGY STAR® qualified and tax credit eligible.

www.hotwater.com




IndUsTry

news

OBITUARYDick Burke, longtimeWeldbend executive

LOUISVILLE, KY. — Richard Thomas (Dick)Burke, 86, passed away May 28 at home. He wasborn in January 13, 1924 in Louisville, Ky. Burke graduated from Louisville’s St. Xavier

High School in 1942, attended MassachusettsInstitute of Technology and enlisted in theArmy Air Corps (United States Air Force) as asecond lieutenant serving as a navigator on a B-29 bomber.Burke was the vice president of public rela-

tions for Weldbend Corporation of Chicago untilthe time of his death. He was also a long-timeemployee of Tube Turns Co. of Louisville andspent several years with Louisville Trust Bank. Burke is survived by his wife, Gwendolyn

Young Burke, whom he married 55 years ago;sons Richard Thomas (Toby) Burke Jr. (Ann)and David Young Burke (Virginia); daughtersGwendolyn Kimbrough Burke and Sarah Cor-nelia Burke Harris (Terry); seven grandchildren;and a great-granddaughter.A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Frances

of Rome Church in Louisville, and burial was atCave Hill Cemetery.Burke was a treasured member of the PHCP/PVF

industry for many years. TMB Publishing’s TomBrown Jr. said, “Dick was a true gentleman. I al-ways enjoyed his warm smile ad the Irish twin-kle in his eyes. We met some 30 years ago whenhe was with Tube Turns, and I was delighted tocontinue that relationship when he joined Weld-bend. Dick had many friends in this industryand he will be sorely missed.”

The Quality Service Contractors and the Plumb-ing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Asso-ciation will join forces Oct. 27-30 at the ParisHotel Las Vegas for CONNECT 2010, the onlynational event for the p-h-c industry.The event will offer plumbing and HVACR serv-

ice and repair contractors educational and net-working opportunities. The QSC portion of themeeting will offer several sessions on using theInternet to promote and build your business.Other seminars concentrate on topics like mar-keting and selling strategies, social media, taxes,workforce training, and customer service. Keynote speakers will be best-selling author

Ross Shafer on “Is Your Business Staying Rele-vant?” and Keni Thomas of “Blackhawk Down”fame on “Train as You Fight, Fight as You Train.” A one-day Product and Technology Showcase

will allow participants to meet one-on-one withexhibitors, explore the latest industry trends,view product demonstrations and participate inlearning labs.For more information or to register, visit

www.phccweb.org/connect, e-mail [email protected], or call 800/533-7694.

Get the tools to electrify yourbusiness at CONNECT 2010



The explosion of the BP Deep-water Horizon oil rig in theGulf is a catastrophe affect-

ing sea life, businesses, amongother things, and alerts us all of theimportance of saving water. Manywater experts state that clean, freshwater is becoming limited, and it isessential for commercial and resi-dential establishments to place ahigher priority on water conserva-tion initiatives. Subsequently, the U.S. will con-

tinue to approach a water crisis ifthe country does not adopt betterbehavior in reducing daily waterusage. As modern plumbing tech-nology allows for significant water

conservation, today, more thanever, it is imperative for plumbingcontractors to understand and toeducate customers on the value ofsaving the Earth’s most precious re-source. This notion, in conjunction with

the recent Gulf tragedy, alerts us ofthe growing importance of preserv-ing clean water, which includesbest practices and the installationof low-flow plumbing products liketoilets, accounting for most waterconsumption in the home.According to the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA), the aver-age household that installs water ef-ficient plumbing products such as

low-flow toilets, faucets and show-erheads under the WaterSense®Program can save 30,000 gallonsper year — which is enough to sup-ply a year of drinking water for 150neighbors. The EPA also acknowl-edges that if every American homeinstalled a WaterSense labeledbathroom sink faucet or faucet ac-cessories, our nation could savemore than $350 million in waterutility bills, over $600 million inenergy costs (for heating water),and 60-plus billion gallons of waterper year. National plumbing manufacturer

— Gerber Plumbing Fixtures LLCoffers bathroom faucets that pro-

vide homeowners with both sub-stantial water savings and topperformance. According to Ger-ber’s vice president of marketing,Kevin McJoynt, “No loss of waterpressure is evident with our lowflow faucets. That’s key for cus-tomers who still want a full-forcewashing experience.” The latest bathroom faucets

come with water-saving, low-flowaerators that bring water flow downto just 1.5 gallons per minute, whilestill providing ample pressure. Thisflow reduction not only saveswater, but it is achieved withoutcompromising product perform-ance. In tandem with low-flow

faucets, High Effi-ciency Toilets (HETs)utilize only 1.28 gal-lons of water or less perflush. Water conserving toi-lets should replace oldermodels as today’s market-place has a plethora of HETsfrom dual flush toilets topressure-assisted models. HETs, as stated, can basi-

cally be divided into twocamps. Pressure-assist models uti-lize the pressure in the existingwater line to provide a more force-ful flush while using less water.Dual-flush models work with grav-ity, just like most typical residentialtoilets. However, dual-flush modelsoffer the user a choice of two flushlevels, a full 1.6-gallon flush (likestandard toilets) and a "short-flush"of 1.1 gallons. The user thenchooses the appropriate flush forhis or her needs. The EPA assertsthat over the course of a day, a1.6/1.1 dual flush HET will use an av-erage of less than 1.28 gallons perflush.Many HET models use as little as

1.1 or 1.0 gallons per flush. For in-stance, Gerber’s Ultra Flush 1.1™gpf HET reduces water to 1.1 gallonsper flush. In addition, the new andrevolutionary Avalanche™ 1.28Leak Sentry (LS) gravity toilet byGerber features a reliable Fluid-master® Leak Sentry™ Pro Fillvalve that eliminates toilet run-onwhen not in use, thereby saving ad-ditional water.Though it is difficult to quantify

exactly how much a “typical”homeowner would save in utilities,an HET that uses an average of 1.1gallons per flush can reasonablysave about 1,000 gallons per yearper user compared to a standard1.6-gallon toilet, and almost 4,500gallons per year per user comparedto a 3.5-gallon toilet. The WaterSense label provides

an easy way to identify HETs.Knowledgeable contractors will bewell-informed as to which productshave been certified by an inde-pendent third party and are ofteneligible for considerable rebates,offsetting the cost of replacement.

These rebates coupled with annualsavings on a homeowner’s waterbill quickly add up to thousands ofdollars in savings over the life ofthe fixture. Builders and plumbingcontractors who participate in"green” building programs, such asthe U.S. Green Building Council'sLeadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design (LEED) and The Met-ropolitan Water District ofSouthern California's CaliforniaFriendly Model Home program in-stall HETs to accumulate water-effi-ciency credits or to comply withprogram requirements.

It is important to note that thereare some earlier models that cameout in the 1990s were not perform-ing as well as they should. Today’sHETs should not need to be flushedmore than once to do their job. “And above all, they should flush

quietly,” says McJoynt from Ger-ber.To learn more about the EPA Wa-

terSense Program, visitwww.epa.gov/WaterSense/pp/bath-room_faucets.htm. For more information about Ger-

ber Plumbing Fixtures LLC, visitwww.gerberonline.com. n

Water conservation warrants attentionin wake of Gulf’s oil rig explosionThe first step in saving water is to install eco-friendly, high efficient plumbing products

Water Conservation

The new and revolutionary Avalanche™ 1.28 Leak Sentry (LS) gravity toilet by Gerberfeatures a reliable Fluidmaster® Leak Sentry™ Pro Fill valve that eliminates toiletrun-on when not in use, thereby saving additional water.

The latest bathroom faucets come withwater-saving, low-flow aerators thatbring water flow down to just 1.5 gal-lons per minute.

Failure isnot an option.

The g loba l leaderin p lumbing andheat ing systems

Viega’s ProPress® system is the fastest, most

reliable way to join metal piping and get you back

on your mission.

When lives are on the line, Viega’s ProPress system will

get your project up and running. That’s why government

agencies have entrusted their piping systems to Viega

ProPress. With Viega’s patented Smart Connect® feature

you can make connections in less than seven seconds.

During pressure testing, water �ows past the sealing

element, indicating an unpressed �tting.

ProPress features and benefits:

air/water-tight seal.

as tanks and torches and no need for

thread cutters, solder and �ux.

making it the fastest, �ameless solution for

www.viega.com | 1-800-976-9819

g

W

o

r

V

e

D

y

P

a

g

air/wate

ProPress

-tight seal.err-tight seal.

features and benefi

fits:

ead c thr

as tanks

cutters, solder and �ux

ches and no s and tor

x.

need for

.viega. www

making

com | 1-800-976-98

it the fastest, �ameles

19

ss solution for

not an ailurF

n optione isr

not an

n option.

The g loba l leader

g loba l leader

heat in p lumbing and

The g loba l leader

t ing systems lumbing and g loba l leader


The

Emer

son

logo

is a

trad

emar

k an

d se

rvic

e m

ark

of E

mer

son

Elec

tric

Co.

©20

10,

RID

GID

, Inc

.

DIAGNOSTICS PRESSING PIPE & TUBE TOOLS DRAIN MAINTENANCE POWER TOOLS

Who else was going to do it? The RIDGID® SeeSnake® microDrainTM Inspection System now lets you inspect traps and lines that could never be reached. It has the industry’s most flexible cable and the smallest SeeSnake® camera head (7/8") we’ve ever offered. Learn more and schedule demonstrations: 800.769.7743 or www.RIDGIDUpgrade.com.

Introducing the RIDGID® SeeSnake® microDrainTM Inspection System

Modular 8.6 lb. Portable Digital FlexibleSystem Design Recording 30' Cable


50 Phc News — JULY 2010Corporate report

Phc News’ chief editor recentlyhad the pleasure to visit theheadquarters for Watts Radi-

ant in Springfield, Mo. There he wastreated to a facility tour, some Wattstraining flavor and networking withsome of Watts’ knowledgeable exec-utives. The following is an exclusiveQ&A with John Kolson, vice presi-dent and general manager for WattsRadiant and John Sweaney, hy-dronic product manager.Watts has experienced a man-

agement overhaul. Can you de-scribe how that transition isgoing?Kolson: As many of you know,

Mike and Dan Chiles, founders ofHeatway, Watts Radiants’ predeces-sor, left during the middle of 2009.

Our transition into the rest ofWatts Water Technologies is goingquite well. During the past year, we’ve devel-

oped a five year strategic vision,identified and are actively workingon implementing major initiativesin the areas of continuous improve-ment, business development andenhanced new product offerings. We’re aligning ourselves with our

sister plant, Dormont Manufactur-ing, near Pittsburgh, along with key

ties with shared service depart-ments located at our corporateheadquarters in North AndoverMass. We’ve established priorities in im-

plementing lean manufacturing,completing Six Sigma training, rec-ognizing much needed cost reduc-tions, improving our managementprocesses, obtaining ISO certifica-tion and evaluating, ranking andagreeing on what new products weshould be working on and how they

should be positioned within themarketplace. What do you see as far as

trends in the radiant industry? Sweaney: Certainly the trend

over the last few years has been thetransition to low temperature heatsources, primarily condensing boil-ers but also geothermal to a lesserextent. In the commercial arena,LEED specifications have helped in-crease the number of radiant heat-ing and cooling projects. In general,contractors and building owners arereally focused on environmentallyfriendly products that help maxi-

mize energy efficiency. Radiantheating and cooling certainly doesthat directly through reduced en-ergy usage and losses, as well as in-directly by improving the efficiencyof heating/cooling sources such ascondensing boilers, geothermal sys-tems, solar systems, and chillers.What are your opinions of

where you think the market isgoing? Sweaney: We feel that the econ-

omy and construction activity willcontinue to improve at a slow pace.Companies will be continue to bechallenged to find areas of growththrough innovative, added valueproducts and services. High effi-ciency, high comfort technologieslike radiant will gain some marketshare in commercial projects be-cause of the focus on energy efficiency.Is Watts Radiant introducing

any new products? Sweaney: We’re very excited

about FlexPlate, our flexiblegraphite heat transfer plate. Flex-Plate utilizes a graphite materialthat is about 50% more conductivethan aluminum, so you can lower

(Turn to Watts ... page 52.)

Watts Radiant: Positioning PEX &radiant products toward the future

Phc News chief editor, John Mesenbrink(l), talks fittings, PEX and tools withRon Raby of Watts Radiant.

Your job is our job.

Every Taco product that makes its way to you was built by people with families to feed and futures to hope for. Your job helps us keep ours. That’s why we invest millions in innovative products, system design software, and our new FloPro Team training programs. Our thinking is that the more you know about hydronics, the more you’ll pick Taco. The more you pick Taco, the happier your customers will

be. Happy customers are good for your business, and your business is good for ours. So think of buying Taco as a win-win in a time that’s so-so.

John Hazen White, Jr., Owner

Celebrating our 90th Anniversarywww.taco-hvac.com

Search tacoHVAC


(Continued from page 50)water temperatures significantlyand increase the efficiency of a con-densing boiler or geothermal unit.Based on the feedback we’ve re-ceived from installers, FlexPlate in-stalls about 40% faster than metalplates. We think it will really changethe way installers look at underfloor, above floor, wall and ceilingapplications.We’ve also added another con-

densing boiler panel and a woodboiler/geothermal panel with aboiler back up to our Hydronex lineof mechanical panels. All of thesepanels offer contractors a factory-warranted product that helps maketheir job easier and more profitable.We’ve got other new products

that we’ll be releasing in the future— stay tuned!Can you tell us a little about

your existing line of products? Sweaney: With many residential

project owners remodeling insteadof building new, there are somegreat opportunities for electricproducts like HeatWeave andWarmWire, as well as Onix, our pre-mium hydronic tubing.Installers look to electric floor

heating and snow melting productsas another tool to help them sellsystems and spread the word aboutthe comfort of radiant heating.Electric radiant products make a lotof sense for smaller areas like bath-rooms, or in geographical areaswhere electricity is inexpensivecompared to other energy sources. For larger remodels, Onix is the

logical choice — it is the most flex-ible, durable radiant tubing in theindustry today. Just as they have

done in thousands of projects overthe last 20 years, installers todayfind the flexibility of Onix to be alifesaver in under-floor radiantprojects.As more commercial, industrial,

and institutional projects considerdistrict-heating systems, the use ofour insulated barrier PEX product,R-flex, continues to increase. Thefocus on reducing energy lossthrough buried piping is driving thisgrowing market.With that, any new techniques

to improve radiant installations? Sweaney: More contractors are

looking at wall and ceiling applica-tions with products like FlexPlateand Onix. Radiant walls and ceilingsoffer some great benefits like fast re-sponse, ease of retrofit, and they areunaffected by floor coverings.Can you briefly talk about

training at Watts Radiant?Sweaney: We’ve always felt that

giving contractors good technicalinformation and training is one ofthe keys to growing the radiant in-dustry. Not only does training helpeducate contractors in proper de-sign and installation techniques, ithelps them do a better job of sellingradiant systems. We continue totrain and educate contractors, dis-tributors, and engineers in a varietyof local, regional, and national loca-tions, as well as through webinars. What other products does Watts

Radiant manufacture?Sweaney: Watts is privileged to

supply many OEM customers in thehydronic and plumbing markets,and we have significant manufac-turing capabilities in several prod-uct areas here at Watts Radiant. n

Watts Radiant: concentratingon high comfort technologies

52 Phc News — JULY 2010Corporate report

For larger remodels, Onix is the logical choice — it is the most flexible, durable ra-diant tubing in the industry today. Just as they have done in thousands of projectsover the last 20 years, installers today find the flexibility of Onix to be a lifesaver inunder-floor radiant projects.

Not only does training help educate contractors in proper design and installationtechniques, it helps them do a better job of selling radiant systems.

Springfield, Missouri sets the backdrop for Watts Radiant’s 143,000-sq.-ft. facility.



The once regal Super Constel-lation Starliner, the legendaryluxury aircraft designed by

Howard Hughes and built by Lock-heed Martin, appears like an over-sized model in a cavernous hangar atthe Auburn-Lewiston airport inMaine. A team of experts, working

like surgeons around a (radiantly-heated) operating table, are bringingit back to life. Thanks to the dedication and re-

sources of a Renaissance effort, theonce-great airliner — left for deadand bleeding — will fly again.The idea of restoring a Constella-

tion entered the radar screen atLufthansa Airlines around 2003. Ul-timately, the German firm boughtthree of the last remaining airplanes,not a one of them in good condition.The purpose is to restore one,maybe two of the aircraft back intoflying condition by cannibalizingparts from all three of them. Though hundreds of Constella-

tions were manufactured by Lock-heed, only 44 of the magnificentStarliners — considered by some tobe the grandfather of luxury airtravel — were built. On any given day for the past 18

months, with many more months togo, a team of restoration experts,many of them flown from Germanyto Maine, are at work on the oneplane in the middle of it all. TheStarliner’s carcass rests on woodenrisers in the center of the hangar.Initially stripped bare, down to its

metal skeleton, lines of green primernow cover seams and rivet rows be-tween aluminum panels. The en-gines, landing gear and tail rest inseparate places nearby.Unlike the rest of the plane, which

will be restored to 1950s vintage, thecockpit will be fitted with modern

gadgetry to allow the plane to be cer-tified airworthy. Lufthansa expertssay the avionics of the project alonewill require 18,000 man hours. Theguts of the plane and the 30,000pieces of its skeleton have all beentagged and cataloged.

Recreating an era Lufthansa has a penchant for re-

building old planes. And through theyears the Lufthansa Technik divisionhas proven that it can be profitablebusiness. Pilots and aviation enthu-siasts around the world are eager topay large sums of money for new ex-periences aboard vintage planes,enough so that Lufthansa expects torecover its $30+ million investment,once the plane is airworthy — in justsix years. The Starliner, introduced in 1956,

was the last of many Constellationversions Lockheed built over a pe-riod of 16 years. Each had increas-ingly elaborate equipment such asautopilot systems, hydraulic pumpsand windscreen defrosters.The Constellation was the last,

great prop-engine passenger plane tocarry passengers across the AtlanticOcean. Its ultimate demise was

borne out as faster jet engine aircraftwon public interest. Its departuremarked the passing of a great era inaviation. Lufthansa referred to its Starliner

as the “Super Star.” It flew thelongest-duration scheduled flightever, a 23-hour-19-minute trip fromLondon to San Francisco — a tripthat jets cover in less than half thetime.The standard Starliner carried 86

passengers, but the swankier versioncarried just 30 high-flyers insupreme luxury, complete with par-titioned sleepers, a lounge servingdraft beer and mixed cocktails, in-flight entertainment and an onboardchef.

Starliner’s mystique has a price tag

Lockheed built 44 ConstellationStarliners (known as “Connies”among admirers), at its facility inBurbank, Calif., in the 1950s. Star-liners last flew in the ’70s, but theiconic plane continued attractingfans. In the ’80s, Maurice Roundy, a63-year-old pilot, aircraft mechanicand airfield manager in Auburn,Maine, bought three Starliners fortheir scrap value. He started rebuild-ing them, but after spending$500,000 of his own money on theeffort, he ran out of cash and filed forbankruptcy-court protection.“I think the airplanes owned me,”

Mr. Roundy told a local news re-

porter. He paid his debts by gettingrid of the planes.Lufthansa Technik plans to tour

air shows with the refurbished plane.Passenger tickets for the vintage air-craft go for a premium. And for li-censed pilots who want to fly it: sky’sthe limit. The proceeds will go toLufthansa’s charitable foundation,Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung.

For the team: a European comfort solution

When the experts at manufac-turer’s rep firm, Emerson Swan, andtheir wholesaler partner F. W. Webb,got wind of the project, they part-nered with engineer Jeff Landwehrfrom Old Town, Maine-based Car-penter Associates to design a systemthat would hydronically heat the air-plane hangar’s high-mass concretefloor. “An airplane hangar is perhaps the

ultimate use of radiant heat,” saidJim Simas, regional sales managerfor Emerson Swan. “With giant,open areas, it’s no place for forcedair heat; in the winter, BTUs wouldbe flushed out fast with the openingof the big bay door. And even withthe place buttoned-up, the guysworking on the plane all day wouldhave no floor-level heat. The construction project began in

2008. According Simas, the bighangar was divided into two main ra-diant zones and a much smaller oneto serve a long, narrow snow-meltzone that extendeds six feet beyondthe huge sliding doors of the build-ing’s airplane-sized opening. With the mechanical room placed

in one corner of the building, itmade sense to run a 11/2-inch ex-tended injection bridge to the mani-fold on the furthest side (with about(Turn to Connies ... page 56.)

Smart hydronics helps tocarry the torch for ‘Connies’

Field report

Two Buderus gas-fired boilers feed 180°F water out to the manifolds. Return fluidtemperatures typically reenter the primary/secondary piping at about 80°F.

The Super Constellation Starliner, the legendary luxury aircraft designed by HowardHughes and built by Lockheed Martin, appears like an oversized model in a cav-ernous hangar at the Auburn-Lewiston airport in Maine.


For more information, visit www.drainbrain.com/ramor call 800-245-6200.

Open clogged pipes with

SHOCK ACTION!The WATER RAM clears sinks, tubs, toilets anddrains fast. Compressed air creates a shock wavethat breaks up stoppage. Effective around elbowsand bends; bypasses vents.Safe – there’s no pressure buildup.

AS SIMPLE AS

1PUMP UP 2 INSERT IN DRAIN 3 SNAP TRIGGER

W


56 Phc News — JULY 2010Field RepoRt

250-foot supply and return feeds),and a 50-foot, two-inch PEX line-setto feed the nearest manifold. According to the chosen hydronic

systems installer, Al Hill, Al HillPlumbing, based in Sabattus, Maine,they used oxygen-barrier RadiantPEXtubing and stainless steel radiantmanifolds manufactured by WattsRadiant. Hill, a British hydronics prowho made his way to Maine 27 yearsago, was just the right guy for thejob. Each of the two large manifolds for

the main area supplies warmth totwenty-four 400-foot, 5/8-inch PEXloops spaced on 18-inch centers inthe main floor of the hangar. Spacingis snugged closer at nine-inch cen-ters near the exterior walls and the

snowmelt apron. Two gas-fired boilers feed 180°F

water out to the manifolds. Returnfluid temperatures typically reenterthe primary/secondary piping atabout 80°F. “With return tempera-tures like that, each gallon deliversbetween about 40-50K BTUs,” saidSimas.“One design that was initially con-

sidered delivered a 20°F Delta T,” ex-plained Simas. “But cost was themajor obstacle to building the sys-tem to accomplish it. Our alternateplan — which brought the price ofinstallation down substantially —won approval and worked mar-velously through its first winter, evenwhen ambient temps dipped wellbelow zero.” According to Simas, the initial

design called for a greater numberof pumps and massive, two-and-a-half inch copper lines suspendedoverhead to feed remote manifoldswith a flow of 371/2 gallons a minuteeach. That, for just half of thebuilding. “The pumps for the initialplan needed to be large enough tomove much larger fluid volumesup, and through 1,000 or more feetof large supply and return piping —plus all of the radiant heat tubing,”he said. Ultimately, the cost of installation

labor, hangers, lift rental, larger me-chanical components, including thehigh horsepower, three-piecepumps, and giant copper “runway”(at $18/ft.!) pushed the buildingowner’s decision toward Hill’s morereasonable approach. That was thegenesis of the 100°F Delta T solu-tion.“The plan we settled on saved a

huge amount of money on the costof the system and in energy con-sumption as well,” said Hill. “The‘extended injection bridge’ conceptcalled for the mixing of fluid temper-atures at the manifolds and outsidethe mechanical room.” Three small, variable speed Taco

pumps now play a critical role inrunning the system, transferring ahuge amount of energy to each zone.“In essence, each of the variableDeltaT pumps acts like a mixingvalve, blending 180°F water straightout of the boilers with cooler returnwater, out to the zones at about 120degrees,” added Hill. The Taco variable ΔT pump is the

driver for the 180°F water and alsoperforms a key role in protecting theboilers. The primary-secondary pip-ing protects the boiler with sensorsthat stand sentry at the supply andreturn ports. Too much cold returnwater shuts off the injection pump,

(Turn to Hydronic... page 58.)

Connies hangar gets hydronic help

Contractors pour the cement slab that covers the PEX tubing. Each of the two largemanifolds for the main area supplies warmth to twenty-four 400-foot, 5/8-inchpex loops spaced on 18-inch centers in the main floor of the hangar.



allowing the boilers time to bring in-ternal water volume up to temp. As soon as it’s available, higher

temp fluids are then put to use tomix and blend outgoing tempera-tures for the radiant floor system.

Simas admits that this approach re-quires more time to bring fluidtemps into operating temperaturerange but insures that the boilersaren’t thermally shocked. “We always use Taco equipment

whenever we can,” continued Hill.

On this job, half a dozen pumpsdrive the entire system. We also usedTaco hydronic relays, flow checksand an expansion tank.”“Radiant is the only heat that al-

lows such flexibility because the de-sign temps are low and we take

advantage of the larger delta’s tomix water,” added Simas. “Whencombined with simple injectionstyle controls, a system like this de-livers modulated water tempera-tures to the radiant manifolds toprevent overheating. At the sametime, it protects the boilers fromthermal shock and flue gas conden-sation. It’s a plan that worked espe-cially well for Lufthansa and theConnie’s project.”

In its wakeLufthansa experts hope to finish

the project by the end of 2010, withthe flight tests and certification pro-cedures taking place in the spring of2011. The project brought one of the

world’s largest airlines into a smallcommunity in Maine where it hashad a substantial economic impactthrough contracts with local compa-nies, jobs for local aircraft techni-cians and mechanics, and leaves a27,000-square-foot, radiantly-heatedhangar for future use. When it’s complete, the Connie

will be flown to Germany, leaving a

massive hangar that the airport canmarket for aircraft maintenance orrefurbishing. Airport managers in Auburn say

the hangar is a state-of-the-art facil-ity and, with the capacity to hold aBoeing 737, is the largest hangar incentral Maine. With a real sense ofexcitement, they rewrote the air-port’s master plan in 2005, callingfor an expansion of the runway by2013 to attract passenger service. Who could’ve guessed that an old

plane, brought back from the dead,could make such a big impact inter-nationally, and locally, too. In itswake will remain a fine facility toserve the community of Auburn,Maine. And whoever has the goodfortune of working there, the miracleof modern hydronics will keep ’emcomfy all winter long. n

Hydronic system allows flexibility

58 Phc News — JULY 2010Field report


Al Hill Plumbing technicians put thefinishing touches on the concrete slab.


Ultra Efficient = Ultra Competitive. New Condensing Technology.

Selling energy-efficient, whole-house heating solutions is easy with Rinnai.

© 2009 Rinnai America Corporation | www.rinnai.us | 1-800-621-9419


Phc News — JULY 2010 59aCtuator options

BY CHIKEZIE NWAOHA

Acontrol valve is the finalcontrol element in anyprocess system because it is

the final element that ultimatelymanipulates the value of the vari-able in the control process (see fig1). The control valve usually has acontrol linkage, which is known asan actuator. The actuator accepts asignal from an independent sourceand in response positions (openingor closing) the valve to the requiredor designed position. Valve actua-tors provide remote operation ofcontrol valves, which is very essen-tial for increased working safety andenvironment. Actuators can bemoved into position by either hy-draulic, air/gas or electric signals.And, they are used to position avalve to either more closed, moreopen, fully closed or fully open.There are different types of controlvalve actuators, and they are classi-fied according to the type of supplythat is required for activation. Theyare: pneumatic valve actuators,electric valve actuators and hy-draulic valve actuators. Pneumatic Valve Actuators: This

is a type of control valve actuatorthat can adjust the position of thevalve by converting air pressure intorotary motion or linear motion. Ro-tary motion actuators are used onbutterfly valves, plug valves and ballvalves, and they position from opento closed by a 90-degree turn. Mean-while, linear motion actuators areused on globe valves, diaphragmvalves, pinch valves, angle valvesand gate valves, and they employ asliding stem that controls the posi-tion of the element (closure). Pneu-matic valve actuators can besingle-acting, in that air actuates thevalve in one direction and a com-pressed spring actuates the valve inthe other direction. Single-acting de-vices can be either reverse-acting(spring-to-extend) or direct-acting(spring-to-react). The operatingforce is generated from the pressureof the compressed air. Choosing be-tween reverse-acting and direct-act-ing is dependent on the safetyrequirements (in an event of com-pressed supply air failure), re-sponse/activation time, air supplypressure, etc. For example, for safetyreasons, steam valves must close onfailure of air supply.

Pneumatic valve actuators havethe advantage of simple construc-tion, requiring little maintenanceand quick valve response time tochanges in the control signal.Electric Valve Actuators: This is

another type of valve actuators thatis compact with a large stem thrust.They are usually used in systemswhere pneumatic supply is notneeded or available. The electricvalve actuator is more complexthan the pneumatically operatingvalve actuator. When the controlvalves are spread out over large dis-tances, as in the situation withpipelines, then an electric valve ac-tuator should be chosen for purelyeconomic reasons. This is becauseelectrical energy is cheaper andeasier to transport than instrument

air and hydraulic fluid. An electricvalve actuator depends on an elec-trical power source for its signal,and in response to the signal auto-matically adjusts the valve to a de-sired position. It makes use of asingle-phase or a three-phaseAC/DC motor to move a combina-tion of gears in order to produce thedesired level of torque. Subse-quently, the rotational motion isconverted into a linear motion ofthe valve stem via a gear wheel anda worm transmission. Electric valveactuators are mostly used on linearmotion valves, globe valves and gatevalves. They also are allowed onquarter-turn valves — like butterflyvalves, ball valves and other quartervalves. Linear electric valves are in-stalled in systems where tight toler-

ances are required. While rotaryelectric valve actuators are suitablefor use in packaging applicationsand electric power industries, etc.,electric valve actuators have a dis-advantage of valve response, whichcan be as low as 5 seconds/min —in some varying systems might bevery slow.Hydraulic Valve Actuators: Hy-

draulic valve actuators usually em-ploy a simple design, with aminimum of mechanical parts. Hy-draulic valve actuators convert fluidpressure into linear motion, rotarymotion, or both. Like electric actua-tors, they are also used on bothquarter-turn valves and linear valves.In the case of quarter-turn valves,the hydraulic fluid provides thethrust that is mechanically con-verted to rotary motion to adjust thevalve. For linear valves, the pressureof the hydraulic fluid acts on the pis-ton to provide the thrust in a linearmotion, which is a good fit for gate or globe valves. Hydraulic valve(Turn to Choosing... page 64.)

Choosing the appropriate actuator for a control valve

Sump pump systemThe Pro Pak 53 is a preassembledsump pump system complete withcompany’s Model 53 primary pumpand Model 507 backup pump. ThePro Pak offers extra protection whenthe primary pump fails due to power

outages with 71/2 hours of continu-ous pumping on a fully charged bat-tery. The Pro Pak 49 also available,featuring a Model 49 primary pump.A 3-year warranty is included onboth systems. Zoeller Pump Co.


Faucet aerators save water and energyChanging faucet aerators is themost affordable component of a

water conservation program incommercial and institutional build-ings as well as multi-family housingand residential buildings. Neoperlproducts are WaterSense listed,help save 30% or more and gainLEED points towards building certifi-cation. Neoperl.


Purge & FillA unique 7-in-1 valve assembly al-lows the user to simultaneouslydrain, flush and refill any hydronic

system. Eliminates six leak pathsand saves nearly an hour of labor.Webstone.


LavSafe™ thermostatic faucetsNew commercial and residential ASSE

1070 listed LavSafe™ thermostaticfaucets feature an internal paraffinthermostat, which controls bothtemperature and pressure. WithLavSafe™ there is no need to installa separate thermostatic valve underthe sink because the tempering isdone just inches from the userwhere it is most effective. Watts.


Wirsbo hePEX™ Straight LengthsNow contractors requiring an aes-thetically pleasing straight run ofpipe for hydronic distribution appli-

cations, such as near-boiler piping,risers, connections to fan coil units,radiators, baseboard heaters, VAVboxes, chilled beams and towelwarmers, have the option to choosedurable, cost-effective, corrosion-re-sistant PEX-a tubing. The straightlengths are available in 20-foot sec-tions for 5/8", 3/4", 1", 11/4", 11/2" and2" sizes. Uponor.


Toilet bowl protectorThe T-BowlShield safeguards the toi-let bowl and the siphon tube fromcareless use of the standard auger.The flexible, tapered, nose cone nes-tles easily in standard toilets, effec-tively “bridging” the throat of the

toilet and allowing a scratch free pas-sage of the auger into the blockedarea of the toilet. The two piece de-sign comes with instructions on howto assemble the T-BowlShield.Rugged, reusable, and simple to use.Patent Pending. Wooten Metal.


High efficiency toiletH2Option, a new flushing innova-tion, is the first truly siphonic dualflush toilet, with strong push andpull action created by forceful butquiet jetted action under the rim.Using as little as 1.0 gallon of wateron the low setting, H2Option scoursthe sides of the bowl to removeevery last trace of paper and waste.American Standard.


Expanded NeoTherm boiler lineExpanded boiler line features 80 to850 MBH sizes and new volume waterheater line with sizes from 150 to500 MBH. The NeoTherm® is a fullypackaged, 95% efficient condensinghydronic boiler with 5-to-1 turn-down. Zero clearance to com-bustibles and convenient topconnections (horizontal or verticaldirect vent) make it an excellentchoice for tight installations. LAARS.


60 Phc News — JULY 2010Product News

The ALPHA revolutionizes circulators With its permanent magnet motor design, this energy efficient circulator re-duces power consumption by 50% or more. The unique patented AutoAdapt™feature controls pump performance automatically within a defined perform-ance range, ensuring the lowest possible energy consumption without sacri-ficing comfort. The newest innovation available is the ALPHA with a terminalbox for conduit connection applications. Most pumps have only one optionwhen it comes to their power connections. The ALPHA has two, expanding yourinstallation opportunities. Grundfos.


H Phc News product of the month H


CADDY® PYRAMID ST SeriesStrut-based Thermoplastic Supports

utilize an engineered thermoplasticbase with a UV stabilizer. They havea high load rating — up to 1,500 lbs— and provide uniform load distri-bution to help protect the roof mem-brane. ERICO.


Thermally actuated shut-off valves FireBag is used to control the flowof natural, propane or butane gases.Many existing emergency gas shut-off devices require manual manip-

ulation — a poor solution inemergency fire situations. The Fire-Bag provides a much better solu-tion by automatically discontinuingthe flow of gas when the ambienttemperature reaches 100° C (212°F). With this device, gas is automat-ically discontinued in fire situa-tions to avert fire escalation andpotential gas explosions. AssuredAutomation.


Water heater installation kitsTankless water heater installation kitsare used for sweat applications. Kits

feature a 1-piece, forged, full-portbrass valve body that reduces connec-tions and enhances longevity. Hasself-seating o-ring seals on the inletand outlet ports, a built-in port for thePR valve, and integrated drain valvewith independent flow control. Brass-Craft Manufacturing Co., a MascoCompany.


New tankless lineEverHot® tankless water heaters offerenergy efficiency in a compact butpowerful package, with flow rates upto 9.4 gpm. Six models available (3interior and 3 exterior) in natural orLP gas with maximum input rangesof 150,000 — 199,900 Btuh. Can beconverted from residential to com-mercial. Control monitors and dis-plays 17 diagnostic codes fortrouble-shooting. Small footprint,wall mounting. Bradford White.

Circle 110 on Reader Reply CardAir, dirt and hydraulic separator

The HYDROCAL™ combination air,dirt and hydraulic sepa-rator incorporates high

performance air removal,high performance dirt

removal and high per-formance hy-draulic separationall in one device.

The 3-in-1 function-ality minimizes costs

for systems requir-ing primary/sec-ondary piping

because there is noneed to install sepa-

rate air separatorsand/or dirt elimination de-

vices. Caleffi.Circle 116 on Reader Reply Card

Corrugated stainless steel tubingCounterStrike® corrugated stainlesssteel tubing (CSST) has received aPMG listing (PMG # 1058) from ICCEvaluation Service, Inc. (ICC-ES),

providing evidence that this CSST gaspiping product (with special conduc-tive jacket) meets code requirementsfor gas piping. Tests conducted by aleading independent lightning labhave shown that CounterStrike is ap-proximately 5,000% more resistant toelectrical arcing damage compared tostandard CSST. OmegaFlex, Inc.


SolPak solar water heatingCompany has added

two new environ-mentally-con-scious solarwater heatingsolutions to itsline of SolPakactive solarwater heatingsystems: tank-less gas prod-ucts (pictured)and RheemMa r a t h on™storage tanks.With these ad-ditions, RheemSolPak nowprovides con-tractors with an

enhanced selection of energy-effi-cient solar options that can be tai-lored to any gas or electric job.Rheem.


Electronic dry pipe acceleratorThe VIZOR Accelerator is a fully su-pervised, self-contained, riser-mounted, quick-opening device thatreduces the time required to operatea dry pipe system with the activationof one or more automatic sprinklers.All essential components are locatedinside its enclosure making theVIZOR Accelerator easy to install,set, and maintain. Tyco Fire Sup-pression & Building Products.


62 Phc News — JULY 2010Product News

The HydroVantage™ flush valveDesigned to create energy during each flush cycle. As water passes through thevalve, the turbine spins creating electrical energy which is then stored in arechargeable cell. This stored energy then powers the electrical needs of theflush valve for subsequent flushes. It eliminates the need for external electricalpower or battery replacement for 10+ years under normal operating conditions.The HydroVantage™ flush valve provides optimal energy efficiency, low main-tenance and ease of installation compared to other available generator products.Environmental Trending™ along with 4.0 Sensor Technology™ continuouslymonitors ambient light levels and traffic patterns within the restroom eliminat-ing false flushing while maximizing savings. Zurn Engineered Water Solutions.


H Phc News product of the month H

Phc News — JULY 2010 63tool crib

PVC/ ABS hand sawThe Milwaukee® PVC Saw features atool free blade change to avoiddowntime and increase efficiency inthe field. Complete with rubber over

mold for comfort, the saw offers un-matched durability with a metal corebody and clamshell handle design toprevent damage from abusive jobsite conditions. Milwaukee Tools.

Circle 120 on Reader Reply Card Video inspection system The new lightweight, Gen-Eye POD™and MINI-POD™ combine camera,

reel, and monitor in an all-in-onepackage. You get a large 5.6" LCD colormonitor protected by a padded case.Mounted on a flexible gooseneck thatswivels to give you the best viewingangle. The full size Gen-Eye POD™features a self-leveling camera and200 ft. of Gel-Rod® for trouble-shoot-ing 3" to 10” drain lines. The MINI-POD™ carries 125 ft. or 175 ft. ofpush rod and the color mini-camerais small enough to trouble shoot 2" to4" lines. General Pipe Cleaners, a di-vision of General Wire Spring.


JettersEel Jet EJ1500 electric and EJ3000gas jetters are professionally engi-neered to clean 1½"– 8" drain lineswith power and portability for a fastblast through clogs. The new Eel JetEJ1500 electric jetter cleans 1½"– 4"dia. drain lines with 1,500 PSI/1.7 GPM;1.5 H.P., 15 amp motor; duplex pumpw/pulsation; reel capacity 150 ft. of 1/4"hose; pump/motor assembly removesin seconds for added portability; ther-mal relief valve and inlet shut-offvalve. Electric Eel Mfg. Co., Inc.


Tube bending machinesThe 2010 Elite Series of tube bendingmachines with capacities rangingfrom 11/4" to 10". Designed for tube

bending in automotive, aviation,HVAC, boiler, and general fabricationapplications, the Elite Series offers a50% reduction in set-up time, user-friendly features, extended service in-tervals and faster bending speeds.Horn Machine Tools.


Coring systemsThe new new DD 350 (pictured) andDD 500 coring machines areequipped with innovative, water-cooled, high-frequency motors. De-

signed for the new DD generation ofdiamond coring systems, these pow-erful new motors are rated at 3600and 5500 watts respectively in the DD350 and DD 500. This 1000 Hertzhigh-frequency technology achieveshigher performance and reducesweight and cuts maintenance costs asthe motors are brushless. Hilti.


Track loadersThe PT-100G compact track loaderboasts 99.9-hp and 310 lb-ft oftorque with a narrow 6-ft profile anda low 143/4" ground clearance tomaximize work in limited accessareas. Posi-Track™ undercarriageand suspension gives the smoothestride in the industry. Offers load-sensing infinitely variable low-flowauxiliary hydraulics, 2-speed trans-mission, auto-idle, creep mode, se-lectable from ISO to “H” pattern andadjustable loader/bucket sensitivity.On models equipped with heat orAC, a pressurized and sealed en-closed cab comes standard. Terex.


RSP1 Ratchet ShearsReed Ratchet Shears with hardenedsteel blades are ideal for cutting plas-tic pipe. New RSP1 Ratchet Shears arealso great for CPVC because of bladethinness and finish. RSP1 shears alsocut PVDF well. The pointed blade in theone-hand RSP1 model helps start thecut in tough plastics such as CPVC, andhelps avoid bounce in thin wall mate-rial. Blades on Reed ratchet shearscan be sharpened or replaced, en-hancing performance and savingmoney. These tools are not dispos-able. Reed Mfg. Co.


SeeSnake® LT1000 Laptop InterfaceRIDGID® introduces the SeeSnake® LT1000 laptop interface, a flexible wayto digitally record, monitor and manage drain footage when paired with aSeeSnake reel and PC laptop with SeeSnake HQ software installed. TheLT1000 laptop interface gives users the efficiency of a laptop for managingdrain footage in the field. The LT1000 laptop interface allows a user to com-plete tasks without transferring data between field devices and a PC, whichreduces the amount of time users spend converting files. RIDGID.


Welding, cutting guideNew Welding and Cutting Equip-ment Guide provides easy access tocurrent information about oxy-fuel

welding andcutting torchesand regulators,plasma arc cut-ting and weld-ing systems,arc weldingpower supplies,hardfacing and

welding alloys, a wide array of man-ual and semi-automatic arc weldingtorches, tips and accessories, andhigh pressure gas control products.Easily find information about equip-ment from Victor®, Victor SpecialtyProducts, Victor Medical, Tur-boTorch®, Tweco®, Tweco Robotics,Arcair®, Thermal Dynamics®, Ther-mal Dynamics Automation, Ther-mal® Arcv and Stoody®. Contactyour local distributor and requestForm 67-2836. Thermadyne.


Sponsored by

H Phc News tool of the month H


actuators are used particularly in sit-uations where a large stem thrust is required such as the steam supply inturbines or the movement of largevalves in chimney flues. In a situa-tion where very large valves are to beactuated, it is often advisable to in-stall the actuators on mechanicalgearboxes in order to provide an in-creased output (torque). There aredifferent types of hydraulic valve ac-tuators that convert linear motion torotary motion. For example, whilediaphragm actuators are generallyused with linear motion valves, theyalso can be used for rotary motionvalves if they are outfitted with lin-ear-to-rotary motion linkage. Like-wise, lever and link actuatorstransfer the linear motion of a pistoncylinder or diaphragm to rotary mo-tion. Rack-and-pinion actuatorstransfer the linear motion of a piston

cylinder to rotary motion, andscotch yoke actuators convert linearmotion to rotary motion as well. Forsafety reasons, most hydraulic actu-ators are provided with failsafe fea-tures of either Fail Open, Fail Close,or Fail Stay Put. For a control systemto be effective, the control valvemust adjust to its desired position asquickly and efficiently as possible.To achieve this, the right valve actu-ator must be selected for the appli-cation. Therefore, it could be saidthat the valve actuator specificationprocess is more important than theselection of the control valve itself.To ensure the right valve actuator ischosen for a given process, criticalsite information, such as the avail-ability of power supply, hydraulicfluid pressure and air pressure, mustbe considered. In addition, thestroke time of the valve, failsafe po-sition, control signal input and safety

factors also must be given due con-sideration.

For control to be very effective, itis imperative that a control valveadjusts to its desired position asquickly as possible. To achieve this,the right valve actuator must be se-lected for the right application.Therefore, when the various typesof control valve actuators are avail-able and their individual featuresgiven, the selection of the correct

Chikezie Nwaoha, B.Eng has a bachelors degree in Petroleum Engi-neering from Federal University of Technology, Owerri. He has alsocompleted a term as an operator (student trainee) with Port HarcourtRefining Company (PHRC, www.nnpcgroup.com/phrc.htm) in Nigeria,and is currently working on several research projects involving flowsystems design. As part of his research, Nwaoha has authored a numberof engineering articles in leading international journals. Nwaoha is amember of SPE, ASME, AIChe, IMechE, ICE, IGEM, and the NigerianGas Association (NGA, www.nigeriangasassociation.org). He can bereached at [email protected].

Choosing the right actuatorActuAtor options



control valve actuator becomes ascritical as selecting the controlvalve.

Finally, in selecting the right valveactuator for a given process, criticalsite information, like the availabilityof power supply, hydraulic fluid pres-sure and air pressure, must be con-sidered. In addition, the stroke timeof the valve, fail safe position, controlsignal input and safety factors, etc.,also are taken into consideration. n

Phc News — JULY 2010 65

FRANCHISES

SEEKING REPS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS

EQUIPMENT HANDLING REPS WANTEDManufacturer is seeking profes-sional representation in severalUS territories. Products includesolar storage tanks, indirect waterheaters, hot water storage tanks,and other hydronic, solar, andwater heating products. Please faxresumé and line card to 508-422-9881 or email:

[email protected]

SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

clAssified Ads

industry news

FOR CURRENT PROMO OR TO BUYONLINE VISIT US AT:

www.glennproproducts.comWant to increase customer loyalty?Use Our Easy-to-Remember Number

Want better Advertising results?We’ve developed Your Cost Effective Solution

Not a Franchise. No huge upfront fees.

Call 1-800-758-6298Visit www.800PLUMBING.com

Classified advertisement rates begin at $140 per column inchfor a single insertion. Call Sadie Bechtold

at 847-564-1127 to place your classified today!

Watch the next month’s issue of PHC NEWSfor our Heating Season preview!

WOODRIDGE, ILL. — Danze, Inc. hasbeen named a sponsor of The HouseDesigners’ first-ever Energy Star®approved house plans. This uniquecollection of house plans promotesconsumers and builders to buildeco-friendly, energy efficienthomes.

This exclusive set of green houseplans includes all the necessary toolsto build a green home, including in-formation on green building prod-ucts and practices. Danze will serveas the official faucet and plumbingfixture partner of the initiative.

“We’re excited to support this in-novative initiative to help home-owners and builders in their questfor more eco-friendly options in thedesign and building process,” saidEd Detgen, vice president of market-

ing for Danze. “It’s an importantway for us to continue our green ef-forts in a segment of our industrythat has potential to significantlyimpact the environment.”

The collection of house plans willinclude several water-saving and sus-tainable solutions from Danze suchas:

• Water-saving lavatory faucets:Offer a 30+ percent savings in waterover traditional faucets. Operate at1.5 gallons per minute and meet Cal-ifornia and Vermont low-lead legisla-tion requirements; and

• High efficiency toilets: Anotherimpactful way to reduce water usagein the home. These toilets operate at1.28 gallons per flush and can re-duce water consumption by morethan 20% per toilet.

Danze named partner of Energy Star® approved house plans

Iwas spending aweekend away afew weeks ago

across the border on Lake Geneva, Wis. It’s a shorthour-and-a-half drive from the Chicagoland area.So my wife, my brother and sister-in-law and Iwere enjoying a relaxing “happy hour” at a localWilliams Bay establishment and that’s when allthe commotion started. Bartenders and waitressesstarted screaming and positioning themselves to asafer place at the bar — like on top of the bar!“What the ...?” I followed their line of sight to theceiling and noticed a wiry squirrel doing its bestbalancing act on some of the beams. It was sort ofamusing for the bar patrons, especially watchingthe employee reactions.As the squirrel eventually made its way down to

the floor, more oohs and aahs filled the place. Thesquirrel scampered under the customer-filled ta-bles and the occupants amusingly lifted their feetto avoid a varmint confrontation.The squirrel, then, gathering its breath for an-

other round of rodent rodeo, was camped out nearthe PGA golf video game. Some big biker dudes,not to be interrupted in their intense game of bil-liards, motioned the little critter toward the doorwith a pool cue, and eventually shooed the poorguy outside. The bikers turned back inside to aspattering ovation until laughter ensued. Not to beoutdone, the furry little rat made a U-turn back

into the bar for an encore. Another biker, sittingat the bar with his lady friend, evidently had hadenough of the animal antics. He cornered Mr.Squirrel and proceeded to pick the animal up withhis bare hands as if it was a stuffed animal! “Didhe just do what I think he just did?” I remembermuttering to myself. Trying to impress his girl —or dumber than a bag of hammers — he walked

outside grabbing the squirrel by the nape of itsneck and tossed it aside.Now he turned back toward the bar — chest

outward — to silence. The patrons were aghastupon the sight of blood running profusely down hishand and arm! You see, the squirrel didn’t partic-ularly like the fact of being held and made mince-meat out of that biker’s right appendage. Lookslike a visit to the doctor for some rabies shots maybe in order. In the meantime, you guessed it, Mr.Squirrel made his way back into the bar, eventu-ally exiting, on his own terms, out the side door.This incident made me think of all of you that

put yourself in “harm’s” way when on the job. PhcNews is interested in your animal encounter sto-ries. During a service call, have you encountereda runaway snake curled up to the piping under thekitchen sink? What about that “rabid” dog that in-timidated you during your visit? What animalshave you had to deal with? Dogs, cats, snakes,bats, etc.? Tell us your story. Send it to JohnMesenbrink at [email protected]. n

BY JOHN MESENBRINK,editor

When animals attack!

next issue...

• Fall Product Launch

• Innovative Pumps

• Drainage

66 Phc News — JULY 2010In Our OpInIOn

Phc News (USPS number 022-074) is published 12 times yearly by TMB Publishing Inc., 1838 Techny Ct. Northbrook, IL 60062; tel. 847/564-1127; fax 847/564-1264. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, electronic recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of TMB Publishing Inc.Phc News is delivered free of charge to qualified subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. Others: U.S., U.S. Poss. and Canada, $100/yr.; two-year annual subscription rate U.S. and Canada, $155; othercountries, $200/yr. or $300 for two year (U.S. funds) plus $20 surface postage. Single copies, $15.Application to mail at Periodical #022-074.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Plumbing & Hydronic Contractor News, Creative Data Services, 519 E. Briarcliff Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. [email protected] mail agreement No. 41499518: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill ON L4B 4R6

American Standard ..................7, 46www.americanstandard.com

Bare Bones Biz..............................64www.barebonesbiz.com

Bell & Gossett ................Back Coverwww.bellgossett.com

Bradford White .............................29www.bradfordwhite.com

Burnham Boilers - US Boiler Co. .IFCwww.burnham.com

Chicago Faucets ...........................17www.chicagofaucets.com

ECR International ..........................3www.ecrinternational.com

General Pipe Cleaners, a div.of General Wire Spring .......31, 54www.drainbrain.com

Gerber...........................................45www.gerberonline.com

Glentronics.............................16, 53

www.glentronics.com

Halsey Taylor ................................11

www.halseytaylor.com

HeatingHelp.com..........................58

www.heatinghelp.com

Heliodyne......................................25

www.heliodyne.com

John Guest....................................12

www.johnguest.com

Liberty Pumps ..............................47

www.libertypumps.com

Little Giant Pumps .......................33

www.franklin-electric.com/lg

Lochinvar......................................18

www.lochinvar.com

Murray Corp. ................................10

www.murraycorp.com

Navien America ......................55, 61

www.navienamerica.com

Nexstar® Network........................14

www.nexstarnetwork.com

Precision Hydronic Products .......39

www.phpinc.us

Red White Valve Corp. .................35

www.redwhitevalvecorp.com

RIDGID ...................................13, 50

www.ridgid.com

Rinnai ...................................59, IBC

www.rinnai.us

Saniflo .............................................8

www.saniflo.com

A.O. Smith..............................15, 46

www.hotwater.com

Smith Mfg Co., Jay R. .....................6

www.jrsmith.com

Stiebel Eltron................................44www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com

Symmons ........................................9www.symmons.com

Taco ..................................26, 27, 51www.taco-hvac.com

Uponor....................................21, 23www.uponor-usa.com

Viega........................Cover Wrap, 49www.viega.com

Watts .............................................43www.watts.com

Watts Radiant ...............................19www.wattsradiant.com

Webstone ..............................4, 5, 16www.webstonevalves.com

Weldbend.................................36-37www.weldbend.com

Zoeller ...........................................57www.zoeller.com

Advertisers’ Index

No One Gives You

MORE...

© 2010 Rinnai America Corporation | www.rinnai.us | 1-800-621-9419

NEW!CondensingTechnology

With a Rinnai boiler, dollar-for-dollar, we can give the customer a better value.

— J. Blake

“

“

Experience The Rinnai Condensing Boiler

Rinnai boiler ships with:

More Money. More Features. More in the Box.

Buy two boilers and earn from $300 to $1000 on select Rinnai Condensing Boilers. Contact your local distributor or Rinnai for more details.

Ends August 31, 2010!


Instant hot water using only as much power as a night-light.

Think about ITT.

The ecocirc® e3 series potable water pump requires

less than 10 watts and uses 68% less energy

than standard circulating pumps. Designed to

deliver instant hot water at every tap, no matter

the distance from the water

heater. The pumps feature

innovative ECM technology,

are highly effi cient, easy to

install and maintenance-free.

For more information, contact your Bell & Gossett Representative or visit www.bellgossett.com

The “ITT Engineered Blocks” symbol; and “Engineered for life” are registered trademarks of ITT Corporation. © 2010

the distance from the water

heater. The pumps feature

innovative ECM technology,

are highly effi cient, easy to

install and maintenance-free.


Documents

20 - PHCP Pros · 2017-07-19 · IPS & SWT • 2 in 1 alternative replaces a tee ﬁ tting + a boiler drain • Install anywhere a drain or purge valve is required ... homebuilding