A.C. Plumbing, Heating and Mechanical, a second-generation, family-owned company known for its customer-driven focus and commitment to quality, has been growing by referral and word-of-mouth for over 40 years.

A family legacy 

Between shifts at his full-time job as a firefighter, Tony Caruso, Sr. started the company in 1980 from his garage in Cleveland, Ohio, and made it a family affair from the start, regularly bringing his kids to jobs. Mike Caruso, Tony’s youngest son and now the general manager of the company, reflects on his early experiences: “As a teenager, I didn’t want to go, but I’m thankful for it now. He was really shaping and molding me from a very young age.”

After earning a degree in construction management and obtaining his plumbing license, Mike joined the company fulltime in 2010. Today, he, along with his siblings and brother-in-law, manages a team that handles both residential and commercial plumbing, HVAC, and boiler projects.

Bring press technology to historical homes

Finding themselves frequently doing work in century homes built in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as other historical buildings from the same era, Mike has seen the benefit of press technology. Century homes tend to have insulation that is thin like newspaper and very combustible, making pressing an ideal choice. “If there's an option to press or solder, we're pressing.” he said, describing it as a “no brainer” because it eliminates the open flame required by soldering.

Tudor hotel project

During a project at the historic Tudor Hotel in Cleveland, a hotel built in the 1930s and now owned and operated by the Doubletree by Hilton, A.C. Plumbing was able to use their RIDGID RP 350 Press Tool to replace a large diameter water line that was located in an elevator shaft.

The RP 350 is built for large diameter pipe, pressing 1/2" to 4" for carbon steel, 1/2" to 4" copper and stainless steel, and 1/2" to 2" for PEX. It also helps you get into hard-to-reach locations with endless 360° swivel and LED lighting.

Between the age of the Tudor Hotel, the location of the line in an elevator shaft, and the hotel needing to shut down while the replacement was completed, a safe, efficient approach was essential.

“Once you start using press tools, you start seeing the efficiency. In the trades, time is of the essence. It's an overplayed message, but it's true,” said Mike. “So, how do you become efficient? By using the right tools and right materials. To me, this tool (RP 350) is a necessity in our industry at this time.”

Added value of RIGID press tools

Every truck in A.C. Plumbing’s fleet is outfitted with RIDGID press tools, and Mike has found they pay for themselves time and again.

“A professional needs an RP 350 with large diameter. Even a one-person shop, you need the tool to do the work. You definitely don’t want to limit yourself and be forced to say you can’t do the job because you don’t have the right tool,” Mike said. “It only takes a few jobs to pay these off, then there are really no limitations. It really affords you to have no restrictions, no limitations – we can handle anything.”