• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • PRODUCTS
  • FEATURED PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • EBOOKS
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
    • FEATURED PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • EBOOKS
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
Columns

Letters to the Editor—April 2012

April 1, 2012

Setting the hydronics bar for the industry

Two December 2011 articles by John Siegenthaler have set a new bar for Plumbing & Mechanical that I look forward to you meeting or exceeding on every hydronics article going forward.

The first I’ll call “Success & Finesse” rather than “Glitch & Fix.” In that article, John took an adequate system by today’s standards and finessed the design implementation to garner notable performance efficiency with minimal cost increase. Keep it up. We benefit from that.

The second was “Coil envy.” Hats off to John for laying it out there — nonproprietary design parameters to finesse the efficiency of components of hydronic systems. Hopefully within a design cycle, a manufacturer or two will have implemented these concepts in their next product iteration, to the benefit of the industry.

Thomas R. Newman, P.E.
Progineering Inc.
Necedah, Wis.

‘Hats off to the foundry man’

I enjoyed Dan Holohan’s article about his experience in the Peerless Boilers foundry (“The work,” December 2011). It reminded me of my first job working at John Deere as an engineer in the tractor transmission group. I was the liaison between the transmission engineering group and the foundry and was given the grand tour of the foundry in Waterloo, Iowa.

I would agree with Dan that, after seeing what goes into casting transmission housings, engine blocks and heads, I never looked at them the same again.

One of the most thrilling days of my life was at the old foundry when a crucible of molten iron went over my head, hanging from a monorail track. The most deafening day was in the shaker room, where they shook out the sand from the cooled castings.

Hats off to the foundry man.

Larry Klope, P.E.
Bioenergy Alternatives
Gladstone, Mich.

Better planning needed for future Greenbuilds

I read Bob Miodonski’s editorial in the November 2011 issue (“How to make Greenbuild better”) and enjoyed it. I agree that Greenbuild could and should stay in the United States for the foreseeable future. Maybe I would not have gone anyway, but a U.S. city would have made it more likely that I would attend. I do know that IAPMO’s presence was downsized, but date conflicts also might have had something to do with it.

On the panelists issue, however, I come down on the side of the panelists. Having been in the position many times of speaking in a poorly planned venue, I can imagine the frustration of the panelists. The noise distraction must have significantly altered their perception of how much the audience was able to hear. I’m surprised that the professionals at Greenbuild/USGBC let that happen.

Steve Lehtonen
The IAPMO Group
Ontario, Calif.

A second look at Tool Tips

Regarding the “Simple solution to locate gas pipe leaks” Tool Tip (December 2011): This simple solution will create future gas leak problems. If you use laundry detergent, you must thoroughly wash down and remove all the laundry detergent from the pipe joints tested. Laundry detergent has chlorine in the solution and will “eat” at the pipe dope seal. This chemical corrosion will end up causing gas leaks on all joints sprayed with laundry detergent!

There are gas leak detectors on the market that come in spray-bottle form, such as Big Blue and several others. Gas leak detector solution is chlorine-free and will not create gas leaks.

Note that gas leaks also will occur with corrugated stainless-steel piping systems if you use laundry detergent. The chlorine actually causes pitting and breakdown on the flexible stainless-steel pipe. In addition, using laundry detergent voids all warranties on stainless-steel pipe systems.

Dale L. Zipperer
Lakeshore Heating and Sheet Metal
Manitowoc, Wis.

I was flustered to see the first-place Tool Tips prize in PM’s November 2011 issue awarded to an explanation on how to make an illegal, unprotected cross-connection between the potable water supply and raw sewage (“Easy water supply for flushing drains”). It then goes on to explain that this Roto-Rooter tech’s actual intention is to complete this cross-connection. Just for kicks, I ran the “tip” past the girls in the office and asked them why it was a bad idea. Two out of three got it right.

Marty Haley
Haley Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning
Friendswood, Texas

And from our Facebook page…

“For the record ... I am a fourth-generation plumbing contractor and the first in my family history to obtain a state plumbing license. I have worked in plumbing showrooms, warehouses, in the field ... and out of all the informative mags I have read, PM mag has to be the best! Can’t explain how excited I am to see PM on Facebook! Yeah! I must share this with all my plumber friends!”

— Christina Punneo-Nowlin

Visit PM on Facebook (PMmagazine) and Twitter (@PnMmag).
KEYWORDS: boilers heating and cooling system hydronics pipe plumbing potable water

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Green Plumbing and Mechanical
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
close

1 COMPLIMENTARY ARTICLE(S) LEFT

Loader

Already a Registered User? Sign in now.

Manage My Account
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

Integrate a heat pump with a boiler mounted on a brick wall.

How to integrate a heat pump with a boiler for dual temperature hydronic heating and cooling

Plumber using the DEWALT 20V MAX* Plastic Tubing Cutter to cut a white tube.

Making tough jobs easier: Most-used tools by plumbers in 2025

RCR Spring2025 Geothermal JHJ manifold-2

Geothermal and radiant: An energy-efficient powerhouse

Nominations for Plumbing & Mechanical's NextGen ALL-Stars are now open. Submit your nomination TODAY!

PM Aalberts August 14 Free Webinar: Precision Under Pressure: Optimizing System Performance Through Balancing and Air Removal

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

August 14, 2025

Precision Under Pressure: Optimizing System Performance Through Balancing and Air Removal

We’ll cover how proper air separation and hydronic balancing help maximize operational efficiency, reduce maintenance and minimize downtime.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

2025 Bath & Kitchen Pro eBook

Related Articles

  • Letters to the Editor — May 2012

    See More
  • Letters to the Editor - May 2012

    See More
  • April Letters To The Editor

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • building-code.gif

    Significant Changes to the International Building Code 2015 Edition

  • greening steam.jpg

    Greening Steam: How to Bring 19th-Century Heating Systems into the 21st Century (and save lots of green!)

  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\Plumbing\new sites\classic_hydronics.gif

    Classic Hydronics - How To Get The Most From Those Older Hot-Water Heating Systems

See More Products
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
    • FEATURED PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • EBOOKS
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!