Plumbing & Mechanical Contractor

RSS

Manufacturers exhibiting at AHR Expo 2026 are bringing forward solutions that prioritize intelligence, flexibility and practicality, addressing real-world challenges faced by contractors, engineers, distributors and building owners.

While the risk of Legionella exists across many types of buildings, healthcare and long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable. These buildings often have large, complex plumbing systems with extensive pipe networks, variable water usage, and numerous fixtures, all of which can create conditions conducive to bacterial growth if not properly managed. As a result, even well-designed and well-maintained systems require ongoing attention to minimize risk.

All year, leadership is a fast-moving, day-by-day experience. But December's slower pace lets you take a step back, and that's when strategic thinking happens. An intentional leadership reset is a chance to reflect on what truly matters, refocus on the strategies that drive results, and reignite the performance, purpose, and passion that will carry you into 2026 with clarity and momentum.

Today, we still get calls about older systems. The potential customers often think their house or building is the oldest we have ever seen. I suppose people think every other building on their block has removed the old steam or hot water system and replaced it with something more modern.

Did you know that plumbing apprenticeships can be dated all the way back to the European medieval period? Back in the 1300s-1500s, Masters of trades would take on young, unskilled workers and teach them their craft in exchange for their indentured servitude, wherein they would work for years without pay while they honed their craft.

You can teach anyone to sweat a copper joint or wire a circulator pump. What’s much harder to teach is attitude, curiosity, pride in craftsmanship, and the ability to make a customer feel at ease.

When sprinkler piping freezes, the resulting consequences can be grave: water damage, operational disruption and loss of fire protection when it is needed most. These failures are frequently attributed to extreme weather, but most stem from oversights in controlled conditions, such as unclear heated boundaries, improperly installed insulation that isolates piping from heat and incorrect application of dry sprinkler technology.

In this episode of And So It Flows, host Natalie Forster sits down with Spencer Pope, manager of technical support and training at Bradford White, to explore how education and workforce development are evolving across the plumbing, HVAC and mechanical trades.

Last month, we reviewed the basics injection mixing. It’s a method for controlling water temperatures by regulating the flow of heated water “injected” into a circulating distribution system, while simultaneously removing an equal flow of cooler water from that distribution system. Any method that controls the rate of injection flow also controls the rate of heat transfer into the distribution system.

Check out the ways in which these companies are getting involved, making changes and learn how you can too.