Plumbing & Mechanical Contractor

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As the water receded from Lake Mead this past year, all the major news headlines focused on the human remains it revealed. Very rarely did any mention the ecosystem in crisis as trees, fish and other aquatic creatures, birds and other species are dying out as they are left out to dry.

Let me clue you in on a poorly kept secret: Traditional advertising is expensive. I know, this isn’t exactly shocking. Depending on your market, a month-long rental of a billboard could cost five figures. A week’s worth of 15-second radio ads can run up to $8,000 — and that doesn’t include the cost of producing them. And television? Forget it.

In last month’s column, I touched on air-to-water heat pumps because they are rapidly becoming very saleable to consumers. In some areas of the U.S., electric heating, cooling and production of DHW are no longer an option and fossil fuels have been outlawed.

I began my career in the HVAC business in 1970 as a truck driver for an AC/refrigeration wholesaler. I stayed there just six weeks because my father — who worked for a manufacturers’ rep — told me there was an opening for a clerk at the rep. It paid $110 a week, which was $10 more than I was getting driving the truck. Plus, I’d get to work with him as my boss.

Although I’ve worked with hydronic heating for four decades and designed systems around just about every possible heat source, I would be hard-pressed to predict what might be available as hydronic heat sources 25 years from now. 

The National Kitchen and Bath Association had a monumental year in 2022. It kicked off with the first in-person Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) event since 2020. Last year also marked the 60th anniversary of the association and the 10th year since KBIS and the International Builders’ Show (IBS) joined forces to create what is now known as Design and Construction Week (DCW)’s NAHB Builders Show.

Can you spot at least 5 causes for concern among these three photos? If so, what would you do to correct them?

Training has always provided an effective way to stay on top of the latest industry products and trends, but with the wave of younger plumbing and HVAC technicians entering the field, it has become even more critical to success.

It is in the interest of regulators, engineers, contractors, architects and system owners to find the most efficient paths to pump system solutions. The rising tide of standards plays a significant role in elevating the performance, reliability and quality of pump systems — minimizing the trial and error it often takes to arrive at the solutions best suited for the application. However, some standards stand out for the magnitude of their impact.

It’s quite an understatement to say that managers of Ironshield Brewing near Atlanta, take customer satisfaction seriously. Or, that brewing is a passion there.