Plumbing and Mechanical

In the March 2026 issue of Plumbing & Mechanical we introduce ten influental women in the industry. New system platforms are redefining maintenance. Discover how code literacy is the contractor’s best advantage. Apply right-sizing strategies for residential plumbing systems. Also, our monthly columns, new products, and more.

Check back throughout the month for additional content.

Women in the Industry

10 Influential Women of 2026 in the Plumbing Industry

Ten women share their history in the trades, and what they love about the industry.

Kristen R. Bayles

March 8, 2026

P&M highlights ten trailblazers in the industry for Women's History Month.

The end of reactive service

Sensorization, analytics, and service model transformation is changing the way that contractors react to, and are able to prevent, disruptions of service.

Kristen R. Bayles

March 12, 2026

In a data-informed environment, plumbing and mechanical systems become managed infrastructure — visible, measurable and continuously optimized. Contractors who embrace that reality position themselves not simply as technicians, but as long-term asset stewards in an increasingly performance-driven built environment.

Code literacy: the contractor's best advantage

Traditionally, code knowledge was defensive. Today, it's an offensive strategy.

Kristen R. Bayles

March 11, 2026

Codes are expanding into areas like resilience, electrification, water quality management and long-term accountability. No longer are they static rulebooks; they’re living frameworks shaping how systems perform over decades.

Editorial Opinion | Kristen Bayles

AHR and KBIS/IBS highlighted how AI, efficiency mandates and workforce evolution are converging on the jobsite

Tech takes the lead

Kristen R. Bayles

March 25, 2026

The conversation has clearly moved beyond connectivity for connectivity’s sake, and into something more actionable; and, with new expectations for energy-efficient and low-carbon systems, more necessary.

Guest Editorial | Mike Prencavage Jr. & Chris Lollini

Building a profitable plumbing business in an uncertain market

Why efficiency, community trust and disciplined leadership are becoming the real growth levers for contractors.

Chris Lollini

Mike Prencavage Jr.

March 20, 2026

The next era of the trades won’t be dominated solely by the most prominent brands or the loudest marketers. It will be shaped by operators who understand efficiency, protect their margins, and invest in genuine relationships.

Contractor's Corner | Dave Yates

Cold snaps don’t just freeze pipes; they steal hot water

Dave Yates

March 20, 2026

A common plea during the recent bitter cold spell: no heat, frozen pipes, frozen underground water service line and sewer lines, too! But, there’s always at least one issue homeowners never expected - running out of hot water when they haven’t had that problem previously.

Hydronics Workshop | John Siegenthaler

Why thermal mass and domestic hot water demand don’t always play nicely together

Hands off!

John Siegenthaler, P.E.

March 18, 2026

When radiant slabs and high-demand fixtures share a heat source, thermal equilibrium doesn’t always favor the shower.

Heating Perceptions | Scott Secor

As temperatures plunge across the eastern U.S., emergency calls surge

Cold Calls

Scott Secor

March 13, 2026

The recent cold weather means one thing for contractors: an increase in calls.

Guard on Compliance | Misty Guard

Beyond flow rates: the structural shift in state-level mechanical and plumbing regulation

The most significant compliance fissure lies between states that codify specific metrics and those that adopt "dynamic" regulatory pointers.

Misty Guard

March 6, 2026

Although lower flow rates and higher energy factors remain central, the bills pending in Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia reveal a more profound structural shift.

How do North American and European hydronic systems differ?

John Siegenthaler, P.E.

March 10, 2026

When comparing hydronic systems designs that are common in North America with typical European equivalents, comparisons reveal details that would be beneficial in either market, but are not “traditional” in one market or the other.

The Glitch & The Fix: Troubleshooting hydronic piping mistakes in panel radiator systems

John Siegenthaler, P.E.

March 4, 2026

Figure 1 shows a hydronic system that’s intended to supply four panel radiators, each with their own thermostatic radiator valve and an indirect water heater from a gas-fired sectional cast-iron boiler. The system is designed using primary/secondary piping. The primary circulator operates whenever the space heating load or the indirect water heater call for heat.