Businesses don’t succeed in a vacuum — and that is true in all industries, including plumbing, HVAC and electrical contracting businesses. Thankfully, contracting business owners are not on their own and don’t have to learn to “reinvent the wheel.” There are a number of industry associations and best practice organizations available to help.
Over the last few years, I’ve written several columns describing how air-to-water heat pumps can provide heating, cooling and domestic hot water for homes. Many of the systems involve buffer tanks to help stabilize heat transfer from the heat pump to a zoned distribution system.
My neighbor, Tony, loves his house. We live in a low-crime neighborhood on Long Island but Tony is always on guard against miscreants. He has a Ring camera on every side of his house, mounted high so they’re protected from spray paint. Some of the cameras turn on klieg lights and alarms if I step outside at night to toss the trash in the can.
The Lovely Christy and I have had the great fortune of walking many piers in our time together. One of our favorites is in Huntington Beach, California. The energy of a pier is great, with many different types of people, all doing what they came for.
How much money do you have in the bank? I’m talking about your business primarily, but your personal cash reserves can become an important tool to temporarily support your business.
Leave behinds are low-cost items that you give to customers to promote your brand following service calls or that you give away during home shows and other events. Oftentimes, plumbers stumble with leave behinds because they select things they might like instead of what the customer values. Here are 17 great leave behinds that will build brand recall with consumers.
Plumbers and their customers are living in a digital age, which means more potential clients are finding a plumber online via Google searches. If more customers are finding plumbers on Google, then it is important that you take the right steps to ensure you are the plumber they find.
As governments continue to race toward achieving the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, it is now evident that the COVID-19 pandemic had an unexpected side effect of helping to lower global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). However, with more individuals beginning to re-engage in pre-pandemic activities, emissions are once again on the rise.
There are multiple ways to dehumidify a space — mechanical, reheat and desiccant to name a few. The biggest issue has been that conventional air conditioning units are only 10% effective at removing humidity. Until now, standard de-humidification systems were expensive to purchase and install.
There’s nothing worse than coming home to find a burst pipe or malfunctioning water heater has flooded your basement. It’s perhaps why leak detection and prevention products continue to become more popular each year.
A technician installs a system to provide domestic hot water to a high end house with several bathrooms. Can you spot at least five details that are incorrect, and recommend how to fix this situation?
After working for a plumbing company who wouldn’t give him a day off, Levi Torres and his wife, Cassi Torres, decided to start their own plumbing business in 2012. The couple wanted a company that supported its employees and served every customer with professionalism and respect, and High 5 Plumbing was born.
Along with cutting-edge technology, Bell & Gossett has reinforced its emphasis on hands-on training with dedicated space for three new demonstration areas that feature functional displays of equipment for a variety of commercial and industrial applications, including variable speed controller technology, plumbing products and service and maintenance.
Sloan announced its partnership with The Water Council as the inaugural member of its recently-launched WAVE program. A water stewardship initiative, the WAVE program provides companies like Sloan — a Water Council member since 2011 — with ways to improve their water stewardship efforts.
Steve Hocurscak has joined Watts as senior product manager, regulators and automatic control valves (ACVs). He will have overall responsibility for Watts Regulator and ACV product management, as well as for developing and executing new strategies focused on business growth.
Established as a foundry of brass fixtures in 1851, Oventrop has since evolved into a global manufacturer of balancing valves and thermostatic radiator valves for the building industries. The family-owned company is now expanding into the American market, and Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke had the chance to chat with Nicola Schannath, CEO of Oventrop-US, about the company’s plans in the United States and current PHCP-PVF market trends.
Think you know pump systems? Think again. From misidentifying the major culprits of ownership costs to taking the wrong approach in implementing variable speed drives, misconceptions around pumps create missed opportunities for greater efficiency and cost savings.
The hygiene and functionality of commercial restrooms are under more scrutiny than ever, impacting today’s design guidelines. Are your restroom projects hitting all the right notes?
There’s no question that the pandemic has left a permanent mark on commercial restrooms. Seemingly overnight, the pandemic produced a new set of standards from which we, as end-users, now evaluate restrooms.
Two facets of building infrastructure have gained close attention in the wake of widespread disease: Indoor air quality and water quality within commercial structures. Adding to the problem of providing clean water, globally, are challenges posed by an aging municipal and commercial infrastructure.
Weil-McLain’s 95% AFUE high-efficiency ECO Tec boiler features heat only and combi versions for all residential space and domestic hot water heating, the company explains.
Available in heating and combi models, the all-new Alta offers next-generation gas adaptive technology, providing no-touch 5-minute startup, automatic self-calibration, and sensorless outdoor reset.
With innovative design and control technology, the Laars MagnaTherm FT boiler provides reliability, exceptional energy efficiency and industry-leading performance for a variety of commercial applications and conditions, the company explains.
One of the many issues surrounding climate change is the efficiency of HVAC systems. In fact, the EPA suggests that space heating and cooling accounts for about 48 percent of energy use in U.S. residences and about 44 percent of energy use in commercial buildings.
Demand for radiant heating and cooling is on the rise. A 2021 report from Research and Markets predicted the global hydronic system market would grow by $1.3 billion from 2021 to 2025, progressing at a compound annual growth rate of 7%.
Facilities and grounds managers who operate in colder climates know all too well that snow and ice management can be a significant expense and time-consuming challenge. The obvious and direct costs of plow and snow hauling services as well as the chemical and salt requirements are labor and equipment intensive, and are often only the tip of the literal iceberg.
It doesn’t matter if you’re constructing your single-family dream house or designing and building a large commercial piece of real estate — there are so many decisions that need to be made. The decisions will have important implications as to the cost, sustainability, life and comfort of the people living or working in the facility. It is vital that you choose wisely.
tekmar launched two new accessories. The Leveling Shim Kit 096 prevents standing water on top of snow/ice sensors by making them flush with the surface of a slab.
Saving up to 85% in install time, Radiant Rollout Mats from Uponor are a custom-designed, prefabricated, pre-pressurized solution for faster, easier, more consistent commercial radiant heating and cooling installations.
By now, everyone has heard the message that prefabrication is the answer to greater job-site productivity, installation consistencies and project profitability. However, there’s a new trend beginning to take hold that offers even better results for large commercial projects looking to maximize smart building design with radiant heating and cooling systems.