2025 October

The October 2025 issue of Plumbing & Mechanical features our cover story on the 2025 Residential Contractor of the Year. Also inside: Apprentices reflect on learning and leadership, what water chemistry has to do with boiler efficiency, our featured columns, new products and much more!

Lake Crescent, a glacially carved lake in Washington inside of Olympic National Park

Editorial Opinion | Kristen Bayles

Clear waters, clear purpose: reflections on protecting a vital resource

A journey through the Pacific Northwest offers a vivid reminder of the care and vigilance required to protect and deliver one of our most vital resources.

Kristen R. Bayles

October 22, 2025

In nature, water moves in carefully balanced cycles: it falls as rain, runs along streams, and percolates through the soil. Each step in that journey is absolutely critical to maintaining water's life-giving power. Similarly, human plumbing and water systems are designed to replicate that balance.

Chicago Vintage Apartment Buildings in Portage Park

Heating Perceptions | Scott Secor

Invoices, inspections, and integrity: lessons from Leonard

One owner’s insistence on value, quality and expertise leaves a lasting mark.

Scott Secor

October 20, 2025

Approximately twenty years ago, we got a call from someone who owned three identical apartment buildings in a nearby town. His name was Leonard. He recently visited an annual building-owners trade show and heard that we knew how to fix and properly adjust outdoor reset controls. Leonard called us, and we made an appointment.

Plumber fixing a pipe and talking to his clients in the kitchen.

Guest Editorial | Joe Mozzone

Ethics in service businesses: Making production-based business models work

Necessary quality control elements within modern industry ideology.

Joe Mozzone

October 16, 2025

As many companies adopt growth-oriented language, it’s important to explore the tactical strategies behind it. Key benchmarks to consider include: What roles do we need to fill in the next few years? How do we retain our experienced employees? Who is our ideal customer and how many will we have in three years? What are our projected revenues in 5 and 10 years? Are our plans aligned with healthy gross and EBITDA margins?

Hydronics Workshop | John Siegenthaler

How mismatched loads in a dual-temperature heat pump system can limit performance

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John Siegenthaler, P.E.

October 8, 2025

At a supply water temperature of 103 ºF, the heating capacity of the heat pump is the same as the total heat dissipation ability of the distribution system. That’s where this system achieves thermal equilibrium. The floor heating zone is fine at this condition, but the output of the air handler is significantly lower than what was planned for based on the assumption that 120 ºF supply water would be available.

Construction worker wearing safety harness and safety line working at high place.

Contractor's Corner | Dave Yates

Death waits for no one: A lesson in confined spaces

Dave Yates

October 7, 2025

We didn't fully grasp the dangers since no one was OSHA certified or required to comply. It wasn't until one employee reported feeling faint while testing backflow preventers in a large underground pit that I recognized the risks. My right-hand man, also the Deputy Chief of the local hazmat team, had expertise in air quality testing.

Daniel, a plumber with Jolly Plumbing, walking away from a Jolly work truck, a house in the background.

Meet the 2025 Residential Contractor of the Year: Jolly Plumbing, Drains, Heating & Air

Reimagining home services: Jolly Plumbing, Drains, Heating & Air grows through culture, community and change.

Natalie Forster

October 7, 2025

When Brady Jolly steps into the office each morning, he’s carrying more than the responsibility of running a nearly 60-person business. He’s carrying forward the legacy of a company his parents founded back in 1979 — a company that has reinvented itself more than once and is today on a mission to "reimagine how the world experiences home services."

The Glitch & The Fix: October 2025

Hindsight - From complex loops to clean headers: simplifying for reliability

John Siegenthaler, P.E.

October 13, 2025

Around 25 years ago, I developed a design that sends high-temperature water to a remote manifold for low-temperature floor heating, mixing it with returning water to achieve the optimal supply temperature, regulated by a variable speed pump. Can you identify a problem with this approach or propose a better one?

Sewage treatment plant for wastewater purification.

Smarter solutions for overcoming wastewater management challenges

Learn how advanced centrifugal grinder pump design addresses common performance and maintenance hurdles.

Andy Freberg

October 13, 2025

The most efficient grinder pump requires no maintenance, manages solids without clogging, and supports various wastewater systems by preventing settling and handling modern “flushable” products.

A male engineer is examining the pipe system and checking the data on his tablet.

Boiler efficiency starts with water chemistry

Why testing before installation matters.

Steve Wieland

October 10, 2025

Water chemistry significantly affects boilers, with scale buildup as small as one-sixteenth of an inch causing a 20 percent loss in heating efficiency and leading to corrosion, leaks, and potential boiler failure. Analyzing water chemistry beforehand is crucial for identifying necessary solutions and ensuring long-term performance.

An apprentice from PHCC member companies competing at PHCC Connect.

Voices of the future: Apprentices reflect on learning and leadership

PHCC Foundation expands training to meet contractors’ evolving needs.

Natalie Forster

October 10, 2025

Apprenticeship has long been the heartbeat of the plumbing and HVAC trades. But for today’s apprentices, training looks different than it did for their mentors and parents. With new online programs, flexible learning schedules, and updated curriculum that reflects the latest industry standards, apprentices are able to gain both the technical “booksmarts” and the on-the-job confidence needed to thrive.