Contractor - October 2024

New Orleans Saints Sport Linear Drains in Revamped Locker Room

NEW ORLEANS, LA — After 11 years, the New Orleans Saints locker room at the Caesars Superdome has undergone a complete transformation into a modern and motivational space for players of this National Football League franchise.

Zach Strief, a former Saints player, offers a detailed tour of the newly designed locker room online, highlighting

Turn to New Orleans, page 10

you

IAPMO Holds Annual Education and Business Conference in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NV — The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Official’s annual Education and Business Conference will return to Las Vegas September 22 through the 26th at the Planet Hollywood resort and casino. This marks the return of the event to Sin City after being held there in 2005 and again in 2017.

President Biden Signs ‘Good

Executive Order

ANN ARBOR, MI — On September 6th, President Joe Biden visited the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 190’s Jobs Training Center in Ann Arbor to sign the “Good Jobs EO,” an executive order designed to promote strong labor standards including family-sustaining wages, workplace safety, and the free and fair opportunity to join a union.

With this Executive Order, the BidenHarris Administration will specify a

Turn to President, page 48

LABEL

As

step inside, you first notice the massive, three-dimensional, backlit fleur-de-lis on the wall, proudly declaring it the home of the Saints.

President Joe Biden delivers a speech in front of the White House in May of 2024.

The Codes Committee voting at the 94th Education and Business Conference.

Turn to Story, page 51

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Brady Kroll Competes as WorldSkills 2024 Contestant

FALLS CHURCH, VA – The PHCC Educational Foundation is proud to support Brady Kroll of Barnesville, Minnesota, who represented the United States at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, held in France from September 10 to 15, 2024. As one of 26 competitors from around the world, Kroll demonstrated his skills on an international stage, competing against top talent from other countries.

Rheem

Employees

Part of National Effort to Pack 8 Million Meals for 9/11 Day

ATLANTA, GA – Rheem®, the Atlanta-based manufacturer of water heating and HVAC products, joined forces with 9/11 Day Meal Pack to honor the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

“We are proud to support 9/11 Day and its mission to inspire the spirit of unity, service and shared humanity throughout the country and in our

CLEVELAND, OH — Sonnhalter, a communications firm marketing to the professional tradesman in the construction, industrial and MRO markets, partnered with Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity for Sonnhalter’s 15th Annual Tool Drive. The initiative ran the entire month of August and collected nearly $50,000 worth of donations of tools and

Columnists

EDITORIAL STAFF

VP/Market Leader-Buildings & Construction

Mike Hellmann, mhellmann@endeavorb2b.com

Group Editorial Director-Buildings & Construction

Mike Eby, meby@endeavorb2b.com

Editor-In-Chief

Steve Spaulding, sspaulding@endeavorb2b.com

Editor-At-Large

John Mesenbrink, jmesenbrink@endeavorb2b.com

Contributing Writer Kelly Faloon

COLUMNISTS

Al Schwartz, Management

Pat Linhardt, Hydronics & Radiant Patti Feldman, Technology Matt Michel, Marketing

Art Director, Susan Lakin

Ad Services Manager, Deanna O’Byrne

Production Manager, Sam Schulenberg

Classified Production Designer, Terry Gann Audience Development Manager, James

Opening ceremonies of the WorldSkills competition in Lyon, France. ➤ Turn to Brady, page 12

Rheem employees join together, in Atlanta, for national effort to pack 8 million meals for 9/11 Day Meal Pack program

Turn to Rheem, page 50

volunteers.

Turn to Sonnhalter, page 8

In Brief

Emerson is joining the Linux Foundation’s Margo, a new open-standard initiative designed to make edge applications, devices and orchestration software work together across multi-vendor industrial automation environments. The initiative complements Emerson’s vision for a next-generation, modern automation architecture.

ASHRAE has announced its inaugural cohort of Certified Decarbonization Professionals (CDPs). The CDP program is an international certification that validates the competency of decarbonization professionals to assess, analyze, and develop strategies to reduce or eliminate the life-cycle carbon footprint of buildings.

Armstrong Fluid Technology recently participated in the expansion of the Enwave Energy Corporation Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) system that provides clean energy services to buildings in downtown Toronto via an innovative district cooling network. Expanding the existing DLWC system by adding a fourth pipe will save 220 million gallons of water annually.

A new report  explores the unique opportunities the United States has in sourcing copper. Copper in the US: Opportunities and Challenges, was commissioned by the Copper Development Association and conducted by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The study found that without increased domestic production, the US will be 60% reliant on foreign imports by the year 2035.

Balfrey & Johnston has become the Wisconsin representative for Zurn Elkay Water Solutions

The company has been Zurn Elkay’s representative in Michigan for decades, with 65 years of experience working with the Elkay brand and 40 years of experience with the Zurn brand. With 33 employees in Michigan and Wisconsin, their team includes industry experts involved with ASPE, AIMR and the ASA

ASNT Certification Services LLC and The American Welding Society have announced a cooperative relationship that will focus on harmonizing requirements for certifications and expanding the global reach of both organizations through training and certification.

CONTRACTORmag.com

Visit www.Contractormag.com for your daily dose of industry news! online exclusive Top Stories

• Corken Co. to Host Home Comfort Expo

• Dental Office Renovation Avoids Costly Break Through to Install Sanitary Sink

• WINT Joins World Water Week in a Call for Solutions to Global Water Crisis

• 15 Home Service Pros Earn $150,000 in Jobber Grants For Business Excellence

Videos & Media Galleries

Ras Class from Rasmussen

Choose a card from Amazon, iTunes or Cabela’s. Every month the quiz focuses on a different topic, such as green plumbing, the history of plumbing, tools, or PVF. Test your knowledge and find out what your Plumbing IQ is! How Much Do You Know About Plumbing Codes? Take our Quiz and find out! 2019

While CONTRACTOR delivers the “news you can use” every month, we also offer several features that are recurring parts of our editorial calendar, such as Made in America, highlighting US-based manufacturers; our Under-30 All Stars, talking with young people just beginning their careers in the trade; our Book of Giants, profiling some of the country’s largest mechanical contractors; and (perhaps my favorite) our Contractor of the Year, such as this profile of E. M. Duggan from back in 2019.

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American Plumber Stories Returns for Season 5

The acclaimed docuseries—fresh from winning three Telly Awards—is back with an international perspective.

BY STEVE SPAULDING

In response to the dire need for new people in the plumbing trade, Pfister Faucets created American Plumber Stories, a video series starring real plumbers and showing the work they do and the lives they live. The series explores how they got started, their advice for future plumbers, and—importantly—the rewards that come with the trade.

The series is the brainchild of Spencer Brown, Pfister’s Director of Sales. In the course of his work Brown met plumber after plumber struggling to recruit new team members, and sometimes struggling to pass on a successful business. “I just kept wondering, what we, as a brand, could do to help them out,” Brown said. “I kept saying, if you could just tell your story, more people would want to be a plumber.”

That’s where the name of the series had its origin. When the pandemic hit, Brown used the time and found the resources to turn the series into a reality. “One thing we found making these stories is that plumbing is a passion for these people,” Brown said. “They just love their job and as they talk about that they start to open up about the rewards of the profession.”

Acclaim and Support

Since its launch in 2021 the series has received high acclaim from both within the industry and beyond. At the 45th Annual Telly Awards American Plumber Stories won the Silver in the Best in Public Interest and Awareness category, the Bronze in the Non-Scripted Online category, and the Bronze for the Editing Online category.

The series has also gained industry partners in companies such as Oatey, RIDGID, NIBCO, Cintas and AprilAire and in organizations like the International Code Council (ICC) and the Plumbing, Heating and

Cooling Contractors (PHCC) National Association.

The series recently launched its 5th season. Charismatic country music star (and Army Reserve soldier) Craig Morgan returns as the show’s host.

“This year, Pfister’s American Plumber Stories is heading to my second home state of Alaska and beyond, and five seasons in, it remains an honor to share these stories of inspiring men and women on the frontline

Raymond to recruit the next generation of plumbers to help build Lahaina back.

Australia – Martin is the “Crocodile Dundee” of the plumbing industry in Tasmania. He specializes in servicing remote locations that he reaches by helicopter and small bush planes.

“We had an opportunity with the International Code Council. They were big fans of American Plumber Stories and reached out to me and wanted to be involved,” Brown explained. ICC proposed a remote plumbing specialist in Tasmania, doing interesting applications with rainwater capture.

of the worldwide plumbing trade,” Morgan said.

Going International

In addition to Alaska, season five will also present stories from Hawaii and around the world.

Maui – In the season premiere, we meet a recently retired plumber who lost his house and everything he owned in the Lahaina fire disaster. The set-back motivates his son

Alaska – This episode explores the beauty of the state, and what it’s like for Bill to work as a plumber in an extreme climate. It also takes a look at what a plumber’s downtime can look like. One of Bill’s technicians at Hard Roc Plumbing,  Shane Maddox is a boxer, and happened to have a fight during one of the nights the APS team was filming.

Vancouver Island, BC, Canada – This episode tells the inspirational story of Mary Anne who employs an

OF CONTRACTOR’S STAFF

The Lahaina wildfire and its aftermath are the backdrop for the first episode of the fifth season of American Plumber Stories.

The team at Maui Plumbing out on a job.

Raymond Michaels and the team at Maui Plumbing demonstrate the Aloha spirit during the season opener of American Plumber Stories.

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15th Annual Sonnhalter Tool Drive Raises Nearly $50,000 Worth of Donations

Continued from page 3

building materials. Since Sonnhalter began its efforts in 2010, it has collected $567,000—more than half a million in donations.

Organizations, businesses and residents were encouraged to donate new and gently used tools, including various building materials, furniture and appliances, to Sonnhalter in order to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s cause of eliminating substandard housing and homelessness.“Each year, we are amazed by the outpouring of support that we receive from the community, our various industry business partners and friends,” said Matt Sonnhalter , Vision

Architect at Sonnhalter. “This year— our fifteenth annual Sonnhalter Tool Drive—did not disappoint, as we have

collected nearly $50,000 to benefit this great cause.”

“We are so appreciative of Sonnhalter’s commitment of time, talent and treasure to Habitat’s cause. We simply couldn’t do this sacred work without their generosity and that of the public,” said John Litten , President/CEO of the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. “I also loved being all over town and seeing the Sonnhalter/Habitat donation bins!”

Community participants in the 15th Annual Sonnhalter Tool Drive included Berea Recreation Center, Canvas at Valor Acres, Cuyahoga County Public Library-Berea Branch, Frangos Group, Rising Star Coffee

Roasters, Skidmark Garage, St. Mary of the Falls, The Wine Spot and many individuals living in the community.

Trade industry participants in the 15th Annual Sonnhalter Tool Drive included General Pipe Cleaners, Independence Excavating, Jergens, Inc., Kapro, Lakeside Supply, Mortar Net, NIBCO, Samsel Supply, Stahlwille, Wright and The Macomb Group/ Woodhill Supply.

All donations that Sonnhalter collected on behalf of the Tool Drive benefited Greater Cleveland’s Habitat for Humanity. The donated items will be used for various projects with Habitat for Humanity or will be sold at one of the organization’s ReStores, recycled building materials and home furnishings stores. Proceeds from the ReStore sales are used to help Habitat build and rehabilitate homes for those in need.

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All donations that Sonnhalter collected on behalf of the Tool Drive benefited Greater Cleveland’s Habitat for Humanity.

Saints Sport Linear Drains in Revamped Locker Room

➤ Continued from page 1

its modern and functional design.

As you step inside, you first notice the massive, three-dimensional, backlit fleur-de-lis on the wall, proudly declaring it the home of the Saints. This striking feature sets the tone for the rest of the locker room, emphasizing the pride and spirit of New Orleans. The redesigned locker room boasts a sleek layout with enclosed lockers featuring illuminated helmet nameplates and innovative storage solutions. Seats double as locker doors and ventilated compartments address South Louisiana’s humidity.

Additionally, lockboxes with charging ports and specialized shoe lockers enhance functionality. Inspirational photos and quotes throughout remind players of the team’s values.

Pontchartrain Mechanical

Pontchartrain Mechanical Co., Inc., founded in February 1972, was contracted for the locker room renovation. Over the years, Pontchartrain Mechanical has become one of the largest and leading mechanical contractors serving Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. The company has 150 full-time, professional employees providing heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and plumbing services and has a sales volume exceeding $20 million.

Led by Wendell Humphres , P.E., Vice President of Pontchartrain Mechanical Co., the locker room project involved a two-phase approach to revitalize the space and better accommodate the team’s needs. Humphres leads the engineering team and the prefabrication side of the company. His team draws all the models and coordinates the details of what to send to job sites.

The project faced constraints regarding space utilization, functionality, and overall design, posing a significant challenge to the renovation process.

“The renovation of the existing locker room involved a complete overhaul, from adding a hydrotherapy pool to expanding the physical therapy area and incorporating a sound system,” he says. According to Humphres, the renovated facility also entailed enlarging

Recent renovations of the National Football League franchise’s locker room

the locker room, new and improved shower facilities for both the coaches and the players, and a new nutrition hall, all providing enhanced amenities for the players.

“Overall, the renovation has increased the facility’s size by three to five thousand square feet and offers numerous benefits to the players,” says Humphres.

Pontchartrain Mechanical Co. leveraged its expertise in mechanical and plumbing systems to integrate state-ofthe-art solutions to enhance the functionality and aesthetics of the locker room shower facilities. The company’s

concerns about trench alignment.

“You can miter the pieces together and do the same with the drain cover, resulting in a clean and consistent appearance,” Humphres explains.

The trough extensions component was installed to bridge drain bodies together. This feature was key to the drain layout, which involved a continuous trench-drain system around the entire shower space. This layout was planned for both the coaches’ and players’ showers.

ProLine linear drains can be customized to adapt to various job-site situations, including adding or upsizing outlets and customizing and adjusting lengths. Trough extensions allow the drain body to extend wall-to-wall for full coverage, efficient drainage, and a beautiful aesthetic. ProLine linear drains accommodate rough openings (wallboard-to-wallboard) from 26 inches to 32 inches.

in-house engineering capabilities enabled it to design and implement plumbing solutions tailored to the specific needs of the New Orleans Saints.

A key challenge of the shower facilities, in particular, was the drainage system, which the architect and engineer designed as a continuous trench drain system surrounding an open shower layout.

ProLine Linear Drains

Pontchartrain Mechanical chose to install Oatey’s QuickDrain ProLine linear drains in both the coaches’ and players’ showers.

“We used the QuickDrain linear drains on another project right before this one kicked off, so we were already familiar with the assembly details,” states Humphres.

Both the architect and the engineer appreciated how the corners of the drain could be mitered together, using trough extensions to marry end-to-end drain bodies and covers, eliminating

Humphres says the player shower area is quite spacious, with around 21 shower stalls all sloped towards the trench for a seamless look. The coach’s shower area has nine stalls. There are referee and administrative locker rooms with private stall setups with individual linear drains positioned right at the foot of the wall. However, the player and coach showers have a more elaborate design, with the trench drain creating a continuous line around the entire space, as mentioned earlier.

Each linear drain body is made of 18-gauge, 316L marine-grade stainless steel and ships with a waterproofing kit. The drains can be installed with various waterproofing options, such as liquid, hot mop fabric and CPE/ PVC liners. Installers can complete the shower system with a coordinating decorative drain cover and their preferred waterproofing method.

“Gensler decided on the stainless drain body since it was higher-end and could be assembled more cleanly,” explains Humphres. “The PVC drain body [QuickDrain’s ShowerLine system] might be better for other uses, but in this case, the architect really wanted that specific stainless steel look and feel to show through.”

The redesigned locker room boasts a sleek layout with enclosed lockers featuring illuminated helmet nameplates and innovative storage solutions.

ProLine linear drains can be customized to adapt to various job-site situations, including adding or upsizing outlets and customizing and adjusting lengths.

Brady Kroll Competes as WorldSkills 2024 Contestant

Continued from page 3

In the WorldSkills competition, each contestant receives a project assignment that they must complete within a specific deadline. Their work is assessed by a group of expert judges who evaluate it based on WorldSkills International (WSI) standards. The results are then calculated, and the champions are revealed during the prestigious Closing Ceremony.

Kevin Tindall , Chairman of the PHCC Educational Foundation, expressed his excitement about Brady’s participation in the competition: “We are incredibly proud of Brady and the dedication he has shown to his craft. Competing at this level is a testament to the quality of the training programs we provide, and Brady’s participation highlights the importance of skilled trades on a global scale.”

WorldSkills Lyon

Named by the French government as a Grande Cause Nationale in recognition of its value to the country, WorldSkills Lyon 2024 has also established the city of Lyon as a global hub of skills excellence and a warm and welcoming host. Within France’s third largest city, the Competition has stimulated the local economy through increased tourism, hospitality services, and infrastructure development. More than 1,200 volunteers offered their time and energy to make the Competition a success and ensure visitors had an uplifting experience.

Samantha , a volunteer from Barbados, said, “The atmosphere here has been incredible. You can feel the passion and dedication radiating from every Competitor. It is not just about winning – it is about pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Watching these young people at work, you cannot help but feel optimistic about the future. I feel honoured to have played a part in that.”

For a week, the centre of Lyon was transformed into a Village des Métiers, or Skills Village, at Place Bellecour, where people could engage with different skills and learn about new careers.

Meanwhile, the Sports & Skills exhibition at the Rhône Prefecture also drew large crowds, highlighting the connections between WorldSkills Competitors and athletes.

Rachel Crawford , WorldSkills Champions Trust representative for

and schools, encouraging cultural exchange on both sides. The 5,000 students who took part in the programme also came to visit Eurexpo to see their new skills heroes in action and go home inspired.

WorldSkills Global Partners also took

Kroll will demonstrate his skills on an international stage, competing against top talent from other countries.

Oceania and ASEAN, joined the crowds at the Skills Village to try her hand at the skills on show. She said, “It is so fun when you get to interact with the WorldSkills movement and see all of the public get to try a skill.”

Local business got into the spirit of sharing with the Journées Portes Ouvertes, or Company Open Days, which gave visitors unprecedented access to local business through behind-the-scenes industry tours. Local French industries and trade associations were also invited to Eurexpo to see skills excellence first-hand during the competition.

Schools in Lyon and across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region had a chance to get up-close to Competitors through One School One Country (OSOC). WorldSkills Lyon 2024 paired over 50 local schools with WorldSkills Member teams. The initiative formed a close connection between Members

US Department of Labor Launches Severe Injury Report

WASHINGTON, DC — The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has unveiled an online tool giving users the ability to search its severe injury report database and view trends related to workplace injuries occurring in states covered by federal OSHA.

The Severe Injury Report dashboard allows users to search and download data by year, industry, state, establishment name, and Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System codes. The dashboard includes infor -

mation on all severe injuries reported by employers covered under federal OSHA since 2015.

OSHA encourages workers and employers to use the dashboard to learn how severe injuries happen in their industries and use the agency’s available resources to help prevent workplace injuries. A brief instructional video is

available to demonstrate how to use the dashboard.

Federal law requires employers to notify OSHA of a work-related in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours of the incident. The agency’s compliance assistance specialists and on-site consultations are available across the country and in US territories to help employers.

To learn more about OSHA’s severe injury report data, and the severe injury reporting requirement, visit www. osha.gov/severeinjury.

the competition out into the community, literally. IAPMO and GROHE have set up a social impact project with BTP CFA Rhône training school, approximately 5km north of the city of Lyon. They plan to repurpose materials and fittings from the Plumbing and Heating skill competition and use them to create a new washroom for men and women. As well as bringing a disused space back to life, the project gives students a chance to test out their skills on a live project.

As the competition concludes, there is confidence that the legacy of WorldSkills Lyon 2024 will live on, inspiring students, teachers, local residents and businesses to think about TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) with a new perspective and, in their own way, continue to support skills excellence.

The PHCC Educational Foundation

The PHCC Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and was established in December 1986 by PHCC members with the goal of helping their fellow contractors be more successful through education and professional training. These contractors believed and still believe that by helping their friends and their competitors, the whole profession benefits.

The Foundation provides innovative educational programming to enhance the growth and success of the plumbing and HVACR industry workforce. To deliver on its mission, the Foundation offers educational programs & training aimed at industry employees at every stage of their career.

A contestant on day one of the WorldSkills competition.

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ASTM Standard Updated for Polypropylene Pressure Piping Systems

IRVING, TX — Recent revisions led by the Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) Building & Construction Division resulted in improvements to the latest edition of the ASTM Standard, F2389 Standard Specification for Pressure-Rated Polypropylene (PP) Piping

Systems, which establishes requirements for polypropylene (PP-R and PP-RCT) piping system components including pipe, fittings, valves, and manifolds. The standard applies to hydronic heating and cooling, chilled water, water service lines, hot-and-cold water dis-

tribution, irrigation systems, and other related fluid transport applications. Originally issued in 2004, revisions to the latest edition of the standard published in July 2024, F2389-24a, include:

• Pressure-temperature ratings used for PP pressure pipe systems are

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clarified and harmonized by adding new definitions for “design stress” and “design coefficient” and then applying requirements for these factors in a new Section 5.6.1.

• Oxidative stability (i.e., chlorine resistance) classifications are revised from CL-TD and CL-R to Classes 0, 1, 3, and 5 for consistency with other pressure pipe standards (e.g., ASTM F876).

• Marking requirements are also revised.

New pressure ratings will be more consistent.

According to Lance MacNevin , P. Eng., director of engineering for PPI’s Building & Construction Division, “As a result of these recent revisions, pressure ratings will be more consistent throughout the industry and classifications for resistance to hot chlorinated water will be consistent with other piping materials.”

MacNevin continued, “Two types of PP are used for pressure piping systems: PP-R (polypropylene random copolymer) and PP-RCT (polypropylene random copolymer with modified crystallinity and temperature resistance). With their high temperature and pressure capabilities, PP-R and PP-RCT pipes are suitable for demanding pressure piping applications, such as plumbing, hydronics, and chilled water in commercial high-rise buildings or data centers.”

PPI formed the Polypropylene Pressure Pipe Steering Committee in 2018 to collaborate on industry standards such as F2389, coordinate research programs, develop technical publications, and create educational information about these systems. The recent revisions to F2389 are the latest result of cooperation between PPI member firms.

The revised standard is available directly from ASTM at: https://www.astm. org/f2389-24a.html

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by Al Schwartz

Trucks - Money Pit or Money Maker?

At the turn of the 20th century, when the automobile was new, most heavy lifting and hauling was done by horse, mule or oxen. The term “horsepower” is not a quaint colloquialism, it had real relevance when the internal combustion engine was new.

Now, as then, horsepower (horses then, trucks now) was expensive. Keeping horses, and other beasts of burden, healthy and productive was very expensive. Today, a new truck, especially a new work truck, can cost more than $100,000. Maintenance is another matter entirely.

In years past any “shade tree” mechanic could work on a truck, for not very much money, to keep it running smoothly. Not so today. With the new electronic components and engine improvements, only a trained mechanic (at the dealer) should, or could, work on it. The costs of repairs have skyrocketed and failure of electronic parts has now overtaken the drive train as the most expensive parts to work on.

Things may have changed since the early 2000s, but recalling how employees treated a new truck then still makes me cringe today. Giving a brand-new work truck to one of your service people used to give pause, at least. The trucks didn’t look so new after only a short while. Windshield cracks, dent’s, dings, scrapes and unspecified accidents seemed to appear out of thin air. Usually, but not always, you would give a new truck to your best employees in the hope that they might keep it looking new for a little while. After all, when the truck was outfitted and your name painted on it, it represented your company. It would not do to have your service guy show up at a customers’ home in a vehicle straight out of “Road Warrior.”

Still, it is a huge investment. The payments (if you didn’t buy it for cash) kept on coming, as well as any repairs that were required to keep the truck looking relatively new and on the road. A cost burden of significance.

A New Toy… Er, Truck

In better times, regularly trading in work trucks was almost a rite of passage. What owner, foreman or journeyman

How do you treat your trucks? As merely necessary tools, or as an extension of you and your company?

didn’t salivate over getting a new truck every couple of years? In fact, it was a great tax incentive because you could depreciate the vehicle over a short term. If you were moderately successful in business, it was easy to justify the expense of trading in your older trucks for newer ones regularly, and the “new” factor just added a bit of “success” to you and your business.

The argument could be made that newer trucks had less service problems than older ones, and that would be true to a point. It could also be said that improvements in technology made newer vehicles more cost efficient, and that would be true as well. The dark side of the equation was that in most, but certainly not all, cases employees rarely treated the new trucks with anything resembling good care after the “new” wore off. After all, they didn’t pay for it. Along with the aforementioned dents, dings and scrapes, etc. on the exterior, coffee, soda, chewing tobacco, etc. in the interior rendered a vehicle worn beyond its years in a very short time. This diluted the trade-in value and lowered the overall value for resale privately. Today, trading up for new trucks is much less likely if you are a small to medium sized shop. The cost of fuel alone (especially Diesel fuel! But that’s another column) is climbing faster than most owners’ blood pressure, with no end in sight. If you’ve always

taken exemplary care of your vehicles, what I am suggesting is not news, but if you are not in the habit of worrying too much about your trucks, you might find this at least interesting and, at best, a way to profit.

Keep on Truckin’

How do you treat your trucks? Do you look at them as merely necessary tools that help you do your job? Or do you see them as an extension of you and your company? This is a legitimate barometer of how long you can expect your expensive, depreciating asset to “live.”

In times past, there were those who took good care of their beasts of burden. They fed, doctored and husbanded their animals with care, thus extending their useful working life and realizing more profit in the bargain. Then there were those who took a different view. They, quite simply, worked the animals to death. When a horse or other working critter took ill or came up lame, they destroyed it and replaced it with another one.

The problem with the latter point of view was that, relatively speaking, livestock was expensive to replace. Unless a person was doing well in business, it was likely that replacing a horse, mule or other working animal was cost prohibitive. Relating that scenario to our present economic situation, one can understand that taking good care of vehicles

will save money in the long term and ease cash flow in the near term.

Maintaining Your Truck(s)

If you are not used to thinking in terms of truck longevity, it might be a good idea to start. It is much easier to repair a vehicle you own than to finance a new one. The repair that costs $1,600 or $1,800 dollars for a “paid for” three-yearold truck (does anyone not keep a truck for three or more years today?) is only a month or two’s payment on a new truck.

Keeping up service and maintenance on your trucks is the best way to keep them running and working. If you don’t have a regular maintenance schedule for your trucks, you are missing the big picture. With quick change oil/lube franchises almost as ubiquitous as gas stations, there is no reason not to have your trucks on a regular schedule for this most basic, but very necessary, maintenance.

Tires, shock absorbers and brakes wear out. Replace and repair them regularly. Waiting until you hear the wear sensor screeching at you to take a look at your brakes is foolish, and a waste of money. Riding on bald tires is, likewise, a false economy, and dangerous too. As mentioned earlier in this article, the cost of a new set of tires is about equal to two, or at most three, payments on a new truck. Heck, your insurance premiums will be less for an older truck too! Try thinking about how long you can make a truck last as a goal to be achieved. Regular washing and cleaning can also make your employees appreciate their company vehicle just a bit more too. Make vehicle maintenance and care a priority. You won’t be sorry. You’ll keep more of your hard-earned profits, and that’s what it’s all about.

The Brooklyn, NY-born author is a retired third-generation master plumber. He founded Sunflower Plumbing & Heating in Shirley, N.Y., in 1975 and A Professional Commercial Plumbing Inc. in Phoenix in 1980. He holds residential, commercial, industrial and solar plumbing licenses and is certified in welding, clean rooms, polypropylene gas fusion and medical gas piping. He can be reached at allen@proquilldriver.com.

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Electric Boilers as the Decarbonization Key

As the decarb conversation continues to evolve, heating alternatives are coming into the forefront.

BY JOHN MESENBRINK OF CONTRACTOR’S STAFF

The push toward electrification is moving at a rapid pace, whether we like it or not, and consumers and contractors alike need to be aware of the alternatives that are out in the market. CONTRACTOR magazine recently caught up with Ross Brawner, Lochinvar Product Manager, to discuss high-efficiency and electric boilers, and yes, heat pumps.

CONTRACTOR: How are high-efficiency and electric boilers working together to help solve decarbonization issues?

BRAWNER : As decarbonization initiatives continue to grow throughout the US, there has been an increased need for boiler technology solutions. Electric boilers have significant potential for many applications. These units already have an output on par with high efficiency gas units—and often offer critically important user-friendly features such as easy installation, fast startup/shutdown time and quiet operation. An electric boiler converts nearly 100% of the electrical energy into heat with no stack or heat transfer losses.

However, electric boilers are not always the ideal solution for every application, which is where high-efficiency combustion technology comes in. By converting water vapor to heat, condensing gas boilers are a highly efficient alternative to traditional non-condensing units. Condensing boilers deliver significantly higher efficiency than non-condensing units—and they’re also lighter and more compact. In builds and retrofits where engineers cannot or do not need to specify a fully electric unit, these high-efficiency condensing gas products can present an excellent alternative.

CONTRACTOR: I have a saying, “happy contractors, happy customers.” Are you seeing more contractors open to electric boilers, heat pumps, etc.?

BRAWNER : As technology continues to develop and advance, and regulations progress, we see contractors being more and more open to electric

boilers and heat pump water heaters. Many contractors have years and even decades of experience installing combustion equipment, and they understand that adopting this technology is critical to stay ahead of upcoming regulatory changes. Lochinvar creates “happy contractors” by giving them confidence installing different and newer technologies through our toptier Lochinvar University training. When given the proper tools, contractors feel confident and more open to electric boilers and heat pump water heaters and space heating equipment.

CONTRACTOR: What are some of the latest trends and technologies that will ultimately help contractors sell and install these units?

BRAWNER: Even states with ambitious decarbonization goals are finding that

recent advancements in technology that makes condensing boilers more advantageous for contractors. Lochinvar continues to invest in the development of gas boiler technology.

For example, Lochinvar’s CREST with Hellcat™ Combustion Technology features an O 2 sensor system which utilizes Feed Forward, Feed Back, Commissioned Trim and Learned Trim. By combining the information provided by the advanced O2 sensor with Lochinvar’s Smart Touch™ control, the unit is able to adapt to the environment it’s installed in.

BRAWNER : Throughout the industry, there has been pushback and concerns about the transition to electric boilers and heat pumps. For example, there are some amperage considerations for retrofitting an existing gas system to all electric; whether it’s heat pumps or electric boilers. The electrical infrastructure must be sufficient enough to handle the load and we want to make sure our customers are well aware of everything they need to make the transition go smoothly. When it comes to heat pumps, the output will decrease as the ambient temperature goes down.

‘There is a growing need for hybrid electric/gas systems that steadily lower carbon emissions.’

there is a growing need for hybrid electric/gas systems that steadily lower carbon emissions rather than transitioning overnight to all-electric systems. With this comes the steady advancement of both types of boiler technologies. For example, Lochinvar’s LECTRUS™ Commercial Electric Boiler features a unique SMART SYSTEM™ controls platform that allows for modulation and staging of the elements to operate within the full kW range of the boiler.

Providing installation flexibility is also incredibly important for contractors. Each installation features a unique set of challenges and obstacles to work around. With the LECTRUS boiler, customers switching to or upgrading a fully electric boiler system can cascade up to eight units of varying sizes to create a customized system that best suits their application needs. On the condensing boiler side of the industry, there have also been many

This adaptability makes it easier than ever for contractors to sell the technology in different climates and for different commercial installation needs. Plus, many of these technologies will be able to work together in hybrid systems or as stand-alone systems to give customers a diverse set of sustainable solutions.

CONTRACTOR: What are the incentives—other than the aforementioned carbon footprint aspect—for choosing electric boilers?

BRAWNER: Electric boilers do not use combustion technology and therefore they do not require venting, which reduces installation time and also gives additional flexibility on where the unit can be installed. Electric boilers also feature quieter operation in comparison to other technologies.

CONTRACTOR: I’m hearing some push back on electric and cold weather climates. How is Lochinvar working to tackle this?

A good solution in these climates is the LECTRUS electric boiler, which can be installed in any indoor environment without losing performance—even in below-freezing ambient conditions.

CONTRACTOR: What would be any major differences and usages between electric boilers and heat pumps?

BRAWNER: Electric boilers are going to shine in cold weather climates and many retrofit applications. The cold climate will not affect the output of the boiler and in retrofit applications, an electric boiler, like the LECTRUS boiler, will have a higher maximum setpoint for older heat distribution systems that require hotter water.

Heat pumps transfer Btus from the air or some type of source water into a refrigeration loop that heats up the hydronic water in the system. This technology, in the right conditions, can result in a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 4 or higher. However, in cold climates, the output and performance will decrease as the temperature drops. Also, maximum setpoints tend to be lower than electric boilers so unit sizing and making sure the heat distribution system is sized appropriately is critical for a successful system.

A computer rendering of the new LECTRUS electric boiler from Lochinvar.

Code & Regulation Roundup

By Steve Spaulding

CONTRACTOR looks at current state of the regulatory environment and what it means for plumbing contractors.

As we near the end of 2024, we can look back on a year that has seen a great deal of activity when it comes to codes and regulations at all levels of government. In this article, we will only be able to scratch the surface of what is a huge, complex and dynamic issue.

For those contractors looking for better, more detailed answers that will be more specific to the type of work they perform and the area of the country they work in, we suggest strongly that they reach out to their local chapter of either the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) or the Mechanical Contracting Association of America (MCAA). As well as being key sources of information, these organizations can amplify the voices of contractors in discussions with legislators and policy makers.

For those with an interest and relevant expertise, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) welcomes both members and non-members to participate in its codedevelopment process.

For plumbers doing residential service and repair at the small- to mid-sized business scale, the local plumbing code that they work to every day may not see much change. Even so, they can expect to see more

low-flow fixtures, high-efficiency toilets, “smart” controls and heat-pump water heaters in their dayto-day work. This might mean extra training for technicians, and possibly an investment in new tools and software.

The larger the business and the more commercial plumbing, multifamily plumbing and infrastructure-related projects they take on, the more codes and regulations will affect their bottom line.

In this feature we will group the most recent, most impactful developments in the code and regulatory environment by three policy aims:

• Protecting the health and safety of the public

• Directing how federal infrastructure money will be spent

• Decreasing carbon emissions

There is a great deal of crossover between the three. Some regulations are the direct result of laws passed by congress, others derive from rules established by regulatory bodies (such as the EPA or DOE); some are the effect of executive orders, some are from the voluntary adoption of codes (such as the Uniform Mechanical Code or the Uniform Plumbing Code), and some come from local rules and regulations.

Health and Safety

PFAS

Much like the Lead and Copper Rule from nearly a generation ago (1991), protecting the public from harmful contaminants—in this case PFAS—is the reasoning behind the new National Drinking Water Standard.

Back in April of 2024 the Biden Administration issued the national (and legally enforceable) drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”

Exposure to PFAS has been linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children. This final rule represents the most significant step to protect public health under EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap.

The EPA announced nearly $1 billion in newly available funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help states and territories implement PFAS testing and treatment at public water systems and to help

owners of private wells address PFAS contamination.

This is part of a $9 billion investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help communities with drinking water impacted by PFAS and other emerging contaminants—the largest-ever investment in tackling PFAS pollution.

Lead and Pathogens

However, just because the potential harm of PFAS are being addressed does not mean that concerns about lead contamination have disappeared. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriated approximately $15 billion to governmental entities—as administered by the EPA—for the identification and replacement of lead service lines (almost half of which will be provided to disadvantaged communities as grants or principal forgiveness). A lot of that money has finally worked its way to the municipal level.

For system designers and those in facilities maintenance, the fight against harmful contaminants is conducted alongside the fight against waterborne pathogens. This year, a key development in that fight has been the creation of ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI 12080, Professional Qualifications Standard for Legionella Water Safety and Management Personnel.

ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI 12080 outlines the minimum qualifications needed to become a member of a water safety team involved in the development of a risk assessment analysis, and water management and sampling plan, for protection from Legionella and other waterborne pathogens. Its purpose is to provide a curriculum of minimum criteria, identified by industry consensus, to ensure knowledge and understanding of standards and codes, and the resources, understanding, and skills needed to conduct a facility risk assessment and implement a water safety and management program.

(At the time of this writing, IAPMO is conducting the association’s Assembly Consideration Session, as part of the development of the 2027 Uniform Code at its annual conference. For more information turn to our cover story.)

Infrastructure

Efforts to safeguard America’s drinking water are tied closely to improvements in our nation’s water infrastructure. In February, the EPA announced over $5.8 billion in funds for states, tribes, and territories to invest in clean water infrastructure upgrades.

The funding is part of the over $50 billion investment in water infrastructure upgrades from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Almost half of this funding will be available as grants or principal forgiveness loans, ensuring funds reach underserved communities most in need of investments in water infrastructure.

The $5.8 billion investment will be made through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF), one of EPA’s signature water investment programs, with $2.6 billion going to the Clean Water SRF for wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and $3.2 billion going to the Drinking Water SRF for drinking water infrastructure.

Of key concern is how that money will be distributed. Back in 2022, the Biden Administration issued an Executive Order requiring Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for large (exceeding $35 million in anticipated costs), federally funded infrastructure projects. PLAs are collective bargaining agreements that require job owners/employers to hire through union halls (although those workers do not necessarily have to belong to a union).

Just in September, President Biden signed the “Good Jobs” executive order that outlines a clear list of labor standards that all Federal agencies should prioritize (see our lead story on the cover). The order again promotes Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), as well as Community Benefits Agreements (contracts between community groups and real estate developers that require specific amenities or mitigations), voluntary union recognition, and neutrality with respect to union organizing.

Merit shops and merit shop associations have objected strongly to the requirement of PLAs, and several lawsuits are working their way through the courts. (For more, read this month’s editorial on pg. 58.)

Efficiency & Carbon Emissions

At the end of August, the Department of Energy announced nineteen State and local governments would receive over $240 million to adopt and

implement the latest energy efficient building codes. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and administered through DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs, these grants are part of a suite of support, including “formula funding” to states and territories from the IRA and additional grants from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that DOE is providing to states, localities, territories, tribes, and their partners to advance both traditional and innovative building energy codes resulting in more resilient, energy-efficient buildings across the country.

For plumbing professionals, building efficiency standards all circle back to efficient water heating. In May of 2024, the DOE finalized Congressionally-mandated energy-efficiency standards for a range of residential water heaters. The new standards are projected to save American households approximately $7.6 billion per year on their energy and water bills, while significantly cutting

energy waste and carbon emissions.

Compliance will be required starting in 2029 for the new standards, which would result in over 50% of the newly manufactured electric storage water heaters to utilize heat pump technology, compared to 3% today.

Even more interesting are some initiatives being done at the local level. For example, in June of this year, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (which is in charge of the Greater Los Angeles area) approved updates to a rule (Rule 1146.2) that will require new and existing buildings to transition to zero-emission residential and commercial building water heaters.

For the first time ever, natural gas-fired pool heaters, larger water heaters, small commercial water heaters, boilers, and process heaters must meet a zero-emission nitrogen oxides (NOx) standard when replaced. For new buildings, the rule aligns with building standards that currently require zeroemission units.

The Post-Chevron World

In June, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision overruling its landmark 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which deferred to a federal agency’s reasonable interpretation of a statute. The decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo rolls back the power of agencies to interpret more ambiguous laws and instead gives courts leeway to exercise judgment.

The long-term implications of overturning the so-called Chevron doctrine may have a significant impact on current and future regulations, many of which effect the water industry.

Going forward, Congress may now need to be more precise in its language or be forced to make changes to laws. Federal agencies are likely to be more careful about how to comment on regulations and evaluate whether they have authority for particular rulemaking, resulting in longer timelines.

As the full effects of the ruling become clear, CONTRACTOR will work to keep our readers informed.

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by Patrick Linhardt

HYDRONICS MANAGER

AT CORKEN STEEL PRODUCTS CO.

Closing the Loop – in Hydronics and Life

When I was in the Air Force— before working with hydronics—I really enjoyed the times I got to get in an aircraft, get up in the air and fly around. I worked on ground radar, and for two weeks in Canada we commuted by helicopter to a remote site in the deep North woods, supporting a big war game by shooting a Soviet-style surface to air missile signal to passing aircraft. I enjoyed all those flights.

But as with almost everything, there is an exception. My exception would be the flight back from another war game in South Korea. I can’t remember how many hours I spent sitting on a side sling seat in the back of a windowless C141 cargo plane flying across the Pacific Ocean. Talk about boring. I couldn’t even play my cassette tape player (aka boom box).

Front Seat Ride

The Commemorative Air Force brought some of their planes to Cincinnati over the Labor Day weekend, so I decided to try flying around again. The B-17 front seat ride seemed pretty pricy, so I reserved a front seat ride on a B-25 bomber. That’s me after the flight. When the plane flew its fifteen combat missions, it didn’t have a catchy name or fancy artwork. Both were added with the CAF restoration.

As you can notice, I’m not feeling particularly well. It was a very hot day in cramped quarters. Throw in the backwards slide to get into and out of the front gunner turret, and I got a little queasy. I think the whole experience closed the loop for me and flying around. It was great when I was young, but not so much now that I’m old. The other shot is of the location of the subject of this column. It is the old money country club in the old money part of town. An old course confined by the surrounding high end real estate, some grand homes with steam or hot water heating systems. The outline of the course is evident from the air because of its brown color. This year they killed all the grass and are in the middle of moving around a lot of dirt.

Last year they made a lot of changes to the club house. They had been heating with steam and cooling with chilled water. I’ve been visiting the boiler room for years, helping first with the steam system then later with the chilled water piping. The big change was converting the steam heating system to hot water. Somehow, I wasn’t involved.

Then I got a call last month. A contractor was asking about why the booster heater on a commercial dish

I asked the obvious question, “Is all the condensate returned to the boiler or is some or all used for process?”

He assured me that the steam now fed only one booster heater and that it did have a trap and that it was connected to the return line feeding back into the boiler. The near boiler piping looked

The author takes a trip in a plane, and a trip to an old money boiler room that is having some issues.

washer wasn’t working. He said it was at the old money country club and that he put in a small steam boiler this summer to feed steam up to the kitchen for the big dishwasher. I suggested that we meet at the job site and take a look.

Old Money Jobs

You always park in the back at old money jobs. We walked in the employee entrance on the ground level and went straight to the old boiler room, where there was now a new residential size cast iron boiler. Through the years, I’ve seen a few boilers like this mis-applied. A cast iron boiler does not last very long on continuous fresh water make-up, so

great, with a properly sized header, properly drained to the equalizer line, and properly connected to the Hartford Loop. Nothing wrong with the boiler steam supply piping.

I traced the supply main leaving the header to where it connected to the riser going up to the dish room. Then I traced the return main back to the boiler. Something caught my eye, actually the absence of something peaked my interest. I asked if we could take a look at the dishwasher. As we walked through the prep areas and up a flight of steps, I tried not to look too closely. I’ve quit going to a few restaurants after walking through the kitchen.

The Missing Piece

We finally got to the dishwasher and while the contractor was taking off the cover the club manager came over. He is a hands-on kind of guy that I’ve worked with before, not a stuffed shirt like you might expect running an old money place. He reminded the contractor that there are actually three booster heaters working in this dishwasher. The one under the first cover was a small shell and tube heat exchanger.

The steam feeds into the shell of the heat exchanger through a control valve. On the outlet of the shell is a steam trap, which is connected to the return line going back to the boiler. The trap keeps the steam in the shell, heating the fresh water running through the tubes, while passing any air and condensate to the return line.

We looked around and found that the other boosters were hooked up in a similar manner. I still hadn’t found what I was looking for, any type of air vent. On the old steam system, the returns went back to a vented boiler feed tank, so no air vents would have been required at the dish machine. But on the new, dedicated-to-the dish machine steam system, the contractor didn’t allow for venting the air.

As I explained the situation, I could tell that the contractor realized his mistake. He said, “I closed the loop by piping the return that used to go to the vented boiler feed tank, directly to the boiler.” Air couldn’t get out of the way of the steam, blocking any steam flow. The good news was the addition of an automatic air vent to the return line in the boiler room was going to be an easy fix.

Patrick Linhardt is a forty-year veteran of the wholesale side of the hydronic industry who has been designing and troubleshooting steam and hot water heating systems, pumps and controls on an almost daily basis. An educator and author, he is currently Hydronic Manager at the Corken Steel Products Co.

A bird’s eye view of the country club.

The author, with a B-17 in the Commemorative Air Force in the background.

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A. O. Smith Celebrates 150 Years, Plant Expansion in Ciudad Juárez

MILWAUKEE, WI – A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS), a leader in water heating and water treatment, will celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Thursday, Sept. 19. The festivities will focus on A. O. Smith’s rich history, the employees, its innovative transformations and the promising future ahead.

The event will also celebrate the opening of the site’s third plant and an additional building expansion, which will add hundreds of new jobs and produce more than 140,000 water heating units in the first year.

Honoring Employees

“Our employees have made A. O. Smith what it is today—everyone has had an impact on our legacy,” said Kevin Wheeler , Chairman & CEO. “I am proud of our employees who are committed to producing high quality products, meeting the ever-changing needs of our customers and living A, O, Smith’s values every day. This celebration is just one way we’re honoring their dedication.”

The Sept. 19 celebration will include food, festivities and a ribbon cutting ceremony with employees, elected officials and other key stakeholders. More than 1,000 employees are expected to attend the event. In addition to Wheeler, attendees will hear

Upcoming event honors company and employees, recognizes new

from Stephen O’Brien , President and General Manager of North America Water Heating; Samuel Carver , Senior Vice President of Global Operations; Keith Auville, Vice President of North America Manufacturing; and Eduardo Gonzalez , Ciudad Juárez Operations Director. Claudia Escudero , Mexico Consulate Representative, and Cristina Touché, President of Economic Development of Ciudad Juárez, are also expected to attend.

facility.

Expanding to Answer Demand

Further strengthening A. O. Smith’s position as a leader in water heating and answering customer demand, the new plant in Ciudad Juárez will produce 39,000 tankless water heaters in the first year and will gradually increase that number each year. This production allows the company to manufacture tankless units for the first time in North America. The new plant will eventually create 300 new jobs

Rinnai Extends Partnership with Tony Stewart Racing

PEACHTREE CITY, GA — Rinnai America Corporation, manufacturer of a leading brand of tankless gas water heaters in North America, has extended their partnership with Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Series to promote its line of products. The partnership commenced in 2023 when TSR won their first championship in the Funny Car division with driver, Matt Hagan. In 2025, Tony Stewart Racing will continue to field two entries in the NHRA: four-time and defending Funny Car champion, Matt Hagan will pilot the Funny Car and either Tony Stewart

or Leah Pruett will drive the Top Fuel Dragster. Rinnai colors will continue to adorn both cars.

Speed, Efficiency, Quality

“Our expertise in the water heating industry is unmatched, and this partnership with Tony Stewart and

his NHRA team allows us to tell that story in an engaging, team-oriented environment that emulates the quality and dedication we put into our products and services,” said Frank Windsor , president, Rinnai America Corporation. “The similarities of our business to racing are numerous, especially when speed, efficiency, and superior quality are keys to success. Performance is paramount, and that’s something Rinnai has always understood. It’s part of our overall commitment to our customers and our brand promise of creating a healthier way of living ®.”

and will include offices, a cafeteria, a nursing station and two recreational areas for indoor soccer, basketball and volleyball.

The plant is slated to be production capable in October 2024 with full production starting in January 2025.

“It’s imperative to develop and manufacture our own gas tankless products as our business continues to grow,” said O’Brien. “Having production in Juárez will tremendously shorten the supply chain and allow for faster response and increased capacity to meet customers’ needs.”

An additional line is also being added to an existing plant to increase heat pump water heater production. Once complete in November 2024, production capacity will double, creating more than 160,000 units annually and another 100 new jobs.

150 Years of Innovation

From bicycles and baby carriages to water heating and water treatment solutions, A. O. Smith’s unwavering commitment to integrity, innovation and customer service has remained unchanged. Today, A. O. Smith is a leading global water technology and manufacturing company that improves the lives of its customers by ensuring access to clean, safe, hot water.

The company has had a presence in Mexico since 1984, beginning with electric motor assembly operations in Ciudad Juárez and Ciudad Acuna. In 1986, the company began manufacturing water heaters, and in 1995, the company withdrew from the automotive industry to focus on water heaters.

“A. O. Smith is proud to live, work and give back in the communities where it does business. We are committed to being a good corporate citizen that makes a positive impact,” said Wheeler. “Throughout the year, we will acknowledge our history and celebrate our future, along with the impact A. O. Smith will continue to have wherever water flows.”

For more information, visit www. aosmith.com.

A. O. Smith’s new production facility in Ciudad Juárez is scheduled to produce 39,000 tankless water heaters in the first year.

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Recipe for a Heating & Cooling System Rescue, Part 1

A rescue project doesn’t come with a solution or an install manual—we have to figure out what is going wrong and figure out how to make it work right.

By BRIAN NELSON, SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR

My previous rescue stories have dealt with the HVAC and hydronic system rescue itself— the work we have done to a failed system to restore proper operation and improve efficiency and reliability. It is worth taking a look at the part of our rescue process that happens before we start to make changes to the failed system. A rescue project doesn’t come with a solution or an install manual— we have to figure out what is going wrong and figure out how to make it work right. We get calls to do a rescue because the solution isn’t always obvious or straightforward; many times the installing contractor can’t figure out what is wrong or doesn’t know what to do to make thing work the way they should.

Because our trade is dedicated to achieving success (that is how we all get paid!) we sometimes get tunnel vision and have difficulty in zooming out to get a better vantage point when a system is not working well. That is when time should be spent on understanding “why” a system works, “how” it is designed to work effectively, and “what” is causing the issue.

I know in my career I learned a lot of things the hard way—struggling with an HVAC installation that just wasn’t working right—knowing that I wouldn’t get paid if I couldn’t get it right—and finally investing the time into studying system failures to improve our install process and avoid system issues in future installs. By definition, a rescue involves someone in the trades losing money over a system they can’t figure out. Ideally we can make some lemonade out of these lemons.

Performing and studying rescues is a great opportunity to learn, to improve, and to inspire (after all, the goal of learning about rescues is to never need one yourself). When people talk about difficulty in attracting

young people into the trades, perhaps they haven’t seen the excitement that rescues create.

Currently we have three rescue projects in motion, and we have four of our techs under the age of 25 vying to be part of our rescue teams. Their bright minds are attracted to the challenge and the understanding that as our trade gets

more and more complicated—seemingly every day—rescues will become more challenging and rewarding.

Recipe for a Successful Rescue

After doing enough rescue projects, we have developed the “recipe,” or important steps to take to achieve our goal of a

functioning HVAC or hydronic system.

Firstly, we must understand what a correct install should look like and be able to identify where the failed installation deviates from the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Secondly, our diagnostic process must start with a sound understanding of the laws of physics that govern the operation of this failed system—this is the “why” of our investigation.

We must then look at what the “robot” (this is my term for the computer embedded on the equipment control boards) tells us through error codes, understand the limits of what the robot knows or is aware of, and do our independent testing to verify operation—we need to know “where” to start our investigation.

Thirdly, combine the above ingredients to come up with some approaches to resolving the issues facing the system—this is where our experience and skill set come into play. This is the “how” of our investigation.

Lastly, we must discuss pros and cons with the homeowner and arrive at a path forward—this is the critical time to explain the limits of our knowledge and the consequences of each rescue approach. This is the risk of doing rescue projects.

Step 1: What the System Should Look Like –Manufacturer’s Guidelines for a Correct Installation

One big reason we have so many rescues on Martha’s Vineyard is that just about every system installation is different. On the Vineyard we encounter every brand, every model, and every type of system designed to deliver heating, cooling, and ventilation. This means that there are a lot of brands we have to get familiar with.

In today’s world the manufacturers push towards pre-engineered solutions

Chilled water pumps without pressure gauges—we routinely use a test gauge on circulators so we can determine system flow from the pump curve.

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Estimating and Virtual Reception Solutions

FastPIPE Mechanical Estimating Software for commercial and industrial contractors (www. fastest-inc.com, 800/828-7108), suitable for laptop and one-monitor users, supports a variety of digital plan formats, including PDFS.

The solution features a customizable Quick-Pick Menu that allows users to customize items they utilize most into a small moveable menu to takeoff more efficiently and allows customizing corresponding hot keys, enabling keyboard shortcuts for the items they use most. The software also includes a plumbing and mechanical-specific pricing catalog, jobs and bids. The Master Catalog has over 150,000 items, with data for every major manufacturer of piping, fittings, valves, flanges, and hangers. Specifications can be tailored to each plumbing and mechanical job. Takeoffs are performed directly on digital job plans using the software’s onscreen digitizer. Labor rates are based on industry standards that can be adjusted for job or site conditions. Material pricing can be job-specific based on your supplier quotes. (FastPIPE supports Ferguson, Harrison and Allpriser independent pricing services. Ferguson includes a feature, Live Pricing, that enables users with the ability to import their specific Ferguson pricing in real time with a click of a button.)

FastPIPE comes with standard templates for commercial plumbing and HVAC piping and you can use existing jobs as templates for new jobs.

The software also can generate labor and material reports filtered and sorted as the user requires. Results can be exported to a Microsoft Excel workbook for final quote.

Additional features of FastPIPE: AutoConnect—to automatically take of the appropriate length of pipe between two fittings if there is a line between the fittings; hundreds of built-in HVAC and plumbing assemblies ready for use in a takeoff.

FastPIPE calculates linear feet, diameter inches, weight, surface area, volume, material costs and labor with a single click. Material adjustments and job factors can be applied directly to the report. Reports can be broken

Reviews of FastPIPE Estimating Software, PataBid Quantify Estimating Software, and AnswerForce virtual reception services.

down by sections, specs areas, zones, cost-codes,item tags, and more.

FastPIPE shares a common user interface with FastDUCT, for simplifying bidding sheet metal and industrial ductwork jobs, and FastWRAP mechanical insulating estimating software for commercial contractors.

FastDUCT – commercial HVAC estimating software useful for bidding sheet metal and industrial ductwork jobs. It can utilize your company construction standards or purchased duct. Your reports and spreadsheets will seamlessly integrate into FastPIPE.

FastWRAP -mechanical insulating estimating software for commercial contractors featuring on-screen digital take-off.

Pricing: One-time Purchase option and Lease Option available; additional yearly fees for Maintenance, optional after the first year or lease term.

PataBid Quantify

PataBid Quantify ( www.patabid. com , 877/472-8224) is a digital estimating software platform for residential, commercial, and industrial MEP contractors. Designed for small and

medium sized companies and scalable for enterprise companies as well, the solution features graphical screen takeoff, built-in pricing and labor tools.

The platform includes industry standard installation labor units for all items in the database. This allows contractors to properly allow the assignment of individual work crews to the estimate to ensure that labor rates are properly managed for a total value; materials are also managed on an estimate basis, allowing for a complete and comprehensive price to be assembled. HVAC materials and assemblies are built in for residential and commercial work. The tools for HVAC takeoff are still in the beta stage.

The REQ templates are created in standardized customizable Excel files that can be easily exported and sent to for pricing suppliers (currently electrical supply houses, with HVAC supply houses in the preliminary stage with 2025 the target date). A Prioritized Pricing feature allows users to integrate material pricing from multiple sources and vendors and set which vendor pricing takes priority.

While the solution already includes

integration with two supply houses on the electrical side—giving users the ability to input up-to-the-minute pricing directly into estimates within seconds—integration with suppliers for HVAC customers is still in the works, with a target date sometime in 2025.

Pricing: yearly licensing fee; pooled licensing available for license sharing with multiple users in a company; free 14-day trial.

AnswerForce

AnswerForce

( www.answerforce. com , downloadable at the App Store, GooglePlay, or for Desktop, 800/4618535) offers virtual reception services for contractors, with a mobile app, that provides 24/7 live answering to a single business phone or multiple business lines, lead capture, follow-up calls, scheduling, live chat, and team messaging. Users can prioritize interactions and add notes, photos and reminders to important messages from preferred numbers.

When you register for the solution, AnswerForce works with you to create a customized call script which the live answering team uses to answer calls on your behalf. Immediately after each call, you receive a summary, including notes and details, via the AnswerForce app, SMS or email. Plus, an inbound tab contains every interaction between your customers and receptionists.

In addition, the AnswerForce team can help book appointments, make follow-up calls, and qualify leads. For scheduling, AnswerForce partners with Setmore (reviewed in my January 2024 column), providing intuitive appointment scheduling that allows you to accept online booking from site-visiting customers, and integrates with many job management systems, CRMS, and other business tools. The software syncs with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Office 365 via Setmore.

Pricing: tiered by number of minutes and number of chats, upgradable any time during any month.

Patti Feldman writes articles and web content for trade magazines and manufacturers of building products. She can be reached at productpad@yahoo.com.

FastPIPE estimating software.

Higher Turndown Hydronics

Avenger® Series II

Heating & Domestic Hot Water Boiler

5000 & 6000 MBH

The Avenger® Series II is an advanced two-pass, counter-flow firetube commercial boiler, providing efficient hot water for demanding commercial needs.

» Industry-leading 40:1 turndown

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» Designed for today’s higher turndown variable primary and low pressure systems

» 3 to 4 week lead-time with stock units available for quick ship

Foster Your Brand Identity with PR

You have a logo, a colorful truck wrap and a branded website.

And while these things help consumers identify who you are and what you do, they aren’t the only devices you need in your branding toolbox.

Research indicates that there are cur rently more than 502,000 home ser vice businesses in the United States, and the profession is expected to grow from 6.1 million professionals in 2023 to 7.2 million by 2028.

With this many home service busi nesses entering the market, you have to do everything you can to stand out from the crowd.

Fostering your brand identity is one of the most beneficial actions a busi ness can take to gain a positive and authentic foothold in their markets.

A brand identity combines both the tangible services you provide, such as plumbing or HVAC repair, with the nontangible factors that create your company’s unique personality.

Companies that build a strong brand identity are not only more easily rec ognized, they illicit an unconscious re sponse from consumers. For example, when you see Cinderella’s castle, you not only think about the rides and the food at a Disney theme park, you also think of a family-friendly atmosphere that provides fun for everyone.

But building this brand identity of ten means you need a strong public relations strategy to help craft your brand, build trust and stand out from the crowd.

Crafting Your Brand Identity

A brand identity helps your company connect with your target audience in a lasting and meaningful way. You want potential customers to identify with your company so that when they need a plumbing repair or an HVAC tune-up, your business is top of mind.

A brand identity helps:

• Provide a face to your company by giving consumers a visual image they can associate with your business.

• Convey your mission so that customers are not only aware that you fix leaks, but that you’re also

Companies that build a strong brand identity are not only more easily recognized, they illicit an unconscious response from consumers.

they associate your team with reliable service.

Brand identity is more than just finding the right color scheme for your trucks. It’s also about crafting your team’s persona so you can better connect with customers.

Building Trust

Think back to a time that you had to hire a professional for a service you needed for the first time. In addition to asking your friends and family for a recommendation, you probably also thought about companies you knew from their work in your community.

within your community is to maintain communication with customers on your online review pages. Thanking customers for positive reviews and responding to negative reviews with solutions demonstrates a commitment to accountability.

Standing Out from the Crowd

If you’ve ever Googled your service type for your local area, you probably already know there are dozens of competitors in your market.

While it’s good to partner with a great search engine optimization (SEO) team to keep your company near the

it if you want to differentiate your company in your market and want to attract and retain both customers and employees.

Fostering your brand identity is essential for your long-term success.

Heather Ripley is founder and CEO of Ripley PR, an elite, global public relations agency specializing in the franchising, skilled trades and B2B tech industries. She is also the author of “NEXT LEVEL NOW: PR Secrets to Drive Explosive Growth for your Home Service Business,” available on all audiobook platforms. For additional information, visit www.ripleypr.com.

A brand identity is more than just a logo and a good-looking truck wrap.

by Ruth O’Donnell BRAND DIRECTOR, PREFERRED UTILITIES MANUFACTURING CORPORATION

Guide to a Hassle-Free Boiler Room

Boiler systems are a critical component for the continuous operation of a facility. Not only do contractors need to minimize their downtime, but they must, simultaneously, maintain safe, reliable, and efficient operations. Unfortunately, there are some sizeable challenges to accomplishing that level of operation.

To start, a boiler system consists of many sub-systems that must work in harmony: the boiler, the burner and its controls, boiler controls including feed water and draft control, fuel oil handling system, water treatment, and potentially things like fuel gas booster systems, too.

Each subsystem may come from a different manufacturer or distributor, with varied levels of service. When these systems are built without a cohesive integration strategy, contractors face compatibility issues, inefficiencies, and increased downtime risks. Additionally, they must struggle to figure out which vendor is responsible when something goes wrong. And the game of pass the buck begins…

Full system integration offers a comprehensive solution, ensuring not only the reliability and efficiency of boiler operations but also a single source of accountability.

Pitfalls of the Multi-Vendor Approach

When a boiler system is built with components from multiple vendors, there is often no coordination to how each component interfaces. This can lead to a disjointed system that is, at its best, inefficient and, at its worst, a safety hazard. Problems can range from inefficient communications between components to critical failures, such as water level control issues which could cause a steam burst; or water treatment failures that reduce the longevity and efficiency of the boiler.

Since boiler systems are sophisticated in nature, they are susceptible to a variety of failures that require specialized knowledge for troubleshooting.

For contractors, these challenges are compounded by the difficulty of pinpointing a root cause. For instance, a low-frequency combustion “rumble”

Full system integration offers a comprehensive solution, ensuring not only the reliability and efficiency.

could be caused by 10 different potential causes; anything from burner instability at certain firing rates to improper air/fuel ratios or even the design of the boiler room’s ventilation system. This means a contractor may need representatives from several vendors to assess the problem before even finding the cause, let alone the solution.

The troubleshooting process is even further complicated by the diverging interests of each vendor, none of which wants to take responsibility unless it means service income to them.

Benefits of Full System Integration

Adopting a full system integration approach, where a single provider designs and implements all components of the boiler system, offers clear advantages:

1 Operational Efficiency: Integrated systems are designed to work in harmony, reducing fuel consumption and improving overall system performance.

2. Safety and Reliability: With components designed to work together, the risks of safety issues are minimized, and the system’s reliability is enhanced.

3. Cost Savings: Integration simplifies maintenance and troubleshooting, as there’s a single point of contact for all issues. This

4

can lead to significant savings in both time and money for facilities managers.

. Customization and Compliance: Systems designed for full integration can be tailored to the specific needs of the facility, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and operational requirements.

To top it all off…the most important outcome of full system integration is single-source accountability

Benefits of Single Source Accountability

There are so many benefits of single-source accountability that it really needs its own list. It is defined as a single provider (in this case, the integrator) being responsible for all aspects of a specific system, taking full responsibility for planning, execution, maintenance, and performance outcomes.

For contractors, this level of accountability in their boiler room leads to:

1. Simplified management: If the burner system does not perform, you have only one vendor to communicate and coordinate with. The integrator is responsible for correcting the problem. This eliminates the incredible hassle of narrowing down the problem with different suppliers and vendors,

along with the inevitable blame-shifting that goes with it.

2. Time efficiency: Single-source accountability can lead to faster decision-making and problem solving, minimizing downtime and disruptions.

3. Long-term relationships: A burner system supplier that adopts the full system integration approach is inclined to build a long-term relationship with their customer. Right from the start, the supplier looks more carefully at the specific conditions and requirements of the customer and finds the best solution, tailored to the customer, instead of chasing the latest trendy piece of equipment or specifications.

4. Aligned goals: When there is never a question of who is accountable for fixing a problem, everyone’s goals are aligned— customer, contractor, and integrator all want the most stable, efficient system, with minimal downtime. The integrator wants to design the best system possible, knowing that they will be responsible for any service needs down the road.

5. Streamlined maintenance: With only one provider to coordinate maintenance, preventative practices become easier, leading to improved outcomes and longer equipment lifespan.

6. Better Compliance: Single-source providers are often more organized in maintaining compliance with

➤ Turn to Guide, page 46

by Del Williams TECHNICAL WRITER

Pivoting to More Efficient Energy Sources for District Heating

District heating—the generation of heat in a central location and distribution of it to local residences, businesses, and industry at greater economies of scale than individual heating systems—plays an important role in helping the transition to clean energy in the fight against climate change. The challenge, however, is that district heating, used to provide hot water and heat within buildings through an insulated pipe system, must soon pivot from burning fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy.

“District heating networks offer great potential for efficient, cost-effective, and flexible large-scale use of low-carbon energy for heating. However, the decarbonization potential of district heating is largely untapped, as 90% of the heat supplied in district networks is produced from fossil fuels …,” according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization that provides policy recommendations, analysis, and data on the global energy sector. The 31 member countries and 13 association countries of the IEA represent 75% of global energy demand.

Aligning with the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario requires significant effort to rapidly improve the energy efficiency of existing networks, switch to renewable heat, integrate secondary heat sources, and develop new high-efficiency infrastructure.

Fortunately, innovation in the form of the latest, high voltage immersed electrode or jet type electrode boilers makes district heating much greener, particularly when the electricity comes from renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydro power.

Municipalities and businesses relying on district heating are already pivoting away from often inefficient, outdated equipment that produces excess carbon emissions in favor of economical

Advanced electrode boilers are being installed to replace outdated, inefficient fuel-burning equipment in district heating systems.

electrode boilers that can quickly, flexibly rival the output of large gas or oilfired boilers in a much smaller footprint, The advanced electrode boilers do not have a high minimum operating level to make them immediately available and offer much faster start-up and

shut down time while being safely and easily maintained.

Electrode Boiler Technology

District heating systems offer substantial potential for improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and integrating renewable and waste heat sources, particularly within urban centers.

In this effort, an increasing number of district heating plants are turning to high voltage, electrode boilers to absorb excess power production, quickly provide grid service, and cost-effectively balance out fluctuations. A growing number of municipalities are also installing new or retrofit high voltage electrode boilers that are compact, economical, and produce no emissions. The upgrades often

entail retrofitting or replacing boilers (the heat source) with cleaner, more efficient electric alternatives, along with the heat distribution network (pipes/heat exchanger stations).

Electrode boilers utilize the conductive and resistive properties of water to carry electric current and generate steam with great responsiveness and efficiency.

“An A.C. current flows from an electrode of one phase to ground using the water as a conductor. Since chemicals in the water provide conductivity, the current flow generates heat directly in the water itself. The more current (amps) that flows, the more heat (BTUs) is generated, and the more steam produced for use in district heating,” explains Robert Presser , Vice President of Acme Engineering, a manufacturer of industrial and commercial boilers with operations in the US, Canada, and Europe.

When supplying district heating, electrode boilers are much more responsive and flexible than fossil fuel burning units.

“With electrode boilers, the energy input and adjustment are very precise and virtually immediate. In contrast, increasing or decreasing the temperature in a gas fired boiler is a slower process because it takes time for the heat in the boiler to rise or dissipate before reaching the targeted output,” says Presser.

Advanced high voltage electrode steam boilers like Acme’s CEJS also have a 100% turndown ratio, the ratio between a boiler’s maximum and minimum output. Most gas boilers have a ratio of 10:1 or 5:1, which means the units take a significant time to reach full capacity. The CEJW and CEJS immersed electrode hot water and steam boilers have a minimum output level of 7-8% of rated capacity, still far better than a modern gas-fired boiler.

“With a 100% turndown ratio, you can leave the boiler in standby at low pressure and bring it to full capacity in about 90 seconds as needed, which no

The most advanced types of electrode boilers, such as Acme’s CEJS or CEJW, also offer greater safety than traditional fuel burning models.

With fewer parts than more complex fossil fuel burning units, electrical boilers are more compact and simpler to install than conventional systems.

Residential Air-to-Water Heat Pump System featuring an outdoor unit, an indoor unit and a steel buffer tank (20 gal). Pairs with Vitocell 100 V 53 and 66 gallon indirect tanks. 3 sizes available: 20 to 51 MBH for cooling / 28 to 78 MBH for heating.

by Jonathan Simon NORTH AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL PLUMBING MANAGER, LUBRIZOL ADVANCED MATERIALS INC.

The Risk of Chlorine Dioxide in Residential Plumbing Systems

Late last year, the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) called attention to an important topic with the release of Technical Note 67: Chlorine Dioxide and Plastic Hot- and Cold-Water Plumbing Distribution Pipes. In this note, the PPI analyzes published research on the effect of chlorine dioxide on various piping materials and provides information every plumbing contractor should know.

Why Chlorine Dioxide?

Chlorine and chloramines are the most popular disinfectants used by US municipalities to keep drinking water safe. However, in recent years questions have been raised about the disinfectant byproducts (DBPs) that form when bacteria in drinking water interact with chlorine and chloramines in water disinfection. The US EPA, CDC, and independent researchers have published information related to potential health risks associated with these byproducts, leading some municipalities to explore alternative disinfectants.

Chlorine dioxide is an EPA-approved water disinfectant that is believed to produce fewer harmful byproducts than chlorine and also has other benefits. It maintains its disinfecting power longer in water distribution systems than chlorine, and studies have shown it to be effective at killing viruses, including SARS-COV-2. The city of Hamilton, Ohio credits chlorine dioxide with helping them win international competitions for the “best tasting tap water.”

Some municipalities have transitioned to chlorine dioxide as a disinfectant and others are considering its use as they plan treatment facilities or modernizations. Additionally, chlorine dioxide is effective at removing biofilm and can be used in on-site treatment for biofilm mitigation, increasing the number of plumbing systems that could be exposed to the disinfectant.

Impact of Disinfectants

This is a noteworthy development for the plumbing industry because disinfectants in drinking water can interact with some residential plumbing mate-

Chlorine Dioxide poses a risk to the longevity of some plumbing materials.

rials in ways that increase the risk of failure and reduce service life. The most infamous example is polybutylene piping. This material became popular in the 1970s and 1980s, but then had to be taken off the market due to a large number of chlorine-related failures and the massive class action lawsuit that resulted from those failures.

That’s an extreme example, but certainly not the only one. PEX and copper are both subject to degradation and corrosion from chlorine. In Technical Note 53: Guide to Chlorine Resistance of PEX Pipes and Tubing for Potable Water

Applications , the PPI identified multiple conditions that can accelerate chlorine degradation in PEX pipes, some of which are within a contractor’s control and some of which are not. In addition, chloramines have been linked to the development of pinhole leaks in copper pipes.

So, when a new disinfectant begins to gain momentum in the market, industry associations like the PPI provide a valuable service by analyzing the available published research to better understand the potential impact.

Key Statements from PPI TN-67

The PPI found that multiple research teams had performed various types of laboratory testing to evaluate the effects of chlorine dioxide on copper, steel, PEX, PE-RT, and PP-R piping.

According to TN-67, “an analysis of the published results indicates that chlorine dioxide has the potential to reduce the service life of most plumbing distribution materials to below normal expected lifetimes.”

The only material TN-67 cites as an exception is CPVC: “Evaluation by PPI member firms indicates that chlorine dioxide is not known to be aggressive to CPVC at elevated temperatures of 200°F (93°C) and below.”

TN-67 recommends contacting each piping system supplier for guidance related to the use of their pipe and fitting material(s) in circumstances where chlorine dioxide has been selected as the disinfection chemical. Multiple PEX manufacturers have updated their guidelines to explicitly advise against the use of their products “as part of any potable-water distribution system in buildings where chlorine dioxide is used for secondary disinfection…”

The business team behind FlowGuard Gold Plumbing Systems concurs with the PPI statement that chlorine dioxide is not aggressive to CPVC at temperatures of 200° F or below. In fact, FlowGuard Gold CPVC and Corzan CPVC are the only plumbing systems marketed today as 100% immune to chlorine degradation—including chloramines and chlorine dioxide— caused by drinking water in domestic plumbing systems.

Real-World Implications

While PPI TN-67 notes that use of chlorine dioxide as a secondary disinfectant does not reflect the majority of current water disinfection practices, piping failures have already been attributed to the disinfectant in at least one municipal water system. After switching to chlorine dioxide for secondary water treatment, the city of Hamilton, Ohio, experienced high rates of failure in its high-density polyethylene (HDPE) water mains.

“We’ve got about 21 miles of HDPE piping in our system now, and it is catastrophically failing about 60 years ahead of when it should have,” the city’s Executive Director of Infrastructure, Jim Logan , told the local Journal News. “This, back about 20 years ago, was the future of water mains, and unfortunately, the chemicals we use attack the pipe and then cause it to fail.”

Note that these failures occurred in cold water HDPE systems and the temperatures found in hot-water lines can accelerate the degradation reaction in hot-water piping that is vulnerable to chlorine-induced oxidative degradation like PEX, PE-RT, PPR, and PP-RCT.

This city’s experience reinforces both the risks to some materials from incompatible chemicals like chlorine dioxide as well as the difficulty predicting future water conditions at the time materials are selected and installed.

Water Compatibility and Plumbing Material Selection

Water compatibility issues generally don’t get enough attention in plumbing material selection, so TN-67 is both timely and important. For contractors that want to prevent the possibility of premature failure due to incompatibility with the material they have selected and the disinfectants being used by the local municipality, CPVC provides a safe choice. For more information on FlowGuard Gold Plumbing Systems, visit FlowGuardGold.com.

Jonathan Simon is the North American residential plumbing manager for Lubrizol Advanced Materials Inc., the parent company for FlowGuard Gold Pipe and Fittings.

Installed CPVC pipe.

WATER HEATER CONNECTORS

by Michael Needham CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER, FINTURF

7 Tips for Home Renovation Satisfaction

When the best service is often met with indifference or worse, how can you improve customer satisfaction? Here are seven tips on how to keep the customer happy throughout your next home renovation project.

1. Detailed Planning and Expectations Setting

One of the most common reasons for customer dissatisfaction is failing to meet expectations. A great way to avoid that is to ensure the customer understands what to expect.

Here’s how you can do that:

• Project management software like Buildertrend or CoConstruct helps you document client requests, project milestones, and scope changes.

• Offering a detailed written agreement will help the client understand the scope of the work, the materials you will use, how long it will take, and how much it will cost.

• Providing regularly scheduled progress updates helps you adjust expectations, if necessary, and address any concerns as soon as they arise.

• Teaching the client about industry standards and codes will help justify your decisions and reassure them that you are a professional.

For example, if the customer has asked you to fix a leaky faucet, they need to understand that you will only address any other issues with the sink if they are added to the detailed written agreement.

2. Quality Craftsmanship and Materials

Here are some ways to execute the job with the best craftsmanship and materials:

• Start by establishing a quality baseline. Even if budget constraints make you use more affordable materials, there should be a standard for quality that you stick to.

• Let the client be part of the material selection, offering alternatives when possible. You can discuss the pros and cons. Imagine you are installing

new piping. After explaining the differences in cost, longevity, and suitability, you could let the customer choose between PEX, copper, or PVC.

• Remember that you are only as good as your suppliers. Using known brands can increase reliability and may offer the client warranty support.

• If you are bidding against another contractor, ensure the client knows that paying less may mean using less reliable materials. You can explain how using lower-quality materials often results in costly repairs. A better-informed customer often becomes a more satisfied customer.

3. Transparent Pricing and Budget Management

Nothing upsets a customer more than going over budget. Having a solid grasp of the financial aspect of your project can greatly enhance your ability to manage costs and set realistic expectations with your clients. When you do it right, the customer is never surprised by the final bill.

To make sure that happens:

• Provide detailed estimates from the outset of the project. Break down costs for labor, materials, permits, and anything else. QuickBooks, Buildertrend, or other software can help you create itemized estimates that leave no room for client confusion.

• Include a contingency budget in your estimates, explaining to the customer that unexpected issues may arise. A 10% to 15% contingency is normal, but the customer needs to understand that going in.

• Use change orders to outline

additional costs and get the client to approve them.

Clients are more likely to understand and accept pricing changes if they see the reasons behind the overrun and the steps you are taking to manage it.

4. Offering Creative Packages and Different Payment Plans

Here are some creative ways to offer payment solutions:

• Don’t just choose one payment plan. Give the customer options like monthly installments or milestone-based payments. Partnering with a contractor financing company can make it possible for you to offer this solution without any additional hassle.

• Consider creating a bundled service package. For example, combining plumbing maintenance with regular inspections can increase client confidence. .

• Offer discounts to customers who can pay upfront. This is just one tip for getting paid faster.

5. Personalization and Customization

Once you understand the client’s needs, preferences, and lifestyle, you can use this information to create a customized project plan.

For example, if you are helping revamp a new bathroom, it may help to know about their daily routines, plans for the space, and any specific features they expect to be included.

You can give the client several design options instead of one. One client may choose energy-efficient fixtures, while another would opt for luxury fittings.

As the project gets underway, try to work around the client’s schedule.

Minimizing your time working while they are home can greatly increase customer satisfaction.

6. Professionalism and Respect

Here are a few staples of professionalism that can help the client feel respected and valued throughout the project:

• Being on time for appointments and project meetings shows you value the client’s time.

• Using good grammar in written communications helps ensure the client understands what you are trying to say.

• Wearing a uniform with your company logo can help portray a professional image.

• Respecting the client’s property by cleaning up better than it was before, shows an extra level of care.

7. Post-Project Follow-Up and Support

Following up after the job is done shows you care. It reinforces everything else we’ve been talking about.

Here are several tips for following up:

• Wait about a week to follow up the first time after the project is complete. This can be a simple phone call or email to check if everything is still good.

• Send the client a survey about three weeks after the initial follow-up. You can use SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to create a simple questionnaire for feedback about your communication, craft, and the customer’s overall satisfaction.

• Later on, you can reach out again with maintenance tips and warranty information. You can tie these into seasonal check-ins that may create new work opportunities.

In all your follow-ups, focus first on being grateful for the opportunity to work with the client. Then, allow them to provide feedback before getting into the meat of your inquiry.

As the Chief Content Officer at Finturf, Michael Needham brings over a decade of experience in technology content marketing with a focus on financial technology, performance marketing, and data science.

Hydronics & R adiant

Presented in partnership with Radiant Professionals Alliance

Recipe for a Heating & Cooling System Rescue, Part 1

Continued from page 28

so that they can ensure the success of their installations while achieving rated capacity and efficiency.

They design and build equipment combinations and test them in a lab setting to figure out how they should be installed and then create instructions and guidelines to help the tech install them correctly. Their goal is to eliminate guesswork, call backs, and warranty issues (and rescues).

We install a lot of mini split systems and note that they are highly pre-engineered with limited flexibility of which building blocks go together. The manufacturers provide selection software to assist the installer in making sure all of the parts of the puzzle (inside units and outside units) will go together correctly. We use our heat gain and loss analysis to help us select inside equipment. The selection software then chooses the correct branch box and outside unit that will deliver comfort and efficiency just like the manufacturer promised.

We also install a lot of inverter-driven heat pumps with ductwork based on either engineered drawings or our own designs using duct sizing software. The manufacturers know that distribution systems are a very common fault path that can lead to system trouble; if the ducts are correctly sized, the building blocks of outside unit and inside unit will deliver comfort and efficiency just

like the manufacturer promised.

At the other end of the spectrum, we install a lot of boilers and chillers connected to radiant and hydronic heating and cooling systems. Here there is maximum flexibility in designing and choosing a distribution path to connect the equipment to the house’s heating and cooling load. This distribution path is also where the highest risk is for performance issues.

Step 2: Where Does the System Diverge from Manufacturer’s Guidelines –Mapping the Infrastructure

Once we have an understanding of the installation requirements presented by the manufacturer we can look for where the failed installation has deviated. This involves mapping the ductwork, piping, circulator sizes, line set lengths and sizes, control wiring lengths and wire type, flue pipe length and size and number of elbows, system water pressure, etc., etc., and ending with what area this system serves.

We need to determine if the heating and cooling load target changed (the original cooling setpoint was 74°F, now the kids want the cooling at 67°F), has the envelope changed (have lots of windows been added?), or has the intended use changed (system was not designed to meet the entire heating or cooling load). We can then compare what we have mapped out to what the manufacturer recommends. We commonly find pipes, ducts, and line sets that are too small that end up

profoundly limiting system operation.

Sometimes a “rescue” situation is just a gross misunderstanding of what the system can do. We have had customers that complain bitterly about their cooling systems only to discover that they have kept the windows and open all day during the summer and then expect the correctly-sized cooling system to drop the room temperature from 80°F to 67°F in an hour!

The mapping process is critical as it will later provide valuable information on how to effect the rescue. Many times we aren’t able to just rip out the old system and install a new system. If we know information about the existing distribution infrastructure we can start to develop a plan to modify or re-use what we can.

Step 3: Diagnostic Process – What Do the Laws of Physics Tell Us?

Once we have an awareness of what the manufacturer wanted and what was actually installed, we can dive into our diagnostic process.

The rescue process is very similar to the service process. In our service department, we have morning “nuggets” before we discuss the service jobs of the day. These “nuggets” explain the “why” of previous or on-going service calls so that we can elevate the diagnostic skills of our service techs when they encounter interesting and unexpected operation. After “why” the next critical question is “where.” Knowing where to start the diagnostic process in an HVAC or hydronic system is critical to gaining

understanding of what it is doing and how to correct it.

By zooming out our scope of investigation, we can expand from the focused service diagnostic to a system wide view that will permit seeing how all of the pieces work (or don’t) together. The first step is to understand the laws of physics and understand how they apply to our system.

“I remind my rescue teams and myself that the system is doing exactly what it should be doing—just because we don’t understand it, the molecules and the laws of physics do.

Having the humility to observe and accept is the first step in seeing that the molecules are doing exactly what they should be doing.

It is profound to understand that in a rope tied between two poles, the rope molecules will all talk to each other to figure out which part of the rope is the lowest point. That all of the water molecules in a pool will seek the same level. That flowing water or refrigerant or electricity will always seek the easiest path. That heat will always flow from hot to cold. That high pressure will always flow to low pressure.

Just because you don’t understand what a system is doing it doesn’t mean that the physics of the situation are wrong.

Accepting that often permits a better awareness of what the system is actually doing and helps to clear out pre-conceptions of what the system “should” be doing. In fact, the realization that ALL molecules will ALWAYS follow the laws of physics is a great comfort—I would drop my tools and leave the trades if I couldn’t count on the laws of physics!

At this stage, we clearly state (CLEARLY STATE) the limitations of our investigation, our rescue plan to achieve the desired system performance, and any possible consequences of decisions to not upgrade the infrastructure as necessary. We can then proceed with the rescue, document our work, and ultimately commission the correctly operating HVAC system. Another successful rescue.

Part 2 will appear in our November issue. You can read it now by visiting our website, www.contractormag.com.

Burned control board says it’s time for a temporary control wire.

Long flex duct runs are always a red flag.

“ I met people that I would never have thought of meeting before. I’ve been to so many exhibitors I didn’t even know existed. There’s so many products you can see, touch – everything!”

Level up at the event for HVACR.

FEBRUARY 10-12, 2025

Efficient Energy Sources for District Heating

➤ Continued from page 38

other boiler type can achieve today,” says Presser.

“Communities and businesses utilizing district heating also appreciate the eco-friendly nature of electrode boilers. Without combustion, these boilers are clean and emission free. The design also eliminates many environmental issues associated with fuel burning boilers such as fuel fumes, fly ash, and large obtrusive exhaust stacks,” says Presser.

High Efficiency

The energy efficiency of electrode boiler technology, however, is one of its most remarkable characteristics.

“For district heating, the extraordinarily efficient power-to-heat generation capability of electrode boilers, in which almost 100% of the electrical energy is converted into heat with no stack or heat transfer losses, combined with an ability to use and balance intermittent renewable energy, makes the technology crucial today,” says Presser.

Electrode boilers can match the heating output of fuel burning boilers while converting almost all the energy to heat (left). The energy efficiency of electrode boilers is one of their most remarkable characteristics; they are much more responsive and flexible than fossil fuel burning units (right).

produce steam in capacities up to 270,000 pounds per hour, with pressure ratings from 75 PSIG to 500 PSIG. All CEJS boilers are designed to ASME Code or EU Pressure Vessels Directive and are certified, registered pressure vessels. Electrical standards meet CSA, UL, or CE requirements.

are easier to use in smaller structures,” he says.

Lower Costs

In addition, the units further lower operating costs with automatic controls that reduce the need for operating personnel.

The most advanced types of these boilers, such as Acme’s CEJS or CEJW, also offer greater safety than traditional fuel burning models. “With the electrode boilers, there are no combustion hazards because there are no flames, fumes, fuel lines or storage tanks. There are no problems with heat buildup or electrode burnout even if scaling should occur, and thermal shock is eliminated. Also, there is no low water danger since the current cannot flow without water,” Presser explains.

According to Presser, there are additional reasons for municipalities and businesses to use high voltage, jet type electrode boilers for district heating. “Electrode boilers can match the heating output of fuel burning boilers while converting almost all the energy to heat. Electrode boilers also are much smaller than fossil fuel burning boilers so

For residential or commercial property owners, electrode boilers also lower costs for installation, operation, and maintenance. Gas-fired boilers require fuel lines, storage and handling equipment, economizers, and emission control equipment. Advanced jet type electrode boilers have a minimal number of components and electrical controls, with fewer parts. Under normal operation, the absence of excessive temperatures and electrode burnout also assures long operating life.

Unlike fossil fuel burning boilers, electric boilers require minimal maintenance since there is no burner, no material burned, no soot created, no chimney, and no wearing mechanical parts, says Presser. With fewer parts than more complex fossil fuel burning units, electrical boilers are also more compact and simpler to install than conventional systems.

Finally, the electric units are exceptionally quiet compared to fuel fired boilers. Unlike gas-powered burners that throttle like turbine engines almost continually, electric boilers keep operational noise levels down.

Guide to a Hassle-Free Boiler Room

➤ Continued from page 36

As an example of energy and design efficiency, Acme’s CEJS electrode steam boiler produces maximum amounts of steam in minimal floor space, with boiler capacity from 6MW to 68MW. The electrode boiler operates at existing distribution voltages, 4.16 to 25 KV and is up to 99.9% efficient at converting energy into heat. The boiler can regulations and keeping detailed documentation, which can simplify audits and inspections.

Making it Hassle-free

Navigating the complexities of boiler room management can be a daunting task for contractors. The number of subsystems and potential for inefficiencies and safety hazards require a robust approach.

Full system integration with single-source accountability presents a powerful solution, streamlining operations, enhancing safety and reliabil-

ity, and ultimately saving time and money. By embracing a single-source accountability model, contractors can achieve seamless coordination, rapid problem resolution, and long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with their providers.

This not only aligns the goals of all stakeholders but also ensures that boiler systems operate at peak efficiency, offering peace of mind and sustained operational excellence. For contractors aiming for hassle-free boiler room management, single-source accountability is not just an option—it’s a game-changer.

Ruth O’Donnell has been with Preferred Utilities Manufacturing Corporation since 2014 and has been Brand Director since 2017. Ruth is a fourth-generation member of the family-owned and operated business. Known for her strategic leadership, Ruth leads projects that reinforcePreferred Utilities’ commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. Her focus on innovation and sustainability extends past Preferred Utilities and into the Boiler industry at large. She is a member of Women in the Boiler Industry (WIBI) and the American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA), where she actively supports industry advancements and inclusion.

With all the advantages of high output jet type electrode boilers, in addition to their value in balancing out the use of intermittent renewable energy in the power grid, it is evident why a growing number of communities and businesses are selecting them for district heating.

As the effects of climate change become more severe, the urgency of switching to clean energy and decarbonizing the energy sector will only increase across the globe. In this effort, district heating paired with electrode boilers will be a vital part of the solution, as member countries strive to meet the IEA decarbonization goals.

Del Williams is a technical writer based in Torrance, California. He writes about health, business, technology, and educational issues, and has an M.A. in English from C.S.U. Dominguez Hills.

President Biden Signs ‘Good Jobs’ Executive Order in Ann Arbor, MI

➤ Continued from page 1

clear list of labor standards that all Federal agencies should look to prioritize.

The event is part of a broader tour to profile the workers and communities across America who have benefited from the Administration’s Investing in America agenda, an agenda which includes such high-profile legislation as the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Good Jobs EO

The Good Jobs EO calls on agencies to adopt the following labor standards:

• Promoting worker voice, through Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), Community Benefits Agreements, voluntary union recognition, and neutrality with respect to union organizing.

• Providing tools to promote high-wage jobs, through prevailing wage standards and other equitable compensation practices, such as prioritizing equal pay and pay transparency.

• Promoting worker economic security, by directing agencies to consider prioritizing projects that supply the benefits that workers need— including child and dependent care to health insurance, paid leave, and retirement benefits.

• Supporting workforce development through registered apprenticeships, preapprenticeships, labor-management partnerships, and partnerships with training organizations including community colleges, public workforce boards, and the American Climate Corps.

• Leveling the playing field, by encouraging grantees to develop equitable workforce plans and offering project supports that promote fair hiring and management practices as the projects develop.

collecting data on job quality, issuing guidance or best practices, and conducting pre-award negotiations for key programs and projects as appropriate.

Union Reaction

United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) General President Mark McManus praised the Executive Order, saying:

“President Joe Biden is the most pro-worker and pro-union president America has ever seen—and today’s Executive Order reaffirms his commitment to protecting the future for all American workers. With incentives to strengthen our gold-standard registered apprenticeship programs, to guarantee the rights of all workers to collectively bargain for a better future, and to expand family-sustaining wages for all, this Executive Order will help ensure all Americans have a fair shot at success.

“President Biden took action to expand the use of project labor agreements on federal projects and to expand Davis-Bacon prevailing wage laws for the first time in generations. More importantly, President Biden kept his promise to the working men and women who build our great nation. We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Biden-Harris administration to give all workers the chance to succeed, to provide for their families, and to one day retire with the dignity they’ve earned.”

Merit Shop Reaction

Associated Builders and Contractors released the following statement from ABC Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs, Ben Brubeck:

“This gift to unions is discouraging for the overwhelming majority of the US construction industry workforce—nearly 90%—that works for nonunion employers. It also will hurt taxpayers and the overall construction industry, as both benefit from inclusive, win-win policies that welcome all contractors and workers to rebuild America, even if they decide not to affiliate with labor unions.

• Supporting workplace safety by encouraging agencies to prioritize reporting structures that help ensure compliance with all workplace health and safety laws. To oversee agencies in their implementation of these labor standards, the Good Jobs EO creates a new Investing in Good Jobs Task Force (Task Force) in the Executive Office of the President. The Task Force will coordinate policy development that drives the creation of high-quality jobs and ensures project delivery. The Task Force will be co-chaired by the Secretary of Labor and the Director of the National Economic Council.

In addition, the Good Jobs EO outlines strategies for agencies—consistent with applicable law—to enact these standards across their grant programs, including

“The executive order will undermine the efficient and economical delivery of taxpayer-funded infrastructure, clean energy and manufacturing projects and is consistent with the Biden-Harris administration’s politically motivated policy schemes. These policies steer taxpayer-funded infrastructure contracts to unionized businesses and create jobs exclusively for union members at the expense of everyone else and the rule of law. ABC looks forward to reviewing the text of the order when it is made public to determine if it is legal, in contrast to numerous onerous regulations and National Labor Relation Board rulings that pander to unions, which ABC and the business community have successfully challenged in the courts over the last four years.”

Associated Builders and Contractors Joins White House Roundtable on Addiction Recovery-Ready Workplaces

WASHINGTON, DC — Associated Builders and Contractors today participated in a White House-sponsored roundtable discussion, “Recovery in the Workplace: Investing to Build the Workforce of Tomorrow,” which convened more than a dozen leading corporations, business groups and government leaders at the White House in Washington, DC, to highlight the importance of recovery-ready and recovery-friendly workplaces and share best practices.

Greg Sizemore, ABC Vice President of Health, Safety, Environment and Workforce Development, discussed ABC’s Total Human Health Initiative at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Recovery Month Roundtable. At the roundtable, ABC committed

to a Recovery Friendly Workplace Certification, explore incorporating it into ABC’s industry-leading STEP Safety Management System® and encouraging its 67 chapters and more than 23,000 member companies to also become certified as recovery-friendly workplaces.

“The construction industry has long been influenced by the outdated mentality that workers should simply ‘suck it up,’ creating a barrier for employees to discuss personal challenges while on the job,” said Sizemore. “Additionally, many older construction workers turn to both legal and illegal substances as a means of coping with pain or musculoskeletal injuries accumulated over their careers.

“To overcome this, we must shift our mindset and foster a caring

culture that promotes not only a safe but also a healthy workplace,” said Sizemore. “It requires a deliberate effort to break down the barriers that have been built up over the years. This involves encouraging peer-to-peer accountability and sharing success stories—whether they involve addiction recovery or simply improving quality of life. Contractors must stop ignoring these issues. Addressing substance

use and well-being must be integrated into an employer’s value proposition to every employee—and, in many cases, their families.”

ABC members’ most valuable asset is hardworking, dedicated and skilled workers. Construction workers use tools every day, and they need the right tools to address mental health, addiction and suicide prevention, especially since construction is estimated to have one of the highest suicide rates among all industries. ABC developed its Total Human Health Initiative to help contractors keep workers safe with tools to identify, acknowledge and address preoccupying concerns that everyone experiences in daily life—and save lives.

To learn more visit www.abc.org/ Safety/Total-Human-Health

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Rheem Employees Part of National Effort to Pack 8 Million Meals for 9/11 Day

own backyard,” said Dipa Homer , Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources and Communications, Rheem. “The 9/11 Day Meal Pack Program provides our team the opportunity to honor those impacted by the events of 9/11, while also solidifying Rheem’s commitment to the Atlanta community by directly serving those at risk of hunger or struggling to feed their families.”

In partnership with 9/11 Day, Rheem employees volunteered for this Day of Service by packing meals for those at risk of hunger. The program works in partnership with local Feeding America-affiliated food banks, and other hunger relief organizations, to receive and distribute meals through its networks of pantries, faith groups, and schools. Volunteers from Rheem, and other companies across metro Atlanta, packed more than 200,000 meals.

Rheem is focused on creating a lasting legacy by encouraging employees to take part in its

philanthropy program, Heart of Comfort® and supporting ongoing efforts, such as 9/11 Day Meal Pack.

Leading manufacturer of water heating and HVAC products supports 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

This is the second year Rheem has honored the 9/11 anniversary and National Hunger Action Month by participating in 9/11 Day Meal Packs. The anniversary of 9/11 has become America’s largest day of service, recognized under federal law. The observance, widely known as “9/11 Day,” now engages more than 30 million Americans, many of whom participate by volunteering, donating to charities and performing other acts of service.

“The 9/11 Day observance and our Meal Pack events are only possible because of the generosity and support of organizations like Rheem and its employees,” said David Paine , president and co-founder, 9/11 Day.

For additional information on Rheem, visit www. rheem.com.

Marcone Unifies Nationwide Technician Training Program

ST LOUIS, MO — Marcone announced its nationwide fall training program for technicians who rely on the distributor for equipment, repair parts and solutions in the appliance, HVAC, commercial kitchen, plumbing and pool/spa industries.

Marcone Contractor Training offers both in-person and virtual classes, taught by industry experts and aimed at elevating the service provided by repair professionals throughout the US and Canada. Courses are operated through Marcone business units, allowing technicians to attend training in their communities at the times and costs that work for them.

Classes range from several hours to several days long. They touch on topics that include marketing, financing and sales or very technical aspects of the profession such as safety concerns, industry updates or the chance to do hands-on repair to a newly released piece of equipment.

“Contractors know they can count on us for fast delivery of quality repair parts,” said Avichal Jain,

Chief Executive Officer. “Now, we have coordinated efforts nationwide that show them they also can rely on us for the technical training that will help them continue to provide top-notch service and operate a highly successful business.”

Marcone’s Fall Course Catalog is now available online at MyMarcone.com and Marcone.com. It includes more than 100 courses in 65 locations, happening from August 2024 through April 2025.

Marcone Group has expanded its footprint and product offering in recent years, entering the HVAC, plumbing, commercial kitchen and pool/spa sectors. Today, the company boasts nearly 200 locations in the US and Canada, including distribution centers in most major metro areas. That vast distribution network affords next-day delivery to 93% of the United States and 100% two-day.

Learn more at marcone.com.

Rheem Employees assembling 9/11 Meal Packs.

Rheem CEO Chris Peel, Rheem EVP HR & Communications Dipa Homer, and Rheem SVP and GM Greg Miller.

➤ Continued from page 3

Industry News

IAPMO Holds Annual Education and Business Conference

Continued from page 1

The highlight of this, the 95th installment of the event, will be the development of the 2027 Uniform Code during the association’s Assembly Consideration Session. During that session (which will be held on the morning of Tuesday, September 24th), anyone wishing to make a motion addressing an action of the Technical Committee and its Report on Proposals may do so. The session is an important step in IAPMO’s American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited consensus development procedures.

project activities, to engaging with community members and local non-profit leaders.

• First Place Team

• Second Place Team

• Third Place Team

• Longest Drive (Men)

• Longest Drive (Women)

• Closest to the Pin (Men)

• Closest to the Pin (Women)

Soft spikes only, no denim please.

Monday night’s Welcome Dinner will be a trip back in time to the 1970s with a Studio 54-themed extravaganza. Attendees will dance the night away to the Bee Gees and Donna Summer under the spinning lights of the mirror ball at the Planet Hollywood Convention Center. An open bar and a variety of food stations will be available

In his welcoming message, Steven Panelli, IAPMO President, urged members to attend saying, “We need your voice to help continue ensuring the Uniform Codes are the best codes in the industry.”

Association Business

Of key importance is the business of the association itself, which includes nominations (on Wednesday), elections (held on Thursday) and installment of officers. To smooth the process various meetings will be held throughout the conference, including the President’s Honored Guest Luncheon (on Monday) and the Leadership Luncheon (on Thursday).

Also on the schedule will be meetings of two important internal trade associations, the Radiant Professionals Alliance and the Hydronic Industry Alliance, both to be held on Wednesday.

Education Sessions

The opening session will include a keynote from Anthony Huey, the Owner of Reputation Management, LLC. In his speech, Huey will discuss the “secret language of success” hidden within everyday communication, from small talk before a meeting, to high-stakes presentations, to surviving a crisis.

Other sessions on the schedule—most of which offer CEUs—include:

Why Cross Connection Programs Remain a Critial Part of protecting Public Health - Presented by Sean Cleary

Explore the importance and rationale behind cross-connection programs. The session will outline the fundamental procedures for establishing and sustaining a robust program, and the significance of routine surveys and valve testing.

Skills, Skills, Skills: IWSH Projects Around the WorldPresented by Robyn Fischer/Jed Scheuermann/ Randy Lorge

During this session, IWSH will showcase how “skills” are at the heart of recent North American and International projects. The session will cover specific projects and dig into how they were implemented—from volunteers to identifying

The transition from A1 to A2L Refrigerants - Presented by Jesse Kealy

An informative session on the transition from A1 to A2L refrigerants with valuable insights into the changing refrigerant landscape and its effects on industry practices and regulations.

ASSE Professional Qualification Standards and Certification Program - Presented by Scott Hamilton

This session will discuss the ASSE professional qualification (PQ) standards and certification programs, and will review the standard development process and how to play an integral role.

IAPMO Field Services – Townhall Meeting

In this exclusive town hall-style meeting with the IAPMO Field Services Team, participants will gain insights into their multifaceted support for code updates, manufacturer interactions, IAPMO Chapter creation, and leveraging industry expertise within the IAPMO Group.

(Most education sessions will take place at the Planet Hollywood Convention Center.)

Expo

The Expo is a tabletop exhibit event where industry professionals gather to showcase their products, services, and innovations. It provides an opportunity for learning about new trends and connecting with potential clients or partners.

The Expo starts on Monday September 23rd and concludes on Thursday September 26th. High traffic hours typically coincide with mealtimes (breakfast and lunch) and breaks between educational sessions.

Networking Opportunities

The conference is rich with opportunities to meet with fellow industry professionals and share ideas.

The kick-off is the traditional Roscoe King Memorial Golf Tournament, which both members and guests are invited to attend. The bus departs for the Wildhorse Golf Club at 5:45 am with tee-off after breakfast at 7:30 am. Prizes will be offered for:

• $10,000 Hole-in-one

The Wednesday outing will offer a British pub experience at Flight Club, a unique restaurant/bar at the Venetian Resort. With a life-size carousel bar and dart boards around every corner, a smashing time is guaranteed for all.

For guests accompanying regular conference attendees, the IAPMO Companion Program offers activities and excursions. The program includes a dedicated schedule for any registered companions including luncheons, speakers, tours, and fun interactive classes during the conference.

For a full schedule of events, visit conference.iapmo. org/2024/iapmo/home

Editor’s Note: IAPMO’s Annual Conference is under way as we go to press. We will have further coverage of the event in our November issue.

An IAPMO chapter posing with a racecar at the 94th Education and Business Conference.

American Plumber Stories Returns for Season 5

➤ Continued from page 6

all-female team of plumbers. Her 100K+ social media followers know her as @the_ladyplumber (on Instagram).

“I don’t know any other way to describe Mary Anne besides bada**,” said Brown. The episode that highlights her will be, according to Brown, perhaps the most powerful, emotional story the series has told. “It’s going to be different from what people see from her on social media,” Brown said. “They’re going to learn from her. It’ll be something completely inspiring and motivational.”

Salinas, CA – In this installment, we meet plumbing instructor Jorge who helps rehabilitate convicts by teaching them the plumbing trade inside the Soledad State Prison, a medium-security prison incarcerating 4,000 inmates.

“The plumber that’s teaching the class could make a lot more money

doing something else, but he’s committed and he’s young, and he’s built an amazing program,” Brown said—comparable to other top-level programs in the state. Not only does it keep the inmates constructively

occupied, it gives them better chances for success once they’ve served their sentences and return to society.

Victorville, CA – Meet the Motherflushers, a team of young plumbers who are working to change the

perception of the plumbing trade via social media. “ Evan with Replumb is only 22 years old, the same age as my son,” Brown said, “and he has 1.9 million total followers. Just amazing.”

All three of the Motherflushers (Evan, Ty and Jake ) stumbled into the plumbing trade almost by accident, making the story of their success one that will definitely appeal to younger viewers.

How to Watch and Participate

For more information and to watch the new episodes of American Plumber Stories, visit americanplumberstories. com. (The site also has a store with hats, sweatshirts and more sporting the APS logo.) The YouTube channel is www. youtube.com/@AmericanPlumberStories Interested plumbers who would like to share their stories can do so by visiting www.americanplumberstories.com/ pages/i-am-an-american-plumber.

Mary-Anne Bowcott, @the_ladyplumber from the British Columbia episode of American Plumber Stories.

Mary-Anne Bowcott, on the job.

Evan, Ty and Jake—the Motherflushers— pose with Spencer Brown.

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software spotlight

PREFERRED CLOUD REMOTE BOILER ROOM MONITORING

PLATFORM from Preferred Utilities allows facility managers, engineers and other stakeholders to monitor all equipment in their boiler rooms with security, regardless of equipment manufacturer. With data access from anywhere in the world, on any device (desktop, laptop or mobile). It provides immediate issue notification, centralized monitoring and control, historical trend analysis and efficiency optimization. The platform offers three tailored service levels: ReAct, ContAct and ProAct. Each is designed to meet specific operational needs from notification-only, to secure remote access, to advanced analytics, and more.

▲

WORKIZ RESERVE WITH

GOOGLE is an enhanced online booking feature that allows service professionals to reach more customers, book more jobs and stand out from the competition. Customers can connect directly to online booking through Google search results. This can increase the pool of potential customers and streamline scheduling, payments and other essential functions.

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▲

CREWCOST CONSTRUCTION

ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE integrates job costing and time tracking in a simple, powerful platform. Contractors can manage and track committed costs, change orders, retainage, and progress billings. In addition, employees and subcontractors can track and submit their time on the CrewCost apps for Android and iOS.

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ROADFLEX PROACTIVE AI-POWERED FUEL RISK PLATFORM

offers advanced features to meet the unique needs of contractor fleets, such as enhanced fuel management and improved security that drive cost savings. Preventative fuel fraud technology employs three-point authorization systems to verify the vehicle, driver and fuel card at the fueling location. This ensures that only authorized transactions occur. Instant control features allow users to monitor real-time transactions and set spending limits. Comprehensive reporting and analytics, powered by AI, provide fleet managers with detailed insights into spending patterns, fuel consumption trends and driver behavior. RoadFlex

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▲ TRIMBLE PAY from Trimble is used to manage payment applications, lien waivers and other compliance and billing documentation between construction general contractors and subcontractors electronically, eliminating back-and-forth communication and cumbersome document transfers.

Trimble

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▲

SPECLIVE COLLABORATE

PLATFORM from Schneider Electric provides complete, up-to-date information for specifiers to increase accuracy for architectural, engineering and construction specifications. The platform is a simple, streamlined experience for evaluating the manufacturer’s solutions.

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▲

HOUZZ PRO PROJECT MANAGEMENT STREAMLINING

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KOJO PROCUREMENT

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by Steve Spaulding

PLAs, Unions and the Way Forward

If you’ve read this month’s feature, our Code & Regulation Roundup (starting on pg. 20), you know that a lot of the federal infrastructure money coming down the pipeline (from the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) will require Project Labor Agreements (PLAs).

PLAs are collective bargaining agreements that are—as far as I’ve been able to research—unique to the construction industry. Simply put, they are agreements between project owners and labor unions that cover all contractors and sub-contractors (which includes the MEP contractors) on a job. The employer gets no-strike, no-lockout clauses and arbitration procedures in the case of conflict. The union gets a guaranteed wage and benefits package, and (typically) gets to be the sole supplier of skilled labor for the job through their union hall. Meanwhile, open shops or merit shops—where workers might or might not be union members—usually don’t get a chance to bid on those same government-funded jobs, a practice which

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merit-shop association Associated Builders and Contractors has called discriminatory, unfair, anti-competitive, wasteful and a good deal else besides.

Two important things to note.

First, workers covered under PLAs do not have to join unions to work on construction sites or to get referred to construction jobs via hiring halls. Also, it is

the question remains: is this really the best use of our money? Do PLAs result in better outcomes and/or lower prices for the work completed?

The answer (surprise!) depends on who you ask. ABC notes that only 10% of workers in the United States belong to a union, which means PLAs effectively remove 90% of the workforce from the

illegal for unions to discriminate against non-union workers when making hiring hall referrals.

Second, PLAs only apply to largescale construction projects where the total cost to the federal government is estimated to be $35 million or more.

Given those two points, this would seem to be a problem for management, and not for the rank-and-file. However, seeing as how this is federal money and we’re all of us taxpayers around here,

bidding process. According to their research, excluding the most effective, efficient and local businesses can add from 12% to 20% to the cost of projects.

The Department of Labor’s PLAs resource guide states that, to the contrary, PLAs save money by streamlining administration, delivering highly skilled workers that perform higher quality work, and by heading off labor disagreements before they can begin preventing costly delays.

It seems evident (to me, anyway) that while the Biden Administration can make a fiscal case for PLAs, it is also clearly throwing its weight behind unions for political reasons. White men without college degrees have been leaving the Democratic party for decades. Union workers fit that demographic to a T, and shoring up support with unions is as a way to win those voters back. But is that effort bearing any fruit? September 16th the International Brotherhood of Teamsters—still perhaps the most powerful union in the US—issued a release saying, “The union’s member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump,” and as a result have refused to endorse either candidate. What’s the right way forward? Right now, there are a number of PLA-related lawsuits in progress, so the final say will probably be with the courts. Personally, I’m for whatever gets more money in the hands of the people who are actually doing the work. I just can’t see if PLAs are the best way to make that happen.

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE & INSPECTIONS

The Customer Equipment Solutions team at United Rentals specializes in owned equipment repair, maintenance, parts and inspections. Our inspections meet ANSI, OSHA, and CSA requirements so you can protect your investment and safeguard your employees. We can service your owned equipment in the field or at one of our locations and we specialize in medium to heavy-duty equipment, such as scissor lifts, backhoes, mini-excavators, and boom lifts. Our trained technicians can keep your owned fleet operating safely, at peak performance, and according to regulations!

For more information contact CESsupport@ur.com Call 800.UR.RENTS or visit UnitedRentals.com/CES

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