Plumbing & Mechanical articles from January 2009

Plumbing & Mechanical archives from January 2009

As we approach our 25th anniversary.(Letters TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... I received my first Plumbing & Mechanical magazine when the first issue was mailed out March 1984. I have read every issue since that first one. The last magazine I received as a contractor was November 2008. That issue gave me great pleasure...

Safety first.(Letters TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I was reading this month's issue of PM magazine when I read the article named "Protecting The 'Industrial Athlete'"(October 2008). This is of particular interest to me and my company, ATM Plumbing. We are about 9...

Insurance and sprinklers.(Letters TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There are two excellent articles on residential fire sprinkler systems in the November issue. Per these articles, this might be just what the plumbing trade needs as to more volume of work during this tight time. But...

Good news for green building.(Around THE INDUSTRY)
January 1, 2009... Green building, or sustainable construction, is getting a lot of good press lately. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently released the first comprehensive report by a federal agency regarding acquiring, constructing, operating...

BIM, green construction will soften economic fall.(Around THE INDUSTRY)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a meeting scheduled before the nation realized the severity of the economic downturn, the Plumbing Contractors of America's annual education conference focused on the economy almost as much as on education. PCA,...

AARP: one in four boomers plan to move.(Around THE INDUSTRY)
January 1, 2009... One in four baby-boom-generation households (26 percent) expects to move from their current home in the future, with the majority looking for a single-level home that is more comfortable or convenient, according to a new survey prepared for...

Mechanical contractor Harris Cos. announced that its 25th employee has received the designation of LEED Accredited Professional.('Green' News Roundup)
January 1, 2009... Mechanical contractor Harris Cos. announced that its 25th employee has received the designation of LEED Accredited Professional. This marks the achievement of St. Paul, Minn.-based Harris' 2008 goal of having 25 employees with the designation...

Dual-flush toilet manufacturer Caroma donated another 250 high-efficiency toilets, urinals and sinks to Greensburg GreenTown.('Green' News Roundup)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Dual-flush toilet manufacturer Caroma donated another 250 high-efficiency toilets, urinals and sinks to Greensburg GreenTown, a nonprofit organization established to provide residents of Greensburg, Kan., with resources, information and support...

The Pasadena EcoHouse may become the first concrete LEED Platinum home in the United States.('Green' News Roundup)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Pasadena EcoHouse may become the first concrete LEED Platinum home in the United States. Currently in construction, the Pasadena EcoHouse, designed by StudioRMA, will be a three-bedroom, single-level home perched upon a rocky hillside in...

Tankless water heater maker Rinnai Corp. was recently awarded the Super Nova Star Award by the Alliance to Save Energy.('Green' News Roundup)
January 1, 2009... Tankless water heater maker Rinnai Corp. was recently awarded the Super Nova Star Award by the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit coalition of business, government, environmental and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of...

Chapel Hill, N.C., is the site of the first new home completed and certified to the WaterSense draft specification.('Green' News Roundup)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Chapel Hill, N.C., is the site of the first new home completed and certified to the WaterSense draft specification for water-efficient, single-family new homes, announced EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. Built by Vanguard Homes, the home...

NAHBGreen verification is now available for modular homes.('Green' News Roundup)
January 1, 2009... NAHBGreen verification is now available for modular homes, bringing the green building certification process to the industry that produces a fifth of the nation's housing stock. The Modular Green Approved program is a new service offered by the...

Program will help Americans reduce energy bills.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Air-Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute, in collaboration with the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, the Edison Electric Institute, the U.S. Energy Association and North American Technician Excellence, has launched...

E-Verify final rules published.
January 1, 2009... The final E-Verify regulations were published last November. The rules require direct federal prime contractors (contracts of $100,000 or more) and their subcontracts ($3,000 or more) to E-Verify all employees working on covered federal...

AGC shows support for infrastructure investments.
January 1, 2009... The Associated General Contractors of America recently launched a new national effort designed to show broad support for needed new infrastructure investments. The effort is designed to make sure that new infrastructure investments help create...

ECR consolidates manufacturing operations.(Vendor & supplier: NEWS)
January 1, 2009... ECR International plans to shift production from plants in Rome, N.Y, and Wallaceburg, Ontario, to factories in Utica and Dunkirk, N.Y., resulting in the loss of approximately 100 manufacturing jobs in Wallaceburg, where furnaces are made. ECR...

Cambridge-Lee reduces lengths of linesets.(Vendor & supplier: NEWS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Effective Jan. 1, Cambridge Lee Industries will reduce the number of lengths of linesets to the four most popular sizes sold in the air-conditioning and refrigeration market. The four lengths will be 25 feet, 30 feet, 35 feet and 50 feet. These...

InSinkErator.
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dave Weiner (left), CEO of Marketing Support Inc., an integrated marketing agency, was honored by InSinkErator for 50 years of service to the company. Weiner has worked with InSinkErator and its various business...

Why won't contractors call me back? Six calls and only one bid later, your editor decides to share all his upcoming remodeling adventures.(Editor's NOTEBOOK)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How come I'm living in a house with a kitchen and two bathrooms last remodeled when Nixon was in the White House, and I can't get a contractor to give me a call back on the work I desperately need done? Well,...

The Instant Gratification Culture: do you train your own techs, or are you looking for that "instant tech in a box"?(Business TIPS)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The first novel I ever read was "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls. If you have read this inspiring tale, you'll remember Billy Coleman's overwhelming desire to have his very own raccoon hounds. In the story,...

Why gray is green; a classic boiler metal stands ready for the future.(Hydronics WORKSHOP)
January 1, 2009... Cast-iron boilers have long been a staple of the North American hydronics market. They've been part of the evolution of hydronics technology from steam and open-loop, water-based systems to state-of-the-art systems supplying radiant panels,...

By the book.(RADIANT & HYDRONICS E - NEWS: THE GLITCH & THE FIX)
January 1, 2009... Overview: At one point in time, the schematic shown below appeared in a manufacturer's installation manual. It represented the manufacturer's recommendations on installing a two-zone system. Exercise: Can you identify at least five things...

PM'S 2008 best contractor to work for.(Cover story)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FAIR. HONEST. LOYAL. Strong leadership. A person who genuinely cares about his employees. These are a few of the traits that employees of Phoenix, Ariz.-based RKS Plumbing & Mechanical attribute to owner and...

A large part of the RKS culture is mentoring/coaching.
January 1, 2009... But Don't Take Our Word For It: What follows are observations we received from RKS employees that helped us select RKS Plumbing & Mechanical as Plumbing & Mechanical's 2008 Best Contractor To Work For: "Bob Sornsin has created a...

Cal's Plumbing produces online videos for homeowners in a bind.(BREAKING INTO THE 'HOW-TO' MARKET)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Times are tough out there. Plumbing service businesses are feeling the pinch of cautious consumer confidence. As 2009 dawns, it seems clever and resourceful marketing tactics will be the order of the day: What new...

One of a kind.(TRUCK OF THE MONTH)
January 1, 2009... Here's something you don't see every day--but you'll wish you thought of it. Expert Plumbing owner Stephen Brockman has turned his fleet of rolling billboards into scrolling billboards with the addition of his latest service truck. His...

Save the world with clean water: an open letter from our industry to the new president.(Plumbing PRIMER)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Happy New Year and happy start of a new administration. It is always exciting to see a new president being sworn into office. Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not doesn't matter. He is our next president....

Building sales by building the outbound CSR; are you waiting for the phone to ring or are you making the phone ring?(Managing YOUR BUSINESS)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Customer service reps at your company can no longer be good at just handling the calls that come in. Your company needs to build them into what I call "outbound CSRs." That means they get on the phone and create work...

Pride of a craftsman; this New Year's, resolve to share the satisfaction of working in this industry to those around you.(Practical MANAGEMENT)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most New Year's resolutions are forgotten before the end of January, but this one should last all year. Our skilled labor shortage is already critical, but getting worse, as our baby boomers begin reaching retirement...

Material expenses; unfortunately, there could more bad reasons than good for an increase in such expenses.(The BOTTOM LINE)
January 1, 2009... If you are like many plumbing and heating contractors, you have seen your material expense line in your P&L statement grow in recent years. I hope this is due to expanding sales. However, it could be for more sinister reasons. Let's take a deep...

Manifold making.(FIRST PLACE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... When making up a manifold with copper tees and valves, I discovered that using a drop ear tee (all copper) as one of the tees makes for a straighter, cleaner, better supported and more uniform job. I use the drop ears of the tee as a...

Faster cleaner.(tool tips)
January 1, 2009... A while back you had a Tool Tip on cleaning your hands with Clorox. NAPA Auto Parts stores sell a liquid called "Klean Hands." You put a quarter-size drop in your hand and rub it in like lotion. No more cracked fingers or dry skin with this....

Breaking Up.(tool tips)
January 1, 2009... Tired of having to break out the concrete around the bolt holes in toilet flanges in basement bathrooms? I simply take a chunk of bowl wax from a regular wax ring and press it up into the slot on the flange. Not only does this keep concrete...

Your online resource.
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Where can you discover the latest products, news, tools and resources you need to stay ahead in 2009? The answer is only a mouse-click away. At Plumbing & Mechanical's Web site (www.PMmag.com), we're striving to be...

They built better than they knew: the spirit of craftsmanship lives on in our industry. (Doesn't it?).(Editorial OPINION)
January 1, 2009... One of the most amazing stories of our lifetime is still playing out in the hostile climate of a desolate world 65 million miles distant. The robotic Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, landed on opposite sides of the Red Planet in January...