Plumbing & Mechanical articles from March 2005

Plumbing & Mechanical archives from March 2005

PEX banned from California '01 code.(Around THE INDUSTRY)(Cross-linked Polyethylene)
March 1, 2005... The California Court of Appeals in Los Angeles issued a ruling last November that PEX pipe used in building, plumbing and fire codes will now be subject to environmental review by California's Building Standards Commission in the 2001 plumbing...

PM survey indicates strong preference for I=B=R Schools.(Around THE INDUSTRY)(Plumbing and Mechanical )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A recent Plumbing & Mechanical survey finds the I=B=R Schools remain a well-known brand name in hydronic education. We sent surveys to 1,500 respondents, split basically down the middle between PM subscribers and contractors who had...

RPA announces two Radfests.(Around THE INDUSTRY)(Radiant Panel Association)
March 1, 2005... The Radiant Panel Association will hold two Radfests this year, the first next month and another near Washington, D.C., this October. Radfest West will take place April 26-27 in Denver, and will feature speakers, seminars and a trade show....

Contractors eligible for production tax deduction.(Around THE INDUSTRY)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The IRS recently issued guidelines on a new deduction included in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. Construction and renovation contractors are eligible for a 3 percent domestic product deduction for 2005. The deduction increases to 6...

J.F. Ahern celebrates 125 years.(Around THE INDUSTRY)
March 1, 2005... One of the Midwest's largest mechanical contractors, J.F. Ahern Co., Fond du Lac, Wis., will be celebrating 125 years in business with a number of anniversary events scheduled throughout the year. Plans for the celebration include: * A...

McHumor.(Around THE INDUSTRY)
March 1, 2005... "Damn these sprinklers and government fire regulations." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Training corner.(Around THE INDUSTRY)
March 1, 2005... * Easy Street will conduct a three-day training course on the usage and operation of its Total Office Manager and Flat Rate Plus software systems March 22-24, 2005, at the Marriott Airport Hotel, Kansas City, Mo. For further information,...

Construction union representation drops.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unions represented 1.16 million construction workers in 2004. That's 15.4 percent of the total industry workforce of 7.55 million, compared to the 1.18 million represented by unions in 2003 (16.7...

Nexstar holds Money Masters seminar.(Briefs)
March 1, 2005... Nexstar, formerly Contractors 2000, is holding its two-day Money Masters seminar April 14-15, 2005, in Chicago for members and nonmembers. The event is part seminar on the fundamentals of running a successful service business and part tour of a...

Aquatech 2005 expands business education series.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Water Quality Association's Aquatech USA 2005, the "Water Opportunity Show," is expanding its popular business education series with nontraditional, new-line business opportunity education sessions with the International Water Conference,...

Holohan conducts steam & hydronics seminar.(Briefs)
March 1, 2005... PM columnist Dan Holohan is conducting a one-day seminar on steam and hydronic systems April 28 at the St. Johns Banquet & Conference Center, Southfield, Mich. The first part of the day will concentrate on steam systems, the second on...

TDIndustries.(People On The Move)(Harold MacDowell to chief executive officer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Dallas-based TDIndustries promoted Harold MacDowell to chief executive officer. Jack Lowe Jr. will continue to serve as chairman of the board. MacDowell is a 20-year veteran of the company, most recently as the board's managing director.

ServiceMaster Co.(People On The Move)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... ServiceMaster Co. promoted Albert Cantu to group business president, with responsibility for American Residential Services, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids and Furniture Medic. Previously, he was president and chief operating officer of...

EMCOR Group.(People On The Move)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... EMCOR Group (Norwalk, Conn.) named Anthony R. Triano as vice president of integrated services. He will oversee the company's new Integrated Services Department. Triano has more than 17 years of experience in the industry, most recently as...

Condos, apartments driving urban renewal.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Condominiums and apartments are driving urban renewal as a younger generation and empty-nesters seek homes where they can live, work and play, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The condo market in particular has been...

New bath, kitchen trends revealed.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Remodeling franchiser DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen surveyed its franchisees to identify design trends for 2005. For the bath, look for enlarged spaces borrowed from adjacent closets or small bedrooms; conversions of tubs to showers with seats;...

Hearing date set for NSPC.(Briefs)(National Standard Plumbing Code )
March 1, 2005... The public hearing date for the 2005 National Standard Plumbing Code is Aug. 25, 2005, at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church, Va. The deadline for proposed changes to the 2003 NSPC is April 28, 2005.

MCA of Metro Washington elects 2005 officers.(Briefs)(Mechanical Contractors Association)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Mechanical Contractors Association of Metropolitan Washington elected Chris Kelly, owner and president of Kelly HVAC Inc. (Upper Marlboro, Md.), as its 2005 president. Other officers elected were Mark Cronin of Paramount Mechanical Corp....

Rohr featured at women's conference.(Briefs)
March 1, 2005... PM columnist Ellen Rohr took part in a panel discussion titled "Growth Secrets From Sales Divas," at Office Depot's 5th annual Success Strategies for Businesswomen Conference, Feb. 27-March 1, Boca Raton, Fla.

Bosch buys CEC.(Vendor & Supplier NEWS)(Robert Bosch GmbH)(Controlled Energy Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Bosch Group, parent of Buderus Hydronic Systems, announced the complete acquisition of instantaneous gas water heater distributor Controlled Energy Corp. The Vermont-based company will be integrated into Bosch's extensive line of heating...

Grundfos purchases metering pump, submersible motor makers.(Vendor & Supplier NEWS)(Grundfos Pumps Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Grundfos Pump Corp. recently bought German metering pump group Alldos, and Italian submersible motor manufacturer Tesla s.r.l. Alldos is well-known for its metering pumps (primarily used for dosing of chemicals for water treatment) and a wide...

Bobcat expands N.D. facilities.(Vendor & Supplier NEWS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Bobcat Co., Bismark, N.D., announced a $9.5 million expansion, including building a 100,000-sq.-ft. "manufacturing support center" at the nearby Northern Plains Commerce Centre. The new facility will enable components to be subassembled prior...

Interline Brands offers contractors AA miles.(Vendor & Supplier NEWS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Interline Brands, a direct marketing and specialty distribution company, recently launched a new customer loyalty program that allows plumbing, HVAC, electrical and building contractors to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles when they...

The idea factory: tips on creating, capturing and developing good business ideas.(Business TIPS)
March 1, 2005... Good business ideas don't grow on trees. They're conceived, incubated and birthed by common, everyday folks like you and me. Don't underestimate the fecund nature of a contractor's imagination. Trade professionals produce patents, marketing...

Where does your markup go?(HEATINGHELP.COM)
March 1, 2005... Original inquiry: Where does your markup on parts go? And does it matter that your distributor sells directly to the homeowner? Don Replies: Mine goes to overhead and more inventory. As far as distributors that sell direct, mine don't at...

Avoiding bottlenecks: solutions to flow and heat transfer bottlenecks.(Hydronics WORKSHOP)
March 1, 2005... Every year I get inquiries about performance-challenged hydronic heating systems. Sometimes they arrive as an e-mail from a frustrated homeowner who's paid for a superior system and ends up shivering when the mercury drops. Other times it's a...

Understanding ion exchange processes: ion exchange is a highly versatile water treatment technology that tackles many different problems.(Water TREATMENT)
March 1, 2005... Most readers will have enough understanding of the word "ion" to associate it with chemistry class. Just the word itself can immediately evoke fear in those who dreaded the subject in their school days. The purpose of this article is to...

Water treatment: still a steady flow of business.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... As the water treatment market builds momentum, more and more plumbing service contractors acknowledge its potential for profitability by adding it to their business diversities. But it doesn't end at the kitchen sink anymore. [ILLUSTRATION...

Trenchless repairs: relining broken pipe saves money--and a bit of history.
March 1, 2005... We've written in past issues about the benefits of various piping rehab techniques for fixing lateral lines and domestic water pipe without digging up the ground or ripping apart walls and ceilings. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Here are a...

Sizing tankless water heaters: in practical terms, the amount of hot water produced by tankless water heaters will vary with incoming water temperatures.
March 1, 2005... Incoming water temperature is an important, but frequently overlooked, variable in the sizing of a tankless water heater. Ultimately, customer satisfaction with any type of water heater depends on proper sizing: making certain there is an...

One-persistent-man shop: Nautilus Plumbing & Heating, Boulder, Colo.(TRUCK OF THE MONTH)
March 1, 2005... WHAT BEGAN AS A "HOBBY GONE WILD" has become a profitable niche business for one plumbing and heating troubleshooter, James Johnson. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A friend's nickname for him--The Nautman, for his tenacity--and his...

Water heater venting--Part II: follow the rules for venting or risk premature failure.(Plumbing PRIMER)
March 1, 2005... Last month, I addressed the changes in the classification of venting systems that impact the venting of a water heater. A standard tank-type, gas-fired water heater is a Category I appliance. Also in Category I are many residential furnaces and...

Outlets, switches, polarity and grounding: a short stroll through house wiring history.(Hydronic CONTROLS)
March 1, 2005... Imagine back to the early 20th century. Home electrification in America was a new and somewhat frightening idea. What mixed feelings folks must have had--you could have electric lights, but you had to have wires running through your house. That...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2005... My electricity guru friend Date Watterson, of the Madison Gas and Electric Company, kindly corrected a point in my February column, "Grounding." I wrote that neutral electricity goes back to the power plant. He says that, no, the neutral leg...

Adjusting white-collar wages and salaries: proper documentation keeps facts together and makes money discussions with your employees easier.(Practical MANAGEMENT)
March 1, 2005... Isn't it nice to review all of your profits as you prepare for your year-end income tax reports? Unfortunately, you must also manipulate all of your costs, overhead, expenses, deductibles and depreciation to determine how much of that profit...

Design that is universal: universal design is the future for creating bathrooms for an aging population.(PLUMBING TRENDS)(American Association of Retired Persons)
March 1, 2005... It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone in the construction industry that baby boomers are making a tremendous impact on the housing industry. With between 70 million and 80 million people, "boomers" comprise almost one-third of the nation's...

Tightfit tip.(FIRST PLACE)
March 1, 2005... For real tight areas to changeout ballcocks in toilets, you can use a 15/32 tub socket. It fits the ballcock nut perfectly and makes for easy work. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mike Russell Savalot Plumbing & Drain Cleaning Macon,...

Storage solution.(tool tips)
March 1, 2005... Use empty ammo boxes to store like tool: wrenches in one, sockets sets in another, etc. They're inexpensive, durable, waterproof, compact, stackable, have handles, and come in sizes large enough to store pipe wrenches and threading tools. ...

Go rotary.(tool tips)
March 1, 2005... I use a Dremel rotary tool to grind off the chrome on P traps so they can be soldered. Works great. Ray Fontaine Fontaine Plumbing Northampton, Mass.

Send us your tool tips.(tool tips)
March 1, 2005... If you have an idea that has saved you time and money, Plumbing & Mechanical would like to share your tip with our readers. You can e-mail your idea directly to PM editor Steve Smith at smiths@bnpmedia.com, or mail it to him c/o PM, 1050 IL...

Neoperl Web site.(Products & LITERATURE)
March 1, 2005... Neoperl Web Site: Visit the new www.neoperl.com site and search an interactive database of original OEM replacement parts for plumbing wholesalers. Use multiple criteria--size, flow rate or stream type--to select the replacement faucet aerator...

Flood guard [no photo].(Products & LITERATURE)
March 1, 2005... Flood Guard [No photo]: Prevent basement flooding with General Pipe Cleaners' Flood-Guard[R]. Available for 2-, 3- and 4-inch floor drains, it operates like a check valve to seal off water backup caused by overloaded sewers. Circle 2

Self-feeding ratcheting tube cutters [no photo].(Products & LITERATURE)
March 1, 2005... Self-Feeding Ratcheting Tube Cutters [No photo]: New tube cutters from Wheeler-Rex feature a self-feeding and ratcheting action designed for fast, accurate pipe cutting in confined spaces. Place the cutter onto pipe and begin ratcheting; the...

Handheld underground boring [no photo].(Products & LITERATURE)
March 1, 2005... Handheld Underground Boring [No photo]: BorZit lays pipe under sidewalks, driveways or landscaping faster with less effort. Powered by a 1/2-inch drill, the tool can bore up to 60 feet at 1 ft./min. with amazing accuracy. It can bore a 1 1/4-,...

Rooftop water heater [no photo].(Products & LITERATURE)
March 1, 2005... Rooftop Water Heater [No photo]: A.O. Smith Water Heater Products Co. introduces its Equinox[TM], an 80-gallon commercial tank-type water heater designed for rooftop and outdoor installation for maximum interior space consideration. Circle...

The importance of quality relationships: who you deal with is more important than airtight contract language.(Editorial OPINION)
March 1, 2005... I never thought the day would come when I singled out a lawyer for praise, but that day arrived last Nov. 8. That's when I gave a presentation on contractor business practices at a conference sponsored by Roofing Contractor and Walls & Ceilings...