2010 winter olympics — implementing geothermal like you’ve ... · you should be looking for...

2010 Winter Olympics — Implementinggeothermal like you’ve never seen

A Publication

january 2010vol. 11, no. 12010 Industry Forecast

2010 Winter Olympics — Implementinggeothermal like you’ve never seen

Story on page 38Story on page 38

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4 Phc News — JANUARY 2010In thIs Issue

• Original Isolators• Hi-Flow Drains• Rotating Flanges• Integral Check Valves • Slotted Holes For High

Velocity Pumps

THE MOST OPTIONS ANYWHERE

Webstone’s valves are fantastic. They save me time, they save me money and when I see a boiler job installed without Webstone valves I always ask myself, is this contractor crazy?

Brian Debeaver Owner, Mile High Plumbing & Handyman Golden, CO

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www.phcnews.com

Owner

Tom M. Brown, Jr.

Chief EditorJohn MesenbrinkManaging EditorJames SchaibleContributing EditorsMary Jo MartinMark BrunoRichard DiTomaMorris R. BeschlossPaul RohrsDan HolohanEllen Rohr

Production ManagerCate C. BrownAdministrative AssistantSadie Bechtold

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TMB Publishing, Inc.

Tom M. Brown Jr., President

plumbing & hydronic contractor news

Departments

Tankless goingmainstream— pg. 52

Rocky Mountain solar — pg. 56

ColumnsDAN HOLOHAN: Early scientists defined the way things work . . . . . . . .18PAUL ROHRS: Simple heating systems provide a nice break . . . . . . . .22ELLEN ROHR: The balance sheet can be one of your best tools . . . . . . .24BRISTOL STICKNEY: SWH, SRCC & OG-300 are terms you should know . . . .26RICHARD DITOMA: Your profit margin probably is too low . . . . . . . . .30MORRIS BESCHLOSS: Weldbend on a roll despite rough times . . . . . . . . .36

In the NewsDual PMG listing from UL, ICC . . . .6The Pulse: Tubing cutter tips; fuel and metal prices up . . . . . . . . .8Kudos to Taco for preserving jobs .10Energy programs gain ground . . . .12New board for PHCC education . . .14HeatingHelp: the Wall . . . . . . . . .20Navien America bringing tankless water heating to the masses . . .52Utah mountain lodge mines solar silver for DHW system . . . . . . .56Siemens ‘greens’ Housing Authority .64Nexstar contest nets $18M+ for member companies . . . . . . . . .65Product News: Boilers and water heaters . . . . . . . . . .60, 62

From the EditorsWater heating sector expecting cool 2010 business climate . . . .66

40 Forecast for 2010We elicit knowledgeable industry forecasts from Skip Pfeffer, PHCC president; DavidSingleton, QSC chairman; Dan Foley, owner and president of Foley Mechanical, Inc.;and Watts Radiant. All agree that challenges confront the industry but growth ison the horizon.

46, 50 What’s BIM?That’s short for Building Information Modeling,and it’s a hot concept of virtual conceptualizinga project that is gaining traction among con-tractors needing to see how the finished job willappear before a wrench is turned.

Features

On the Cover

Vancouver, British Columbia hosts the 2010Winter Olympic games next month, and theWhistler Athletes Village will keep the par-ticipants warm and comfortable using aninnovative geothermal system that extractsheat from the sanitary sewage system forspace and water heating. Story on page 38.

THE PAST CANNOT PREDICT

THE FUTURE

“Very practical and high quality” Dane Anderson, APHAC, Galva, IL

“Great valve, saves so much time!” Richy Becker

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INNOVATION

As featured in this issue’s cover story.


ICC EVALUATION SERVICE, INC.® (ICC-ES®) and Underwriters Laboratories(UL) have established a dual PMG list-ing program for plumbing, mechani-cal, and fuel gas (PMG) products. Thepurpose of the program is to providecode officials and construction pro-fessionals with a reliable means toverify that PMG products comply with

applicable codes and standards.Jeff Smith, general manager of

UL’s Global Water & Food Business,announced the program by saying,“This strategic alliance leveragesthe shared strengths of UL and ICC-ES: credibility, integrity, technicalexpertise, and brand recognition.The dual PMG listing program pro-

vides manufacturers and regulatorswith a one-stop resource for deter-mining the code compliance andstandards compliance of PMG prod-ucts. We at UL are excited to beworking with ICC-ES to bring addedvalue and convenience to this in-dustry.” For more info, www.icc-es.org or www.ul.com/water.

WEBSTONE will be offering select EXPTankless Water Heater ServiceValves kits that are compliant withCalifornia and Vermont’s new lead-free requirements. As of January 1,2010 the patented EXP E2 will beavailable in our signature “Clean-Brass”™ construction, cUPC certi-fied for compliance with AB 1953 &NSF/ANSI 61-8 Annex G. Call (800)225-9529 for details.

ICC Evaluation Service and UL introduce dual PMG listing

6 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Industry news


Webstone ready for new lead-free laws

ARLINGTON, VA. — The Air-Condi-tioning, Heating, and RefrigerationInstitute (AHRI), warned consumersabout the dangers of unauthorizedand unapproved altering or any gas-fired heating appliance. Manufactur-ers must use specific engineeringand design knowledge to developgas-fired heating appliances that op-erate safely and properly under a va-riety of conditions.The product designs are tested and

certified by third-party independenttesting agencies, like CSA Interna-tional, ETL/Intertek and Underwrit-ers Laboratories for compliance withnationally recognized voluntary con-sensus safety standards. Any unau-thorized modification to a gas-firedappliance, no matter how minor, canalter the design and compromise thesafety of that unit. For example, analteration that changes the combus-tion process may cause carbonmonoxide (CO) emissions that ex-ceed the limits specified in the safetystandards. Modifications should onlybe made that are authorized by theoriginal equipment manufacturer(OEM) or other recognized authorityand performed by qualified servicepersonnel.“Any unauthorized modification to

a gas burning appliance voids itssafety certification and may exposeconsumers to a risk of property dam-age, personal injury, or even death,”said AHRI chief technical advisorFrank A. Stanonik.

AHRI warns consumers aboutmodification of gas-fired appliances

Slant/Fin hires director of national accounts

SLANT/FIN CORP.announced thehiring of Phil LaRosa. Phil willhold the positionof director of Na-tional Accounts.La Rosa has morethan 30 years experience as asales executive in the hydronicheating industry.

8 Phc News — JANUARY 2010

Tool Tips feature trade tipsfrom Lee “HACKMAN” Breton,marketing services manager

for LENOX, team hackman eventmanager and car cutter extraordi-naire. Every month, hackmanshares insight from his 25+ years inthe tool industry.Thinking of picking up a new tub-

ing cutter? I have a couple of sug-gestions on what to look for. Overall,you should be looking for qualityconstruction, cutting wheel track-ing, a professional deburring tool,ease of use in tight spaces, ability toprovide a clean cut and easy-to-replace cutter wheels.A professional-style deburring

tool cleanly and easily deburrs pipeswith the replaceable machinist’sreamer. Alternatively, if you use atubing cutter with a wedge-style de-burring tool, it can actually expandthe tube out if too much force is

used. This can enlarge the outsidediameter of the tube and prevent fit-tings from connecting properly. Another important feature to look

for is a roller tracking system that

keeps the tube in place to preventthreading. Larger capacity tubingcutters feature a four-roller systemthat holds the pipe at four pointsversus two, enabling a highly accu-rate cut without the “walking” oftenassociated with a two-roller cutter.The four-roller system also allowsyou to make accurate cuts on largertubings than a two-roller cutter.For a highly accurate cut every

time, you must choose the right toolfor the job. Tubing cutters come in avariety of sizes, so it is important toget the right size for your specificjob. Cutter wheels are also availablefor specific materials. For example,

there are wheels for cutting difficult-to-cut metals like brass and stainlesssteel, or softer materials like copper,aluminum. Specific wheels for PVCand plastic are also an option. It’s important to get a tubing cut-

ter with a ball-bearing driven tensionknob to make for easier spinning inhand estimated sizes. An added fea-ture to look for is a full-stop system

that keeps the wheel and roller fromcolliding after cutting, keeping thewheel sharper longer.

Quick tips for quick tube cutting• With the open side of the tubing

cutter facing you, place it on thetube and turn the tension knob sothe cutting wheel is against the out-side wall of the tube. • To begin cutting, place your

hand on the tension knob and pushthe tubing cutter down and around. • As you rotate the tubing cutter,

your hand automatically tensions theknob making for a faster cut withouthaving to remove your hand. �


The

Pulse

U.S. average 2.665

East Coast 2.653

New England 2.685

Central Atlantic 2.686

Lower Atlantic 2.618

Midwest 2.637

Gulf Coast 2.525

Rocky Mountain 2.509

West Coast 2.900

California 2.987

Fuels

Metals

*Copper $3.47/lb. **Aluminum $1.01/lb.

fifi

fifi

fifi

fifi

fifi

Gasoline Diesel

Area $/gal. Change

U.S. average 2.797

East Coast 2.827

New England 2.935

Central Atlantic 2.932

Lower Atlantic 2.772

Midwest 2.771

Gulf Coast 2.750

Rocky Mountain 2.746

West Coast 2.908

California 2.959

fifi

fifi

fifi

fifi

fifi

Area $/gal. Change

fi fi

Prices valid as of 1/4/10. Fuel information courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energyhttp://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp. Arrows indicate change from previous issue.* Copper prices according to NYMEX.com. ** Aluminum prices according to metalprices.com.

Tool Tips

with Hackman

Tubing Cutter — the right toolfor the job

CRANSTON, R.I. — Taco, Inc. washighlighted in a widely reported As-sociated Press story on the recentWhite House Jobs Summit. The com-pany’s successful attempts to avoidlaying off any of its workers during

the downturn this year was discussedat some length in the article. The AP article focused on strate-

gies that companies can undertaketo create and preserve jobs. The firstof four examples cited in the article

concerned Taco’s experience.Rather than lay off experiencedworkers during the course of thisyear, Taco elected to carry out a lay-off avoidance strategy called Work-Share, whereby workers worked a

day less each week and made upmuch of the difference in lost salarywith unemployment compensation.WorkShare also allowed workers atTaco to keep their benefits intact.The WorkShare effort affected al-

most 300 Taco production employ-ees in R.I. and Mass., and wascarried out in conjunction with theR.I. Dept. of Labor & Training andthe Mass. Dept. of Workforce Devel-opment. “WorkShare has allowed usto make the best out of a difficultsituation,” commented Taco’s sen-ior vice president of Human Re-sources, Kyle Adamonis. “It makesit possible for us to keep our valued

employees and maintain our pro-duction, although at the slightly di-minished level dictated by ourcircumstances.”Taco CEO and president John

Hazen White, Jr. has long main-tained that his workers are his mostimportant obligation, even beyondhis customers. “Taco employees aremy number one priority,” he said,“because they are the key to oursuccess.” R.I. employers, in addition to Taco,

have used WorkShare to avert theequivalent of 5,800 layoffs throughOctober of this year, the AP articlestated, adding that 17 states now par-ticipate in a version of the program.

Taco adds 5 new pump lines in Autodesk Seek

Taco has added five new commer-cial pump lines as Autodesk Seek:Revit design files. The files are avail-able in three file formats (Revit, Auto-CAD 2D and AutoCAD 3D) for the use ofdesign engineers and building con-struction professionals. The files areaccessible at www.taco-hvac.com/revit.html or athttp://seek.autodesk.com.Taco commercial pump lines now

available via Autodesk are:• KS Vertical Split-Coupled Inline

Pumps;• KV Vertical Close-Coupled In-

line Pumps;• TC Series Vertical Split Case

Pumps;• CI Series Close-Coupled End

Suction Pumps;• TA Series Horizontal Split Case

Pumps; and • FI Series Base Mounted Split-

Coupled End Suction Pumps.

Taco’s work-share initiative gets mention in AP article on Obama Jobs Summit

10 Phc News — JANUARY 2010InDusTry news


BECAUSE MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY COLD WATER ALONE.

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WOODFORD MANUFACTURING COMPANY

COLDNow, the convenience of year-round outsidecold and hot water is easy, reliable andmaintenance-free.Woodford models 22 and V22 are freezeless,anti-rupture, and drain automatically with thehose removed. Our patented Pressure ReleaseValve (PRV Stem) releases at approximately 300psi, eliminating the chance of pipe rupture.We’ve also improved water flow and addedlong-lasting, more ergonomic powder-coatedoval handles. And Woodford quality comes atno extra charge.

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BOSTON — Budgets for ratepayer funded energyefficiency programs in the United States andCanada topped a record six billion dollars for2009, illustrating the ongoing and growing sup-port for energy savings and environmental ben-efits at the state and provincial level. Utilityfunding increased 35 percent over the $4.5 bil-lion committed in 2008. Not including onetimeU.S. stimulus funding directed to energy effi-ciency, the U.S. totaled $5.3 billion, doublingfrom $2.6 billion in 2006. Eight Canadianprovinces together reached $800 million, asmall reduction from 2008, but showing growthfrom the 2007 total of $600 million.Gas programs demonstrated the most rapid

expansion, soaring 274 percent since 2006 andincreasing nearly 80 percent over 2008 in theUnited States. Canadian gas programs rose 25percent on top of a 39 percent rise in 2008.Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) mem-bers administer 89 percent of U.S. gas budgetsand 74 percent of Canadian budgets.Electric budgets in the United States went

from a 21 percent increase in 2008 over 2007to a whopping 37 percent over 2008. CEE mem-bers administer 88 percent of U.S. electric budg-ets reported; Canadian members administer 94percent. The largest gains were from southeastand south central states, regions that grew morethan 76 percent. While most provinces inCanada reported either increases or first timebudgets for electric efficiency, decreases in pro-gram spending in Ontario and low efficiencyloan activity in New Brunswick, both due to the

order with a manufacturer’s representative sev-eral years ago. The salesman informed him thathis purchase would qualify for thousands ofpoints in the manufacturer’s loyalty rewardsprogram, and the president discovered howquickly the points added up. “Once I saw thepoints collecting, I kept doing it,” he said. “It gotto be part of a game.” The contracting firm pres-ident said an incentive program itself isn’tenough to warrant purchasing from one manu-facturer instead of another; good service andproduct quality are most important to him. Butthe incentive program is a “motivator” to specifythat manufacturer’s products, as long as theprizes are worthwhile. Trading earned points formoney or a catalog item, such as a laptop com-puter, sports tickets or a home entertainmentsystem, is much more persuasive than promo-tional trinkets. Nowakowski said program participants essen-

tially “lock in” their loyalty to win prizes. Re-search conducted by Accountability found thatprogram members increase their business with amanufacturer that has a loyalty program by morethan 25% and that loyalty programs are more in-fluential than rebate offers. “This loyalty trans-lates into much greater value for themanufacturer over the long run than simply beat-ing the competition on a single job bid,” he said.


12 Phc News — JANUARY 2010InDusTry news

Energy efficiency program budgets leap 35% in 2009

economic downturn, meant a slight decrease inCanada overall to just under $0.7 billion. Impacts measured by CEE members showed

savings of 93,000 GWh of electricity and morethan 343 million therms of gas, avoiding morethan 55 million metric tons of CO2. The carbondioxide emissions avoided by CEEmember effortsin 2008 are equivalent to the annual emissionsfrom nearly 12 coal-fired power plants-more thantwo percent of the output of all coal-fired powerplants in the United States in 2005. Based on theaverage retail price of electricity and gas in 2008,the combined utility bill savings for consumersdelivered by CEE member programs in that yearclimbed to more than $8.4 billion.Data were collected from 46 states, up from

37 in 2008, and from eight provinces. Workingwith the American Gas Association and the In-stitute for Electric Efficiency for the first time,CEE has completed collection of budget and im-pact data from ratepayer funded energy effi-ciency programs and plans to make detailedanalysis of the data along with our Annual In-dustry Report available early in 2010. New thisyear is the collection of expenditure data for2008, which showed that these programs arespending their allocated budgets.Major contributors to this year’s data collec-

tion effort were the American Gas Associationand the Institute for Electric Efficiency. Joiningforces with these organizations eliminated du-plication of effort by all three organizations, re-duced the reporting burden for respondents, andenlarged the pool threefold.

PALATINE, ILL. — Contractors and other industryprofessionals weigh factors such as price, reputa-tion and availability when purchasing productsfor commercial or residential jobs. When allthings are relatively equal in the buyer’s mind, anincentive can swing a product purchase decisionone way versus another. But buyers report thatthe incentives have to be worth their while andthat obtaining — and keeping — their loyalty canbe a tricky balance of offering enough value to tipthe scales in their favor. James Nowakowski, president of Accountabil-

ity Information Management Inc., a Palatine, Ill.,firm that develops and operates various types ofincentive programs for manufacturers, said thatmany contractors find that the effort to enrolland qualify products for these programs is worththe trouble as long as the pay-off is substantialand realistic to attain. “Companies need to becommitted to their customers on all levels andthat includes customer incentive programs,”said Nowakowski. “It’s important to have strongcustomer relationships, and it all comes down tobuilding loyalty and maintaining trust. Reward-ing customers for their faithfulness is part of thatrelationship.” The president of a Cincinnati-areacommercial contracting firm with more than100 employees recounts how he knew nothingabout incentive programs until he placed a large

How manufacturers benefit from loyalty reward programs

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FALLS CHURCH, VA. — Sixteen newmembers of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC) Educa-tional Foundation Board ofDirectors were sworn in at theirfirst in-person meeting on October20, 2009. This is the first time sincethe Foundation was established in1986 that the Foundation has hada board of members distinct fromthe PHCC — National Associationboard.“There is so much important

work for both organizations to getdone that everyone felt the time wasright for us to establish a separateboard that could devote their full at-tention to Foundation governanceand educational programming,”commented Foundation Chairper-son Bill Jones. “The change has alsoallowed us to reach out to the indus-

try and include some additional tal-ent on the board.”The individuals seated in newly

established Foundation board posi-tions will allow the organization totap into a broad range industry ex-pertise. Rex Martin of NIBCO INC.is the Foundation board’s first in-dustry manufacturer representa-tive. Thomas Applegate from theAssociation for Career and Techni-cal Education is serving as the pro-fessional educator representative.The board now also includes repre-sentatives from the PHCC Associa-tion Executives Council and thePHCC National Auxiliary, two groupsthat play critical roles within thePHCC family.The new board members will be

working actively in 2010 to help theFoundation accomplish its educa-

tional goals and will serve as liaisonsto the volunteer-led committees thatpower the Foundation’s program de-velopment.

2009-2010 PHCC EducationalFoundation Board of Directors• Chairperson: William P. Jones,

Raven Mechanical, Houston, Texas• Vice Chairperson: Jo Rae Wag-

ner, CTO, Inc., Harlingen, Texas• Secretary-Treasurer: Ron New-

man, Lakes Plb., Htg. and Cooling,Inc., Spirit Lake, Iowa• Board Members: Thomas Apple-

gate, Laurie Crigler, Nancy Jones,Michael J. Kastner, Frank Maddalon,Rex Martin, Frank Monroe, Skip Pf-effer, George Raburn, Ann Rivers,Paul Swan, Ike Casey and GerryKennedy. For more info, www.phccweb.org.

PHCC Educational Foundation welcomes new donors

The PHCC Educational Foundationannounced the addition of four newmajor Endowment Fund donors totheir Board of Governors. • James and Patricia Lewis,

James L. Lewis, Inc., ChenagoForks, N.Y.• Frank and Iris Maddalon, F.R.

Maddalon Plumbing and Heating,Inc.,Trenton, N.J.• Ron and Jeanette Newman,

Lakes Plumbing, Heating andCooling, Inc., Spirit Lake, Iowa.• PHCC of Massachusetts State

Chapter, Braintree, Mass.The Foundation Board of Gov-

ernors consists of contractors,manufacturers, and wholesalerswho have made major contribu-tions of their funds, time and ex-pertise to supporting educationand training for the plumbing-heating-cooling industry.

PHCC Educational Foundation establishes new Board of Directors

InDusTry news


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16 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Industry

news


1st Annual James McComasScholarship Award announced

FRANKLIN PARK, ILL. — Calculate fa-cility water usage and potential sav-ings on the go with the new SaveH2O water savings calculator fromSloan Valve Company, a free busi-ness application for the iPhoneplatform.This new iApp for the

iPhone allows facilitiesmanagers, architects, engi-neers, plumbers and otherprofessionals to immedi-ately estimate currentwater usage and determinesavings that could be gainedby switching to water-effi-cient plumbing products.The Save H20 iApp is suit-able for new constructionor existing facilities in com-mercial, hospitality and residentialmarkets.“Water is the most precious re-

source we have, and the iApp is away of educating others on how theycan help reduce their environmentalimpact while saving money,” said

Tim Schiffbauer, Sloan’s director ofmarketing.To calculate water usage and sav-

ings, the Sloan iApp asks users toinput information, such as the typeand quantity of toilets and urinals

currently in the facility, thenumber of people who usethe restrooms and localwater rates. The iApp dis-plays photos and specifica-tions for a variety of Sloanwater-efficient plumbingproducts. Save H20 imme-diately reveals its calcula-tions and allows users toalter variables for differentresults.Although consumer-ori-

ented iApps are common forthe iPhone, applications for the com-mercial market are fairly unique. “Fora manufacturing company to do thisis pretty remarkable,” said Tim Court-ney, director of marketing and brandstrategy for KeyLimeTie, which devel-oped the Save H20 iApp for Sloan.

Calculate facility water usage, sav-ings with iPhone App from Sloan Valve Co.

The Oilheating Industry is continu-ally looking for qualified heatingtechnicians to work in the industry.National Association of Oil HeatingService Managers (NAOHSM), whosemission is education, takes the leadwith this effort by annually offeringscholarships to those students inter-ested in furthering their educationin this field. One such believer in the need for

education and quality servicewas James McComas,owner of McComas FuelCo., Baltimore. Jim passedaway in December 2009 at the ageof 51. The news of his passing wasshocking to many in the Md. oilheatcommunity. When national V.P. RalphAdams, Parker Fuel Company, heardof his friend’s passing, his immediatethought was how to keep the memoryof Jim alive. Remembering his earlyyears of spending time in a classroom

with Jim, both learning about oilheat,Ralph suggested a scholarship in hisname.James is survived by his wife Em-

malee, Monkton, Md., and their fivechildren.The James McComas Scholarship

award will be given along with a min-imum of eight other scholarships atthe association’s annual AwardsBanquet, Tuesday, May 25th, Prov-

idence, R.I.To be considered a can-

didate for a scholarship,an applicant is required to

write a 500-word essay entitled,“What are your thoughts about theoil heating industry and what appealsto you about this segment of the en-ergy industry?” The essay, alongwith a simple application, is to besubmitted to the National office nolater than Friday, March 19, 2010.For more info, www.naohsm.org.

Mestek mourns death of colleagueMestek announces the recent pass-ing of friend and colleague StephenM. Schwaber, executive vice presi-dent, Mestek Distributor ProductsGroup, at the young age of 53.Steve leaves behind his wife Cindy,the love of his life, his beloved

mother Katherine,his childrenChristopher andTimothy, his step-son Jessy, and hisbrother Robert andsister Deborah.

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18 Phc News — JANUARY 2010HeatIng Help

Meet Bill Henry

BY DAN HOLOHANcontributing writer

The first time I saw a Spirovent air separator in ac-tion was at a plumbing supply house in Brooklyn,New York. It was set up with see-through piping

and I got to use a bicycle pump to inject air into the mov-ing water. I stood there for a while, pumping away. TheSpirovent caught the air and spit it out. It was fun, butthen, I’m easily amused. The salesman smiled at me and told me about mi-

crobubbles (a new term for me), and how they would col-lide with and adhere to the inner workings of theSpirovent, and then leave by way of the vent. He alsomentioned Henry’s Law, which was something I hadnever heard of at the time, but I nodded with great respectnonetheless. Didn’t want to look dumb. When I got back home, I looked up Henry’s Law in the

dictionary and learned that it had to do with the way agas will dissolve in a liquid, depending on pressure. Itturns out the more pressure you put on a liquid, the moregas it will hold in solution. Vice versa, of course. Oh, andthe hotter water gets the less air it will hold in solution(and vice versa). I sort of knew all of that by watchingwater boil and soda pop open, but I had never put a nameto it. Now I knew.And that got me thinking a lot about club soda. I had

written a book called Pumping Away and I needed a sim-ple visual that would show what happens to dissolved gaswhen you lower the pressure on the water. Club soda fitthe bill. I started taking a bottle of that fizzy stuff with mewhenever I left home to do a seminar. Shaking a bottle ofclub soda and popping the top is a marvelous way ofdemonstrating Henry’s Law to a group of contractors, andone they will long remember. Well, at least the ones in thefront row will remember. I did this for years (still do) but I never gave much

thought to who the Henry of Henry’s Law was, so one dayI decided to look into that. I did this because I am curiousby nature, and because I have too much time on myhands. Here’s what I learned. Bill Henry’s daddy, Tom, was a rich doctor who also

owned an industrial chemical business in Manchester,England in the late 1700s. (Try putting those two profes-sions together nowadays. You could probably make yourown patients.) Tom Henry was the first guy to suggest thatyou could bleach clothing with chlorine. How about that?Isn’t it good to know that Clorox and the proper locationof hydronic air separators have their roots within thesame family?Anyway, Little Billy showed up just before Christmas

in 1774 and all went well until he reached the age of 10.That’s when a beam fell from the ceiling, landed right onhim, and left him with chronic pain for the rest of his life.Because of this, he wasn’t able to play with the other kidsso stayed inside and hit the books. He hit them hard.At 16, he began studying medicine, and at 21 he en-

tered the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, but onlystayed a year. He left the university to help his father withhis medical practice and to work in the family business.He spent the next 10 years doing original research inchemistry, which plays a big part in this story. And then,because he didn’t like to leave things undone, he returnedto medical school at 31 and got his medical degree twoyears later. Oh, and he did his dissertation on, of allthings, uric acid (a.k.a. pee), which I think is splendid be-cause it ties Bill Henry even closer to the business ofplumbing and heating. Now, we are all influenced by those who came before,

and Bill Henry was no different. A generation earlier therehad been a fellow in France by the name of AntoineLavoisier. Heard of him? He was the guy who first saidthat matter can neither be created nor destroyed, and he

also gave names to two things that are pretty important –those being oxygen and hydrogen. Lavoisier also came upwith the first extensive list of elements, and helped createthe metric system. So there. What have you done today?And you would think that the French would have ap-

preciated all of this, but at the height of the French Rev-olution, someone accused Antoine Lavoisier of sellingwatered-down tobacco, so they chopped off his head.Smoke ’em if you got ’em.Bill Henry was fascinated by Lavoisier’s work, and in

1801, while still working with his dad, he put together abook about it, and he did a fine job of explaining it all. Hecalled the book Elements of Experimental Chemistry,and this went through 11 editions over the next 30 years.He kept adding to it, and it was this work that introducedgenerations of chemists to the Frenchman’s careful useof experimental measurement. Bill Henry was just 27years old when wrote that book, and two years later hepublished the paper that established what we now callHenry’s Law. Years and years after that, I’m in someplumbing supply house in Brooklyn and an air-separatorsalesman is bringing it to my attention. Ain’t life grand?And how about this? Henry’s Law came about because

Bill Henry was sitting around wondering why our atmos-phere, which is composed of all these different gases, eachwith its own density, doesn’t separate into layers like oiland water. I’ve never wondered about that. Have you? Imean I’ve gone through 60 years of life without once con-sidering that. Gosh. It was Bill Henry’s initial thinking about our mixed-up

atmosphere that lead to the theory of mixed gases, whichwe today credit mostly to Bill’s pal, John Dalton. I have to tell you about him. You’ve probably never

heard of him. I hadn’t. He’s the guy who figured out thatatoms make up everything. These two guys were hangingout together. One’s figuring out atoms and the other’swondering why all the atmosphere doesn’t look like aseven-layer cake. They’re buds. And Dalton was brilliant but he was also clumsy and

careless around the lab. Oh, and he had very little moneyfor experimenting (he was a teacher). His buddy, Bill, hadlots of money, though, and even more patience, so thetwo men worked together like salt and pepper. They did most of their experiments with gases because

gases are chemically simpler than other forms of matter,and when you’re looking for atoms, this helps. Out of allthis experimenting came Henry’s Law. Think about that the next time you’re installing an air

separator, or wondering why the air keeps coming of thatcompression tank.So John Dalton goes on to become famous for the

atomic theory, which is very cool because suddenly, theworld could identify and order elements. From this comes

Bill Henry...published thepaper that established

what we now call Henry’sLaw [at age 29].

Years and years afterthat, I’m in some

plumbing supply housein Brooklyn andan air-separator

salesman is bringing itto my attention.

(Turn to Meet Bill Henry page 20.)

John Dalton and Bill Henry are the guyswho gave us H2O. Think about that thenext time you’re purging those pipes.

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Motor hot spot?Q:My sister called me after having

a very expensive service call. Shehas a Burnham LE with a Beckett.She read the invoice to me. On itwas this long list of new parts. On it,was a new motor for the Beckett.They said the motor had a hot spot.What is that? That long list of parts,I got an idea what that is!

— BillA:While I have never labeled this

problem as such, motors convertcurrent into mechanical movement& give off heat. Too much can causehot spots due to tight bearings, insu-lation of winding break down, poorelectric connections. I would simplyput motor replaced due to overheat-ing caused by (specific problem). Ialso would have performed a com-bustion test and adjusted for peakoperation efficiency since this affectsthe combustion. I would have writ-ten amp, volt readings for the motorand smoke spot, draft overfire andflue draft, stack temp and CO2 rat-ings for the combustion and listedthe end efficiency burn rate whichshould be around ±80% due to thedesign and conditions.

— Lance

Another buffer tank questionQ: Does a buffer tank need to be

insulated? And, can a large enough“open-type” (not bladder) steel ex-pansion tank be used or this?Seems to me it will do the samething. Actually, in the old days,didn’t they call a similar type tank“range boilers”? Besides a cosmeticcovering, please enlighten me to thedifference between the two.

— DaveA: There are some things you are

looking for in the buffer tank setup:1. Tapping sizes so that you can

fully utilize the output of the boiler,i.e., 80,000 BTU=1" tappings forboiler side, 120,000= 11/4" etc. soyou achieve maximum boiler flowwithout much of a pressure drop.2. Same thing for the demand

side, your total flow is allowed by thetank tappings.3. Run time: to have the tank ca-

pacity match your desired boiler runtime, 3 -5-10 minutes?4. Insulation: unless standby loss

is okay (Hot Rod says, “An uninsu-lated buffer is really a radiator in theround. Unless you need the heatwhere the tank is located better in-sulate it.”5. Ability to create a temperature

differential in the tank by the tankheight and tapping’s placement. Looking at the above, a steel ex-

pansion tank will fall short. If youcould use a 42-gal. galvanized welltank and create tappings and insula-tion, maybe a start.

— KBP&HA: Four large taps high and low

across from one another give younice flow and a hydro separator de-vice, all in one. Throw an air vent ontop also. Many tanks have a domedtank, a great place to collect andvent air. I can’t imagine installingless than 40 gallons of buffer if youare going through the time and trou-ble to buffer. Less capacity than thatit starts to look more like an expan-sion tank.

— Hot Rod

Mixing radiant w/old cast iron systemQ: I’d like to put in an entirely

new system in an old house. I’d liketo keep all the radiators and the ex-cellently fitted old iron pipe whiledropping in a new cast-iron boilerand two new thin-slab radiant zones.I have done the heat loss calcs, laidout the PEX, pressure tested, fittedslab sensors (Tekmar) and laid thedry bed. Now I’m selecting productsto do the controls. I’m set on a tradi-tional Weil-McLain gold series boiler,but the rest is flexible. I’d like tocome up with a simple combinationof controls to handle these 3 zones: 1 Large cast iron radiant zone.2 Barrier PEX radiant slabs.I was considering using set point

thermostats in each of the slab

zones, a programable thermostat inthe main cast-iron zone. I’ve builtone copper and one steel system inthe past, but have never used PEX.I’m familiar with Taco and Tekmarcontrols. My main concerns arecoming up with a system with mini-mal components that can safely re-duce the temperature of thecast-iron boiler for the PEX, protectthe boiler from cold returns and en-sure even supply of water whenneeded to all 3 zones. In the past Ihave used primary/secondary piping,but with the PEX I’m not really surehow it’s going to look.

— FattyA: I would use a simple boiler

reset control w/DHW capability like aHoneywell Aquatrol or Tekmarequivalent. For the radiant I wouldlook at using a Taco radiant mixingblock. The RMB will give you boilerprotection and you can zone bothradiant zones off it. It will make areal simple system and give you boththe reset for the boiler (cast ironzone) and lower water temp for theradiant. If you really want to getsome deep reset, run primary/sec-ondary and use two Taco RMBs.

— radiantwizard

Add radiant zone to home run systemQ: I have a single zone mod/con

system with 1/2" PEX home runs fromcast iron rads to radiant manifolds atboiler. The radiator in bathroom(10x7) is being removed and a light-weight pour is going over 1/2" PEX infloor. I am trying to connect the tub-ing that is already at the bathroomand the boiler room to my system, Ido need to run lower temps to myfloor so mixing is a must while alsokeeping this as simple as possible.Ideally this would operate at thesame time as my main zone so notto include any thermostat or pumps.Is there a way to use my existing sys-tem pump and takeoffs from themanifolds to move water through amixing valve without running anextra pump? Boiler is set up primary

secondary so two pumps always run.— Kev

A: Try the Oventrop UniBox. It isdesigned to take high temps andmake a radiant mix temp withoutadditional piping, mixing valve orpump. Simply connect the radiatorsupply and return to the RFH zoneand pipe the return through the Uni-Box, per instructions. There is noeasier or less expensive method toinstall a RFH zone where radiators arethe prime heat emitter.

— PaulBUT: The Unibox is a mixing de-

vice? I thought it modulated flowonly?

— RobA:Absolutely not! There is no way.

You must treat this as an additionalzone. Like you said. You understandthat you have to mix the water tempdown. Once you mix you have tohave some way to get the water afterthe mix through the floor. Best bet isjust add the additional zone. Who’smod/con? Does this boiler have theability to run a second heating curvewith a modulating mixing valve or in-jection pump? Why do you not wantto run an extra zone? Is your budgetan issue?

— radiantwizardA: Why not add just add a floor

sensor and zone valve? Wouldn’t thefloor sensor control the correct floortemperature for the load?

— Big EdA: Or a suspended tube applica-

tion like Ultra Fin. This method sus-pends the tube below the subfloorand uses the higher temperaturewithout actually touching the tubeto the floor. It’s not a bad way to gofor a small area retrofit. If you canget below the space, of course.

— Hot RodA: For such a small area have you

considered an in-floor, electric sys-tem? While intended for floor warm-ing, not heating, they can, and do,work for heating. Use a controllerthat senses floor temperature.

— Mike T

the Periodic Table of the Elements,something you probably had tostudy in school at some point. Ugh. John Dalton and Bill Henry are the

guys who gave us H2O. Think aboutthat the next time you’re purgingthose pipes. And how’s for being wonderfully

human? Although Bill Henry’s exper-imenting helped John Dalton comeup with atomic theory, Bill didn’t

want to back it. As he got older, hebecame more reluctant to acceptchange. He didn’t like it when his ex-periments pointed to somethingother than what he expected. He heldto his old beliefs, such as insistingthat heat has mass (it doesn’t).In 1824, a series of unsuccessful

surgeries on his hands took away hisability to manipulate instruments.He quit chemistry and turned his fullattention to medicine, specifically tothe spread of contagious diseases. In 1831, a cholera epidemic hit

Holohan(Continued from page 18.)

the United Kingdom and it was hor-rible. Nowadays, we know that theway to prevent the spread of cholerais to wash our dirty clothing in realhot water and chlorine bleach,which Bill’s father, Tom, had pro-moted years earlier, but they didn’ttry chlorine then. Rather, Bill cameup with an inexpensive and simpledevice that used heat to disinfectclothing. It worked and it probablywould have saved countless lives,but for some reason, Bill Henry de-cided that he didn’t like the idea of

the device, so he abandoned it.Thirty years later, Louis Pasteurcame up with the germ theory of dis-ease and we all began to pasteurizethings with heat. Thirty years later. In 1836, chronically depressed

and filled with the pain that beenwith him since that long-ago child-hood accident, Bill Henry took hisown life. And I hope you’ll never look at

those air separators and compres-sion tanks in quite the same wayever again. �

22 Phc News — JANUARY 2010radIant InsIder

Simple systems

BY PAUL ROHRScontributing writer

The process contractors go through to procureand complete a large job can be very gratifying.You design the system, write the proposal, land

the job, install it, commission the system, and depositthe check that keeps your bottom line in the black.These jobs can range from boiler change-outs on com-mercial projects, to full-blown radiant floor heat sys-tems in Mega McMansions.While I enjoy landing, designing, and installing the sys-

tems for McMansions, I also love the small simple sys-tems. I piped a system the other day and after completingit, I stood back and realized how much I really enjoyedthe simplicity of it. This system was for a small 19x19garage that was going to be used as a woodworking shop.The owner needed a very small butresponsive system and the primaryissue was budget. It was an existinggarage with concrete floors. Therewas going to be quite a bit of equip-ment filling this shop and each pieceof woodworking equipment would bemovable so that the owner couldbring out a piece of equipment, useit, and return it to its resting place.With woodworking equipment liningthe perimeter of this shop, it wasclear that the required 30-plus feet ofbaseboard was not going to be a prac-tical design feature. In-floor heat wasgoing to be a budget breaker becausethat would require saw cutting outthe old concrete, installing the tubingand pouring it back. The homeowner also did not wantforced air heat or any heat source with an open flame asa potential ignition source as he would be using stains andvarnishes in the finishing process.The owner’s intention was to keep the shop at 62°F

during the workday, and then set it back to 52°F at night.This also then dictated a system requiring a fairly quickresponse time. With design conditions at –4°F, and want-

ing to run the lowest temps possible so as not to penalizethe owner with high fuel bills, it steered the equipmentselection to a small electric boiler and the largest panelradiators available without wrecking the budget. The planalso included no make-up water or fill-valve. This was tobe a stand-alone system that if water needed to be added,it would have to be done manually. Figure 1 illustrates the basics of the system. The low-

pressure drop through the boiler and the panel rads al-lowed me to install a single pump toservice the system. We are still pumpingaway from the point-of-no-pressure-change directly into the panel radiators.Figure 2 shows the ele ctronics of thesystem. While the boiler had the poten-tial to run the system pump and ther-mostat, I like to electrically separatecomponents with an inexpensive singlepump relay and just use the pump relayend-switch for a simple signal for boilerheat. Trouble-shooting this system willalways be simple. The thermostat calls

for heat, the pump relay engages the pump and the pumprelay end-switch calls for heat to the boiler thermotat ter-minals. Then the boiler’s internal controls check the out-door temperature, and set a target temp. The boiler thenfeeds electricity to the elements until the target temper-

ature is met or the thermostat is satisfied. Figure 3 is a picture of the newly commissioned system.

There is still some final insulation to install, but this sys-tem is ready to go. As convective airflow over the panelradiators is key for proper heating, the owner will have toget into the habit of shop vacuuming out the panel radia-tors and using a brush (when necessary) if excessive saw-dust is generated. This system was a bit of a departure for me in that I am

so used to installing tubing and having a high mass systemwith large amounts of comfort and a slow, but even re-sponse time. This system’s small water content (approx-imately six gallons) really illustrated to me howresponsive low mass radiant can be. When the thermostatsatisfied at 62°F and ended the call for heat, the panel ra-diators continued to emit heat and sustain a long off timemuch like a radiant floor heat system.Install time was about 10 hours and only took a few

minutes to purge and fill. The small amount of install timewas directly related to: 1.) The amount of piping between

This system’s small watercontent really illustrated tome how responsive lowmass radiant can be.When the thermostatsatisfied at 62°F andended the call for heat,the panel radiators

continued to emit heatand sustain a long off time

much like a radiantfloor heat system.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

(Turn to Radiant insider, page 26.)

Figure 3.

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24 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Bare Bones Biz

Only three ways(The names have not been changed and this story is mostly true.)

BY ELLEN ROHRcontributing writer

Once upon a time, businessmogul, Warren Buffet,bought the Washington

Post newspaper. The previous ownerand publisher at the time wasKatharine Graham. Ms. Graham isone of my heroines. Her father builtthe paper and transitioned it to PhilGraham, Katharine’s husband.Katharine took on the publishing du-ties when her husband committedsuicide. She guided the newspaperto editorial greatness, and navigatedthe Watergate scandal as Bernstein

and Woodward reported it on thefront pages. But the company was infinancial trouble. Warren Buffet’s business building

strategy is this: Seek out companieswith undervalued, underutilized as-sets. Buy them. Fix them. Make lotsof money.He bought the Washington Post

with that intention. He andKatharine hit it off immediately andhe saw the potential in the newspa-per and in her management. So hesat her down and taught her busi-ness basics. From what I have readabout this powerhouse relationshipin their biographies, they had a con-versation something like this:

Warren: This is the Balance Sheet.Assets on the left, liabilities and eq-uity on the right.The Balance Sheet reflects the fi-

nancial condition of the company on

a specific date. The basic accountingformula is the basis for the BalanceSheet:

Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity

ASSETS: The “stuff” the companyowns. Anything of value — cash, ac-counts receivable, trucks, inventory,land.

LIABILITIES: These are sourcesof assets — how you got the “stuff.”These are claims against assets bysomeone other than the owner. Thisis a reflection of what the companyowes. Notes payable, taxes payableand loans are liabilities.

EQUITY: Equity includes fundsthat have been supplied to the com-pany to get the “stuff.” Equity alsoreflects ownership of the assetsearned through profitability. Equityshows ownership of the assets or

claims against the assets, a reflectionof what the company owns. As a business owner, Job One is to

protect the assets. Job Two is to growthe assets. There are only three waysto grow assets”

1: Borrow money. You could borrow money; assets

go up and a Note Payable (a liability)goes up.

2: Invest money in the Company. When you (or another owner/in-

vestor) puts money in the company,assets go up and Paid- In Capital anequity account) goes up.

3: Create a ProfitWhen you sell stuff for more than

it costs, you’ll create a profit. NetProfit is reflected in the equity sec-tion of the Balance Sheet. If NetProfit (an equity account) goes up,assets go up, too. This is really thebest way to increase assets, to createwealth. Sure you have to pay taxeson your profits, but that’s the priceyou pay to live and work in this finecountry. Sometimes investing moneyin a company can buy time, orequipment, that will help build theprofitability of the company. The Balance Sheet is an elegant

demonstration of a universal law: forevery action there is a reaction. En-ergy isn’t lost; it changes form. Isn’tthis beautiful? Isn’t this fun?

Katharine: It is! I get it. Let’s makesome money and make a positiveimpact on the world!I like to imagine the conversation

between Warren and Katharine thisway. Warren Buffet loves businessand capitalism and his enthusiasm iscontagious. You can manufacturemoney out of nothing by creatingsomething other people value. Youcan take a struggling company andfix it. It’s a beautiful thing.If you are scratching your head

right now, it could be that you don’tget the Balance Sheet. Or maybeyour Balance Sheet isn’t quite so el-egant at the moment. Too much lia-


The Balance Sheet is anelegant demonstration ofa universal law: for everyaction there is a reaction.Energy isn’t lost; it changesform. Isn’t this beautiful?

Isn’t this fun?

(Turn to Balance in... page 32.)

26 Phc News — JANUARY 2010solar solutions

Review of SRCC & OG-300

OG-300 solar waterheater system comparisons

BY BRISTOL STICKNEYcontributing writer S

olar water heater (SHW) systems are the low hangingfruit for designers, installers and building ownerswho want to deploy solar heating equipment. Vir-

tually every occupied building has a water heater, and thishot water is needed all year round not just in winter. Solarwater heater systems tend to be small and therefore moreaffordable and easier to install than space heating sys-tems. So anyone who is attracted to solar heating can po-tentially start small by installing a solar water heater.Packaged solar water heater systems are becoming

more commonplace and more standardized, which makesspecification and installation faster and easier as well. Itstands to reason that increasing numbers of packaged sys-tems will be installed in the future as solar water heatingbecomes more commonplace.When choosing a SHW system, it is a good idea to com-

pare one to another to be sure that when installed, it willmeet the needs of the user. In the U.S., the effort to com-pare solar water heating systems in a standardized way isbeing lead by the SRCC (Solar Rating and CertificationCorporation) using a method they call OG-300. I intro-duced the SRCC and OG-300 water heater test standardsin earlier articles in the spring of 2009. See the webarchives at Plumbing Engineer and Phc Newsmagazinesfor copies of these articles.Since that time, the SRCC website has improved with

searchable test results and performance comparisons forvarious city locations. Their ratings and comparisonsused to be presented as PDF publications with long tablesof data, but now, it is more interactive with system typesand city locations chosen by the user.When viewing the results, the solar water heaters are

labeled according to their “system type” using the follow-ing shorthand:DF= Direct Forced; IF= Indirect Forced; IT= Indirect

Thermosyphon; DI= Direct Integral(These are the types I look up most often. Others are

also available as well.)Also, while we are clarifying the SRCC shorthand:OG= Operating Guidelines; Q= Energy; EF= Energy

Factor; SEF= Solar Energy Factor (SEF)Qsolar= (Annual) Solar Savings is presented in KiloWatt

Hours (kWhr) when compared to conventional Electricwater heaters and Therms when compared to Gas.SF= (Annual) Solar Fraction is presented for various

city locations as a Decimal value.(e.g. 0.65 means 65% of the annual hot water load pro-

vided by solar.)The fact that a SHW system has been certified by the

OG-300 test is in itself a testament that the componentsand construction of the system comply with certain stan-dards of safety, performance and durability that are partof the testing and inspection procedure. Each SHW systemthat is listed by the SRCC is presented with a one-line pip-ing diagram, and the study of these piping diagrams alonecan be a worthwhile education for anyone interested inthe proper placement of collectors, storage tanks, pumps,heat exchangers, valves and other components in a largevariety of configurations.

The SEF ratingSRCC uses the Solar Energy Factor (SEF) as its primary

performance rating for solar domestic water heating sys-tems. The SEF is defined as the energy delivered by thesystem (as useful hot water) divided by the electrical orgas energy put into the system. And while this rating ismodeled after the Energy Factor (EF) used by the gaswater heater industry, it more closely resembles a Coef-ficient of Performance (COP) used to rate refrigerationheat pumps where the value is generally always greaterthan one. It is calculated using the formula:

SEF = Qdel/(Qaux + Qpar)Where:Qdel = Energy delivered to the hot water load: Using

the SRCC rating conditions, this value is 41,045 Btu/day.This is a reasonable amount of hot water heat for a res-idential application when about 64.3 gallons are pro-vided by a conventional water heater each day. A50-gallon conventional water heater tank, for example,could provide this amount of hot water easily underthese test conditions.Qaux = Daily amount of energy used by the auxiliary

water heater or backup element with a solar system op-erating, (Btu/day). To convert to kWh, divide this valueby 3,412. To convert to therms, divide this value by100,000.Qpar = Parasitic energy: Daily amounts of AC electrical

energy used to power pumps, controllers, shutters, track-ers, or any other item needed to operate the SHW system,(Btu/day). To convert to kWh, divide this value by 3,412.Using this rating method, there is a direct relationship

between solar collector size and SEF test results. The big-ger the collectors, the larger the SEF rating value will be.Also, the highest possible rating on the SEF scale would bea system that has no Qaux and no Qpar. In other wordsdivide Qdel by zero. This can occur when a solar waterheater provides 100% solar heat to the heating load, using100% solar electric pumps and controls requiring no con-ventional energy. There are some test results that, indeed,show SEF values as high as 999.9 (which imply a SEF ratingof infinity)! This indicates that the solar water heater ismuch larger than it needs to be to provide the heat re-quired from a 50-gallon conventional water heater underthese standard test conditions. But a rating of infinity isoff the scale, and so does not clearly indicate the magni-tude of the oversizing.

SEF rating and its limitationsThe SEF rating is defined as a comparison of any solar

water heater to an equivalent 50-gallon conventionalwater heater that consumes 41,045 Btus per day (wheremost of the hot water is used during the sunny part of theday). For a quick comparison of a conventional residen-tial water heater replacement in this size range, the SEFcan be useful. For example, if one 65 gallon SHW system israted at SEF=2 and another is rated at SEF=4 then you mayassume that the second system will provide a greater solarcontribution than the first. As a general rule, when using SEF, it is best to compare

solar water heaters of the same size in the same location.The SEF rating tends to reward solar component size. Asa single rating, SEF tends to promote large collectors withlarge tanks, rewarding them with higher rating values

Packaged solar waterheater systems arebecoming more

commonplace and morestandardized, which makes

specification andinstallation faster andeasier as well. It standsto reason that increasingnumbers of packaged

systems will be installedin the future as solarwater heating becomesmore commonplace.

(Turn to SRCC, OG-300... page 28.)

FROM THE DESK OF...

John Hazen White, Jr.

Is Social Networking inyour business future?

JOHN HAZEN WHITE, JR.President & CEO, Taco Inc.

Like just about everyone else in business today, contractors should be getting acquainted with the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other forms of what’s known collectively as Social Media. Why do I say that? We’ve all heard of them by now, and maybe I’m not the first person to suggest to you that they could play a positive role in your business, should you begin to pay attention and learn how to participate in them. On the flip side, ignoring their marketing potential could be a disservice to growing your business in the years ahead.

Social Media is abuzz these days because it is reach-ing critical mass. More people are participating and more sites are cropping up. Mass media have em-braced Social Media, which has brought it into the mainstream. Now businesses, large and small, are be-ginning to paying attention. We can compare the rise of Social Media today to the development and mass commercialization of the Internet a decade ago. At that time companies felt compelled to develop their own company website even as they were feeling their way along in terms of its utility to them. It didn’t take very long for mom n’ pop businesses to catch the In-ternet bug and have an online presence, even if it was only for show, to say we’re here too. Doing business online soon followed, and that changed everything.

Do you remember when folks joined chat groups at sites like AOL? Well, that was the earliest form of on-line social networking, allowing likeminded people to converse with each other. If you go to Dan Ho-lohan’s The Wall at www.heatinghelp.com, you are visiting a social networking site – contracting profes-sionals engaging with one another on topics of com-mon interest. Social Media networking sites allow everyone to have their own version of The Wall.

You have certainly heard of Facebook, and perhaps you have been invited to join and link up with other con-tractors and people involved in the HVAC industry. You can easily set up your own Facebook page and engage in a dialogue with an ever expanding group of indi-viduals. You can set up a photo gallery and show pho-tos of your family, your cars and trucks, your pets, and the jobs you’re proud to share with other contractors. You can link to industry sites and expand your online presence and linkages. Even more enterprisingly, you (or your more tech savvy kids) can place video on your Facebook page. With Social Media you can be the star of your own show. That’s one of its great appeals.

So how can Social Media networking advance your business? As I mentioned above, when the Internet went mainstream companies and individuals wondered what use a website could have for them. Few people glimpsed its full potential. Because the Internet’s growth was organic in nature – a combination of ad-vancing technology wedded to constant experimenta-tion – it was impossible to know just how important and universal the Internet was to become to all of us. I think the same potential is there with the future of So-cial Media. Even the biggest companies right now are trying to assess how they can do business using Social Media. Contractors should do the same. Social Media websites provide a brand new forum for outreach with fellow contractors and prospects, with industry groups, and who knows who else. It’s all out there waiting for you. Give it a try in 2010.

“With Social Media you can be the star of your own show. That’s one of its great appeals.”

without regard for cost effectiveness, proper siz-ing or other considerations. Therefore, the SEFrating when taken by itself, may send the wrongmessage when comparing a large SHW to asmaller one, or when trying to compare anywater heater installation that does not matchthe standard OG-300 test profile. Keep in mindthat the more your local conditions differ fromthe OG-300 test conditions, the less accurateand meaningful the SEF rating will be.

Other useful comparisonsIn the Thermal Performance Rating section

of the SRCC Web pages, they explain that theSolar Energy Factor (SEF) can be converted toan equivalent Solar Fraction (SF) using the fol-lowing formula:

SF = 1 – (EF÷SEF)The Energy Factor (EF) for the SRCC standard

electric auxiliary tank is 0.9 and for the gas tankis 0.6. The Solar Fraction, as considered here,is the portion of the total conventional hotwater heating load (delivered energy and tankstandby losses) provided by solar energy. SEF can also be used to calculate the “solar

savings” (Qsolar), again described on the SRCCWeb pages. Luckily you do not have to do thesecalculations yourself, since the SF and the Qso-lar can be seen in the Annual Performance list-ings once you have chosen a SHW system (makeor model) and a city location to be displayed.I prefer looking at comparisons of Qsolar &

Solar Fraction since these values are more in-tuitive for me. These ratings allow a direct com-parison of energy savings or percent solarcontribution respectively, and those conceptsseem somehow more familiar and easier to vi-sualize. For example, using the formula above,a solar fraction (SF) of 99% can be expressed asa solar energy factor (SEF) of “infinity.” Whichrating would you rather try to explain to aclient? Solar Fraction, right?

What is missingWhen comparing one SHW system to another

for installation in the “real world,” the bottomline always involves a cost comparison. The costversus solar fraction or the cost versus energysavings in the same location must be comparedbefore a prudent choice can be made. The SRCCliterature includes some discussion about howto use their test results to compare cost effec-tiveness, but there is no cost information in-cluded in any of the system descriptions or testdata. Accurate costs can only be obtained fromlocal equipment suppliers, and labor costs canonly predicted from local experience. So gath-ering meaningful cost data is up to you.Also, there are many new solar water heaters

and components entering the market everyyear, and so there are always new SHW systemsmissing from the SRCC data base.This does not necessarily mean that new

brands, or new technology should be avoided.It just means they haven’t been rated yet, so itis up to you to compare these new solar collec-tors, tanks, heat exchangers, pumps and con-trols to other more familiar systems.

Final notesThis has been an abbreviated discussion of in-

formation available from the SRCC. This can bestudied in depth on their web site athttp://www.solar-rating.org. Brand names, or-ganizations and manufacturers are mentionedin these articles only to provide examples for il-lustration and discussion and do not constituteany recommendation or endorsement. �

Bristol Stickney, partner and technical direc-tor at Cedar Mountain Solar Systems in SantaFe, N.M., has been designing, manufacturing,engineering, repairing and installing solar hy-dronic heating systems for more than 30 years.He holds a Bachelor of Science in MechanicalEngineering and is a licensed Mechanical Con-tractor in New Mexico. He is the Chief Techni-cal Officer for SolarLogic LLC and is involvedin training programs for solar heating profes-sionals (visit online at www.cedarmountain-solar.com for more training information.)

28 Phc News — JANUARY 2010solar solutions

(Continued from page 26.)

SRCC, OG-300 explained

Radiant insider(Continued from page 22.)

the two panel radiators and electric boiler, and2.) That I didn’t have to contend with ventingor gas piping. Another benefit to this small sys-tem was that my local mechanical codes didn’trequire me to pull a permit. The local city in-spectors inspect for backflow prevention, com-bustion air and gas piping, none of which wereon this project. The licensed electrician on thejob took care of his necessary electrical permits.I would enjoy doing one of these simple sys-

tems a week. They are relatively inexpensiveand very simple to install, as well as they re-ally can shine a spotlight on the radiant indus-try to what is available to owners needinginexpensive systems. It reminds me that Istarted out designing systems like these beforegraduating to large more complex systems. Ifyou have a large shop with multiple teams,consider these installs for your rookies. It is asimple way to learn the basic tenets of radiantand with a carefully thought out plan; it willleave little room for rookie mistakes. Anotherbenefit of this system was that I spaced thisout over a couple of days. It left me time to doservice calls, billing, and other proposals. I amnot saying that I don’t want to continue toland the big jobs, but landing these smallerjobs may provide a little more balance.These “McMini” systems are a far cry smaller

than the McMansions that consume a lot ofequipment and man-hours, but these projectsare out there and can add to your bottom line,as well as polish the skills of younger workers.These small systems add value in the industryas they can be fine examples of well-done radi-ant at a budget price. Don’t believe me? The Ra-diant Panel Associations “System Showcase”awards have a separate category for “SimpleSystems.” Now what more motivation do youneed to go out and secure these fun little proj-ects? Ready, Set, Go! �


30 Phc News — JANUARY 2010PlumBing Business

Think before choosing your profit margin

BY RICHARD P. DiTOMA, L.M.P.contributing writer

Numbers don’t lie or make mistakes. Humans do!When you lie to yourself, you are not only makinga mistake, you are acting foolishly. When you, as

a PHC contractor, use selling prices that do not allow youthe opportunity to recover your cost of operation and at-tain the reward you deserve for the value you deliver andthe risks associated with the delivery, you are indeed act-ing in an absurd manner.Your selling prices are numbers. You and you alone are

responsible for the results you get from the numbers youuse. You can only establish your selling prices at one ofthree levels. You can sell your services 1) below your truecost; 2) at your true cost; or 3) above your true cost. Obviously, options 1 and 2 are for fools. Those options

will add stress and frustration to your life. If you chooseeither option 1 or 2, you will find yourself working longerhours for no additional compensation and missing out onyour life while you fool yourself into thinking that’s theway this industry is. Additionally, option 1 is foolish be-cause it also subtracts money from your bank account.Neither option 1 nor 2 gives you the opportunity to reapyour just reward. Many, if not most, contractors utilizeoptions 1 or 2 because they don’t realize they are sellingat or below their cost since they do not know how to iden-tify and calculate their true cost, and, take into consider-ation the factors that affect their cost. Therein is thereason more contractors are miserable rather than happyand content.Option 3, selling above your true cost, is obviously the

only option that gives you a chance to be wise and not tobe foolish. However, since there is a difference betweenselling your services above your estimated cost and sellingthem far enough above your estimated cost to attain yourgoal, you must think before choosing your profit margin. After four decades in the PHC industry, as a PHC contrac-

tor since 1978 (and currently) and as a contracting busi-ness consultant since 1990 (to date), I have an innatesense that allows me to know when a contractor is foolinghim/herself. Unless someone can show me through thecorrect use of numbers that I am mistaken, I make thefollowing conclusion. Based on the sale of all availablehours all the time for all technicians, there is not a singlePHC service contractor in the USA with a cost of operationper journeyman/service vehicle of less than $100.00 perhour. The cost per tech/vehicle hour to many could bemuch more. In some parts of the country that cost couldexceed $200.00 per tech/vehicle hour. When I state the word “cost,” I mean the cost to the

contractor not the customer. The cost of any service tothe consumer (the contractor’s selling price) should ob-viously be higher than the cost of that service to the con-tractor. Since your costs should be calculated on thepotential sale of all available hours your profit margin perjob will have to be higher than you might think to coveryour actual cost and attain the reward you deserve. Whenall annual potentially available hours are not sold all thetime, your true cost of operation per hour as it pertainsto any job actually rises. However, for the last two decades, in the process of

helping to put many contractors on the path that will givethem an opportunity to succeed I have noticed a phenom-enon among contractors which actually adds to their frus-trations. Many, if not most, sell their service for at least$30.00 per tech/vehicle hour less than it costs them.That’s because they do not correctly calculate their costs.In turn, their potential annual sales per tech/vehicle willbe minimally be shortchanged by $51,240.00 (based ona maximum of 1708 potentially available hours). Ouch!

No wonder there is stress and frustration in the industry.$51,240.00 per tech/vehicle annually would certainlyease their pain. But, by fudging the numbers, they cheatthemselves, their employees, creditors, and/or clienteleas they try to make their faulty numbers work. That does-n’t decrease stress and frustration. It just exacerbates it. When you charge the “going broke rate” that many

contractors charge in order to compete with the ignora-muses who don’t know how to, or choose not to, use cor-rect numbers for fear of losing work, you will wind upbuying jobs, partially at your cost, rather than selling yourservices profitably. You will have to work longer hourswith no extra compensation. Your employees can’t becompensated in a manner commensurate with their con-tribution to your business. In turn, this creates the prob-lem of getting and keeping good help. Your creditors mustwait to get paid as you borrow from Peter to pay Paul.Your clientele receives mediocre performance rather thanthe excellence they deserve and which could be providedat correct and properly profitable selling prices. And,everyone’s stress and frustration just mounts higher. Allbecause your selling prices were too low because thenumbers you used were incorrect.To show the importance of using correct numbers to

arrive at your selling prices and give you some insight asto the proper choice for your profit margin, I have createdthe chart in figure 1. The numbers used in the chart arebased on that aforementioned minimum $100.00 cost toyou per tech/vehicle hour. At a maximum annual 1708potentially productive hours per tech/vehicle you have anannual estimated cost (to you) of $170,800.00 pertech/vehicle. Your total cost and cost per tech/vehiclehour may very well be higher.I have broken the chart into seven scenarios. Based on

that minimum cost to you of $100.00 per tech/vehiclehour, the green bar in the chart indicates your maximumannual potential sales per tech/vehicle for each scenario.The red bar designates your minimum annual cost to op-erate one tech/service truck, and is at the same level ineach of the seven scenarios. That’s because you alwayshave that cost, for the most part, regardless of the amountof hours you actually sell. The blue bar shows the actualrevenue brought into your business per tech/service truckif you only sell 70% of your available 1,708 hours.

Scenario 1 shows that when you sell your services forless that in really costs you, you can never recover yourcost. Duh! You can never make a profit. Double Duh! Youactually pay, in part, for the privilege of servicing the pub-lic. In this scenario stress and frustration levels are ex-tremely high.Scenario 2 shows that if you sell at your calculated cost

you can only recover your cost if you sell all your avail-

I have noticed aphenomenon among

contractors which actuallyadds to their frustrations.

Many, if not most,sell their service forat least $30.00 per

tech/vehicle hour lessthan it costs them.

Figure 1.

(Turn to Get the correct numbers, page 32.)


(Continued from page 24.)bility? Too little in assets? Let’s do alittle sleuthing and discover what theBalance Sheet has to share. It’s help-ful to know the Score in the game ofbusiness. You can always make itbetter.A sample Balance Sheet is shown

at the upper right. Suppose this isyour company and this is your firstyear in business. Let’s take a look atwhat this Scorecard tells us aboutthe financial health of the company,particularly when it comes to pro-tecting and growing the assets.

Quick Ratio andDebt-to-Equity Ratio

The Quick Ratio is a look at whatyou have in Cash and Accounts Re-ceivable compared to what you havein Current Liabilities.

1-1110: Cash .........................2,4591-2100: Accounts Receivable ...19,870Total.................................$22,329Total Current Liabilities ........$35,64222,329÷35,642 = .63

In other words, you have 63 centsfor every dollar you need to coveryour bills. .63 to 1. Not good. Also,most of that money is tied up in Ac-counts Receivable. Time to collect!Set a goal of getting this ratio to atleast 1.5, or $1.50 in Cash and Ac-counts Receivable for every $1 inCurrent Liabilities. The Debt-to-Equity Ratio is a look

at your Total Liabilities to your TotalEquity (chart at right).

For every dollar you have in eq-uity you have $25 in liabilities. 25 to1. The amount of debt you carry isup to you, and what you are com-fortable with. Consider aiming for aDebt to Equity ratio of 3 to 1. Maybeyou would like to be debt free? Knowthis — the banks and the supplyhouses are not going to manage thisfor you unless you stop making yourpayments. Gulp. You are operating at a loss,

losing wealth and increasing debt.Time to change course. As Hot Rodhas told me when I am losing an ar-gument, “When you are digging ahole for yourself, it’s a good idea tostop digging.” You could fix this! Like Warren

Buffet.This Balance Sheet is a simple ex-

ample. (Dear accounting folks,please no nitpicking. My numbersare made up to illustrate commonproblems.) According to this BalanceSheet, your company is in trouble.You are running out of cash and yourassets are dwindling. Profits fix lotsof problems — these problemsspecifically. If you could increaseprofits by, say, $10,000 before thismonth is over, you would see assetsgo up. If those profits were deliveredto the asset of Cash, not AccountsReceivable, even better. You couldpay down your Current Liabilities.

Your ratios wouldimprove. Life wouldget better for you.So, craft and exe-cute a plan for im-proving Marketing,Sales, Operations;whatever youchoose that will im-pact profitabilityand cash.Business is easy.

As Jim Rohn said,“Easy means some-thing you can do.”You can do this.

Into and out ofthe companyOne more thing:

Discuss with yourCPA how youshould reflect themoney you put intoand take out ofyour company. Notonly will it affect these ratios, youractions have tax implications.You might put cash into your com-

pany and call it a liability, a NotePayable to you. However, Uncle Samwants to see that loan treated as areal loan, with loan documents, in-terest paid and payments made. Youmight take money out of the com-pany and call it an asset, an AccountReceivable from you. Uncle Sammight see that and call it incomethat you haven’t paid taxes on. I votethat money into and out of the com-pany by the owner is reflected in theequity section of the Balance Sheet.Then, review quarterly with your

CPA to consider your tax exposureand strategy.The problems are where the game

is, where the fun is! Really. Don’tpanic. Review your financial situa-tion and vow to make it better.Does this help? I hope so! Ques-

tions, comments, challenges? Reachme at [email protected] Xo$, Ellen �

Al Levi and I are offering an amazingnew program. It’s all about less stressand more success. Focusing on theright things, one step at a time. Andyou can try it for $1. Check it out atwww.StepByStepBusinessBuilding.com.

Balance in all things

Bare Bones Biz

ASSETS $$$Current Assets1-1110: Cash ...........................................2,4591-2100: Accounts Receivable ...............19,8701-1800: Inventory ..................................12,745

Total Current Assets............................$35,074Fixed Assets1-2100:Truck - Original Cost .................18,0001-3100: Accumulated Depreciation .........3,000

Total Fixed Assets ...............................$15,000TOTAL ASSETS ......................................$50,074

LIABILITIES & EQUITYCurrent Liabilities2-1100: Accounts Payable.......................8,6542.1500: Credit Card...............................26,988

Total Current Liabilities........................$35,642Long Term Liabilities2-2100: Note Payable — Truck Loan....12,500

Total Liabilities.....................................$48,142 Equity3-1000: Paid-In Capital ...........................5,0003-3500: Net Income ................................3,068

Total Equity ...........................................$1,932TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY ...............$50,074

Total Liabilities = 48,142Total Equity = 1,93248,142÷1,932 = 25

Get the correct numbers(Continued from page 30.)

able hours. In this scenario, profitcan never be attained. If you sell lessthan all available hours you can’t re-cover your cost. In either of thesecases, you are only fooling yourself.In this scenario stress and frustra-tion levels are still extremely high. Itshould be noted that since no con-tractor sells all their availabletech/vehicle hours all the time, sell-ing at your cost means you are reallyselling below your cost.Scenarios 3 to 7 show the results

you will get at different profit mar-gins starting at 10% and incremen-tally rising by 10% for eachsubsequent scenario. Scenarios 3 and 4, at 10% and 20%

profit margins respectively, show thatyou make a profit if you sell all yourhours. But, you can’t even recoveryour cost if you sell only 70% of youravailable time at either of these mar-

gins. As a matter of fact, at 90% and80% of your available time sold re-spectively, options 3 and 4 still pres-ent extremely high stress andfrustration levels since at 90% and80% you can only recover your cost.Scenario 5 at 30% shows you

make a profit, and, if you only sell70% of your available time, you canat least still recover your cost. Onceagain, at 70% of your available timesold, stress and frustration are stillextremely high.Scenarios 6 and 7 at 40% and 50%

profit margins respectively showthat you recover your cost and makea profit whether you sell all yourhours or only 70% of your hours.Stress and frustration levels dropdramatically. Obviously, if you sellless than 70% of your available hoursyou will decrease the potential forprofit. Option 6 at 60% and option 7at 50% of potential hours sold will

allow you respectively to recoveryour cost of operation, but, notmake a profit. At 60% and 50% youwill again increase your stress andfrustration levels.By taking this information into

consideration, you can begin thethought process before choosingyour profit margin. Keep in mindthat the $100.00 cost I used is, in myopinion, the minimum cost. Yourcost can be higher. If you need assis-tance in calculating your cost;choosing the right profit margin; or,any business matter which will giveyou an opportunity to succeed, giveme a call at 845-639-5050.Make the year 2010 better for the

industry which includes you, yourfamily, your employees, your clien-tele, and your creditors. When youdon’t use correct numbers, you haveno chance at success. But, when youuse the correct numbers the indus-try is better off because:1.You and your family will have

the chance to make a profit andlower concerns about getting thebills paid.2.Your employees will be more

content to stay in your employment.3.You will be better able to serve

your clientele.4.Your creditors will be paid in a

timely manner. �

3 0 0 M a d d o x S i m p s o n P a r k w a y, L e b a n o n, T N 3 7 0 9 0 6 1 5 - 8 8 9 - 8 9 0 0 w w w . L o c h i n v a r . c o m

210,000 BTU/HR

800,000 BTU/HR

1.5 MILLIONBTU/HR

500,000 BTU/HR

Over 20 years ago, Lochinvar introduced Power-Fin® water heaters and boilers, and revolutionized the way water is heated. We were a decade ahead of the industry then, and we’ve continued this tradition of leadership with innovations like Copper-Fin II®, ARMOR®, SHIELD™, KNIGHT® and SYNC™. Now, the stage is set for our next major product launch.

Come see our newest performer at the 2010 AHR Expo. It’s going to be a big show, in every way!

Can’t make the big event? See the unveiling online on January 26 at www.Lochinvar.com

Once Again, The Stage Is Set For


AMERICAN

We pride ourselves in fi

We maintain the world’s most up-to-date t

An

Manufacturer’s Manifesto

" thru 60". �

ISO 9001:2008

We will continue to maintain the highest work

standards and a sensitivity toward the health and welfare of our workers.

We are acknowledged worldwide as maintaining the highest quality standards of our products.

We are especially proud that our brand is among the world’s most sought after.

We pride ourselves in fi elding the world’s most productive manufacturing systems.

We maintain the world’s most up-to-date technology with Quality Control to protect the facilities and lives and limbs of our customers.

We strongly emphasize our ongoing community support activities.

TEL: (708) 594-1700 FAX: (708) 458-0106

� e Weldbend Corporation is an American manufacturer of butt-weld carbon steel fi ttings and fl anges ½ " thru 60". � e Weldbend plant is

located in Chicago, Illinois USA and on the internet at www.weldbend.com.

36 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Beschloss Beat

Such a highly automatedfacility makes Weldbend

one of the nation’slargest full-line and sizemanufacturers of butt

weld carbon steel fittingsand flanges.

Weldbend continues winningtradition despite recessionary environment

BY MORRIS R. BESCHLOSSPVF & economic analyst emeritus

With the U.S. industrial sector under assault byboth government restrictions and globalization,it’s a matter of pride that PVF giant Weldbend

stands as a distinguished example of American ingenuityand success.During a recent trip to Chicago, I had occasion to spend

several hours touring the massive 361/2 acre facilities ofWeldbend, located in Bedford Park, a community rightoutside Chicago, and not more than 10 minutes awayform Midway Airport.This coincidental location serves as a convenient facil-

ity from which to effectively use Weldbend’s companyplane as a way to stay in touch with customers and con-stantly audit manufacturing sites and production equip-ment in various parts of the world. It also serves to bringin a constant retinue of leading distributors and end usersto acquaint them with the ultra-modern, cost-effective in-frastructure available to them.Such a highly automated facility makes Weldbend one

of the nation’s largest full-line and size manufacturers ofbutt weld carbon steel fittings and flanges. These are ef-fectively produced, shipped and marketed in the greatMidwestern hub. Weldbend has achieved a reputation asa top quality mass producer, acquiring a legendary repu-tation for excellence domestically and worldwide. Despite the intense competition for this extremely wide

range of products, Weldbend has achieved a superiorbrand name reputation for its quality and service thatplaces them at the top of the pipe-valve-fitting sector’s listof outstanding names.While most manufacturers and distributors have pared

down their inventories in these financially troublingtimes, Weldbend continues to maintain a massive prod-uct reserve. This allows for same-day shipments on allbut the most highly specialized items on an immediateservice basis.Weldbend, headed by Jimmy Coulas, son of the leg-

endary founder, James Coulas, Sr., prides itself in main-taining a highly motivated stable workforce that providesthe backbone of the company’s high productivity. Presi-dent Coulas is particularly proud of the company’s out-standing product performance, which has beenresponsible for the firm’s achievement as a gilt-edgedbrand name by distributors, as well as the wide variety ofindustrial and commercial end users that it serves.In a September trip to Europe, Coulas was made aware

of a grievous malfunction in a French manufacturer’splant by a comparable competitive product that causedinestimable losses. This unfortunately, has happened toooften over the years, Coulas explained. “Weldbend’s high-est quality manufacturing equipment and its mainte-nance is at the very top of our list of responsibility inkeeping this from happening,” emphasizes Coulas.“The critical nature of Weldbend’s products used in

production facilities relating to energy production, re-fineries, utilities, power generation, etc. make such re-sponsibilities paramount in saving lives as well as avoidingsevere financial loss,” he added.“Being in full control of the total manufacturing process

at our greater Chicago-based plant, we take every precau-tion that such mishaps do not occur, and are proud of ourrecord in this regard,” stated Coulas.Such fastidious attention to Weldbend’s customers’

needs has been responsible for the company’s continuedoutstanding performance during the midst of a devastat-ing recession. “I’m sure this has largely contributed to

maintaining our strong business momentum, which hasturned out far better than we expected during this reces-sionary period,” concluded Coulas.Although much of Weldbend’s flourishing revenues

are generated by the Company’s massive inventory of awide range of butt weld carbon steel fittings and flanges,a growing portion of its marketing efforts is involved inthe expanding sector of energy projects on the drawingboards today.Even such fast-growing renewable energy sources as

solar power-generating development are on the Com-pany’s radar screen. Most recently, a major facility underthe jurisdiction of Lockheed Martin near Phoenix andthree upcoming facilities in Southern California’s River-side County are now on the drawing boards.With the government calling for 25% of utility power to

be provided from this globally surging source by 2020,Weldbend is looking to such new opportunities for ever-expanding growth.

Capmark Financial Group bankruptcy reflectsworsening commercial investment scene

The tenuous nature of the commercial lending marketshas been severely exacerbated by the Chapter 11 bank-ruptcy of Capmark’s Financial Group. Originally a financ-ing affiliate of General Motors Acceptance Corp, itsfinancial condition has severely deteriorated in the recentfew months leading to a warning that bankruptcy actioncould be inevitable, which finally took place.Beset by an increasing number of loans to major com-

mercial property developers in office towers, strip malls,hotels, etc., Capmark’s fixed assets have recently ex-ceeded its liquidity, preventing the commercial lendinggiant from meeting its long-term loan obligations.Capmark’s private equity owners include Kohlberg,

Kravis, Roberts & Co., Goldman Sachs Partners and FiveMile Capital Partners — altogether paying $1.5 billion incash to acquire lender GMAC’s commercial real-estatebusiness in early 2006, which they renamed Capmark. Asit turned out, Capmark’s timing couldn’t have been worse,as the new company bought into major commercial in-vestments as they were reaching their peak in 2007.With office and hotel occupancy hitting multi-year

lows, and shopping centers and department stores underpressure, the bulk of commercial development is lookingto get worse before improving later in the year.This could seal the doom of other financial institutions,

holding debt paper of troubled commercial properties.We’ll keep you posted as this situation evolves. GMAC’scurrent bid for additional TARP funds may be just a newwave of such commercial loan companies’ need to pleadwith the government to keep them afloat.

Solar power is busting out all overSolar power and California’s Coachella Valley are turn-

ing into a marriage made in economic heaven. With therecent visit by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, a pro-nouncement indicating three upcoming solar panel pro-duction installations in this 350 days-a-year sun-soakedarea guarantees that solar energy will become a leadingindustry in this valley.Supported by a government mandate calling for 20%

utilization of wind and solar energy by electric utilitiesbefore 2020, this has given such utilities the incentive tooffer installers a 35% rebate from the gross price, which

(Turn to Beschloss, page 58.)


BY JOHN MESENBRINK,chief editor

It is considered one of the mostbeautiful places in the world.And next month, the world will

witness all of Vancouver, British Co-lumbia’s beauty and glory when thecity hosts the 2010 Winter Olympicgames.

Tucked away amid the tall peaksof the Coast Mountain Range, nearly2,400 athletes and officials will betaking up housing at the WhistlerOlympic and Paralympic Village —located approximately 20 minutessouth of the Whistler Mountaincompetition venues — the 2010Winter Olympics facility con-structed in the resort town ofWhistler, British Columbia, Canada.This $32 million village project willeventually be transitioned into a100-room lodge and 20-unit town-house complex.

Whistler Athletes Village is a LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design — for

Neighborhood Development) proj-ect. The village is comprised of fivemain components: the residentialzone known as Cheakamus Cross-ing; the international zone; thetransport mall; a main catering facil-ity; and an operations supportarea.�The full area will cover 75acres and will be approximately onemillion square feet in size, half ofthat allocated to housing. It is to bedeveloped first to serve as theWhistler Athlete Village in 2010,and then will become a permanent,mixed-use neighborhood, designedto support Whistler’s goal of housing75% of its employees within thecommunity.

According to Whistler2010.com,the village was built to green build-ing standards, using smart growthprinciples and with the goal of meet-ing Gold Level certification underLEED-ND. The LEED-ND rating systemintegrates the principles of smartgrowth, urbanism, and green build-ing into the first international stan-dard for neighborhood design.

One such innovative, sustainabledesign practice was the village’s heatsource. The site was once the mu-nicipal landfill but has been trans-formed into a “green” developmentusing progressive initiatives. Thecommunity’s heat will be generatedby effluent from the wastewatertreatment plant located nearby.

DEC Design Mechanical Consult-ants Ltd. (DEC), a multi-disciplinaryengineering firm, in a consortiumwith Hemmera, environmental serv-ice consultants, carried out a de-tailed feasibility study for a districtenergy system for the existing villageof Whistler. The Study concludedthat a modular system based on dis-tributed geo-exchange vertical borefields for primary energy sourceswould be feasible for a village widesystem with multiple interconnectedloops that would act as an energysupply, energy storage and energysharing utility that could be imple-mented in phases.

Essentially using the same con-cepts of geothermal — extracting a

ground heat source — the heat re-covery system from the sewage cap-tures heat from liquid waste bypassing raw sewage through a heatexchanger, with an added caveat:sewage heat recovery is more ad-vantageous than its geothermalcounterpart because sewage iswarmer and its heat can be directlytransferred.

Using 62 spearate geothermal pan-els, heat is extracted off the sanitarysewage system; in turn, heat ex-changers then transfer energy to afluid, which is pumped around thedevelopment through the piping sys-tem. Individual homes will use heatpumps to produce space heating andhot water. Both hydronic radiant in-floor heating and hot water fan coilheating will be used. Domestic hotwater is produced with plate heat ex-changers. Up to 90 percent of the vil-lage’s heating load will be providedfrom the system, which gives offnon-greenhouse gas emissions.

Conventional district energy sys-tems circulate high temperature

The Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village: Implementing geothermal like you’ve never seen

Cover Story

Phc News — JANUARY 2010 39

water through their distributionloops, limiting their use and respon-siveness. The Whistler Athletes Vil-lage District Energy Sharing System(DES) is unique in that it extractslow temperature ambient heat fromtreated wastewater effluent, makingit flexible enough to provide bothheating and cooling. The DES ex-tracts the heat and transfers it to adistribution system that can pro-vide space heating domestic hotwater heating and cooling for ap-proximately 2,200 users occupying85,000 square meters of space. It isone of the first closed looped heat-ing and cooling district energy sys-tems in the world. The system wasdesigned and commission in 2008,and despite the ambitious projectschedule, was completed on timeand on budget.

“The project included 32 residen-tial units with only three to fourweeks for completion. The installa-tion called for custom design, andhad to be completed in small spaceareas. After the Olympics, theOlympic Athletes’ Village units willbe sold, but will still require mainte-nance. Our geothermal units weredesigned to ensure ease of servicea-bility,” said David Zinn, president ofHydrowest Products Ltd.

Hydrowest Products Ltd., withmore than 30 years of experience inall operations of modern hydronics,was key to this unique geothermalproject. Hydrowest Products’ involve-

ment with theOlympic Athletes’ Vil-lage Whistler projectbegan with a requestfrom Pipeline Me-chanical Ltd., locatedin Squamish, B.C.(about 40 minutesfrom Whistler).Pipeline Mechanicalwas contracted, andwas instrumental inthis unique Whistlerproject involvingwaste heat recovery.

A number of prod-ucts were requiredincluding heat ex-changers, pumps,valves, flow setters,gauges — for verytight space with tightconnection con-straints to the ex-change unit.

“Purge valves elim-inate air problemsand are excellent forcommissioning sys-tems. Webstone Iso-lator Uni-flange ballvalves make changingpumps a 10-minute job — withoutsystem fluid loss. Webstone UnionPro-Pal valves, with hose bibb andunion, can save labor and space.

“Tankless water heater connec-tions are essential, and Hydrowesthas just started using the new Web-

stone expansion tank fitting. Thisproduct has seen great reception,”said Zinn.

Hydrowest has continued to refineand improve offerings with time-sav-ing and value-added products, whichincrease the reliability and serviceease of its finished units.

“Webstone Company has becomeone of those value products —which are incorporated into our so-lutions on a daily basis. Webstonehas provisioned solutions from acontractor’s perspective, includingdetermining what valves and fittingsactually are needed for specificfunctions in the building of plumb-ing and heating systems. HydrowestProducts uses a majority of Web-stone’s product lines, and we havebeen very pleased with the perform-ance and reliability of their prod-ucts. At the end of the day, it justmakes a lot of sense to build sys-tems with service and quick start-up built in,” said Zinn.

The project has garnered interna-tional recognition for its commit-ment to green practices. The DistrictEnergy System is one of the highestprofile aspects of the athlete’s vil-lage’s commitment to green design.The Resort Municipality of Whistler’swaste management system earnedthe 2009 CAMA (Canadian Associa-tion of Municipal Administrators)Environmental Award, as well as the2008 Community Energy Associa-tion’s Energy Action Award for Com-munity Planning and Development.

“This is an innovative alternativeenergy system that effectively lever-ages all of the showers, toilets andhot water going into the sewers inWhistler,” said Ted Battiston,Whistler Center for Sustainability’sEnergy & Emissions manager. �

Cover Story

Webstone announces Harley-Davidson winner

David Zinn of Hydrowest Products Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada was named winner of a 2010Harley-Davidson motorcycle for his entry in the Webstone “Smart Work Deserves a Smart Ride” Pro-Pal® in-

stallation contest. “I would like to thank Webstone Company for selecting our system as the winner of the Harley-Davidson contest. It was a complete surprise to us to be selected as the winner. Even more, it is always nice to berecognized for doing something that is just part of our normal day-to-day business. Thank goodness it’s the recog-nition that I value most, as my wife will not allow me to ride the bike — she knows how I drive my car,” joked Zinn.

Incorporated in 1986, Hydrowest Products Ltd. began with Zinn and his sister, Jean, setting out to provide thebest service and products available to the plumbing and heating industry.

“In the early years, we began to supply completely wired and assembled hydronic control panel systems for spe-cific build requests. Our mission was, and continues to be, provisioning quality custom panels, which are completeto the last detail. Over the years we have continued to refine and improve offerings with time-saving and value-added products such as Webstone’s offerings, which increase the reliability and service ease of all our finishedunits,” said Zinn.

Zinn’s entry featured 32 control panels constructed with Webstone’s step-saving Pro-Pal valves. The panels arefor use in the Whistler project and his design is believed to be the first of its kind in North America. Zinn’s workwas chosen for his superior demonstration of innovation and how Webstone’s Pro-Pal® Step-Saving valves can im-prove the overall efficiency, operation and future maintenance of any system.“I love the Webstone product,” said Zinn. “It saves me time, money, and my installations never looked so good!”

In addition to Mr. Zinn’s grand prize, a portion of the proceeds from the sales of all Pro-Pal valves purchasedduring the contest period will be donated to breast cancer research. Webstone would like to thank all of the con-tractors for submitting designs for creative installations, and for all of the wholesale distributors that purchasedPro-Pal valves. Webstone will be making a sizable contribution to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the searchfor a cure.

Founded in 1954, Webstone is recognized as an industry leader for innovative design of residential and commer-cial valves used in plumbing, hydronic, radiant, solar and geothermal applications. These designs focus on time-and space-saving concepts that simplify future maintenance and upkeep of all piping systems. Some of Webstone’strademarked and patented items include the Isolator, Isolator EXP and Pro-Pal step-saving valves.

Dave Zinn, president of Hydrowest Products Ltd., oversees the mechanical room at the Whistler Ath-letes Village complex. His geothermal panels were instrumental for the overall heat source for thevillage. His innovative panels extract ambient heat from wastewater effluent to provide heating andcomfort for the tenant athletes.


We keep hearing of, seeingand experiencing situa-tions in our trades that

make being in business today a realchallenge. We all know the stories:not enough work, customers hesitantto spend money, customers not pay-ing their bill, too many bidders bring-ing rock bottom prices, competitionfrom less-than-stellar contractors…the list goes on. Now this is all mag-nified with fears of what is aroundthe corner on a national scope, likehealth care mandates, higher taxes,inflation, higher material and com-modity prices…the list goes on.The story I keep hearing is that we

just have to hang in there, things willchange — they always have. That isprobably true — if you are an ostrich.We all need to keep our heads abovethe ground and look at things realis-tically. Today, perhaps more than anyother time in recent history, youmust help yourself. In the past, if youwere a good trades person and a goodbusiness person, you could get by.That’s not the case today,As we look toward the economic

situation and what p-h-c contractorswill be facing in 2010, PHCC is cau-tiously optimistic. Based on whatour members are telling us, we dothink things, overall, will eventuallyget better business-wise in the com-ing year. However, the turnaroundwill be slow and there may not bereal signs of recovery until mid- orend-year.As you can see from the Quality

Service Contractors’ article in thisissue, PHCC’s service and repair con-tractors definitely have some chal-lenges. However, many are wiselychoosing to invest in their compa-nies and employees, particularly inareas like training and education, tocome out stronger when things turnaround.New construction continues to be

the hardest hit, particularly the resi-dential contractors. On the brightside, this situation has given PHCC’snew construction contractors, suchas those in the Construction Contrac-tors’ Alliance (CCA), the opportunityto really fine-tune their business op-erations and concentrate on differen-

tiating themselves from the competi-tion. In fact, CCA’s March 10-12 meet-ing in West Palm Beach, Fla., willfocus on new sales and markingmethods that can help their compa-nies get noticed by the right people.The Union-Affiliated Contractors

(UAC) also is taking steps to stand outfrom others by offering new residen-tial service agreements that theyhope will help them recapture mar-ket share. The UAC will meet Feb. 3-5 in Palm Harbor, Fla., to learn abouttopics like solar, leadership and busi-ness management strategies.Within PHCC, opportunity is a pop-

ular 2010 word. It’s what everyoneis looking for. I know in my area of

New England, the energy conserva-tion market is of interest, as it couldbe a boon for businesses and benefitcustomers at the same time. And atthe national level, as president Ihave appointed several industry ex-perts to view the landscape and seewhat additional training and servicesthe association can offer to helpmembers expand into the “green”arena. Look for more details aboutthis soon.There are additional prospects for

new work to consider, such as resi-

dential fire sprinklers, geothermal,solar, etc. PHCC’s increasingly popularWebinars will continue to focus ontopics like these to help members beinformed on potential new marketsand information that can help theirbusiness. In-person seminars on thetopics also are planned.As we take steps to make our busi-

nesses better, we cannot forget tokeep an eye on the legislativeprocess and get involved. If you fol-low the political scenes at the local,state and national levels, it doesn’ttake long to see that if you’re goingto “help yourself” we have to de-velop a strong presence on the leg-islative front or we’re going to get

run over. Some of the decisionsmade today on tax reform, codesand health care, to name a few, aregoing to affect our businesses andfamilies for years to come. That iswhy is it so important to participateevents like the April 28-29 PHCC Leg-islative Conference and Day onCapitol Hill.It is trying times like this when

our licensing laws can get watereddown and others can get into ourplumbing and HVACR businesses.PHCC is going to help the states mon-

itor their licensing laws in 2010 tomake sure that we are strengtheningthem and not letting them be weak-ened. Also on the national level, wehave to be vigilant to make sure wedo not lose the tax benefits we havegained over the last few years. Theestate tax, health care penalties andincreasing marginal rates are all aregoing to negatively affect small busi-nesses like PHCC members. We aregoing to fight for fairness as the fed-eral government seeks to increasetaxes.A key way to help yourself in these

times is by joining trade associationsrelated to your businesses. Informa-tion on the Internet is great, but thenetworking that can be done at local,state and national meetings in invalu-able. Help yourself to a dose of thebenefits that can be gained by joiningassociations whose sole purpose is toimprove the way you do business.The PHCC comes to mind, of course.Consider attending CONNECT 2010and the QSC Power Meeting Oct. 27-30 in Las Vegas to see that you’re notalone in solving your business chal-lenges. We’d love to have you!Ex unitate vires (From Unity

Strength). �

Skip Pfeffer is the PHCC—National As-sociation president, and the owner ofCanton Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc.,Canton, Mass.

(Turn to Growth, page 42.)

Keep your head above groundIndustry Forecast

BY SKIP PFEFFERPHCC—National

Association President

Today, perhaps more than any other timein recent history, you must help yourself.

Now is perfect time to prepare for growth

The economy is turningaround — albeit slower thanwe would like. The good thing

about the economy today is that youhave done and are doing things rightbecause you are still in business. Youhave probably made all the em-ployee cuts, cut expenses and over-head, and downsized every waypossible.This is all okay, but now you need

to begin looking at ways you canbegin to grow because the economyis definitely coming back and youneed to be a part of it. Growth in-cludes additional marketing, em-ployee training, setting up systemsand processes, and reviewing andunderstanding your financials. Hereare some positive steps you can taketo build your business to help you tobe positioned for the turnaroundthat is coming:Quality Service Contractors (QSC)

members have found that now isthe perfect time to invest in yourcompany and your employees. Your

employees are the most valuableasset within your company. Keepingthem up to date on all the latest ingreat customer service techniques,sales training, technical trainingand software makes more sensethan doing nothing or cutting every-thing out. By providing ongoingtraining, this will send the messageto your employees that you are notgoing to give up, but rather build forthe future. There are many inex-pensive ways to provide to your em-ployees. This can be done onlinethrough Webinars, in-house semi-nars, vendor technical sessions orteleconferences. Employees want to be part of the

solution, if given the opportunity.You need to make sure people arestill setting goals and working towardthem. Employees will want to knowhow they're doing and what's ex-pected of them going forward. Have you given some thought to

reviewing your business operationsto search for ways to improve your

systems and processes with the ulti-mate goal of improving your bottomline? The time has never been betterto look for ways to tweak the sys-tems and processes that will help im-prove productivity and profitability.Involve your employees. Ask them ifthey can think of ways to help thecompany improve the bottom line. Reviewing your financials to see

how you compare with industry av-erages is a good way to determinehow solid your company is. ManyQSC members utilize the QSC busi-ness coaches to help them with this.They can find out if their incomeand expenses are within averages forcompany’s their size. If not, thenthey have good ideas of what areas

BY DAVIDSINGLETON,

ChairQuality Service

Contractors

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Date Course Description

FEB 11-12 “Compleat” Boiler Room(CBR)

Learn to design – and sell – the ultimate boiler room using all Taco products. Lots of hands-on, including wiring and programming Taco controls.

FEB 25-26 Hydronic Heat Loss and Design (HHD)

Learn simple strategies to improve any system by adding reset controls to existing cast iron boilers, adding motorized reset valves to mod-con boilers PLUS a whole lot more! Includes an introduction to Taco’s new iWorx web-based system controls for residential applications. (CBR is a prerequisite)

MAR 11-12 “Compleat” Boiler Room(CBR)

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MAR 25-26 Hydronic Control Strategies (HCS)

Learn to conduct an accurate heat loss analysis with pencil, paper, and calculator. Learn how to use our state of the art FloPro Design software. Plenty of hands-on. Sure to benefit any experienced hydronics designer. Basic computer skills required.

APR 8-9 “Compleat” Boiler Room(CBR)

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APR 22-23 Hydronic Control Strategies (HCS)

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JUNE 24-25 “Compleat” Boiler Room(CBR)

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JUL 8-9 Hydronic Heat Loss and Design (HHD)

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SEPT 23-24 Hydronic Control Strategies (HCS)

See above

OCT 21-22 “Compleat” Boiler Room(CBR)

See above

Factory Tune ups.

New this year are several “Off-Campus” locations:Minneapolis: Denver:April 15-16 CBR June 10-11 CBRMay 13-14 HCS August 5-6 HCSMay 20-21 HHD Sept 9-10 HHDJune 17-18 CBR

New Jersey: Philadelphia:July 29-30 CBR Oct 7-8 CBRAugust 19-20 HCS



to look at to improve their bottomline.The QSC Power Meeting in Hous-

ton, Texas, March 11 – 13, 2010, willfocus on building a world-class busi-ness with Making Your BusinessWork For You! The E-Myth Solution.If you are looking for ways to im-prove your business, you will wantto mark this on your calendar.

us through the year.We are fortunate to be based in an

area that weathers economic down-turns well, as our local economy isdiverse. We are not dependent onone segment of the economy. High-tech firms, telecomm firms, defensecontractors, bio med, military, gov-ernment contractors, and of course,the federal government all stoke thelocal economy. When one sector isdown, another seems to be flying. Ithas the net effect of flattening outthe dips and downturns, which areinevitable. Other parts of the coun-

BY DAN FOLEY

For many hydronics contrac-tors, 2009 was not a great yearfor business. Due to the eco-

nomic downturn, low consumerconfidence, and the housing slump,maintaining growth was a challengefor contractors, rep agencies, suppli-ers and even manufacturers. Mycompany, based in the Washington,D.C. metro area was lucky enough tobreak even with 2008 revenues (ap-proximately $3.5M) due to some ex-isting projects booked that carried

try which rely on one segment sufferwhen there is a downturn that af-fects that market. Auto manufactur-ing in Michigan and the real estatemarket in California are two exam-ples that come to mind.Within the past two years, my

company has ventured in the solarthermal business. I used to turn thiswork away. After getting certifiedtraining from my primary vendor,Viessmann, I installed a simple DHWpre-heat system in my own home. Itook on the work that I was turningaway and now have over a dozensystems installed including DHW sys-tems, pool heat and even a com-bined solar/DHW/radiant system.I see this as a growth area for hy-

dronic contractors. We already havethe skill set to install these systems.With the proper training, no indus-try is better equipped to install solarthermal systems. With the 30% un-capped federal tax credit availablethrough the stimulus package as wellas local and state incentives, the sys-tems are more affordable than ever.We recently finished a project in

Maryland where my client ended upwith $9,500.00 in combined taxcredits and grants — 50% of the costof the project. We anticipate a sub-stantial increase in this part of ourbusiness in 2010, which is good newsfor my company and my suppliers.The stimulus package has signifi-

cantly increased our sales of 90+condensing boilers and I see thistrend continuing on an upward path.Clients are choosing the high effi-ciency boilers in replacement situa-tions due to the lower energy bills,as well as the $1,500.00 tax credit.Some states offer additional incen-tives as well. I expect to see thistrend increase in the coming year.Our vendors are seeing this trend

as well. My primary hydronics ven-dor, Thos. Somerville Co. has bene-fited from this dynamic. Jeff Riley,Somerville’s sales manager, had thisto say about the 2010 hydronicsmarket:“Even with the challenging econ-

omy we have seen significant in-creases in our sales of hydronicproducts from radiant floor compo-nents through condensing boilers.Our customers are really ‘warmingup’ to selling comfortable hydronicsystems with the focus on maximumefficiency. As a result our mod-conboiler business is thriving. One gen-uine indicator of future sales is thenumber of requests we are receivingfor trainings on hydronic products.It is an exciting time for wet heat.”One successful contractor who

has chosen not to participate in therecession is Alan Givens, presidentof Parrish Services, Manassas, Vir-ginia. Alan’s company is closing outa record year and has predicted amonster year for 2010 — 40% antic-ipated growth from $10M to $14M.Alan attributes this anticipatedgrowth to three things: 1. The federal stimulus package

and associated tax credits;

2. The phase out of R-22 refriger-ant; and3. Pent up consumer demand.Ninety-eight percent of the equip-

ment his company installs qualifiesfor the incentive.“My technicians and sales force

will only quote systems that are eli-gible for the tax incentives” saidGivens. “I predict 2010 will be thebest year for our industry in the last20 years.”I like Alan’s optimism. This is the

attitude of a successful contractorand industry leader.My good friend Paul Pollets owns

Advanced Radiant Technology basedin Seattle. His company specializesin high-end residential and commer-cial radiant projects. Paul has seenhis market tighten up as the free-spending Microsoft millionaires andthe high-tech economy has scaledback. Paul is a bit more cautiousabout the coming year.“2009 hasn’t been kind to the ra-

diant industry in the Seattle market.The downturn in the economy hasbeen slow to recover, even in theland of Microsoft. We’ve seen a trendtoward lower costing, an abundanceof competitive bids that are oftenpriced slightly higher than the costof materials, and a ‘shopping’ ten-dency of homeowners and GCs.Value is seen on getting the lowestprice, rather than a quality systeminstallation. While these trends al-ways have been present in the in-dustry, they multiply with a badeconomy where money is tight andprospects have seen a significant lossin their personal investments. Theboiler replacement market also hasbeen characterized by low pricingand the abundance of contractors

(Turn to Hydronics page 44.)


2010 Hydronics: Going the energy efficient routeIndustry Forecast

If you’d like more informationabout QSC, an enhanced servicegroup of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National As-sociation, call (800)533-7694, orvisit http://www.qsc-phcc.org/. �

By David Singleton, Chair Quality Serv-ice Contractors, owner David R. Single-ton, Inc., Manchester, Mass.

Prepare for growth

Home sales are up and commercialprojects are slowing, according to

the latest series of economic polls. Butwhat does that mean for the hydronicindustry and the various products of-fered? Watts Radiant sees these eventsas favorable opportunities. Here’s how:Residential projects will shift from

new home construction to existing homeremodels as homeowners are looking forways to make their home more attrac-tive. This means replacing that old boileror water heater with a newer, more effi-cient model. It also means updating theheating system, converting from forcedair to hydronic radiant. EPDM piping andPEX tubing will play a key roll in theseconversions. Additionally, some home-owners will focus on smaller improve-ment areas and will look inward towardsthe kitchen and bathrooms. For theseprojects, electric radiant will be key toconvert cold tile floors to somethingwarm and inviting.Commercial projects are going to

push the environmental threshold bylooking towards thermal solar and ge-othermal heat sources. Large diameter,pre-insulated PEX tubing will help trans-port energy from these sources to thebuilding’s interior. New DualTemp con-trols will help commercial projects con-trol the increased thermal masstypically associated with thicker slabconstructions.

Hydronic snow melting applicationswill begin to get a second glance forboth residential and commercial appli-cations. High efficiency condensingboilers will add a new dimension to theold snow melting application, makingthem truly efficient and cost effective.Extending the life of the exterior slabsor brick paver areas is just one of themany advantages snow melting systemswill offer. Commercial and residentialprojects will begin to see snow meltingoptions for longevity and resale value,not to mention the reduced impact ofdamage to the interior due to trackedin salt and other chemicals.Electric snow melting products will

begin to enter the options mix in 2010.Small areas such as residential patiosand sidewalks will be able to benefitfrom a snow melting system. Electricsnow melting products are more cost ef-fective for small areas — no mechanicalroom required — opening up small res-idential projects to the possibility of im-proved safety and convenience.For all of these, time is key. Getting

in and out quickly will help keep in-stallers profitable. Accessories like pre-packaged HydroNex mechanicalpackages are essential in making profita possibility. In short, product and service diversity

will be key to making 2010 a success. �

Source: Watts Radiant

State of hydronics — 2010

“Even with the challengingeconomy we have seensignificant increases inour sales of hydronicproducts from radiant

floor components throughcondensing boilers.”

44 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Industry Forecast

willing to charge as little as possibleto get the work. The reduction infuel prices hasn’t helped the con-sumer to jump in and spend morefor efficiencies, with little incentivefor tax rebates. We can’t afford to becomplacent, just because fuel costsare lower today. They will rise again.

The thermal solar DHWmarket seemsactive, but seems to have turned intoa commodity with contractors offer-ing and installing systems using Chi-nese panels at what seems likeminimal profit.“I’m hoping 2010 will bring more

business. I am slightly pessimisticabout the outlook, considering themindsets of the customers I speakwith daily, and the cutbacks from

major manufacturers on staff and in-ventory. The industry needs morestate and federal tax incentives andmore local marketing and supportfrom the manufacturers. Jumpstart-ing the economy is not easy. ‘Trickledown’ monies from mass transporta-tion or road projects don’t necessar-ily translate to any increasedbusiness for radiant contractors,”said Pollets.

Pollets also has ventured into thesolar thermal market and sees an in-crease in this type of work in the fu-ture. He recently completed a largesolar project for a local college thatwas written up in several industrypublications.Clearly the growth areas will be in

renewable energy sources such assolar and high efficiency boilers thatqualify for incentives. John Vastyan,noted hydronics researcher andwriter, has monitored the market’spulse for decades.“Here in the United States, overall,

it looks like the hydronics industry,say, compared with the way thingswere in ’06, is down about 30 to 40percent. That’s a huge loss of busi-ness and revenue,” Vastyan said. “But, the influence of green — fed-

erally-pumped dollars on a massivescale, and the push for renewableenergy and energy conservation —have helped to move things back ina better direction,” said Vastyan.“From what I’ve seen, things are im-proving, but it’ll take some time —several months — before contrac-tors, reps, wholesalers and manufac-turers will see the 20, 30 and 40percent improvements. When thatbegins to happen, radiant tubing andboiler sales will begin to move up ata pace greater than the incrementalimprovements we’re seeing now,”said Vastyan.I hope John is right on in his pre-

diction, and I think he is. This is anexciting time to be part of thisgrowing and changing industry.The resources are available to im-prove and increase our sales andprofitability. I intend to put them towork in my company and I hopeyou do, too. May we all have a pros-perous year in 2010! �

Dan Foley is owner and president ofFoley Mechanical, Inc. — an HVACcompany based in Alexandria, Va. spe-cializing in radiant/snowmelt systems.Dan began his career in the HVAC in-dustry after earning his degree in Busi-ness Management from Virginia Tech in1988. After spending 15 years at Ar-lington Heating and A/C, Inc., rising tothe position of vice president, DanFoley left the company in April, 2002to start his own company. Dan hasyears of field experience installing andservicing radiant and hydronic systemsto complement his managerial capabil-ities. He is an RPA certified designerand installer. Dan serves on the boardsof his local ACCA, PHCC and RPA chap-ters. He is also a past president of theRadiant Panel Association. He holdsMaster HVAC and Master plumbing/gasfitting licenses in Virginia, Washing,D.C. and Maryland.

Hydronics 2010(Continued from page 42.)


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BY ERIC WINSLOW

The history of CAD/CAM tech-nology in the HVAC industrystretches back to the late ’70s

and early ’80s when we began to seethe first patents issued for transfer-ring data into machine code derivedfrom three-dimensional objects.This technology was a substantialimprovement for automating themanufacture of sheet metal duct-work as prior to this it had to bepainstaking laid out by hand.Following the timeline of these in-

novations we witnessed new softwareand machinery developments, whichfurther automated the design & fab-

rication of HVAC systems through theuse of CAD/CAM technology. By themid-to-late ’90s, this technology wascommonplace in the HVAC industryand other industries — such asstructural steel companies — wereadopting similar methods.Surviving the test of time, CAD/CAM

implementation proved to be espe-cially useful on large, complex proj-ects. Having the ability to simulatethe physical features of a building inboth 2D and 3D, we could now de-velop very precise routing of theHVAC with objects that contained allof the information required to man-ufacture the various components.Moving forward with greater confi-

dence that these systems wouldwork opened up many more oppor-tunities for pre-fabrication, pre-pur-chasing and improved planning.These opportunities would often neta noticeable decrease in field labor,overall increase in productivity, allwhile increasing the quality of theend product. This was just the beginning. By now most people in the con-

struction industry are aware of themovement toward Building Informa-tion Modeling (BIM). While CAD tech-nology, including 3D modeling andthe idea of utilizing embedded infor-mation from within the 3D model iscertainly not new to the HVAC indus-try; this technique is now being ap-plied to all building trades. It is nowpossible to create a virtual re-cre-ation of the project including all nec-essary components from thestructural steel skeleton all the waydown to the fixtures and finishes.These components are united into asingle integrated model for analysis.Many of the objects are rich in em-bedded information, which serves amultitude of purposes. It’s important to think about BIM

not as a software, or new 3D tech-nology, but as a process — a collab-orative process. BIM functions as acatalyst to allow teams of designers,contractors, vendors and others toengage each other in a way thatmaximizes overall productivity andcreates real value for the team. Aneffective BIM implementation in-cludes all parties involved in the

project. At the most fundamentallevel we can implement collision-detection, which allows the team tosolve spatial relations issues. Butspace allocation and figuring outhow everything fits togetherdoesn’t adequately describe theBIM process.The current trend in BIM imple-

mentation is with 4D, 5D and XDtechnologies. Recent developmentsin software enable you to not onlyidentify how things fit together butwhen they fit together. This elementof time is the fourth dimension ofBIM and resolves conflicts thatwould arise during trade sequencing,or “time-clashes.” We can now sim-ulate the entire construction processto maximize field productivity andsignificantly reduce or eliminatescheduling conflicts. Also, the ability to extract quanti-

ties directly from the model and as-sign costs to those quantities is nowpossible. The cost information em-bedded within the object(s) is thefifth dimension of BIM. This is espe-cially useful on Design-Assist andDesign-Build projects where deci-sions can be made to maintain budg-ets and keep the project on target.Quantity take-off (QTO) is now an au-tomated process which facilitatesthe capability to produce a model-based estimate (MBE). Discussions on the benefits of BIM

are usually centered on project de-livery. But other examples of cleverBIM innovations are the ability to per-form code compliance checking,thermal analysis, energy consump-tion and optimization, facilities man-agement, asset management, andbeyond. These examples are com-monly referred to as XD or the X di-mensions of BIM. New ideas arecontinually being introduced to im-prove the entire building lifecycle.The sales pitch for BIM is typically

all about reducing risk. Not just forthe trade contractors but for theowner, the architect, engineer andothers. But the benefit of improvedvisualization is much more powerfulthan that. By leveraging the availabletechnology and utilizing the modelas our vehicle to communicate, wecan now efficiently solve problemsthat have plagued the building in-dustry since antiquity.By harnessing these improve-

ments we, in turn, improve the stan-dard of care for our customers,which inevitably translates to valuefor the entire team. And all of this

(Turn to Building... page 48.)

The power of BIMtechnology In actIon

While CAD/CAM technology in the HVAC industry began in the late 1970s, BuildingInformation Modeling (BIM) now can perform a virtual re-creation of the projectincluding all necessary components from the structural steel skeleton all the waydown to the fixtures and finishes.

48 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Technology in AcTion

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(Continued from page 46.)takes place in a virtual environmentlong before the building actually ex-ists and much sooner than conven-tionally possible.BIM has and will open many doors

to improve the delivery of projects

but there are definitely obstaclesthat have to be dealt with. Address-ing the realities of BIM and what isachievable is a key to success.The traditional plan/spec contract

structure normally assigns roles andresponsibilities; this is also being

challenged. New contractual lan-guage is being introduced that is de-signed to facilitate an effective BIMexecution plan but many of thesearrangements are either in progressor have yet to be tested. Unfortu-nately no one really has all of the an-swers and it will, to some degree,require a leap of faith.Without a doubt, a successful BIM

implementation requires a commit-ment from the entire team. Thislevel of commitment is required towork through various challengesthat present themselves. Challengessuch as software interoperability,limitations on digital data transferand storage, training, implementa-tion, integration, liability, etc., allwill have to be addressed.As with anything in life, there are

risks. Luckily there are scores of BIMenthusiasts dedicated to making thisa successful endeavor. This includesa number of examples of the tech-nology being used overseas. As moreBIM-enabled projects are completed,

the more lessons learned, the morewe can refine the process.Despite the challenges with BIM,

it’s intuitive to proceed further downthis path. The future of BIM is prom-ising as the technology continues toevolve. Advances in software andcomputing power will allow moredata to be included in the model,allow it to be shared more readilyand put it within reach of more peo-ple. Advances in delivery methodswill allow teams to work more effi-ciently with greater accuracy. All ofwhich improves our ability to pro-duce better buildings. �

Eric Winslow has been in the construc-tion industry for 17 years as a man-ager, designer, fabricator and installer.He currently leads the Engineering &BIM department at Superior Air Han-dling in Clearfield, Utah, where he con-tinues to be directly involved inoperational deployment of technologyand BIM implementation. He can bereached at [email protected].

Building Information Modeling

BIM is a collaborative process that functions as a catalyst to allow teams of de-signers, contractors, vendors and others to engage each other in a way that max-imizes overall productivity and creates real value for the team.

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Building InformationModeling and PHCs

What is Building InformationModeling (BIM) and how doesit affect the Plumbing and Hy-

dronic industry? With improvements inaffordable computer hardware and soft-ware for visualization of entire buildingsin three dimensions, the opportunity forprefabrication and project pre-planningare possible in ways only dreamed of 10years ago. Inter-trade spatial coordina-tion with ninety-five percent or betteraccuracy provides PHC contractors theability to build digitally and then prefab-ricate with certainty of fit far beyond the“Large Bore” and welded systems fo-cused on in the past.These opportunities abound for

both large and small firms and are lim-ited more by the complexity of theproject than dollar value of the con-tract. While there is an up-front invest-ment in hardware, software, andtraining, most contractors see a returnon investment that exceeds their ini-tial projections.1 After a 3D model isspatially coordinated, accurate bills ofmaterials can be extracted automati-cally with a few clicks of the mouse.Fabrication drawings are linked to andextracted from the CADmodels, and donot need to be drawn from scratch.This saves time and improves qualityand accuracy of the finished product.By moving the “thinking” from thefield to a controlled environment, bet-ter decisions can be made earlier inthe process.How do you get started? Find a capa-

ble trade knowledgeable individual withdetailing experience and train them touse the computer and software, or hirea competent 3D CAD detailer with tradeexperience. However, it is much easierto teach someone to use the computerthan to teach a “computer wizard” yourtrade. Mechanical Contactors Associa-tion of America (MCAA) has a BIM com-mittee that is actively pursuing bestmethods for BIM training. They may offersome seminars on the subject in thenear future. Your local training center orjunior college may offer CAD classes aswell. Training is the key to success.Most contractors experience a sense

of being overwhelmed at first, then thepain of the learning curve sets in. Fi-nally, as expertise improves, the returnon investment is realized, and theymove forward with confidence. Thosewho measure their success find the ROIis higher than those who do not.1 Awell-planned implementation withmilestones and measures of successwill achieve earlier positive outcomesthan a more organic evolution. Thegood news is that most of the initialgroundwork for standards is in placeand a PHC does not have to start fromscratch. Organizations such as the

BuildingSmartAlliance and the Na-tional Institute for Building Scienceshave active programs in place thatoffer many advantages.The National CAD Standard is a great

resource for pre-defined computeraided drafting layers, colors, and nam-ing conventions. The National BIM Stan-dard is less mature but entering into itssecond revision and promises to be avaluable tool for interoperability andsocial exchanges. Both documents areavailable through the NIBS or BuildingS-mart websites.The benefits of Building Information

Modeling processes far outweigh theeffort required to overcome the learn-ing curve. The technology is matureenough to provide a multitude of im-provements in almost every aspect ofthe PHC construction process from es-timating through project closeout. Ifyour contracts do not already requirethe use of BIM, they will very shortly.The Building Information Modelingtrend started on the west coast, gainedmomentum on the east coast and israpidly closing the gap between. Thosewho wait for the technology to maturemay soon find themselves scramblingto catch up. �

1“The Business Value of BIM” 2009 Mc-Graw Hill SmartMarket Report

David Morris is the director of VirtualConstruction, EMCOR Construction Serv-ices. Morris more than 30 years of expe-rience performing and directing allphases of piping and mechanical systemsfor Commercial, Hospitality, Industrial,and Power Generation construction. Cur-rent duties include improving BIMprocesses and sharing best detailing andvirtual design practices for his company.Morris is well known as an industry ac-tivist for Integrated Project Delivery, BIMand Process Transformation and has pre-sented to AIA, CURT, AGC, MCAA Build-ingSmart Alliance, and other industryfunctions related to Virtual Constructionand Building Information Modeling. Asthe director of the National BIM Stan-dard, Deputy Director of the National CADStandard, vice-chairman of the BuildingS-mart Alliance Board of Directors and Di-rector of the Quality of Life andVisualization, Simulation & Analysis Pro-grams, Chairman of Associated GeneralContractors BIM Forum SubcontractorsSubcommittee, and Member of The Con-struction Users Round Table ProcessTransformation Committee, and Chairmanof the AGC San Diego BIM committee, Mr.Morris brings a practical and commercialperspective to the use of technology inconstruction.

BY DAVID MORRIS


52 Phc News — JANUARY 2010ProducT APPlicATion

What was once thought foruse in small cottages or va-cation homes, tankless

water heaters are “heating” up thewater heating landscape. End usermisconceptions regarding the limita-tions of tankless have been quelledby better-manufactured equipmentand innovative-engineered design.And, a shift in the country’s thinkingtoward green building and the gov-ernment’s financial attitudes anddolings toward sustainability — the$1,500 federal tax credit incentive,for example —have consumers tak-ing tankless more seriously. Withtankless garnering serious talk andreceiving serious props from thefield, the question then becomes,which tankless product is the rightchoice? Navien America is one such tank-

less company that is pushing the en-velope in terms of offering a hot water

distribution system that sets the in-dustry standard for quality, perform-ance and efficiency. While there’s noquestioning the fact that the waterheater market has taken a hit duringthis economic uncertainty, Navienhas separated itself from the compe-tition. “In terms of 2010, the wholetankless industry will be down from2008, but it will be better than 2009— even though Navien increased 2.5times more between 2008 and 2009.Navien actually forecasts a 100% in-crease in sales in 2010. With the cur-rent U.S. stimulus package, Navienwill continue to see a conversionfrom tank to tankless in 2010. Navienis quickly becoming the “What’sNext” company regarding new prod-ucts,” said Ted Kwak, president,Navien America, Inc. Interestinglyenough, Navien, which was derivedfrom the concept of “Navigating En-ergy for the Environment,” produces

over 500,000 residential and com-mercial boilers per year. Navien offers a full line of con-

densing tankless water heaters,available in propane or natural gas.All Navien condensing tanklessheaters are ENERGY STAR rated, andqualify for the current Federal TaxCredit/Rebates. Navien offers a hybrid tankless

heater called the “A” model, whichcomes with a half-gallon buffer tankand a circulation pump enabling theend user to have instant hot waterwith no minimum flow rate requiredto activate the heater. The companyhas just introduced its new Con-densing Combination Water Heater,or “Combi Heater,” which not onlyprovides an input of 200,000 BTUdomestic hot water, but also pro-vides a hydronic heating circuit witha modulating burner that can beused for radiant heating or space

heating for the entire dwelling.“Navien heaters were engineeredand designed to get around some ofthe limitations of traditional tanklessheaters. For example, with theNavien “A” model heater there is abuffer tank and circulation pump in-stalled in the heater, which elimi-nates a minimum flow rate toactivate the heater. The tank, whichstores water at 120º, and pump alsoeliminate the “cold water sandwich”or “stacking” effect that can happenwith the engineering associated withtraditional tankless heaters. TheNavien heater is controlled by an on-board dual micro-processor that isconstantly monitoring the function-ality of the heaters performance, en-suring the most energy efficientoperation,” said Ty Tipton, presi-dent, Tipton Company, a manufac-turer’s rep for Navien. The biggestdifferences in the Navien heater ver-sus other gas-fired models is that theNavien tankless heaters have a tankand a recirculation pump built in theheater. The tank and the pump en-able the unit to get around a coupleof the limitations. One is by elimi-nating a minimum flow rate to acti-vate the heater. The standardtankless heaters take .6 gpm to acti-vate them to produce hot water. Be-cause Navien uses a small buffertank to preheat the water, it alwayshas it ready on demand.

Installing a tankless product made easy

Tom Massiman of Hot Water Guys,Houston, Texas, specialize in tank-less water heating, and he swears bythe Navien product. According toMassiman, residential retrofit instal-lations comprise about 75% of hisbusiness with new construction and

(Turn to Turning... page 54.)

Navien America: Turning up the heat with tankless

From l to r: Chris Couvillion, Houston-area sales manager for Ferguson;Kenny Browning, Hot Water Guys; TomMassiman, Hot Water Guys; and Ty Tip-ton, principal and owner of the TiptonCompany “stand behind” the residen-tial NR240A-NG Navien tankless unit.

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commercial installations making upthe rest. Most of the tankless appli-cations involve potable hot water forbathing, dishwashing, etc. Occasion-ally they install hydronic heatingsystems commercially, as well as res-identially. Upgrading gas supply sys-tems is a big part of their business,as tankless water heaters requireconsiderably more BTUs than tradi-tional tank water heaters“Navien has broken the mold for

traditional Tankless water heating.They have set the bar up a notchand have made other manufacturerssit up and take notice. Things thatseparate the Navien Tankless fromtraditional tankless are that theNavien units consist of two stainlesssteel heat exchangers as opposed toone copper heat exchanger. This re-duces the incidence of scale buildup. The A model units, for instance,

have effectively removed the 1/2-gal-lon-per-minute usage requirement tokeep a traditional Tankless running.Navien vents with PVC plastic pipeand can be common vented,” saidMassiman.

Reaching beyond the misconceptions

One of the biggest complaints ormisconceptions regarding tankless isventing. Standard tankless heatersvent with stainless steel or a concen-tric kit can be expensive and ratherunforgiving to install. Navien elimi-nated this problem with PVC venting.One of the biggest complaints fromend users is having a minimum flowrate to activate the heater —whichis usually .6 gpm. Navien eliminatesthis with their buffer tank on their“A” model. Many contractors be-lieve that a tankless heater can’t de-liver enough flow rate to supply ahome. Navien’s largest residentialheater (NR-240A) will deliver over

11 gallons per minute flow rate at a35-degree rise. Eleven gallons perminute will allow hot water deliveryto as many as five fixtures in a homeat one time, which is usually morethan enough for a standard sizehome.Finally, regarding tankless myths,

Navien heaters don’t have to bedescaled. With standard tanklessheaters, because of their manufac-tured design and materials, they havea tendency to scale up and have

build-up of sediment deposits. TheNavien system is designed with astainless steel heat exchanger, andthe way it is engineered and designed,it doesn’t create the mineral depositbuild-up — so no descaling is neces-sary. It’s important to note, “Naviendesigned and engineered it’s heatersto overcome the limitations thatother tankless heaters had; From anengineering and performance per-spective Navien has raised the bar inthe tankless industry,” said Tipton.“Common misconceptions of scal-

ing are that you must descale a tank-less water heater on a regular basis orthey never need to be descaled. Nei-ther is correct. Water hardness andoutput water temperature determinethe frequency of descaling. Navienclaims their use of stainless steel inthe heat exchangers lessen the in-stance of scaling,” said Massiman.

The advantages of multiplesKeep this in mind: One of the ad-

vantages of multiple units workingtogether — where historically a hotwater boiler would be used togetherwith a large water storage tank — isthe ability to build in redundancywithout necessarily having to doublethe system equipment. Using multi-ple tankless units when there is aneed to perform maintenance onone, you still have one or more toprovide hot water to the system just

at a reduced quantity, but you don’tlose all of your ability to provide hotwater to the system. When space be-comes an issue within mechanicalrooms. tankless water heaters can bea solution because they are rela-tively small compared to traditionaltank-type water heaters and boilerswith water storage tanks.

Navien in action“What we did with our latest hy-

dronic heat system was to remove a

central boiler from a building com-plex and heat it with one Navien tan-kless machine.The old system used circulating

hot water pumped through 11/2"water lines to service five air han-dlers in an approximate 3,500-sq.-ft.building. We installed a CC240Navien and related components andsevered the water lines to the centralboiler. Initially we had expected tohave to set the outgoing temperaturerather high on the Navien (160º), butfound that it was making things toohot too fast, so the temp was setdown to a more reasonable 130ºF. Allfive air handlers received plenty ofBTUs. The system worked beauti-fully and we expect to remove otherbuildings from the central boiler inthe near future,” said Massiman.So the next time you think tank-

less, don’t limit yourself to small ap-plications. “We’re seeing tanklesswater heaters working well not justin tract homes, but custom homes,apartments/condos, schools, cafete-rias, churches, restaurants, health-care facilities, schools, hotels,firehouses, mall stores, etc. Justabout anywhere you would’ve seena tank or boiler in the past, we’re in-stalling Navien’s and the end userslove it because their energy bills aregoing down as much as 60% andthey never run out of hot water!”said Tipton. �

Turning up the heat

ProducT APPlicATion



Kenny Browning (l) and Tom Massiman, owners of The Hot Water Guys, Houston,Texas, load a Navien tankless unit into one of the company’s vehicle.


56 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Solar Gain

Park City, Utah was born as amining town. Silver wasmined there and has created a

lot of work and wealth over theyears. If you get the opportunity tohike or ski the surrounding moun-tains you, will spot evidence left be-hind by prospectors. Many of the oldbuildings and equipment, some dat-ing back to the 1800s, can be seenon the mountainside. Park CityMountain Resort (PCMR) has main-tained and upgraded some of theoriginal mining buildings for contin-ued use. One example is the MidMountain Lodge. This building orig-inally housed the miners whoworked in the area. As a resort prop-erty, it has housed the U.S. Olympicteam, and served as a warming loca-tion and restaurant. Over its 100-year history, this building repeatedlyupdated, and even relocated. Most

recently, the building has benefitedfrom a $1 million renovation for the2008-09 season. It has been a popu-lar gathering place for skiers formany decades.The resort is currently operated

by POWDR Corporation. Over theyears, PCMR has received manyawards from the industry. PCMR isvery proud of the Save our Snow ini-tiative. In 2006, PCMR commissioneda study of global warming effect onthe resort and the Utah snow sportindustry. In 2008, the resort re-ceived the “Green Power LeadershipAward” from the EPA. The resort isthe largest purchaser of renewableenergy in the travel and leisure cat-egory. The resort ranks #15 of allU.S. corporations that purchase100% renewable energy. Brent Gilesis the director of Environmental Af-fairs at the resort. He is constantly

seeking way to position the resort atthe forefront of environmental initia-tives and concepts.So it came as no surprise when

PCMR contacted Harris Dudley Me-chanical, Inc. of Salt Lake City to in-

vestigate a solar thermal hot watersystem for the Mid Mountain Lodge.As you would imagine, the lodge hasa large DHW load. Bob Dudley and histeam put together a proposal to sup-plement the DHW system with a solarthermal drainback system. Solar de-signer, Aaron Cook, took the chal-lenge for the Harris Dudley team. Heran some simulation calculations onthe RETScreen software. He quicklyrealized the payback challenge witha seasonal use building. The lodge isclosed at the end of the ski seasonand the DHW load disappears alongwith the skiers. The solar thermalsystem has a short 4-5-month sea-son to work. This is also the coldesttime of year to provide solar thermalenergy. Bob Dudley nervously ap-proached the PCMR with their pro-posed design, including the longpayback projection numbers, undercurrent seasonal use conditions.The PCMR board acknowledged the

payback period and moved on to thedetails of the design. The decisionwas based on the environmentallyfriendly approach to producing DHW,and in staying true to the PCMR goalof being a leader in the environmen-tally friendly resort initiative.Team Harris Dudley was given the

go ahead to install the solar thermaldomestic hot water system (SDHW).Knowing the unusual conditions andseasonal use, a pressurized drain-back system was designed. Whennot in use, the collectors drain backand are designed to withstand yearsof service in this type of operation. This system comprised of ten Cal-

effi flat plate collectors 32 squarefeet each. The 10 collectors werearranged in two 5-collector groupsand positioned on the roof with thetwo 5-collector arrays sloping to thecenter. This mounting method pro-(Turn to Utah Rockies, page 58.)

Mining the sun’s energy in the Utah Rockies

Park City’s Mid Mountain Lodge implements a domestic hot water system with asolar thermal drainback system.

(Continued from page 36.)can be paid directly to the contrac-tor and/or subcontractor from thegross cost to the customer. On top ofthat, the Feds have weighed in witha 30% credit against Federal incometax— starting in January 1 this yearand running through December2016.

Even a state-wide tax rebate isunder consideration, but held up byCalifornia’s deficit problems. How-ever, if an installation produces asurplus of solar energy, the utility isrequired to buy this amount at pre-determined market prices. Such aninitiative was recently signed intolaw by Governor ArnoldSchwarzenegger.Between the Federal Govern-

ment’s choice of the Coachella Val-ley as a major solar energy produc-tion site, plus generous incentives toinstalling clients means that successis practically guaranteed to a geo-graphic area tailor-made for this ap-proach to renewable energy.Even if cap-and-trade is not im-

posed on America, the Environmen-tal Protection Agency will enforce aneven stricter mandate, guaranteeing

soaring electric price increases. Justimagine what such prices will looklike 10 years from now. The excessenergy that a home or businessowner produces will be subtractedfrom soaring electricity bills. Andwhen one eventually sells their busi-ness, this benefit should add to thestructure’s assets. This is a win-winall the way. �

To stay up to date with my dailyblogging, be sure to log on to my hy-perlink at www.theworldreport.organd then click on “Morrie’s page,”announced in the middle of theWorld Report website. Your recom-mendation for my blog, as well asthe individual columns, will bemuch appreciated.

Beschloss

58 Phc News — JANUARY 2010BeSchloSS Beat


vided an attractive look, as the sys-tem will be viewed by perhaps mil-lions of visitors over the course of itsprojected lifetime. The system alsouses a 40-gallon drainback tank anda 120-gallon Caleffi SolarCon insu-lated storage tank. The whole pack-age is controlled by a Caleffi I-solardrainback control. The system feedsthe solar pre-heated water to andelectric boiler and two additional 80-gallon storage tanks. A pipe insula-tion upgrade was also included in thejob to limit the standby loss frompiping and tanks. Mounting the collectors proved to

be a challenge for the crew. The roofhad a substantial build-up fromyears of remodeling, and locatingadequate structural members tooksome time. A rough terrain cranewas used to safely place the collec-tors on the steep pitch. This instal-lation was one of the first in the ParkCity area to be permitted and theHarris Dudley team worked closelywith the Park City Building depart-ment. Providing roof loading andstructural data was required for thepermit and inspection. Harris Dudley has chosen to walk

the solar walk, as well as talk thetalk. A well-positioned solar thermalarray greets all that visit their SaltLake location. It is a nice addition totheir world-class hydronic show-room. The display shows how wellradiant and solar thermal can existtogether. A data logger on the solarenforces the work-ability of solarthermal energy harvest in the UtahRockies. Instead of mining silver, with the

help of Harris Dudley Co., the resortis mining sunshine in the UtahMountains. �

Utah Rockies(Continued from page 56.)

High efficiency space heating & DHWThe Prestige Excellence is a con-densing wall-mounted boiler with abuilt in “tank-in-tank” indirect firedwater heater.The first ofits kind, this95% afue boilerincorporates a15-gallon indi-rect fired waterheater in thecabinet that iscapable of pro-ducing more than180 gph of domestic hotwater (DHW). Features a uniquely de-signed stainless steel heat exchangerand is fully modulating between30,000 and 110,000 Btu/hr. TriangleTube.


Intelligent control valveThe Icon System™ next-generationgas control valve will be standard

equipment onmost of the man-ufacturer’s resi-dential and lightduty commercialproducts at noadditional cost.Developed withHoneywell®, fea-tures advanced

temperature control, exclusive per-formance software, intelligent diag-nostics, pilot-on-indication, millivoltpowered operation, separate im-mersed thermowell, and an inte-grated Piezo igniter. Also availableare universal retrofit kits for most ofthe manufacturer’s existing models.Bradford White.


PUREFIRE® boilerPUREFIRE® gas-fired, high-effi-ciency condensing boiler for resi-dential and commercial applications

is available for natu-ral or LP gas. Di-rect vent, sealedcombustion withefficiency of up to97.3% (residential)while the commer-cial-sized PF-399boiler offers 95.5%efficiency. Residen-tial models are EN-

ERGY STAR® approved. Six sizes; ASME

and ETL U.S., Canada certifications.Features unique condensate systemwith built-in neutralizer componentand float switch protection, stainlesssteel burner and heat exchanger,120v convenience outlet and lowNOx operation. Fully modulatingburner. Peerless Boilers.


Stainless Steel IndirectMade of high-grade 444 ferritic stain-

less steel to resistchloride corro-sion, tanks have

a stainless

steel heating coil for rapid recoveryand high flow rating. A surface aqua-stat measures temperature insidethe tank. Poly urethane foam insula-tion. Energy Kinetics.


Mod-con wall-hung boilerLow-NOx, 98% efficient Baxi LunaHT wallhung boilers all bear ASME H-Stamp, and are gas/propane field

convertible using QAA73 controller.HT 380 combi heating & DHW boilerproduces 3.9 gpm at 80°F rise. Res-idential models packaged withpolypropylene coaxial venting,QAA73 and Sentinel water treat-ment. Four heating-only models upto 358M BTU/hr output; all adaptableto ABS/CPVC venting up to 196 feet.Marathon Boilers.


Accelera® 300 water heatersThe new Accelera® 300 reduces hotwater costs up to 80%.The new concept Accel-era® 300 works like anair conditioner but in-stead of dumping the heatoutdoors, it puts it intothe 80 gal tank of water.The beauty of heat pumpwater heating technologyis that electrical energyneeded to create hotwater is greatly reducedcompared to a conven-tional electric tank type waterheater. The Accelera© 300 can ex-tract up to 80% of its energy require-ments from the energy in the airaround it. The Accelera’s compressorand fan consume only 1kWh of elec-tricity to generate the heat equivalentof 3 – 5kWh. Stiebel Eltron.


Stage set for innovationContinuing a tradition of leadershipwith innovations like Copper-Fin II®,ARMOR®, SHIELD®, KNIGHT® andSYNC®, the latest breakthrough fromthe manufacturer will debut at the2010 AHR Expo in Orlando, Florida.Visit Booth #1500. Lochinvar.


60 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Boilers & Water Heaters

Condensing hybrid water heaterUsing patented full-flow design and stainless steel heat exchanger with a built-intwo-gallon reserve, Eternal Condensing Hybrid combines the flow capacity of

traditional tanks with the continuity ofmodern tankless units to supply consistentendless hot water with good pressure forup to five simultaneous applications. Thereserve makes Eternal recirculationfriendly and can be used even with retrofit“comfort” pumps. Designed for easy instal-lation, either wall mounted or floor stand-ing with water connections on unit’s top.Vented with 2" or 3" PVC up to 100 ft, directvent sealed combustion convertible, natu-ral gas or propane on the same unit, andthe indoor unit also can be converted foroutdoors. Features a full modulation in-frared burner that is dual activated by botha thermostat similar to a tank, or flowsensing similar to tankless. Grand Hall.


� Phc News product of the month �

Ultra Series 3 boilerThe Ultra Series 3 boiler features AFUE

efficiencies of 92.0-93.0%, some of thehighest efficiencies in the industry,and when used in low-temperatureapplications such as radiant heating,it can achieve efficiencies up to 98.0%.Designed to be environmentallyfriendly and exceeds the highestNorth American environmental air-quality standards. Weil-McLain.


Plymouth boilerThe new Dunkirk PlymouthXtreme PWXL features a combina-tion aquastat and low water cutoffin one control and digital tempera-ture display with status indicatorlights. The control is user friendly— with simple settings — and pro-gramming is not necessary. Addi-tionally, the boiler is equipped witha terminal strip for thermostat con-nections. The new PWXL complieswith state codes that require a lowwater cutoff and is 100% factory

tested. Dunkirk.Circle 104 on Reader Reply Card

Phoenix EvolutionThe new Phoenix® Evolution melds

hydronic space heat-ing and domestichot water (DHW)

with complete systemcontrol in a single,compact, 96%-effi-cient package. OnePhoenix Evolutionunit effectively re-places a gas-firedwater heater, a135,000 BTU/hourboiler and a buffertank in a space thesize of your averageresidential waterheater. Heat Transfer

Products (HTP).Circle 112 on Reader Reply Card

Gas condensing water heaterEmploying a top-fired burner and

blower combination formore effective combus-tion, the power-direct-ventVertex 100 delivers a con-tinuous flow of hot waterat an industry-leading 95%thermal efficiency with100,000 Btu/h capacity.Combustion system drawsair in and vents outdoors

via sealed vents. Advanced diagnos-tics record performance history; abacklit LCD display details modelfunctions including accurate temper-ature controls. A.O. Smith.


Boiler control systemSage2 Boiler Control System (SBC2)for all Alpine condensing boilers isthe next generation of advanced,

user-friendly electronic controls thatoffers more features and is easier touse. Designed in partnership withHoneywell; includes a convenientLCD touch-screen display monitorthat shows all information and diag-nostics in “full sentences” making itvery simple and easy to understand.Other features make Alpine boilerseven more flexible and easier to in-stall. Burnham.


Condensing tankless water heaterNew T-H2 high efficiency condensingtankless water heater allows installersto vent with PVC instead of stainless

steel. It fea-tures a frontpanel LED

screen thatdisplays tem-perature set-tings andcodes for eas-ier mainte-nance andtroubleshoot-ing, a thermale f f i c i e n c y

around 92% and a maximum flowrate of 9 GPM. Four units can be linkedwithout an additional control box,making the T-H2 ideal for light com-mercial and heavy residential appli-cations. Takagi.


Bimini condensing boilersThe Bimini (BWC) series of high effi-ciency, gas fired condensing boilersfeatures a cast aluminum alloy heatexchanger. Offered in awall-mountedversion in 4sizes with in-puts from70 to 151MBH; and afreestand-ing versionin 5 sizeswith inputsfrom 150 to425 MBH.All modelsfeature ap r e m i xburner with fullmodulation and low NOxemissions and efficiencies up to95.5% AFUE on the residential modelsand 96.1% on the commercial mod-els. Standard microprocessor basedcontrol system manages all boilerfunctions. Crown Boilers.


Heat pump water heaterThe new integrated air-source HP-50heat pump water heater offers an in-dustry-leading energy factor of 2.0,or more than twice the ef-ficiency of a standardelectric storage waterheater. Will help a familyreduce its carbon foot-print by nearly two tonsannually. Qualifies for afederal tax credit as well asmany state and utility re-bates and incentives. Forresidential applications,both new constructionand drop-in replacementof existing water heaters,the unit has a storage ca-pacity of 50 gallons and meets thequalifications for an ENERGY STAR®

listing. Measures only 21" dia. and75.5" tall. Rheem Water Heating.


Tankless with thermostatic controlThe HomeAdvantage Series offers afull line of “Green” premium electrictankless water heater for the wholehome. Has a digital micro processingfingertip temperature control withLED display and patented self-modu-lating staged heating element tech-nology for maximum efficiency.Provides an endless supply of safehot water, using the exact amount ofenergy needed to heat the water.Packaged in a compact, sleek,durable stainless steel body with in-stallation friendly quick connectwater connections. Eemax.


ASME rated tankless water heatersThe Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Tor-rance, California is using eight ASME-rated NC380s in the newly built LEED

certified hotel. All NC380s are mod-ulated with a single system con-troller to provide hot water to allguest rooms without interruption.Manufacturer is the first tanklessmaker to achieve ASME certification.Noritz.


62 Phc News — JANUARY 2010Boilers & Water Heaters

� Phc News product of the month �

Condensing combinationgas water heater

Condensing Combination tank-less water heater is versatile andideal for domestic water heatingand space-heating applications,including in-floor radiant heating,base-board heating and fan assis-tance-air handler heating applica-tions. It also features signaturecondensing technology and usesPVC venting which lowers the costof installation and simplifies theprocess significantly. The Combiunit has all the traditional lifestylebenefits of proprietary tanklesstechnology and can offer substan-tial energy savings for end con-sumers. Navien.


Bobcat boilerThe 93% efficient Bobcat is built inthe USA. Two models: 120,000 Btu/hand 200,000 Btu/h with 4:1 turn-down. Wall-mounted or floor stand-ing, Bobcat has a five-year parts andlabor warranty included. Slant/FinCorp.



BUFFALO GROVE, ILL. — A year afterthe Building Technologies Divisionof Siemens Industry, Inc. started a

$2.5 million performance contractimplementing various energy-sav-ing and resource conservationmeasures for the Greenville Hous-ing Authority (GHA), construction-phase data reveal the NorthCarolina housing authority projectis exceeding its estimated con-struction period energy savings.According to Siemens’ recentanalysis, energy savings will likelyexceed the guaranteed annualamount by 5 – 10 %.

Under the HUD Green Initiative,which encourages owners and oper-ators of low-cost housing develop-ments to enact procedures andimplement technologies that im-prove sustainability in their opera-tions, the GHA engaged Siemens tohelp reduce energy and water con-sumption throughout it residentialbuildings. The performance contractSiemens executed included in-stalling new energy-saving residen-tial lighting and low-flow plumbingfixtures which reduced water de-mand significantly.

SeeSnake® digital adaptorThe SeeSnake® digital adaptor is anaccessory for the microEXPLORER™digital inspection camera that will

allow users to add the ability to digi-tally record to existing SeeSnake cam-era inspection systems. The newadaptor connected with the microEX-PLORER digital inspection camera canbe used on any video-out enabledmonitor, including SeeSnake VHS orDVD monitors. RIDGID.

Circle 150 on Reader reply Card

Housing Authority gets greener with Siemens

Industry news


SPARKS, NEV. — Haws Corporation®launched its redesigned productwebsite — www.HawsCo.com. Thenew website, as part of a larger re-branding effort, has been in theworks since May 2009 and will offerusers with a variety of advanced fea-tures and resources including an in-novative product search option,

Haws unveils new website; PMI elects Hayesvideo library, product case studies,industry links, white papers, as wellas access to podcasts and webinars.

PMI elects HayesHaws Corp. also announced that

Casey Hayes, director of EngineeredSolutions, has been elected as a di-rector at large for the Plumbing Man-

ufacturers Insti-tute (PMI). Hayeshas been with theHaws Corp. for 22years and hasserved on a widevariety of industrystandard develop-ment committees,as well as having authored severalhundred press articles and papers.

Hayes

Phc News — JANUARY 2010 65

FRANCHISES SEEKING REPS

MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS

REPS WANTEDManufacturer is seeking profes-sional representation in severalUS territories. Products includesolar storage tanks, indirect waterheaters, hot water storage tanks,and other hydronic, solar, andwater heating products. Please faxresumé and line card to 508-422-9881 or email:

[email protected]

SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

ClassIfIed ads

Classified advertisement rates startat $140 per column inch, with ratesadjusted for extra insertions.

Call Sadie Bechtold at847-564-1127 to place your ad.

Industry

news

Sales challenge boosts 2009 revenue forplumbing, HVAC and electrical businessesLITTLE CANADA, MINN. — Nexstar®Network’s first network-wide GameOn Sales Contest sparked enthusi-asm and everyone’s gleeful amaze-ment, ignited over $18 million inrecorded revenue for member com-panies within the competition’s six-week stint. The top seller soldnearly a half-a-million dollars duringthat time, proving that it is possibleto sell and succeed during an eco-nomic recession.

“In the current economy, thegame has helped Nexstar membercompanies focus on the positives.Technicians and salespeople got ex-cited about selling and bringing inadditional revenue in 2009,” saysScott Pearson, Nexstar coach andco-creator of the game with NexstarBusiness Coaching Manager, JackTester. “I’m pleased to say the gameresults exceeded our expectations.”

The sales contest drew 483 indi-viduals from 70 companies who soldservices for six weeks (October 15 –November 30), generating between$100,000 and $3 million in revenuefor their individual companies.These sales athletes competed in fivecategories, for five grand prizes, pro-vided by Nexstar. Categories in-cluded plumbing technicians, HVAC

technicians, electrical technicians,sewer salespeople, and HVAC sales-people. They focused on selling big-

ticket sales with a minimum invoicerequirement of $2,000 or greater fortechnicians and $4,000 minimumfor HVAC and sewer sales. Playerssubmitted invoices on the officialgame website followed by their man-agers who had to verify each sale.The competition was monitored inreal time. All sales qualify for points(5 points per $1,000 in sales). Thepoints could then be redeemed byplayers for a broad range of prizes.

At the end of the game, after a lotof friendly banter back and forth be-tween competitors, top players fromeach category were selected andplaced into a random drawing for thegrand prize. Brad House from AAAService Plumbing in Arvada, Col-orado was selected the winner of atrip for two to the Citi BCS NationalTitle Football Game, including; air-line tickets, four-star accommoda-tions, two game tickets, meals andlimo to and from the game. The re-maining (4) category winners re-ceived a weekend getaway to a prosports game of their choice (includ-ing game tickets, hotel and mealvouchers).

“It was a level playing field for tech-nicians and sales staff,“ said ScottPearson. “Since it was an individualcompetition and not company-wide,the size and resources of the com-pany provided no advantage.”

MORTON GROVE, ILL. — Bell & Gos-sett, a leader in education for the hy-dronic heating and plumbingindustries, has announced its train-ing course schedule for the firstquarter of 2010. The free trainingseminars are offered at the Bell &Gossett Little RedSchoolhouse EducationCenter in Morton Grove,Illinois, a suburb ofChicago and are open toengineers, contractorsand facility maintenanceprofessionals.

The seminars are tai-lored to various industry occupa-tions and cover a wide range ofimportant topics. The lead instruc-tor is a LEED Accredited Professional.Upon completion of the three-dayseminars, CEU credits are awarded tograduates.

The 1st quarter Schoolhouse sem-inars include:

• Design and Application Seminar

B&G’s ‘Schoolhouse’ announces 1Q 2010 schedule— January 18-20

• Modern Hydronics Basic Semi-nar — February 1-3

• Modern Hydronics AdvancedSeminar — February 8-10

• Service and Maintenance Semi-nar — February 15-17

• Steam System De-sign Seminar — March1-3

• Design and Appli-cation Seminar —March 8-10

• Modern HydronicsBasic Seminar —March 22-24

For complete descriptions and en-rollment information for the LittleRed Schoolhouse educational semi-nars, visit http://schoolhouse.itt.com.Seminar reservations must be madethrough Bell & Gossett Representa-tives. For a complete list of local Rep-resentatives, including contactnames and phone numbers, visitwww.bellgossett.com.

“How do yousee 2010t a k i n g

shape?” Without a doubt — in all my meetings with in-dustry experts last year — that was by far the number-one question. Terms like bottoming out, plateauing, softand flat were heard in mechanical and contractingfirms across the country — but that is the reality of thiscurrent economy. After a dismal 2009 in regard towater heating sales, perhaps there may be a glimmerof hope in 2010, but no quick fix is imminent. “In 2010,we expect the water heater market for new construc-tion to be down another 7% over 2009. We anticipatethe market for replacement water heaters will also bedown slightly, about 2%. We expect most of the softnessin the first half of 2010, with improvement, albeit slight,in the second half,” said Bruce Carnevale, vice presi-dent — sales and marketing, Bradford White.

With consumer confidence down, unemploymentuncertainty, lending and credit stagnant and residen-tial units down — with the commercial constructionsector wagging the residential dog — the water heat-ing market has a battle on its hands. “I think the out-look is more of same. Without a recovery inconstruction/bank lending policy, there is little hopefor a sustained recovery. The stimulus money has lit-tle effect on the economy, except for raising theawareness of energy retrofits,” said Stirling Boston,director of marketing, Lochinvar Corp.

The problems in the commercial real estate mar-

ket will probably be an additional factor as far as con-tractors are concerned, with more vacant space andfewer leasehold improvements. Contractor marginshave already shrunk dramatically in both residentialand commercial sectors, and 2010 will probably seecontinued price pressure on contractors. And thatprice pressure could correlate to contractor canni-balization, as they try to outbid each other for jobsand end up devouring their own in the industry.

Most experts are keeping their eye on the commer-cial sector, because if that is yet to bottom out, the PHC

industry may be in for a long year. Some commercialvertical markets are stronger than others, and someneed “stimulation.” Segments such as healthcare seemto be picking up a little, but city and state fundingproblems have put pressure on school funding. “I dobelieve there will be opportunities for high-efficiencyconversions for both boilers and water heaters in2010, but continued financial incentives will be veryimportant,” said William R. Root, vice president, salesand marketing LAARS Heating Systems Company.

Some optimism may lie ahead in what can only bedescribed as a cloudy water heating crystal ball. “2010will continue to be a very tough year again for thewater heating market. However, there are some brightspots. In particular, the high-efficiency market forcommercial water heating seems to be strong. Waterheating boilers and tank-type heaters are able to takefull advantage of the condensing technologies (becauseof the lower return water temperatures) than mostheating applications, and the incentives are there for

high-efficiency equipment purchases,” said Root.The 2010 road to recovery undoubtedly will en-

counter uncertainty, yet hope. We still may experiencesome tough times straight out of the gate, and stabiliza-tion may hinge on consumer confidence in the market,and the real need for certain water heating productsthemselves. “One of the biggest challenges for contrac-tors in 2010 will continue to be the consumer's reluc-tance to invest in higher priced, higher efficiencyresidential products. Because of the poor economy,consumers in 2009 were looking for the lowest up-frontcost water heating option. We expect that trend to con-tinue in 2010 until consumer confidence improveslater in the year. Certain incentive programs, such asENERGY STAR and individual state rebate programs forhigher efficiency water heating products should helpto mitigate weak consumer confidence. To what extentis still unknown. Contractors should take the opportu-nity to investigate new niche markets such as solar, ge-othermal and water heater accessories for leakdetection and enhanced performance,” said Carnevale.

BY JOHN MESENBRINK,editor

2010 water heating forecast feels tepid at best

next issue...

• Drain Cleaning

• Lead-free Valves

• High-efficiency Circulators

66 Phc News — JANUARY 2010In Our OpInIOn

Phc News (USPS number 022-074) is published 12 times yearly by TMB Publishing Inc., 1838 Techny Ct. Northbrook, IL 60062; tel. 847/564-1127; fax 847/564-1264. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, electronic recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of TMB Publishing Inc.Phc News is delivered free of charge to qualified subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. Others: U.S., U.S. Poss. and Canada, $100/yr.; two-year annual subscription rate U.S. and Canada, $155; othercountries, $200/yr. or $300 for two year (U.S. funds) plus $20 surface postage. Single copies, $15.Application to mail at Periodicals Postage Rates is pending at Northbrook, IL and additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Plumbing & Hydronic Contractor News, Creative Data Services, 519 E. Briarcliff Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. [email protected] mail agreement No. 41499518: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill ON L4B 4R6

Bradford White .............................43www.bradfordwhite.com

Bell & Gossett.............................IBCwww.bellgossett.com

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing.........9www.thankyoubenjaminfranklin.com/phc

Burnham.....................................IFCwww.burnham.com

Chicago Faucets ...........................23www.chicagofaucets.com

Dunkirk.........................................19www.dunkirk.com

Eemax .............................................8www.eemaxinc.com

Energy Kinetics ............................14www.energykinetics.com

Etenal Hybrid Water Heater.........63www.eternalcondensed.com

G-O-N............................................51www.glueonnozzle.net

General Pipe Cleaners, a div.of General Wire Spring .......31, 56www.drainbrain.com

Heat-Flo ........................................27www.heat-flo.com

HeatingHelp.com..........................58www.heatinghelp.com

Heat Transfer Products...................7www.htproducts.com

InSinkErator...........................12, 13www.insinkerator.com

Irwin/Bernzomatic........................45www.bernzomatic.com/quickfire

John Guest....................................44www.johnguest.com

Kissler ...........................................61www.kissler.com

Liberty Pumps ..............................55www.libertypumps.com

Link-Tech........................................6www.linktechtj.com

Lochinvar......................................33www.lochinvar.com

Murray Corp. ................................10www.murraycorp.com

Navien.....................................25, 57www.navienamerica.com

Nexstar Network...........................24www.nexstarnetwork.com

Noritz ............................................47www.noritz.com

Precision Hydronics .....................46www.phpinc.us

RIDGID .........................................15www.ridgidforum.com/press_snap

Saniflo ...........................................48www.saniflo.com

Slant/Fin .......................................29www.slantfin.com

Smith Mfg. Co. Jay R. ...................54www.jrsmith.com

Spirotherm....................................17www.spirotherm.com

State Industries ............................37www.statewaterheaters.com

Stiebel Eltron................................49www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com

Taco.........................................28, 41www.taco-hvac.com

Takagi............................................16www.takagi.com

Triangle Tube..................................3www.triangletube.com

Uponor ..........................................21www.uponor-usa.com

Versablock ....................................52www.versablock.com

Watco ............................................50www.watcomfg.com

Watts .............................................53www.watts.com

Webstone ....................................4, 5www.webstonevalves.com

Weldbend.................................34-35www.weldbend.com

Woodford Mfg. ..............................11www.woodfordmfg.com

Zurn................................Back Coverwww.zurn.com

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