Industry News
We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to this month's sponsor -- Matco-Norca. For more than 55 years, Matco-Norca has been the leader in the importing and distribution of various plumbing products throughout the U.S. Whether it's soil pipe and fittings, valves, malleable fittings, faucets, or any of the more than 15,000 products stocked in Matco-Norca's four distribution centers, and six regional warehouses, you can be assured you have purchased product from a company committed to quality, conformance, inventory and service.
Learn more at www.matco-norca.com.
To find out more about special e-newsletter advertising opportunities, please contact your Plumbing Engineer sales rep by visiting www.plumbingengineer.com.
Grinnell Offers Help for Design to Build Process
Grinnell Mechanical Products (GMS) has launched its new design services offering to Mechanical Contractors: Grinnell Mechanical Services.
With the high cost of labor and materials, the mechanical market has become an increasingly competitive place. Designers are tasked with accurately fitting complex HVAC projects into smaller mechanical equipment rooms. Installers often run into unexpected interferences when they get to the jobsite, causing hours of rework and lost profit for their companies. Companies are asked to expedite their project timelines with fewer resources.
GMS provides engineers and contractors with a complete piping solution for this “Design to Build” process. Working with customers from the beginning or “design” stage, the technical experts on staff will work with customers to develop an honest assessment of the project, providing labor and material cost comparisons so that customers can move forward with the most cost-effective solution. GMS also provides a full virtual model of the piping systems-ensuring the solution fits before the material is ordered, and identifies any potential interference or more efficient pipe routing opportunities.
It takes a lot of time for contractors to perform cost comparisons for labor and materials to determine the most cost effective piping system. For many companies, design resources are stretched and delays may mean the difference between profit and loss on a job. GMS can supplement a customer’s design staff by creating the accurate and efficient plans up front. These can be used for submittals, purchasing and field assemblies.
“We are extremely excited about this new service offering for our customers,” says Brian Ragone, Grinnell’s national sales director for North America. “Grinnell Mechanical Services is not only a way to help the customers get to market faster and more efficiently, but also helps us develop a stronger partnership with our customers. We want to help them succeed and believe in that partnership.”
Learn more at www.grinnell.com.
Falcon Stainless Donates to Habitat for Humanity
Falcon Stainless, in continuation of the tradition to support Habitat for Humanity, has donated enough installation kits to install water heaters for one years worth of home building. These installation kits are earmarked for U.S. building projects underway with Habitat for Humanity. This marks the 7th year that Falcon Stainless Inc. has supported the efforts of Habitat for Humanity.
“We are proud to support the efforts of Habitat for Humanity, and we will continue to provide them with the best products for their building projects,” says Falcons’ Melanie Wolff.
New Energy Bill provisions could affect consumers
A national coalition of distributors and contactors associated with the HVACR industry this week criticized Congress for inserting unprecedented “regionalization” provisions in the Energy Bill that will pit consumers against special-interest environmental groups in Washington, D.C.
The House and Senate bills authorize the Department of Energy to establish regional efficiency standards, but only for heating and cooling equipment. The “efficiency regionalization” language is the result of closed-door meetings that the HVACR leaders believe are intended to appease Washington-based environmental groups. According to the HVACR coalition, Democratic leaders have left details of the regionalization strategy to be worked out by staff in order to rush a bill through Congress before the end of the year.
“Every American who is concerned about high winter heating bills is about to get more bad news,” said Talbot Gee, vice president of the Heating, Air conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International. “The cooling side will be much worse. Are members of Congress in the Southeast and Southwest even aware of the economic impact this will have on their constituents?”
The industry coalition, including HARDI, the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, and the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors have tried since May to educate lawmakers about the harm to millions of consumers that will result from the new regionalization strategy. Under current law, all regulated consumer products -- including heating and cooling equipment -- are subject to national federal standards. Environmental advocates lobbied for a radical new strategy that forces consumers in the Northeast to operate under higher heating standards and consumers in the South to operate under higher cooling standards.
Under the new law, homeowners who use gas furnaces, air conditioning and other heating and cooling systems will face new regional standards that will result in higher costs and less consumer choices. In fact, DoE recently imposed a higher heating standard for gas furnaces across the nation, and the federal cooling standard was increased in 2006 by 30% (from 10 SEER to 13 SEER). According to the coalition, the new cooling standard has resulted in a 20% decrease in the purchase by consumers of new, more expensive 13-SEER equipment. Instead, sales of replacement parts for older, less-efficient installed systems have increased. The industry supported the DoE’s less-aggressive increase in federal heating efficiency standards citing the free market’s steady success in increasing sales of high-efficiency furnaces, agreeing that the new standards are the highest possible for all potential applications.
“Regional standards will force consumers to spend more for new equipment, which will ensure that older, less-efficient systems will remain in place longer,” said Gee. “Meanwhile, HVAC distributors and contractors in the Southern regions already sell 14-, 15- or even 21-SEER air conditioning systems -- is there a reason to force these systems on consumers who cannot afford them?”
For more information, visit www.hardinet.org.
New Products
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No-Hub Pipe Matco-Norca’s hubless cast-iron pipe and fittings are rigorously tested by accredited third party testing laboratories and conform to the requirements contained in ASTM A888, a requirement contained in both the International Plumbing Code and the Uniform Plumbing Code. No-hub pipes are clean, both in the way it cuts and in how it handles. Pipe and fittings are available up to 15-in. diameter. |
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International Products Catalog Taco Inc. has issued a new catalog, “Commercial, Residential and Institutional Pumps Tanks and Accessories,” for its international product lines. Revised catalog contains features and benefits information as well as technical data. Categories are as follows: commercial pump lines; commercial cartridge circulators; flow measurement products; pump accessories; tanks; heat transfer products; systems; electronic controls; and specialty products.
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Suspended Water Heater Platforms Hubbard Enterprises/HOLDRITE manufactures six different models of the QUICK STAND suspended water heater platform. Built solid from galvanized steel construction, these engineered platforms have strong four-corner attachment points that accept standard 3/8" or 1/2" all-thread rod and hardware. The watertight suspended platforms support water heaters up to 50 gallons and eliminate the need for an additional pan.
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Stratos Pump UL-listed Stratos Pump, from Wilo USA, is North America’s first inline circulator with an integrated VFD using ECM motor technology with North Americanized volute sizes, Namodel numbers and LED readouts in feet of head -- not meters. All-in-one pump offers constant pressure curves, inclining pressure curves, temp controlled set points and can be hooked uo to building management systems.
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Movers & Shakers
Basco Shower Enclosures named Don Gamble to the newly created position of executive vice president. Gamble will oversee Basco sales and marketing in all distribution channels. Prior to joining Basco, Gamble served in senior sales and marketing leadership roles at Whirlpool Corporation and Eljer Inc. |
Heat Transfer Products announced the retirement of Southeastern and Midwestern U.S. sales manager Clifford S. Greaves. He has been associated with HTP since 1990, first as an independent sales representative and since 1998 as a regional sales manager. Greaves will continue to serve the company as a special consultant. |
Century Bathworks hired Michael Russo as its North Jersey/Rockland County, N.Y., sales representative. Russo’s experience spans 22 years and includes measurement and installation of shower enclosures. |
Frank Zadrozny joined the sales team at Plastic Trends to lead the expansion of the company’s sales and marketing. Zadrozny’s career began in 1978 working for a western Pennsylvania manufacturers’ representative. He also held positions at Alflex Corp., Lamson & Sessions’ Carlon Division and USI Electric. |