Industry News

We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to this month's sponsor -- Falcon Stainless, Inc. Falcon Stainless, Inc. connectors’ superior strength, flexibility, anti-corrosive properties and high flow ensure an easy and secure installation for your water flowing appliances. Connectors are ideal for residential and commercial water heaters; tankless and storage type; softeners; sinks; and toilets and boilers.

 

Learn more at www.falconstainless.com.

 

To find out more about special e-newsletter advertising opportunities, please contact your Plumbing Engineer sales rep by visiting www.plumbingengineer.com.

 

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Douglas Barwick, Inc. Obtains Certification for Stainless Steel Pipe and Fittings

 

NSF International announced that Douglas Barwick, Inc. has obtained NSF Certification for its stainless steel pipe and fittings, becoming one of the first companies to offer a complete size range of NSF/ANSI 61 certified products.

 

By obtaining certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 61: Drinking Water System Components -- Health Effects, Douglas Barwick has demonstrated compliance with all of the Standard's requirements. Certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 includes periodic testing of the product to make sure it does not leach harmful levels of metals or other contaminants into drinking water, as well as ongoing inspections of the manufacturing facility.

 

“We have found an increasing demand for stainless piping systems in drinking water applications across North America and along with that, a need for NSF 61 Certification,” said Clem McEvoy of Douglas Barwick.

 

Just because a product is made from stainless steel does not mean it is acceptable for use with drinking water. In fact, 43 U.S. States and 11 Canadian Provinces require that stainless steel products used in public drinking water systems comply with Standard 61 requirements.

 

“Over the past few months, NSF has received many inquiries from contractors, utilities and drinking water agencies in the US and Canada looking for stainless steel pipe and fittings that are certified to NSF/ANSI 61,” said David Purkiss General Manager of NSF's Standard 61 certification program. “Douglas Barwick's certification will enable them to fulfill a growing need for these types of certified products throughout North America.”

 

The Official NSF Listing for Douglas Barwick's stainless steel piping products is available at www.nsf.org/Certified/PwsComponents/Listings.asp?Company=4K620&Standard.

 

For more information on the certification of Douglas Barwick products, or NSF's testing and certification services, contact Dave Purkiss at 1.800.NSF.MARK, ext 6855, or purkiss@nsf.org.  More information on Douglas Barwick's products is available at http://www.douglasbarwick.com.

 

Bell & Gossett Announces New Representation for Las Vegas

 

ITT Residential & Commercial Water’s Bell & Gossett division has announced that Gritton & Associates is now their representative in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.

 

Gritton & Associates, headquartered in the Salt Lake City area, has been the Bell & Gossett Representative in Utah and surrounding states for 67 years. Gritton will be opening a full-service branch office in Las Vegas to offer their HVAC engineering expertise for ITT’s popular Bell & Gossett, McDonnell & Miller, Hoffman Specialty, Domestic Pump and Goulds Pump products.

 

“We are very pleased that our long-time representative, Gritton & Associates, is expanding their service to all of our customers in the southern Nevada region,” said Mark Handzel, Director for ITT’s HVAC Market Segment.

 

For more information, contact ITT at (847) 966-3700 or visit www.bellgossett.com.

 

DVD Highlights Chicago Faucets’ Manufacturing and History

 

Chicago Faucets has announced the availability of a new DVD that provides in-depth information on the company’s manufacturing process and features an overview on the company’s rich history.

 

“Chicago Faucets has a long tradition of quality and dependability that dates back over a century”, said John Fitzgerald, Director of Marketing at Chicago Faucets. “Our manufacturing processes are the soul of our company and complement our history.”

 

The Manufacturing segment begins in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin foundry where the company’s patented lead free brass is cast, the cast brass faucets move through to the plating process and are hand polished to exacting standards. The 62 step manufacturing process of the Quaturn cartridge in Duffin, Ohio is also showcased, Final assembly takes place n Michigan City, Indiana, where daily workflow is determined by customer order.

 

“Each step reflects Chicago Faucets commitment to quality and to our customers”, added Fitzgerald. “I urge anyone involved in selling, specifying, purchasing or installing commercial faucets to take a few minutes and watch this informative and interesting presentation.”

 

The History portion of the video begins in 1901 when A.C. Brown founded the company and highlights how Chicago Faucets changed the world of plumbing forever with more than 50 patents, the most significant being the Quaturn cartridge. Patented in 1913, this remarkable cartridge is still interchangeable with any Quaturn in existence and is truly the standard of reliability, durability and value in the commercial faucet industry.

 

To receive a free Chicago Faucets Company History and Manufacturing DVD contact The Chicago Faucets Company at 2100 Clearwater Drive, Des Plaines, IL 60018, or call 800-323-5060.

 

IAPMO ES Reports Accepted Without a Hitch

 

Building permits in San Diego and Oceanside, Calif., were granted Thursday on the strength of evaluation reports produced by IAPMO ES. They represent the first permits issued as a result of an IAPMO ES report. Two contractors received -- without question or delays -- separate permits for plans using a patio enclosure design recently evaluated by IAPMO ES. According to the manufacturer of the enclosure, the licensed contractor seeking a permit at the Oceanside building department was extremely pleased with the ease of his transaction.

 

“Upon hearing the report number, and the fact it was IAPMO ES, the inspector immediately signed off on the permit,” the manufacturer reported.

IAPMO ES is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This assures compliance with section 1703 of the International Building Code (IBC) and provides for immediate approval of products, materials and designs based upon the evaluation reports issued by IAPMO ES.

 

“These permits offer definitive proof that IAPMO ES evaluation reports do everything we’ve always claimed they would,” said Amir Zamanian P.E., director of IAPMO ES. “Our reports offer the same credibility among Authorities Having Jurisdiction as any of our competitors, without sacrificing our ability to remain very responsive to the needs of all involved.”

 

For more information on IAPMO ES, direct your Web browser to www.iapmoes.org or contact Amir Zamanian at (909) 230-5533 or amir.zamanian@iapmoes.org.

New Products

 

Water Connectors www.waterconnectors.com Falcon Stainless offers its corrugated stainless-steel flexible water connectors. Connectors fit exactly to the appropriate bypass or valve and provide the solution to all installation issues. Approved, listed by IAPMO/UPC tested to NSF 61 and exceeds ASME A112.18.6.

ProPEX Auto rotation adapter www.uponor.com Installers no longer need to rotate the expander tool or the pex tubing itself by hand when making Propex connections. The adapter automatically turns the expander head on each expansion of the tubing, eliminating the need for any manual rotation. The adapter is especially effective in tight spaces where manually turning the tubing or the tool is difficult.

T-M50 tankless water heater www.takagi.com Scheduled for a first quarter 2008 release, unit uses two heavy duty heat exchangers to produce up to 380,000 Btu/h. The dual system ensures that if one unit were to break down, the other would continue operating without any interruption, thus avoiding emergency situations. The new exchangers also utilize technically advanced copper, making the unit much more resilient against erosion and leaks. Takagi.

Pedestal faucets www.sloanvalve.com Two new chrome-plated brass hand-washing faucets, which automatically deliver either tempered or hot/cold water, are now available from Sloan Valve Company. Electronic pedestal model SF-2100 runs off a 6 VDC plug-in transformer with battery back-up, and model SF-2150 is battery powered. The faucets operate by means of an infrared sensor and come standard with a 0.5 gpm/1.9 Lpm flow aerator; vandal-resistant outlets are available.

Movers & Shakers

Matco-Norca president Dov Matz and Board chairman Russell Stern announced that Lynn A. McVay has joined the company as its new president. McVay had been with Watts Water Technologies since 2003 and was most recently executive vice president-sales and president of the company’s Retail Group. He previously worked for Little Giant Pump Company, where he helped expand the company’s international business and spearheaded an Asian sourcing operation.

Laura Tobolaski was named president of Argo Summit Supply Company, succeeding her mother, Nadine Schweitzer, who had been president for many years. Schweitzer will transition to the role of vice president until May 2010; she will mentor and assist her daughter and continue to help grow the business. Argo Summit Supply is one of only a few women-owned plumbing and HVAC supply companies; it is owned and controlled by Schweitzer and Tobolaski.

Flair-It pex Plumbing & Radiant Systems announced Brit Leggett as the new president of sales for all three of the company’s divisions. Leggett has 15 years of experience in the pex industry. In addition, J.P. Scherer is the new Central region sales manager. He has more than 10 years of sales and management experience from the financial services, home health and retail industries.

BrassCraft hired Jeff Jollay as vice president-marketing and product development. Jollay had been vice president-sales and consumer marketing for HON office furniture.