https://youtu.be/ZSDNnJmsl78 After nearly 25 years in the plumbing & heating industry I can say with confidence I’ve heard just about all there is to say about tankless, right or wrong…most of it wrong! In this video I go over 8 separate myths that are commonly said about tankless. With each myth I give facts and Read more
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After nearly 25 years in the plumbing & heating industry I can say with confidence I’ve heard just about all there is to say about tankless, right or wrong…most of it wrong!
In this video I go over 8 separate myths that are commonly said about tankless. With each myth I give facts and opinions based on my experience that bust every myth.
If you’d like more information about tankless check out Rinnai US
At the foundation of the plumbing industry is a home service built on legacy, featuring businesses that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Sometimes, this can create unforeseen challenges, and perhaps the most common issue relates to succession. We all want the best for our business but problems can sometimes arise Read more
At the foundation of the plumbing industry is a home service built on legacy, featuring businesses that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Sometimes, this can create unforeseen challenges, and perhaps the most common issue relates to succession.
We all want the best for our business but problems can sometimes arise when allocating portions to the next in line, who then look to do the same thing with their children when the time comes. But when dividing up the business, it can dilute the overall brand, no longer making it sustainable. Instead of splitting up and weakening it, why not bolster it and create an even stronger legacy? That’s where franchising can be so valuable to a generational plumbing business.
A Zoom Drain franchise may be a great opportunity for you to expand your business empire. Some of our franchisees own and operate PHC companies and have added a Zoom Drain franchise as a “plus play” company—a separate business that complements their existing service business. This is something that the Philadelphia-based company has spent years perfecting, creating an enticing opportunity to plumbing businesses and a great subsect that allows for consistent growth and development.
Specializing in drains and sewers, if it deals with wastewater, we deal with it—everything from sewer video inspections to drain cleaning and grease trap maintenance. And with almost three decades worth of experience, we’ve carefully crafted a model to consistently grow franchises.
For one Zoom Drain franchisee, working with his father—an experienced plumber—had long been on his mind. The concern was that bringing the “Son of the Boss” into the existing plumbing business at a management level would be upsetting, and potentially unfair, to the team that was already in place. Instead of “dividing the farm,” they decided to add a Zoom Drain franchise. This would support a succession plan and help them expand their business holding. Since then, both companies have grown. They refer work, from one company to the other, and find economies of scale by coordinating administrative and operational activities.
So, what is the model? At its core, it comes down to just three simple words: calls, techs, trucks. Here’s a little look at what exactly goes into our secret sauce.
- Zoom Drain has dialed in their marketing processes. Focusing on highest Lifetime Value Customers, the exclusive 40 Steps Program ramps up calls fast, so that franchisees can open with a solid stream of referral leads.
- Recruiting, orientation and training the right people is so important and, with a proven process that includes comprehensive in-house training, you can morph a novice into a successful drain pro in months, not years.
- Because we only do drain and sewer work, the technicians have the tools and gear they need to solve most drain problems. Our super service trucks have the Zoom Jetting system built right in.
Now, with the addition of 10 franchises already in 2022, new franchisees are already seeing the benefits of this niche business.
“I was presented with four different franchise opportunities and, in my head, I said there’s no way I would do Zoom Drain—I don’t want to do that, that’s not in my wheelhouse,” admitted Kevin Hussey, of soon-to-open Zoom Drain of Northwest New Jersey. “And then I got to meet the people—I have never been disappointed or let down by any of them, so that’s the draw!”
One common misconception with franchising is that there’s a lack of support – that you’re on an island 500 miles away and you’re left to just figure things out on your own. Zoom Drain isn’t just going to hand the ball off after your franchise launches. All of that extensive pre-launch support continues, through planning and operational manuals, with detailed projects and how to execute them—plus simple, yet powerful, financial systems that guide you through key metrics.
“I just love the fact that Zoom Drain is very franchise friendly, in terms of providing support from the beginning to the end. Just the support they provide in terms of onboarding, the systems and the processes they have in place. As a new franchisee, I don’t have to figure it out for myself,” said Will Clay, who just recently opened Zoom Drain of Atlanta earlier this summer.
“Everybody I met, it was like, ‘OK, Zoom Drain wants us to be successful just as much as we want to be successful,’” said Robert Pace of Zoom Drain Collin County. “And I felt like they were honest and genuine, that they weren’t just giving us lip service and saying that this is what we’re going to do to get us in the door to sell a franchise—to put a dot on the map. They were really interested in bringing people in, showing them the business and helping them be successful.”
Domestic Water’s Creepy Challenge It’s a, well, creepy sort of problem. That is, when hot water recircs lose their ability to govern themselves. So, there’s the problem. But, let’s back up just a bit. Let’s start with an explanation. Then we’ll talk to the experts. There’s little debate that residential or light commercial domestic hot Read more
Domestic Water’s Creepy Challenge
It’s a, well, creepy sort of problem. That is, when hot water recircs lose their ability to govern themselves. So, there’s the problem.
But, let’s back up just a bit. Let’s start with an explanation. Then we’ll talk to the experts.
There’s little debate that residential or light commercial domestic hot water recirculation (DHWR) technology has proven its value in the world of plumbing and mechanical systems. The devices guard our safety, comfort and health. Hot water recirc systems move potable hot water to fixtures quickly, without waiting for the water to get hot, so there’s less wasted water, and time.
The key challenge to these simple systems is the problem of “hot water creep.” Let’s take a closer look, beginning with an examination of the components that have a role in the recirculation of a home’s domestic hot water.
Let’s first define the “system” After all, the various components, if not connected intelligently and working in concert, would accomplish nothing:
- Water heater without a tempering/mixing valve. Essentially, an unprotected, full-on arrangement that places anyone at risk.
- Water heater with a distribution tempering/mixing valve (typically, and ASSE 1017, or ASSE 1070 valve). This is most common, and became the point of introduction for DHWR systems.
- Water heater with distribution tempering/mixing valve with a DHW recirculation pump and a bypass valve or pump located at the domestic water system’s most remote fixture – with use of the cold water line as a means of returning water to the water heater.
- Water heater with distribution tempering/mixing valve with a DHW recirculation pump and a dedicated return line from the most remote fixture on that particular hot water zone. Ideally, this is how a DHWR system is installed.
- Finally, all of the above, to include a control of some means; aquastat, timer or combination control with some kind of logic.
“It takes some, or several of the components above, to make a DHWR system,” explained Rick Mayo, product and applications instructor, Western region, Taco Comfort Solutions.
Most recirc systems, by design, have a tempering valve that continuously adjusts its temperature when water flows through it – while tempering (that is, mixing) it with cold water – to maintain proper outlet water temperature for rapid release at points of use.
The challenge is to maintain the mixed water temp during periods of no demand. The reason for this: the recirc’s pump enables flow through the valve, even when there’s no demand, or draw, from points of use – such as faucets and other fixtures. For this reason, recirc pumps must be piped so that the recirc’s returning flow can reach both the cold connection of the valve as well as the cold connection of the heat source. Some balancing may be required.
Smart, by design
Typically, a water heater’s storage temperature is set for about 140°F for legionella mitigation, and the DHWR’s hot water temperature is reduced to under 120°F at the mixed outlet connection of the valve (with the reduced temp made possible by mixing with cold water, by design).
This cause the valve assembly to adjust temperature; that is, until it reaches the hot water’s set-temp. The internal thermostat adjusts the piston to open the cold port and close the hot port, allowing hot water to recirculate. Unfortunately, there can be challenges to the intended function of these systems.
- Creepy situation #1: If the hot water distribution system isn’t insulated, this can cause the distribution loop temperature to creep down during periods of no demand.
- Creepy situation #2: Domestic water systems installed with a domestic hot water recirculation pump may cause downstream water to overheat if it’s not piped properly or is running longer than required. This overheating of temps within the piped system may go unnoticed for quite a while and could cause risk of scalding at points of use.
Mayo offers this insight: The ASSE 1070 valve does a better job of restricting flow of the hot water than the ASSE 1017 and is more effective at preventing “creep.” He clarifies: “Don’t get me wrong. Those ASSE 1017 valves work as intended in non-recirc systems. If the temperature is set for 115°F, they regulate the temperature to that point, almost assuredly. But as soon as you match ‘em up with a (DHW) recirc, problems can begin.”
- Creepy situation #3: Make sure there’s always sufficient flow to meet the DHWR valve’s minimum flow requirement. All DHWR control valves need a certain amount of flow to function properly. A properly sized, recirc pump will usually assure sufficient flow.
- Creepy situation #4: A point-of-distribution, ASSE 1017 mixing valve (or, for that matter, even the ASSE 1070 valve) that does not have a full or completely closed function for its hot inlet port can cause thermal creep if not properly piped and controlled; many mixing valves with an electronic actuator have a fully-closed position so that this doesn’t occur.
Piped conundrum
“It’s often a piping challenge,” said tekmar’s General Manager, Greg Leupin. “For many hot water recirc ‘creep’ challenges, the challenge has to do with incorrect piping. When the recirc is off or at rest, thermal ‘ghost flow’ can affect the amount of hot water that makes its way into the [distribution] piping.
Leupin added that many recirc loops lack a mixing valve, causing excessive – sometimes unsafe – temperature in the recirc loop, increasing the risk of scalding. This can also lead to inefficiency from heat loss, especially when the domestic water lines aren’t insulated.
Smart technology
Manufacturers have stepped in to help negate the risk of domestic water creep when recirc systems are installed. “Installation instructions are more explicit and the technology’s improved,” said Mayo.
“The problem begins when there’s an inability to dissipate the heat during periods of no demand,” added Mayo. “As referenced earlier Some [DHWR] devices close the hot side better than others, so both the built-in control strategy may help, as does the installation piping. Of course, the recirc shouldn’t be running when the distribution system’s already sufficiently full of hot water, readily accessible at taps and other points of use.”
- Taco SmartPlug (which won AHR Expo’s Product of the Year Award in 2017) was developed to eliminate the hassle of a “timer;” because of their design they only allow water to be circulated for short periods of time, this can help fight the challenge of thermal creep. The small device instantly changes any corded hot water recirc – for instance, those with just timer and on/off function – into a “smart” device by giving it the intelligence it needs to learn a household’s usage patterns to improve and regulate hot water distribution, increasing comfort and efficiency. It can also be set into a ‘pulse only’ mode for light commercial applications, or for homeowners who don’t have a predictable schedule.
Other hot water recirc solutions include:
- TacoGenie allows homeowners to simply push a button when hot water is desired at a tap, on demand.
- Watts/Premier 500800 – an ideal solution for retrofitting existing domestic water systems with hot water recirc. The device uses the pump at the water heater (though not tankless systems) and an under-sink sensor valve to create a pressure differential – allowing the cold and cool water in the hot water supply line to bypass into the cold water supply line at a low volume through the thermostatically-controlled sensor valve, keeping the water in the hot water supply line at a “no-wait” temperature throughout the home.
ASSE 1070 valve
As Mayo stated earlier, ASSE 1017 thermostatic valves installed at the water heater or heat source may not close off sufficiently in some instances (while the circulator is running) to stop the outward flow of heat. If this happens, and a recirc pump continues to run, temperatures within the distribution piping can creep upward – creating the potential for unexpectedly hot water at taps.
In a situation like that one, the need for hot water [in the distribution piping] is satisfied, but if the [DHWR] pump’s running, ‘creep’ can occur,” concluded Mayo. “Yet another solution protects users from unexpectedly high temps at the tap with or without replacement of the distribution safety valve – and that is the installation of 1016 or 1070 point-of-use valves. They’re most often used for commercial installations, though there are many residential uses of the valves.”
Decoupling Boiler and Installing Water Heaters in Century-Old San Francisco Apartment House Brings Relief to Residents Nothing lasts forever. That is especially true with mechanical fixtures, where the corrosive nature of water, the environment in which units are located and frequent use all work against fixture longevity. Nearly a century of service isn’t forever, but Read more
Decoupling Boiler and Installing Water Heaters in Century-Old San Francisco Apartment House Brings Relief to Residents
Nothing lasts forever. That is especially true with mechanical fixtures, where the corrosive nature of water, the environment in which units are located and frequent use all work against fixture longevity.
Nearly a century of service isn’t forever, but it’s a pretty good run. Some steam boilers, especially in inner-city buildings, that were installed in the 1920s and ‘30s are still in service. The reliance on steam-heated buildings in that era was a “direct result of theories of infection control” to help fight the global pandemic of 1918 and 1919, according to a Bloomberg article in 2020. Masks, shots and forced isolation fought against the most recent pandemic, but a century earlier the solution was far simpler – open the windows.
The theory followed the correct premise that fresh air would help fight off airborne diseases. In New York City, for instance, the Board of Health ordered windows to remain open to provide ventilation – even in winter. Steam heating and radiators thus packed plenty of punch. They provided heat for building residents on the coldest days and with windows open. Efficiency, obviously, was not top of mind when the boilers were installed.
In San Francisco, Excalibur Water Heaters solved a heating issue for an 8-bedroom apartment house that relied on a steam boiler that been in place since the building opened in the 1930s. The steam boiler provided hot water and radiant heat. “Because of the age of the boiler, the hot water was never reliable,’’ said Anthony Achermann, one of the owners of Excalibur.
An 8-unit apartment house in San Francisco solved a problem with hot water delivery by installing two American Standard Water Heaters to replace an aging and faltering boiler.
Excalibur designed a solution that solved the problem in just one workday. The company installed two American Standard Water Heaters to provide hot water to the building. Due to space limitations, Achermann’s team used two 50-gallon tanks instead of one 100-gallon tank. Even more interesting, the ancient boiler remained in place and will remain the heating source for the apartment house.
A Hot Mess
The simple solution would have been to repair the ancient boiler – again – or install a new one. Achermann knew neither would be terrific options.
Replacing the steam boiler would have required a lengthy wait due to supply chain issues. The boiler had been repaired and serviced frequently, but few products that are nearly 100 years old work like they did when they came out of the box. In addition, many repair technicians avoid a challenging boiler replacement project.
“Most plumbers in this industry when they see a boiler, they run,’’ Achermann said. “Boiler service people are few and far between these days. Retrofitting any building with a boiler is hard.”
The boiler – “about the size of MINI Cooper,” Achermann said — operated on a timer, so hot water availability differed throughout the day. “Sometimes hot water was readily available,’’ Achermann said. “Other times it was lukewarm or no hot water.”
Steam boilers undergo significant stress and age over time. Poor water chemistry, corrosion, extreme temperature shifts and even the environment where the boiler is installed can contribute to the degradation of a unit.
Caustic embrittlement due to corrosion is a serious form of boiler metal failure. Even worse, chemical attack of the metal is usually undetectable. Failure occurs suddenly, often with catastrophic results. While aging, the apartment house boiler still has enough juice to provide heat. Perhaps it will need to be replaced at some point, but for now it serves the building. Certainly, the building owner can hardly quibble after receiving a lengthy amount of service from the heating beast.
The project was part of a remodeling of the apartment house. “The steam boiler was as old as the building,’’ Achermann said. “If they wanted to replace the boiler, they would have had to wait weeks, if not months. It was a common problem, but I’m seeing it less and less. When I come into a situation like this, I try to identify an out-of-the-box solution that can solve the problem.”
Due to the tight footprint of the mechanical room, Excalibur Water Heaters installed two 50-gallon tanks instead of one 100-gallon tank.
Splitting Service
Achermann solved the issue by decoupling the boiler from providing hot water. The in-place boiler still runs the heating system for the apartment house, but his team installed two American Standard Water Heaters for the building’s hot water service.
Because of space issues, Excalibur installed two 50-gallon tanks. “We didn’t have the space or the height clearance to install a 100-gallon tank,’’ Achermann said. “It was a pretty tight fit.”
The durability of the American Standard Water Heater brand was important to their inclusion in the project. “Over the years, water heaters have been getting lighter, they are making the walls on many brands thinner,’’ Achermann said. “Over time, water will try to corrode the tank. Anode rods are supposed to prevent that, but eventually they’ll leak and fall apart. The water doesn’t have anywhere to go, and it leads to leaks. By having a heavier tank, it’s buying more time.”
One of the most dangerous tasks for the project involved separating the boiler and installing the water heaters. With the gas and water lines coming into the building, the team took extreme care to complete a smooth transition.
“It’s important to understand the severity of what could happen if something goes awry,’’ Achermann said. “If something goes wrong, it could create a pressurized vessel that can cause an explosion. We had to make sure the steam radiators work appropriately, and that the boiler only has to make the steam.”
Additional Benefits
The warranty and burner assembly on the American Standard Water Heaters also factored into the selection for the project, Achermann said.
“With many manufacturers, the water heaters just make it past the warranty,’’ Achermann said. “The American Standard Water Heaters last well past their warranty date. They are also the only manufacturer in the San Francisco area that uses a mechanical gas control valve.”
The gas control valve is a traditional assembly that has served the industry well for decades. Many newer models have electronic assemblies that break down far earlier. “The electronic ones are harder to repair, while the mechanical heaters are much more robust overall,’’ he said. “I was getting tired of explaining why a unit we installed two years ago was failing.”
Workers completed the 10-hour project safely, and tenants celebrated that consistent hot water would flow to their apartments without interruption. “They’re excited because they now have consistent hot water,’’ Achermann added. “Sometimes it would take 3-4 minutes. We installed a recirculation pump and now the water gets hot within seconds.”
Overall, the project married Excalibur’s ingenuity, durable products and working with mechanicals already in place. Sometimes plumbers don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Making a few subtle tweaks saves time, money and energy, even if the units were around during the Hoover administration.
“It was a project that required some creativity as to how we could solve the problem,’’ Achermann said. “We came up with a good concept and the owner and the tenants are happy.”
Thomas Renner writes on trade industry topics for publications throughout the United States.
Bozeman, Montana is a city on the move, no doubt about it. As the nearest major passenger airport to Yellowstone National Park and the city nearest Big Sky Ski Resort, “Boz-Angeles” is currently growing at a rate of 3.2% annually. Its population has increased by 42.9% since the most recent census, which recorded a population Read more
Bozeman, Montana is a city on the move, no doubt about it. As the nearest major passenger airport to Yellowstone National Park and the city nearest Big Sky Ski Resort, “Boz-Angeles” is currently growing at a rate of 3.2% annually. Its population has increased by 42.9% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 53,293 in 2021.
Of course, housing demand is rising, so the addition of a five-story mixed-use residential building fit in well with the City of Bozeman’s vision for its future downtown and added much-needed housing stock. The Merin is a mid-rise building that features 31 living units above two ground level retail spaces, with 35 parking stalls. Encompassing over 71,000 sq. ft., it will also feature a courtyard, and private balconies for the residential units.
The ability to laser scan the building to get extremely accurate measurements on floor and wall penetrations allowed Harvey’s Plumbing to accurately model and then prefabricate and quickly install the plumbing using Allied BIM software.
DCI Engineers designed the primary framing systems for The Merin’s podium-style construction (post tensioned concrete slab design for the ground level and wood framed above-grade levels). The engineering team also designed the building’s cantilever sizes to maximize the efficiency of the concrete slab and provided maximum economy of the post-tensioned concrete system by coordinating regular column spacing for the ground floor layout.
Plumbing planning
The project ground broke in the fall 2019 and was off to a good start when ownership changes jostled the plumbing installation schedule. The project used Aquatherm polypropylene piping for the domestic cold-water mains, Uponor PEX in all the units, PVC for the drain and waste, and cast-iron risers on toilet stacks, with copper stub outs coming off the water heaters.
Harvey’s Plumbing, a Bozeman-based, full-service plumbing and mechanical contractor was tabbed for the project’s plumbing installation (Harvey’s was subsequently purchased by Bozeman-based Williams Plumbing and Heating). Harvey’s had recently completed three similar projects in the Bozeman area, so the project was straightforward, and there was an established process for the plumbing installation, resulting in less time spent modeling the plumbing system design. Still there were challenges.
Harvey’s Plumbing saved an estimated 20% on the Merin job by prefabricating plumbing assemblies and spools in the shop using Allied BIM software and an automated laser positioning system.
According to Mitch Rausch, Director of Preconstruction for Williams Plumbing/Harvey’s Plumbing; “It’s a pretty typical downtown Bozeman multifamily condo unit and it worked out pretty well. The only real issue we ran into on that job were owner finish changes and material delays.”
By June of 2020 COVID had become a factor and while the pandemic didn’t necessarily slow the job down, it did cause a staffing issue for Harvey’s. “We definitely had to deal with lack of manpower just because it seemed like we always had one guy out for about a year.”
Harvey’s crew mix on the project included a superintendent, two then-recently tested plumbers, two apprentices, and two laborers. “We had a pretty young crew over there and that’s where that modeling really kind of benefited us,” he added.
Modeling efficiency – through software
The modeling of the plumbing system’s design was much quicker and more efficient on this project because Harvey’s was able to maximize its laser positioning system, a semi-automatic TigerStop saw, by connecting it to Allied BIM. Allied BIM is a new design-to-fabrication software program created by Bob Harvey, (previous owner of Harvey’s), and Brian Nickel (who had been Harvey’s Virtual Design & Construction Manager).
Allied BIM software and an automated laser positioning system help tremendously with building efficiency.
The duo cofounded Allied BIM in 2019 with the intent of improving the prefabrication process in the PHVAC, electrical, siding and framing, and modular building industries. “The machine shop is disconnected from the designers, and the field is disconnected from the shop, and we saw a way to build it better,” Nickel said of the venture.
While Harvey’s had been honing its modeling and prefabrication processes for years, for a shop its size, it was far head of the industry back in 2019. Traditionally, prefabrication shops get a designer’s drawings on a thumb drive or sheets of paper and a fabricator manually enters those instructions into a machine, which cuts the parts. A single error in that process can lead to expensive mistakes, such as ordering too many materials by as much as 40%, as well as huge material-waste-ratios.
Allied connects digital models directly to prefabrication machinery, eliminating errors and waste, while improving safety, trackability, and connectivity. According to Harvey, using traditional manual workflows, designers can send a fabrication shop about 10 drawings a day, but with Allied BIM’s automated data flow, they can send as many as 80 spools a day — an 800% productivity gain. Plus, the connectivity allows data to flow bidirectionally, allowing the fab shop to send the design team real-time updates and requests for additional instructions.
Software solves staffing shortage
Harvey’s had used Allied BIM on some of these previous similar condominium projects but connecting it to the TigerStop was what prompted a huge change in productivity. “At that time, we were still fully Harvey [not yet part of Williams], so we were a pretty small shop at the time, and in order to get the prefab done we would have to pull the plumbers off of the jobsite, bring them into the shop, and have them prefab it,” Rausch explained.
“We didn’t have dedicated fabricators. That’s about the time we started to add them. We had one part-time guy in the summer, he didn’t have a lot of experience, but he did some of it. And then if we’d pulled two key guys away from the jobsite, the general [contractor] would get upset even though we’re still making progress on the project. But it allowed us to do that pretty efficiently without losing too much presence on the jobsite.”
A load of PVC is lifted into place for unloading into a second-floor window at The Merin. According to Harvey’s Plumbing’s Mitch Rausch, the ability to get the right prefabricated assemblies to the right spot on the job provided a huge savings.
Improved safety was also a bonus. Using Allied BIM and the semi-automatic TigerStop allowed non-jobsite personnel to cut, prep and place the parts in bins so that they could be shipped to the jobsite where field installers could just plug them in. “It allowed us to really ‘lean up’ what we were doing and fit some stuff into our schedules that normally we wouldn’t be able to, and that the project schedule wouldn’t have really allowed us to do,” Rausch added.
Harvey’s Visual Design & Construction Engineer, Baylie Frost, performed all the modeling on The Merin project. “She was the only one working on modeling it, and she only had so much time, and she was also helping as project manager,” Rausch said. “So, if we were to tie her up making spool sheets, we would’ve had to add another BDC [building design construction] person to that project without Allied.”
Frost estimated that her spooling time on the project was reduced by 50% or more thanks to using Allied BIM, and labeling the spools was completed at least 10 times faster than the traditional method, while it also provided major organizational benefits.
Rausch also explained that using the Allied modeling and the TigerStop saw allowed them to limit wasted pipe sections to “just very, very small wafer pieces of pipe.” “I bet there’s at least 20 to 30% there in savings in PVC.” He added that an even larger savings came from fabricators not wasting time trying to salvage smaller pieces of pipe. “Traditionally, you’re going to have scraps and you’re going to have to pick up that scrap and try to cut up that scrap and use it. And that’s where you waste your time.”
Allied BIM software, laser scanning, and a Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset allowed the Harvey’s team to be very exacting when it came to the design and installation of The Merin’s plumbing system, delivering a profitable project, and meeting a tight deadline.
With Allied BIM and an automated saw, the operator does not need to pull out a tape measure, hold it to the pipe, and mark it, he or she can just focus on the saw. Thus, they’re less likely to incur an accident. “It’s taking some of that ‘thinking’ and some of that extracurricular stuff you’d have to do away, so you can really focus on just cutting the pipe,” Rausch said.
Additionally, Harvey’s was able to streamline their bid on the job knowing that they would be achieving some time, labor, and material savings thanks to their model-to-design process. While there were several mitigating factors on The Merin project, Rausch said that when it comes to modeling and exporting a design, spooling it, prefabricating it offsite and installing on a jobsite, that 20% labor savings are extremely realistic.
Savings trips up and down the stairs
Rausch explained that Allied BIM also helped enormously with the organization of piping materials. “With this job, there are five flights of stairs in them. And you’ve got to go up and down the stairs every time you don’t have a part or piece you’re fitting. And if we can model it and fab it and get everything grouped together in a nice, clean kit and get everything into that room at one shot, just saving a couple trips up and down the stairs every day for 8 to 10 guys, makes or breaks a job.
So, it’s the efficiency you gain by that. Out of everything we do, if we could have everything sitting there for the plumber to install in that unit, it saves trips looking for parts, having the wrong part, having something messed up. That’s the difference between making money and not making money, 100%.”