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Take a look at the copper heat exchanger inside an indirect water heater as The Hub’s Eric Aune removes both for scrap.

Hot & cold frost proof hydrants are not new but the TrueTemp by PRIER is a totally different faucet compared to any I’ve ever worked with in the past. The TrueTemp is a single handle frost proof with the styling of an indoor fixture available in two finished, Satin Nickel Plated & Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Focus: True Temp Installation

As part of a larger review process, ProStaff’er Andy Mickelson, owner of Mickelson Plumbing in Missoula, MT and I are each installing one. Andy has a spot for it at his own home, I’ve got it going in at the #duluthbuild project for my little sister’s new home.

I took delivery of the Oil Rubbed Bronze finish 12″ model #P-118L12-ORB last week and took it out of the box minutes before the video to get it mounted.

One of the things that stands out immediately with this faucet is the lack of visible mounting hardware, I like that. As you’ll see in the video there is a stainless steel mounting plate/ring that when attached to the mounting surface is completely hidden. Furthermore, this gives the faucet a totally different look than other hot/cold models.

The faucet ships with Phillips head stainless screws and the mounting plate. There were no instructions in the box, although its pretty simple to figure out, I think it may have just been forgotten in packaging. Here’s a link to the install instructions.

Mounting Prep for the True Temp

I had a PRIER 12″ model frost proof faucet roughed-in already. This required me to enlarge the existing 1″ hole in the mounting block to accommodate the new TrueTemp. I simply traced the hole in the mounting plate and cut the mounting block with my M12 jig saw. The correct hole saw size would be 1-3/4″ if installing at a new location. Step two was to align the mounting plate hole with the newly cut hole and attach using the stainless screws. This step requires the installer to level the tabs on the mounting plate, the tabs are the connection point between the faucet and mounting plate and need to be level to ensure the faucet is plumb.

Finally, the TrueTemp body is inserted and a half-turn clockwise engages the tabs and body to securely position the faucet, the final step is to install the remaining stainless screw in the very bottom of the body.

Watch for more info, next time I’ll cover the piping connection options and hot I installed it on my job.

We get our first in-depth look at the new Navien NFC

We stopped at Navien’s booth at the AHR Expo to look under the hood of the new Navien NFC combi-boiler using Navien’s own firetube heat exchanger.

Take a look at the video to see some details and specs, one thing that surprised me right away was the included accessories. For contractors looking for high amounts of hot water production, a low head loss heat exchanger for easier piping on the hydronic side and additional features like remote connectivity it looks like the NFC is worth checking into. You can find more details and specifications on Navien’s website or here in our new product listings on Hydronics Hub.

All the bells & combi boiler whistles

The new Navien NFC combi boiler models come with a patented in-house designed and manufactured heat exchanger, Low Profile Burner for ease of service, advanced controls offering intuitive user navigation, a built-in DHW module (pump, flat plate heat exchanger, 3-way valve, mixing valve, water adjustment valve and auto water fill valve), common venting capability up to 8 units, cascading capability up to 16 units, and built-in hardware to connect up to 3 zone pumps without a need for additional external controllers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdGqczxo-iY

Being the first to get my hands on the new M18 Brushless Threaded Rod Cutter was an honor.

The all thread cutter (2872-20) delivers clean, burr-free cuts for threading nuts on by hand. It also has the power to cut through 1/4”, 3/8” and 1/2″ mild steel or 1/4” and 3/8″ stainless steel threaded rod in seconds.

The new tool features a unique design with a 1-1/2” built-in trim length and one-handed center grip for making uniform, controlled overhead cuts. This also offers users the clearest line of site for the most accurate cuts. Not only is the tool optimized for overhead cutting, but it can also be laid flat on its back for pre-fab cutting as seen in the video.

A brushless motor and an M18 2.0Ah Battery allow this tool to deliver over 400 nut-ready cuts per charge, reducing the need to file the threaded rod before applying the nut. The die includes 3 different cutting sizes, which can be changed by rotating the dies, allowing users to cut the most common sizes of threaded rod. Milwaukee’s REDLINK™ electronics allow the tool’s jaw to auto-retract back to home after each cut so users are ready for the next cut right away.

All these features work together to prevent burrs, chips, and sparks – all common frustrations when using non-dedicated tools to cut threaded rod.