Industry News

According to the Washington Post, a megadrought is characterized as a sustained period of sparse precipitation and significant loss of soil moisture that span generations, about 10 times as long as the normal 3 year drought.As early as the year 2050, NASA forecasts that the majority of the United States will be transformed into a giant dust bowl. (Highlight to tweet) For 30 years or more, our country might fall victim to the side effects of greenhouse gases and climate change. While portions of the United States currently or previously suffer from long periods of drought, can our country handle the supposed ‘megadrought’? After all, this event is said to lead to obvious water shortages, wildfires, and loss of vegetation.The last time North America experienced a widespread megadrought was as far back as the medieval times, which fell between the 12th and 13th centuries. The difference between the past and future megadroughts is that the 2050 event is predicted to be much worse. This will particularly hit large cities because they require more water with the higher population density.In preparation for the dry future, it’s best to start from the source. Plumbers are the ones who give the public access to the water that we’ve been draining while we could be better preserving it. Below are the extra steps that both the plumbing industry and government could be taking in preparation for the drought:On-Site Water RecyclingParticipating in on-site water recycling could eventually become a standard plumbing feature for large facilities and campuses in places already experiencing droughts.Catching and Cleaning Storm WaterCatch basins allow us to collect stormwater by also filtering out debris such as leaves and litter. Usually located next to street curbs and in residential areas, catch basins are seen as another means of recycling the water created by the water cycle.Eliminating LeaksWhether one knows it or not, pipes could be leaking at any moment and increasing the water usage for any home/building. It’s best to have all pipes checked periodically to ensure that a property’s water footprint is as low as possible.With snow in May and tornadoes in November, the weather is as unpredictable as ever these days. According to Toby R. Ault, assistant professor in the department of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell, our unpredictable climate and weather conditions continue to add mystery to what the future holds. However, it wouldn’t hurt to start preserving water in the most simplest of ways, whether the megadrought becomes a reality or not. After all, we owe it to H20 to at least give it a fighting chance of surviving a giant dust bowl!

Source: Preparing for the Megadrought | A.Y. McDonald Blog

Sioux Chief’s PEX Chair™ supports 3/8″ through ¾” PEX supply lines and keeps tube in place during the concrete pour. PEX Chair organizes tube in parallel or offset configurations making installations quick and easy.Rough plumbing manufacturer, Sioux Chief, recently added the PEX Chair™ slab organizer as part of its continuing effort to expand offerings of versatile and innovative products.The PEX Chair is designed to support single 3/8″ through ¾” PEX supplies on residential or commercial, multi-floor construction projects. Multiple PEX Chair units can be connected in parallel or offset configurations by its interlocking tongue and groove feature. The raised midsection allows concrete to easily flow through and around the device, and its rear contour is designed for abutting to vent pipes. Other features include a rebar receiver for ground staking, as well as height adjustment for pre-cast deck over pours. The angled design and hook feature at the top of the unit makes it easy to install PEX without kinking and holds the tube vertically in place through the completion of the concrete pour.

Source: New Sioux Chief Product: PEX Chair™ | Sioux Chief Blog

Since receiving a grant from a philanthropic organization dedicated to addressing global sanitation problems last year, global plumbing leader Kohler Co. has been designing the next generation of the closed-loop flush toilet system for field testing in locations without adequate sanitation.The Kohler team has completed design and construction of five Closed-Loop Advanced Sanitation System (CLASS) prototypes. Two units have already been installed at apartment buildings in the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. The Kohler CLASS team along with a team from Research Triangle Institute (RTI) are collecting data, performing maintenance and analyzing water samples. The CLASS prototypes are stand-alone units that take in waste water, then disinfect and purify it to be reused for toilet flushing. The units are treating waste water from the building’s toilets, and the team is testing the water to ensure all pathogens have been killed in the treatment process.“We’re deliberately performing this field test over the course of several weeks in a controlled environment to prevent any disruption to the residents,” said Ratish Namboothiry, senior new product development leader for KohlerField-testing is allowing the Kohler team to simultaneously learn about the system’s capabilities as well as the environmental factors at the site that may affect its performance. Applying this learning supports continued research and innovation of Kohler’s treatment system.“The data our team is collecting will guide future refinements of the CLASS system,” said Rob Zimmerman, senior manager of sustainability for Kohler. “We’re trying to understand the needs of the end user and the supply chain while informing technology and business development in new and existing markets.”

Source: Kohler Begins Field Testing Closed-Loop Toilet System — Kohler Co.

A first in the industry, Uponor PEX pipe and ProPEX® expansion fittings are now available in 2½” and 3″ sizes, offering professionals the ability to specify, design and install even more commercial plumbing and hydronic piping systems with PEX.”This new offering is an ideal solution for engineers and contractors who have been designing and installing other piping materials such as steel, copper, polypropylene or CPVC for commercial projects,” says Tony Radcliff, vice president, Marketing/Offerings at Uponor. “PEX is a much more durable, cost-effective and high-performing solution for potable-plumbing risers and distribution lines, as well as for transporting water to terminal units such as chilled beams and fan coil units.”The pipe offering, which includes Uponor AquaPEX® for potable-plumbing applications and Wirsbo hePEX™ oxygen-barrier pipe for hydronic heating and cooling applications, is available in various coil lengths and straight lengths to meet any application need. The ProPEX ASTM F1960 expansion fitting offering includes a complete line of tees, elbows, couplings and transition fittings, as well as a flange adapter kit. The offering also includes new PEX pipe cutting tools and larger sizes of PEX-a Pipe Support (a steel channel that enables hanger spacing similar to that of copper for suspended-piping applications).To align with this new offering, Milwaukee® Electric Tool is launching its new M18™ FORCELOGIC™ ProPEX Expansion Tool that expands 2″, 2½” and 3″ Uponor PEX pipe for making ProPEX connections. The new FORCELOGIC tool complements Milwaukee’s current offering of M12™ and M18 ProPEX Expansion Tools for ⅜” through 1½” Uponor PEX pipe sizes.”Offering Uponor PEX pipe and ProPEX fittings in 2½” and 3″ is a game-changer for the commercial piping industry,” says Radcliff. “Now even more structures can benefit from the great advantages Uponor PEX provides, including greater durability, greater freeze-resistance, flexibility for fewer fittings and fewer potential leak points, a 25-year warranty and the only fitting system in the industry that actually gets stronger over time.”

Source: Uponor Offers Industry-first PEX Pipe and ProPEX® Fittings in 2½” and 3″ for Commercial Applications