LEESBURG, Va., March 19, 2015 – REHAU announces the launch of an advanced new weather-sensing control module developed for use with REHAU hydronic snow and ice melting (SIM) systems. The REHAU Smart Controls SIM Module also features an automated option that allows the system to operate with optimum efficiency. REHAU’s innovative hydronic SIM system is Read more
Industry News
LEESBURG, Va., March 19, 2015 – REHAU announces the launch of an advanced new weather-sensing control module developed for use with REHAU hydronic snow and ice melting (SIM) systems. The REHAU Smart Controls SIM Module also features an automated option that allows the system to operate with optimum efficiency. REHAU’s innovative hydronic SIM system is designed to quickly and efficiently remove snow and ice from vehicle or pedestrian pathways. SIM systems minimize snow removal and accompanying costs, as well as the need to apply salt or other melting agents that can be corrosive to outdoor surfaces and detrimental to the environment. Installed underneath or embedded within an outdoor surface such as concrete, asphalt or paving stones, the system includes RAUPEX® pipe, the EVERLOC® compression-sleeve fitting system and PRO-BALANCE® manifolds. REHAU Smart Controls SIM Module The SIM controls module employs the unique ability to “listen” to the weather forecast via web-enabled access to the National Weather Service (NOAA) and Environment Canada. Using the weather data and temperature sensors installed within the melting area, the control chooses an automatic idle temperature setting to warm the slab so that melting begins at the first sign of snow or ice. To save energy, the control turns the system off once the surface is dry. “The REHAU hydronic SIM system combined with our Smart Controls SIM module provides a sensible alternative to the annual expense and complication of manual snow and ice removal,” said Ollie Carman, applications engineer at REHAU. “In comparison, operating costs are usually much lower while the ability to effortlessly maintain safer outdoor surfaces during winter provides unparalleled convenience.” The SIM control module’s web-enabled feature also allows the system to be controlled remotely from any internet-accessible device. In addition, the module is flexible, scalable and programmed to meet a range of requirements including unlimited snow melting zones and priority scheduling to clear crucial areas such as walkways and entrances first. The SIM module can be used independently or integrated with a REHAU Smart Controls indoor comfort control system. For additional information, contact: REHAU, 1501 Edwards Ferry Rd., N.E., Leesburg, Va., 20176. Phone: 1.800.247.9445. Fax: 1.800.627.3428. E-mail: rehau.mailbox@rehau.com. Web site: http://na.rehau.com/simcontrols. REHAU delivers “Unlimited Polymer Solutions,” and is the premium worldwide brand for polymer-based innovations and systems in construction, automotive and industry. The company generates continuous growth through its expertise and innovative capabilities in materials development, systems design and surface technology. Approximately 18,000 employees at more than 170 locations around the world ensure success of the independent, privately held company.
Sloan has donated water- and energy-efficient plumbing products for the restrooms at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, the Green Schools Showcase during the Greenbuild® 2014 conference. Like many of the schools in New Orleans after sustaining damage during Hurricane Katrina, Benjamin Franklin High School is still trying to rectify certain aspects of the Read more
Sloan has donated water- and energy-efficient plumbing products for the restrooms at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, the Green Schools Showcase during the Greenbuild® 2014 conference.
Like many of the schools in New Orleans after sustaining damage during Hurricane Katrina, Benjamin Franklin High School is still trying to rectify certain aspects of the building that were not repaired. Originally built in the 1980s, roughly 50% of the school was damaged by water, which stood for 30 days after the storm. One such project was the impetus to achieve one of the school’s long standing renovation goals: renovating the restrooms adjacent to the auditorium.
“How the renovations to the restrooms adjacent to the auditorium came about was kismet,” says Dr. Timothy Rusnak, CEO/Principal. It goes back to last year when the students, led by Dr. Mary Gubala, biology teacher, and Mr. John Parauka, social studies teacher and activities coordinator and other teachers, participated in the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Louisiana Chapter’s Louisiana Green School Challenge – a program that aims to educate the public about the benefits of green building and environmental stewardship by participating in hands-on, experiential projects. Franklin was one of nine winning schools out of 40 who competed in the challenge.
In conjunction, Benjamin Franklin High School was chosen as the chapter’s first Green School Showcase where mentors working with schools began soliciting and managing donations. The mentor, Erin Ryerson, an associate at VergesRome Architects and the chairwoman of the Greenbuild Host Committee, was instrumental in directing the renovation – coordinating donations from more than a dozen manufacturers of green building products to Benjamin Franklin High School.
“We benefitted from these chains of events,” says Dr. Rusnak. “Things just came to a sort of confluence. So we were very fortunate.”
Renovating the restrooms consisted of structural changes as well as cosmetic improvements. Because the building is a completely cement structure, it didn’t easily lend itself to construction changes. As such, there were challenges involved including reworking dropping electric lines and reorganizing some of the plumbing.
Sloan SOLIS flushometers were among the products donated that were used to make improvements to two bathrooms – making them water-conserving and energy-efficient. SOLIS flushometers not only reduced water consumption, but also minimized energy use. By switching from 3.5 gpf to a 1.6 gpf toilet flushometers, 54% water reduction is realized; and 83% reduction from 1.5 gpf to 0.25 gpf urinal flushometers. Thus, helping a high-achieving school in one of the city’s more under-resourced school districts become a working model of green building efficiency. “Getting schools and students involved in environmentally-responsible practices brings plumbing innovation into common practice while reducing water consumption as well as lower operating costs and improve indoor learning spaces,” says Parthiv Amin, VP Marketing at Sloan.
“We are extremely grateful to Sloan for lending their expertise and providing superb quality,” says Dr. Rusnak. “It really has opened the building to not only ourselves, but also become more comfortable and inviting for people in the community – sparking a re-interest, oddly enough, in our theatre program.”
[vc_row][vc_column][mk_image src=”http://www.plumbingperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Knowify-Logo.jpg” image_width=”800″ image_height=”350″ crop=”false” svg=”false” lightbox=”false” group=”_general” frame_style=”simple” target=”_self” caption_location=”inside-image” align=”left” margin_bottom=”10″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Knowify Knowify for Contractors is a powerful new suite of tools to help Plumbers manage their businesses better. For the first time you’ll be able to manage both the service ticket side of your business and the long-term contract work Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][mk_image src=”http://www.plumbingperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Knowify-Logo.jpg” image_width=”800″ image_height=”350″ crop=”false” svg=”false” lightbox=”false” group=”_general” frame_style=”simple” target=”_self” caption_location=”inside-image” align=”left” margin_bottom=”10″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Knowify
Knowify for Contractors is a powerful new suite of tools to help Plumbers manage their businesses better. For the first time you’ll be able to manage both the service ticket side of your business and the long-term contract work in one easy-to-use, highly automated system. Better yet, Knowify syncs with your QuickBooks, ensuring that the operating side of your business and the accounting side of your business stay up to date with one another.
Dispatch
Knowify’s service ticket/dispatch features will allow you to view a map of your service appointments, see your resource schedules and availability, and book new appointments in seconds. Your dispatched teams can view work orders, check in and out of jobs, record comments, and mark jobs as finished from Knowify’s powerful mobile app.
Contract Work
From bid to billing, Knowify’s job management tools will help you deal with the painful administrative tasks that can really burden a plumbing company. You can:
– Use Knowify’s powerful project management features to cost out jobs and then run them once they’re live;
– Prepare bids or change orders and submit them for e-signature directly through the system;
– Track resource schedules and worker timecards, including a special “foreman view” your on-site foremen can use to punch in time for everyone from the jobsite quickly and easily;
– Prepare and send purchase orders to your vendors through the system;
– Bill for your work with standard invoices or with AIA-style applications for payment, depending on the job;
– And more![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][mk_image src=”http://www.plumbingperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Knowify-1.jpg” image_width=”800″ image_height=”350″ crop=”false” svg=”false” lightbox=”false” group=”_general” frame_style=”simple” target=”_self” caption_location=”inside-image” align=”left” margin_bottom=”10″][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][mk_image src=”http://www.plumbingperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Knowify-2.jpg” image_width=”800″ image_height=”350″ crop=”false” svg=”false” lightbox=”false” group=”_general” frame_style=”simple” target=”_self” caption_location=”inside-image” align=”left” margin_bottom=”10″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
May 22, 2015 Effective immediately, Mr. Lloyd Leblanc takes the reins at the Phoenix office of Aquabrass International. The new Sales and Marketing Director brings with him two decades of management and business development experience, including many years in the plumbing industry. Through most of his career, Leblanc has worked with specialized retailers in Read more
May 22, 2015
Effective immediately, Mr. Lloyd Leblanc takes the reins at the Phoenix office of Aquabrass International. The new Sales and Marketing Director brings with him two decades of management and business development experience, including many years in the plumbing industry.
Through most of his career, Leblanc has worked with specialized retailers in the U.S. In 2000, he joined Julien Inc., a leader in commercial kitchen equipment, where he headed the residential division for 10 of his 12-year tenure. Since 2012, Leblanc has worked with clients as a consultant, developing sales strategies for American and European markets.
“Lloyd is an ideal fit with Aquabrass,” said Tony Massechia, Aquabrass CEO. “With his knowledge of the American market and his success in developing new product lines, we look forward to the continuing growth of the Aquabrass and Alt lines in the U.S. under his leadership.”
Lloyd Leblanc can be reached at lleblanc@aquabrass.com.
ABOUT AQUABRASS
Founded in 1986, Aquabrass is a North American manufacturer of bathroom fixtures. Headquartered in Montreal, the company also has offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Phoenix, as well as a new specification office located in the heart of Soho, New York City. Beyond North American markets, Aquabrass products are sold internationally.
Aquabrass manufactures quality bathroom and kitchen solutions, including a wide range of bathroom and kitchen faucet collections, full-body shower systems with steam, chromatherapy and aromatherapy, freestanding bathtubs, sinks, vanities, washbasins and accessories. It is an amazing source of inspirational and made-to- measure products, all of which feature high- performance materials, superb functionality and sleek styling that pleases the senses. Most Aquabrass products are designed for quick and easy installation in new or existing bathrooms of vir- tually any size or style. The company’s plating facility offers 22 special finishes.
Contact – Gaelle Marrasse
T 800-867-8484 ext 454
At the Kitchen and Bath International Show (KBIS), North American bathroom fixture manufacturer Aquabrass premiered AquazoneTM, a revolutionary shower and bath concept, molded into a single, space-saving wet zone unit. With AquazoneTM, Aquabrass delivers the best of both worlds in a new multifunctional and spa-like experience. In addition to optimizing space and enhancing functionality, AquazoneTM Read more
At the Kitchen and Bath International Show (KBIS), North American bathroom fixture manufacturer Aquabrass premiered AquazoneTM, a revolutionary shower and bath concept, molded into a single, space-saving wet zone unit. With AquazoneTM, Aquabrass delivers the best of both worlds in a new multifunctional and spa-like experience.
In addition to optimizing space and enhancing functionality, AquazoneTM is exceptionally cost-efficient.
“It’s a creative solution, and a very logical one,” says Aquabrass CEO Tony Masecchia – the designer of AquazoneTM and an industry specialist with 30 years of new construction experience. “Architects and designers are challenged with designing small dwellings. AquazoneTM lets them make the most of every square inch and every dollar – and still offer their clients a luxury bathroom.”
Reducing time and labor costs while optimizing space and enhancing both customer appeal and resale value makes AquazoneTM truly revolutionary. An AquazoneTM installation can save up to 30 square feet in a typical apartment – a significant advantage, given the high cost of square footage.
THE WET ZONE CONCEPT
An example of synergetic design, this patent- pending wet zone concept offers a sum of experience greater than its parts. A single, molded unit, it needs no bathtub overflow. With all spills captured by the shower’s center-located drain, bathers can enjoy total immersion in the ergonomically sculpted tub. Children are welcome to splash and play – and the family dog to shake. Even seniors will enjoy the easy entry and broad tub ledge, which doubles as a safety-smart shower bench, making AquazoneTM a multi- generational solution that’s sure to enhance resale value. In addition to containing water, the AquazoneTM unit retains warmth, with the shower base providing a post-bath drying zone. Extra width afforded by the bathtub expands shower space. Optional ipe wood panels transform the tub into seating or even a chaise longue for still greater shower luxury, and the AquazoneTM can be fitted with AIRELAXTM spa system, further expanding its hydrotherapy possibilities.
SAVES SPACE, TIME AND MONEY
While expansive in feel due to the shared open area, the AquazoneTM unit requires only 60 by 60 inches of space. North American- built, its strong, one-piece construction is solid Lucite acrylic with a reinforced base. With two integrated wheels and six adjustable levelers, it rolls into place easily, saving time, materials and labor costs.