To further meet the growing demand for sustainable building systems, Uponor North America (Uponor) is the first in the industry to offer a PEX purple pipe in sizes up to 2″ for commercial and residential reclaimed water applications. In addition to its existing ½”, ¾” and 1″ sizes, Uponor AquaPEX® Reclaimed Water pipe is now Read more
Pipes, Valves, & Fittings
To further meet the growing demand for sustainable building systems, Uponor North America (Uponor) is the first in the industry to offer a PEX purple pipe in sizes up to 2″ for commercial and residential reclaimed water applications. In addition to its existing ½”, ¾” and 1″ sizes, Uponor AquaPEX® Reclaimed Water pipe is now available in 1¼”, 1½” and 2″ sizes as well.
“Uponor has a strong sustainability culture and looks to provide products that align with the company’s philosophy of respecting the vital balance between people, planet and profit,” says Jayson Drake, director of Plumbing at Uponor. “Extending our current offering of Uponor AquaPEX Reclaimed Water pipe supports our mission of providing products that help our business partners build sustainable structures around the world.”
The new offering comes in response to a growing need for water reuse systems in drought-stricken areas around the country. Offering a reclaimed water pipe in larger sizes gives professionals the opportunity to design and install even more reclaimed water applications to help conserve fresh-water resources.
Uponor’s extended offering, which is available in 300-ft. coils for ½”, ¾” and 1″ sizes and 10-ft. and 20-ft. straight lengths for 1″, 1¼”, 1½” and 2″ sizes, provides all the benefits of Uponor AquaPEX that plumbing engineers and contractors have come to rely on — flexibility, durability, corrosion resistance, a 20-year proven history in plumbing, a 25-year limited warranty, and one simple ASTM F1960 ProPEX® expansion connection system that does not require any torches, glues, solvents or gauges.
“The best part about Uponor AquaPEX Reclaimed Water pipe is the fact that plumbing professionals don’t have to switch products when installing potable plumbing and reclaimed water systems,” says Drake. “They can seamlessly move from Uponor AquaPEX for the potable system to Uponor AquaPEX Reclaimed Water for the reclaimed water system without having to switch piping materials, tools or fittings.”
Contractors consistently complain about the lack of skilled labor in the trades industry. Sam Dowdy, with S&D Plumbing in Taylor, Texas, is doing something about it. His labor of love, the Plumbing Pipeline Program (PPP), has captured the attention of many in the construction industry. https://youtu.be/iBRX74Y83aM An overview video of the Plumbing Pipeline Program Sam Read more
Contractors consistently complain about the lack of skilled labor in the trades industry. Sam Dowdy, with S&D Plumbing in Taylor, Texas, is doing something about it. His labor of love, the Plumbing Pipeline Program (PPP), has captured the attention of many in the construction industry.
https://youtu.be/iBRX74Y83aM
An overview video of the Plumbing Pipeline Program
Sam started S&D Plumbing, with his wife Rhonda, in 1980. His sons have since joined the business and the family operates the company together to provide quality service to the Greater Austin area. During the decades of operating S&D Plumbing, Sam identified a systematic problem with finding, hiring and retaining quality skilled employees. He created the Plumbing Pipeline Program (PPP) as a means to go into the community and recruit young people to the trades, much like colleges, universities and the military.
Sam Dowdy
In Texas, the average age of a Master Plumber is 58 years old. For every four plumbers that leave the industry, only one apprentice is filling their work boots. As contractors, we need these young people to consider plumbing a viable option for their future and the future of the trades.
Dowdy admits, “This program is all about youth, the youth in the community.” By targeting high school youth in his community, his program allows these students to apprentice at his plumbing company to learn basic skills of the trade. At orientation he proposes to the students that choosing the trades as your career path is, “a different way of doing things, without spending a lot of money.” Students are able to participate in the trade and gain an accurate concept of what it’s like to work for a professional plumbing company.
With the support of the PHCC of Texas, Sam created the Plumbing Pipeline Program to create awareness of the trades as a valuable and lucrative career option. The PHCC also helped to create an informative video about the Program (see above).
Dowdy hopes to “dispel the myth of the butt crack plumber.” He realizes that communication is the key to ensuring the longevity of the plumbing trade. By reaching out to Counselors, Educators and School Districts, Dowdy has created a pipeline for students to transition from high school, to a full-time apprenticeship upon graduation. At the same time, Dowdy has worked to address the problem with lacking skilled workers. He’s recruiting and training his workforce for the future.
For more information go to www.PlumbingPipelineProgram.com.
Allie Perez is director of operations, Mr. Plumber / Mr. AC, San Antonio (http://www.mrplumbersa.com). Her interesting viewpoints on the trades can be found on her blog at http://www.mrplumbersa.com/blog. She also is founder of Texas Women in the Trades (TWIT). Visit texaswomenintrades.com.
The Sloan® Royal flushometer line for urinals and water closets has expanded with the development of new Sloan Royal reclaimed water flushometer models engineered specifically for use with reclaimed water infrastructure in new construction or major retrofits. These types of systems help municipalities that use reclaimed water as an alternative water source to help preserve Read more
The Sloan® Royal flushometer line for urinals and water closets has expanded with the development of new Sloan Royal reclaimed water flushometer models engineered specifically for use with reclaimed water infrastructure in new construction or major retrofits. These types of systems help municipalities that use reclaimed water as an alternative water source to help preserve potable water.
The Sloan Royal reclaimed water flushometer, available in manual and sensor configurations, is the first solution specifically designed to withstand the harsh conditions of reclaimed water.
In fact, all critical components of Sloan Royal reclaimed water flushometers, including the cover, valve body, control stop and the copper sweat solder kit, are made of semi-red brass. In addition, to better withstand the harsh conditions of reclaimed water, all organic rubber components have been replaced with synthetic compounds.
Sloan has also utilized the industry-standard purple color, which is used to identify water district/municipal water lines and other systems using reclaimed water, as mandated by both the Uniform Plumbing Code and the International Plumbing Code. Several key components including the wall flange, inner cover and diaphragm guide are colored purple to signify the use of reclaimed water. The flushometer also includes a wall plate communicating the use of reclaimed water and is available with an optional purple handle.
More information on the Sloan Royal reclaimed water flushometer can be found at sloanvalve.com/reclaimed-water.
Uponor North America (Uponor) is now offering a new, more cost-effective ball valve option for radiant heating/cooling and hydronic piping applications. These code-listed, commercial-grade, PEX-to-PEX, full-port ball valves are available in ½” to 2″ sizes and are appropriate for non-potable PEX piping applications. The valves are available on-demand in CAD and BIM design files via Read more
Uponor North America (Uponor) is now offering a new, more cost-effective ball valve option for radiant heating/cooling and hydronic piping applications. These code-listed, commercial-grade, PEX-to-PEX, full-port ball valves are available in ½” to 2″ sizes and are appropriate for non-potable PEX piping applications.
The valves are available on-demand in CAD and BIM design files via www.uponorengineering.com or www.arcat.com to make designing and specifying fast and easy. Additionally, they are listed to ANSI/NSF 14 and cNSFus-rfh and tested to ASTM F877, ASTM F1960, CSA B137.5 and NSF 359, allowing professionals the flexibility to add a reliable, code-listed valve anywhere in a commercial radiant heating/cooling or hydronic piping system.
Stem Extension Valves
“We are continuing to see growth in our indoor climate business, especially with hydronic piping applications,” says Mark Hudoba, director, Heating and Cooling at Uponor. “Offering these cost-effective, code-listed valves provides professionals in the industry with a trusted, reliable product for hydronic piping as well as radiant heating and cooling applications.”
The valves, which are compatible with systems containing up to 50 percent propylene glycol, feature blow-out-proof stems and are available with stem extension kits to accommodate up to 2″ of insulation in insulated piping applications. Additionally, both ends of the valves are manufactured with Uponor’s proven ProPEX® fitting system for expansion connections that cannot be dry fit and hold tight with up to 1,000 pounds of radial force.
Powers has unveiled a line of ASSE/cUPC-listed point-of-use water mixing valves that meet ASSE 1070 performance requirements and provide temperature control to as low as 0.25-gallon-per-minute (gpm) flow. The lead free HydroGuard® LFG480 lavatory mixing valve and its higher-flow counterpart, the LFE480, are available in 3/8-inch compression, 3/8-inch quick-connect and ½-inch NPT connections in rough Read more
Powers has unveiled a line of ASSE/cUPC-listed point-of-use water mixing valves that meet ASSE 1070 performance requirements and provide temperature control to as low as 0.25-gallon-per-minute (gpm) flow.
The lead free HydroGuard® LFG480 lavatory mixing valve and its higher-flow counterpart, the LFE480, are available in 3/8-inch compression, 3/8-inch quick-connect and ½-inch NPT connections in rough bronze or chrome-plated finishes.
Other noteworthy features include a lockable temperature-adjustment mechanism for resistance to vandalism, integral check valves to prevent cross flow and inlet screens to filter out debris.
For more information, visit powerscontrols.com.