A totally new venture for the pump making giant: Air to Water Heat Pump System Taco’s new prototype heat pump was front and center. Imagine our surprise when first learning of Taco’s venture into the home heating appliance market through partnership with GlenDimplex. Taco has been a leader in the hydronic system component and pump Read more
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A totally new venture for the pump making giant: Air to Water Heat Pump System
Taco’s new prototype heat pump was front and center. Imagine our surprise when first learning of Taco’s venture into the home heating appliance market through partnership with GlenDimplex.
Taco has been a leader in the hydronic system component and pump manufacturing industry since 1920. To our knowledge this is a first for the US pump giant. According to Wikipedia, GlenDimplex is an Irish based consumer electrical goods firm headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. The company is privately held. Has manufacturing and development centers in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, China and many other locations around the world.
We had no previous knowledge of this system prior to the show. Our interview with Taco Canada’s Mike Miller is below. All the technical details we know are included in the video.
Our thoughts on the new Heat Pump system
First, I’m told Taco had the new heat pump on display in their booth as sort of a “soft” reveal for their affiliated reps and interested vendors. This seems about right. Next, even the deepest Google searches and requests for official technical info from our contacts at Taco have come up short. Nonetheless it looks like a very exciting prospect for contractors, especially plumbing contractors not equipped to install refrigeration piping. In short, this is a hydronic system making it very attractive to a much larger crowd of potential installers.
AHR Expo 2019
First, we realize you may have missed attending AHR this year. However you can get a recap of the show from The Hub’s John Mesenbrink.
John’s latest blog touches on the city of Atlanta, some things that impressed him most [and some things that were a little less than impressive]. To clarify, please don’t get us started on our Uber/Lyft experiences while staying in the city. Check out John’s blog here.
Overall, if you found this and John’s blog useful please let us know! You can send us an email or post a comment below. In addition, you can see more of our coverage from the show by following us on Facebook or Instagram. Furthermore, you can watch the many videos we have on our Facebook page under the “AHR Expo 2019” playlist -OR- follow the #ahrhub tag on Instagram to see existing posts with more to come.
RIDGID® Press-In Branch Connector Tool Kit for 3/4-Inch Branches Eliminates the Need to Weld Ideal for chilled water, compressed air, industrial gas and low-pressure steam systems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MuUwpBFQ4Q&t=23s Press Release: ELYRIA, OHIO – January 14, 2019 – Quickly make 3⁄4-inch branch connections on black steel pipe with the new RIDGID® Press-In Branch Connector Tool Kit being Read more
RIDGID® Press-In Branch Connector Tool Kit for 3/4-Inch Branches Eliminates the Need to Weld
Ideal for chilled water, compressed air, industrial gas and low-pressure steam systems
Press Release:
ELYRIA, OHIO – January 14, 2019 – Quickly make 3⁄4-inch branch connections on black steel pipe with the new RIDGID® Press-In Branch Connector Tool Kit being introduced at AHR Expo today. Significantly faster when compared to traditional welding, it is ideal for adding gauges or 3⁄4-inch pipe in chilled water, compressed air, industrial gas and low-pressure steam system applications.
Plumbers, pipe fabricators and maintenance professionals working on 11⁄2-inch to 6-inch black steel pipe will not only save time but also eliminate fire risk and avoid the additional expense of a fire safety watch.
The Connector Tool Kit includes an expander that fits all RIDGID standard press tools, including the RP 340, RP 330, RP 320 and CT-400, and works with Viega Press-In Branch Adapter Fittings. The kit also contains fitting positioning guides, an arbor shaft assembly, drill guide, and vacuum adapters.
The hole saw arbor attaches to standard drills, includes an M27 hole saw, and is designed to prevent the saw from penetrating both sides of the pipe; while the vacuum adapters allow for connection to standard size vacuum hoses to help reduce steel chips falling into the pipe while making the branch. Both the positioning and drill guides ensure proper placement against the pipe.
“The RIDGID Press-In Branch Connector Tool Kit takes our standard press tools up a notch. This accessory kit not only reduces complexity, but more importantly, it speeds up the process when creating branches,” said Rob Trefz, RIDGID Director of Business Development and Marketing. “Particularly in industrial gas settings, when you can eliminate flames and a fire watch, it provides significant project cost savings.”
The Connector Tool Kit comes with the RIDGID Full Lifetime Warranty. Contact your local distributor, visit RIDGID.com, or call toll-free: 1-800-769-7743 to learn more.
Makita XRH12 18V LXT® Brushless Cordless 11/16″ AVT® Rotary Hammer Kit, accepts SDS-PLUS bits, w/ HEPA Dust Extractor Attachment (XRH12TW) is a cordless concrete solution that features AWS™ capability for maximum efficiency and convenient dust extraction. The efficient HEPA filter captures 99.97% of particulates .3 microns and larger. The compatible Dust Extractor Attachment (DX05) with Read more
Makita XRH12
There is a 3-modes of operation: rotation only, hammering with rotation, and hammering only. The variable speed trigger enables the user to match the speed to the application. It is ideal for a range of trades including mechanical/electrical/plumbing contractors, concrete contractors, road and bridge contractors, utility workers, pest control, maintenance operations, and more. It accepts SDS-PLUS bits.
The Rotary Hammer is AWS™ capable with Auto-Start Wireless System, which utilizes Bluetooth® technology for wireless power-on/off communication between tool and equipped dust extractor. To activate AWS, simply install the Auto-Start Wireless Transmitter (198901-5, sold separately) and synchronize with an AWS-equipped dust extractor (sold separately).
New Milwaukee Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades Make More Cuts with Less Blade Changes Last May, at the annual New Tool Symposium (NPS) we got to test out the then announced extreme band saw blades coming from Milwaukee. Here’s a video from the event with the official news release announcing the blades and availability (below) Read more
New Milwaukee Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades Make More Cuts with Less Blade Changes
Last May, at the annual New Tool Symposium (NPS) we got to test out the then announced extreme band saw blades coming from Milwaukee. Here’s a video from the event with the official news release announcing the blades and availability (below):
MILWAUKEE, WI- Milwaukee Tool announces Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades that cut 2x faster and last 3X longer than standard blades in thick and thin metals. When it comes to band saw blades, the biggest user frustration is the frequency of changing out the blade. Milwaukee’s new blades solve this frustration through a combination of enhanced high-speed steel and a variable TPI tooth design, making 2X faster cuts in thick metals and achieving 3X longer life in stainless steel. These features also unlock the ability to cut through cast iron!
The Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades will be available in two variations: Thick Metal Blade and Thin Metal Blade which are both available in all portable Milwaukee band saw sizes. The Thick Metal Blade (8/10 TPI) is optimized to provide best-in-class performance when cutting through thick/extreme metals such as black pipe and angle iron but has the additional versatility to cut common thin metals. The Thin Metal Blade (12/14 TPI) is optimized for best-in-class cuts in thin/extreme metals such as unistrut or EMT conduit but also provides strong performance in tougher thick metals.
The aggressive variable-pitched tooth design of these blades delivers the versatility to cut a wider range of materials with just one blade, providing much longer life in common and extreme materials such as strut, conduit, angle iron, threaded rod, and pipe, and even harder materials like stainless steel and cast iron.
Available Models
Thick Metal
• Deep Cut 8/10 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 3PK (48-39-0601)
• Deep Cut 8/10 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 25PK (48-39-0605)
• Deep Cut 8/10 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 100PK (48-39-0602)
• Compact 8/10 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 3PK (48-39-0609)
• Compact 8/10 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 25PK (48-39-0606)
• Compact 8/10 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 100PK (48-39-0607)
Thin Metal
• Deep Cut 12/14 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 3PK (48-39-0611)
• Deep Cut 12/14 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 25PK (48-39-0615)
• Deep Cut 12/14 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 100PK (48-39-0612)
• Compact 12/14 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 3PK (48-39-0619)
• Compact 12/14 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 25PK (48-39-0616)
• Compact 12/14 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 100PK (48-39-0617)
• Sub-Compact 12/14 TPI Extreme Metal Band Saw Blades – 3PK (48-39-0711)
Hands-on look at the new Makita Tools XRT01 Rebar Tool This week we traveled to the World of Concrete event at the Las Vegas Convention Center to see what’s coming from some of the biggest tool manufacturers in the construction industry. If you’ve never been to the WOC show, like myself, its huge and full Read more
Hands-on look at the new Makita Tools XRT01 Rebar Tool
This week we traveled to the World of Concrete event at the Las Vegas Convention Center to see what’s coming from some of the biggest tool manufacturers in the construction industry. If you’ve never been to the WOC show, like myself, its huge and full of hand-on displays for tool lovers of all types. We got our hands on a lot of tools, the Makita rebar tying tool was just one that left an impression.
Back in October, 2018 Makita announced the addition of 40 new tools to be available immediately. This announcement was made during the annual STAFDA convention in Atlanta and on the list of 40 new tools was the new XRT01 18V LXT Brushless Rebar Tying Tool. Normally a tool like this might slip by us here at MH but considering the usefulness to contractors tying radiant tubing to welded mesh or rebar for new installations, we wanted to get our hands on it.
Makita pulled out all the stops in designing and building their booth at WOC, they had literally dozens of tools powered up and ready to use in simulated scenarios. For the rebar tool they had two different forms built. When I first saw this tool back in October I immediately wondered how it would do for tying PEX tubing so I asked if they had any tubing around the booth to give it a try, they didn’t.
Get in the Uber and head to The Depot
The only way I was going to get first hand experience on whether my ideas for this tool would work was if I brought my own PEX to the show and tried it myself. So that’s what I did.
When I walked up to the concrete forms of rebar in the booth I got a lot of inquisitive looks, it only took about two minutes for nearly every one of the Makita employees to gather around and watch me as I began to test the XRT01 out as a true plumbing/heating contractor would on the job.
It worked flawless. All I did was adjust the torque setting to its lowest level and let’er rip. No kinking, not too tight, not too loose. The capacity of the tool is capped at tying two #5 bars together so the combination of the #5 bar they had and my 1/2″ PEX was well within that range. Check out the video from my tests, all tool specs included at the end of this post.
Makita Tools Rebar Tying Tool features:
