Taco

Virtual and simulation training isn’t necessarily new to the industry but its acceptance has been met with intrigue, and trepidation. But to say that this is the future of training? Not so fast. The consensus thoughts regarding this type of training is that will never replace in-person or on-the-job training, but it will become a cog in the overall “wheel” for training assets.

According to Taco Comfort Solutions’ Product & Application Instructor-East, Dave Holdorf, Taco doesn’t want to change its training necessarily, rather seek to enhance the training experience.

“We ask many attendees how we can improve our classes and seminars.  One of the most frequent replies is: ‘Add a hands-on section to the class; the theory is great and useful, but I want to install.’

“In a classroom setting, this can sometimes be difficult for the space needed, the time it takes, and to accommodate the different skillsets of attendees. We believe we’re now on a track with virtual reality (VR) training to give that experience to attendees—whether they’re seasoned pros, or new to the trade. VR can help to guide participants in what to look for, and more importantly what not to do on a project,” says Holdorf.

F.W. Webb’s Michael DelConte checks out the VR display at the Taco booth during the AHR Expo.

Ken Midgett, former teacher and apprenticeship Instructor, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, now Plumbing, Marketing Director with Interplay—whose mission statement is “Better Careers Better Lives”—believes that they can play a part in a person’s career trajectory with that person using Interplay’s content. “When a person engages in learning and increases both their fundamental knowledge and the steps to do a task, we are helping that person upskill and creating more career opportunities for them. The value of a product that interplay offers is the demand function. You do not have to wait until a class is offered you can just connect and learn,” says Midgett.

Adaptation to simulation and on-demand training is paramount to success for the learner and the business. Midgett says that traditional classroom learning for skilled trades is becoming more and more challenging for several reasons:

• Finding good instructors: Many think that because they know a skill, they can teach it effectively. As a former educator, this is not always the case. This leads to poor instruction and marginal learners who are not engaged.
• The cost: The cost of running and maintaining a hands-on training center is much higher than instructor salaries and consumables.
• Change or die: Young learners are not inept at learning from lectures. Most skilled trade learners need to be engaged with learning and it must represent meaningful learning.
• The disruption of classroom learning to the workday: A rationale for going to class in the evening for 2-3 hours is losing traction to young learners. Business owners become frustrated with learning times and days as they view this as unproductive time. Young learners need to be met where they are with training that fits their lifestyle.

Interplay Learning training, combined with the new employee with the right attitude who is coachable and willing to learn, can be an explosive combination with a win-win result. “Taking an apprentice and having them spend time training and learning with on-demand training and then pushing that person into the field with a skilled person to watch and do in the real world is the best way to train this person or persons at scale,” says Midgett, who says there are numerous other advantages to this model:

• On-job efficiency increases as the apprentice now possesses the foundational knowledge and skills to perform a given task.
  • Relationships are better between the journeymen and the apprentice, as the journeyman perceives the apprentice as engaged and productive.
  • Business owners experience low turnover, better culture, and increased revenue as these new hires have direction and are leaning at scale.
  • Technicians feel confident in their work due to training and upskilling.
  • Callbacks are reduced and remediation training for the technician to increase their confidence
  • Service managers can focus on coaching and maintaining technician stats instead of being the only technical lifeline for numerous techs.
  • When sending these apprentices to “factory training,” they can engage and understand this much better due to the foundational knowledge.

Nonetheless, Midgett says there are a few things to note and understand about simulation and on-demand training:
• On-the-job or hands-on training with higher skilled supervision cannot be replaced.

• Simulations are great at teaching steps and muscle memory of a task.
• Simulation or any on-demand training cannot teach “feel.” As an example, simulation training cannot teach the skill of what “tight” feels like with a pair of wrenches on threaded steel piping or how tight to make a tank-to-bowl connection on a closet, or how tight a screw should be on the control board. This is what the onsite skilled person or journeyman must understand and teach effectively on site.

“While VR, AR and simulation-based technology are great resources, I do not think that any one particular learning system or style is the future,” says Rich Camacho, CEO & Co-Founder, BlueRecruit. Having said that, Camacho utilizes Interplay’s services (all of Interplay’s certifications and courses live on BlueRecruit, and when a person completes an Interplay course, they can then add that qualification to their BlueRecruit profile to strengthen their profile for Employer) and he thinks Interplay is a fantastic tool to augment in-class learning and a great launch point for someone either just entering the trades or seeking to upskill a particular technique.

“However, at the end of the day true craft mastery will occur in the field with a wrench. As technology continues to improve and costs continue to decline, Interplay will play a larger and larger part of building the next generation of skilled trades professionals and we’re excited to work alongside them in building “Better Careers and Better Lives,” says Camacho.

Homeowner’s Mid-January Crisis Resolved by New Jersey Contractor

Surprisingly warm temperatures greeted residents of Mid-Atlantic  states In the middle of January. For people living in the area who typically face freezing temperatures, severe nor’easter snowstorms, and perilous ice storms, temperatures ranging from the mid-30s to low-40s without precipitation was almost a best-case scenario for the residents’ safety – and thermal comfort.

Despite the mild atmospheric conditions that occurred last January, homeowners who have a malfunctioning boiler, even in tranquil weather, may unexpectedly find themselves in a catastrophe at home. This was the situation a homeowner from New Jersey faced when the heating unit of a century-old home stopped working, causing the residents to shiver as evening temperatures approached the freezing point.

Ezzy Travis, a plumbing and heating contractor and solo proprietor of E. Travis Mechanical installed a HTP ELU 150K BTU boiler to substitute the feeble and inefficient one. Four days without heat or water might not seem like a lot, but can seem like an eternity for people living in the house.

“The boiler was only about 12 years old, but was not properly serviced,’’ Travis said. “With the amount of time it would’ve required to repair the boiler, it didn’t make sense. It also wasn’t piped 100 percent correctly.”

Workers from E. Travis Mechanical replaced the heating system in a century-old New Jersey home when the existing system failed during January, one of the coldest months of the year in the Garden State.

A Fresh Start

Prior to arriving at the home in the New Jersey neighborhood of Glen Rock, Travis had already fixed other home heating emergencies. Upon assessing the situation, he recognized the project required extensive repairs, rather than a short-term solution.

“A wholesaler referred this project to me,’’ Travis said. “I knew right away we’d have to replace the boiler and all the piping. Things weren’t done 100 percent correctly, and I have a standard way of doing things. All the piping in the mechanical room and the boiler had to be ripped out. The only thing that was salvageable was the indirect tank. It had been installed in August, so there was no reason to rip it out.”

Constructed in 1916, the traditional house features four bedrooms and three baths, in a 3,200 square feet area. Despite the house being quite expansive, the mechanical room’s workspace did not have the same luxury.

“That was probably the biggest challenge we faced,’’ he said. “It wasn’t a deep mechanical room. There just wasn’t a lot of room for two of us. I needed another set of hands for this one. We had to ask each other to move out of the way when we had to move within the room. It was a pretty tight squeeze with some significant space constraints.”

Contractors often encounter working areas that are cramped like a sardine can. “It’s weird because many times when you need space, you don’t have it,’’ Travis said. “Other times we’ll install something that is relatively small, and we have all the space in the world. A lot of my jobs are in areas where everybody wants to utilize every square inch of the basement. I’ll have to spend time putting down protective material for the carpet and wall, which makes it take longer. I don’t want to do any damage to the house.”

Navigating tight staircases with burdensome boilers is a risk that contractors frequently experience. When setting up the new boiler to replace the faulty one, Travis and his helper maneuvered carefully as they removed the old unit and installed the new one.

The project included the installation of an HTP ELU 150K boiler, which was selected for its durability and 11:1 turndown ratio.

Turning Up the Heat

Finding the appropriate boiler is key for a project in an old home with many rooms and floors. Contractors must consider that houses with compromised insulation and large square feet make the selection even more important.

“I had to factor in the heat loss of the house,’’ Travis said. “In this part of New Jersey, we see a lot of houses like that. In a hydronic system, you need to do thorough heat loss analysis. I wanted to make sure that the unit we installed was able to overcome any heat loss within the house.”

The high BTU output the HTP boiler provides was the deciding factor in Travis’ choice. “I also liked the fact that it had a 11:1 turndown ratio,’’ Travis said. “I like the simplicity of it. It’s not a complicated boiler. Because of the age of the house, I was also concerned about heat loss. I wanted to make sure we had enough BTUs to heat the entire house.”

In nearly all residential heating systems, the 11:1 ratio is a significant factor to consider. Whenever a boiler or burner finishes a cycle, it uses a substantial amount of energy. Reducing the amount of complete on and off cycles by utilizing a higher turndown ratio can minimize inefficiencies, resulting in lower maintenance costs. Additionally, high turndown burners are capable of responding more rapidly to changes in demand.

The HTP units – offered in sizes from 85K BTU input and all the way up to 199K BTU input – feature high-quality stainless-steel heat exchangers that guarantees the highest quality at the boiler’s core with corrosion resistance. The amplification in water flow provided by the heat exchanger results in increased turbulence that helps scrub the internal walls, thus reducing the accumulation of hazardous deposits.

“I liked the simplicity of this boiler,’’ Travis said. “There are not a lot of moving parts and it’s pretty uncomplicated.”

The HTP ELU boiler includes a Wi-Fi solution that enables remote monitoring and notifies personnel when faults occur in the system.

Linked Together

With the help of HTP link technology, the HTP ELU boiler offers a Wi-Fi solution for remote observation and alerts staff in the instance of a system fault. The boiler’s settings can also be conveniently adjusted on location without getting up from the chair.

During his 20-plus years in the industry, Travis has suggested HTP units for several projects. “I like their efficiency, durability and simplicity,’’ he said. “I get a lot of support when I’m installing them. They’ve been a good product for me over the years.”

Despite primarily being a one-man team, Travis takes pride in resolving significant or minor issues for all his clients. “I don’t feel like I’m doing anything special,’’ he said. “I’m just doing what I do. Fortunately, we were able to come up with a good solution for this rather quickly. It’s never a good thing for a homeowner to be without heat in the middle of winter.”

Brian Giardina writes on building, construction, engineering and other trade industry topics for publications throughout the United States.

Electric water pumps are becoming an increasingly popular choice in a variety of applications, from programmable additional heating in vehicles to precision and efficiency in industrial settings. But how do these pumps work? 

In this blog post, we will explore the inner workings of electric water pumps, from the electrical energy input to the mechanical energy output that drives the pumping process. We will also take a look at the main uses of electric water truck pump and how they have evolved over time. So, if you are curious about the technology behind these pumps, just keep reading.

How Electric Water Pumps Work

Electric water pumps are powered by electricity, which is a great option for those who want to be environmentally conscious. These pumps can be used to move water in or around a home or business, and they are very versatile in their uses. If you’re considering installing an electric water pump system at your property, here’s what you need to know!

The Basic components of an electric water pump

There are three basic components that make up an electric pump system: the motor, the casing, and the impeller. The motor is what actually moves the water through the system; it’s powered by electricity, which comes from either a wall outlet or solar panels on your roof. The casing houses all of these components and keeps them safe from outside elements like dirt and debris (you’ll need to clean this part regularly). Finally, there’s the impeller—this is what actually pumps water through your pipes once all of those other parts have been put together properly!

How electric water pumps move water

The mechanics of an electric water pump are fairly straightforward: they use electricity to spin a turbine or impeller, which then moves water through pipes and into your house. The turbine or impeller itself is connected to two shafts: one that runs vertically and one that runs horizontally; when the shafts spin together they create suction pressure within the pipe system that moves the water up from its source (such as a well) into your house where it can be used for drinking or bathing purposes.”

Types of Electric Water Pumps

While electric water pumps come in all designs, shapes and sizes, it is important to understand their differences and how they fit your needs. In this section, we’ll provide a brief description of 3 of these pumps, how they compare and how they work, namely: submersible pumps, centrifugal pumps, and positive displacement pumps.

Submersible pumps

Submersible pumps are the most common type of pump used in residential homes and commercial businesses. They work by using a spinning impeller to force water through the pump’s body and out its discharge port. The process is similar to how a toilet works—the spinning impeller creates a suction that pulls dirty water into the pump’s body, where it’s cleaned by internal components before being pushed out of the discharge port.

Centrifugal pumps

Centrifugal pumps are often used when there isn’t room for a submersible pump, such as in large industrial settings where there is ample space for them to be installed above ground. Centrifugal pumps work by harnessing kinetic energy from moving parts to create pressure within the pump’s body, which forces dirty water through an intake port before being discharged through another port on the opposite side of the body (usually positioned above ground).

Positive Displacement pumps

Positive displacement pumps are the most common type of electric water pump. They are also known as constant-displacement pumps because they can deliver a set volume of water for each revolution.

Unlike centrifugal pumps, which draw water into a rotating impeller and force it out through a discharge pipe, positive displacement pumps move water through the entire pump without relying on any movement outside the pump’s casing. The impeller draws in a small amount of water at its center and pushes it out through an outlet opening. This action creates a vacuum behind the impeller that pulls in more water to replace what has been pumped out, maintaining constant flow throughout the entire cycle.

Conclusion

It’s clear that electric water pumps are a necessity for any home. They provide a safe and efficient way to transfer water from one location to another. Electric water pumps can be purchased in a variety of different forms, so it’s important to carefully consider the factors that matter most when choosing your preferred model. This can include things like size, design, power supply, and cost.

In this article, you have learned the importance and function of electric water pumps. You have also been given information on 3 different types of electric water pumps available, as well as the factors to consider when choosing one. Hopefully, the information provided will help you select the one best suited to your needs.