June 1, 2009
Articles
Antebellum estate gets hydronic makeover
Alexandria, Va. — An Antebellum estate located here received a hydronic makeover thanks to Foley Mechanical, a mechanical contracting firm located here that specializes in hydronic and HVAC systems....
Texas may be second state to mandate HET standards
Austin, Texas Texas may soon be the second state, after California, to require all toilets sold on and after Jan. 1, 2014, to be 1.28-gpf or less and...
WaterSense specs address plumbing systems, not plumbers
The Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense for Homes specifications for single-family new homes were revised this May, based on public comments and additional research, regarding the original draft’s specifications. ...
Viega opens 439,000-sq.ft. manufacturing center in Kansas
Mcpherson, Kan. - Nearly a thousand industry partners, government officials and Viega personnel gathered in late April for the official grand opening...
Work Truck Show highlights vehicles, tools, technologies
Chicago The Work Truck Show and National Truck Equipment Association Convention held here at McCormick Place in March, featured a variety of work trucks...
Study concludes more contractors are purchasing power tools online
CONTRACTOR’s 2009 Power Tool Study, completed this spring, shows that the number of readers purchasing power tools online continues to increase — 9.6% of readers purchase power tools online, compared to 8.5% in 2007 and 7% in 2006....
K/BIS products focus on design, conservation, efficiency
At the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show held at the Georgia World Congress Center here, April 30 - May 3, attendees previewed not only the latest high-end product designs and styles for kitchen and bath products, they also previewed the sustainable technologies that have been integrated into a variety of different products to ensure that energy efficiency and water conservation is a top priority. ...
Contractors turn excess inventory into cash
Plumbing and HVAC professionals can sell their excess inventory on OddballSupply.com, a Web site that recently became a Nexstar Strategic Partner, helping contractors, manufacturers and suppliers sell and purchase excess inventory at discounted prices. ...
GreenPlumbers, GreenMech partner for efficiency advocacy
GreenPlumbers USA and the Green Mechanical Council have announced a collaborative partnership to speed up the installation of green educational programs to the construction industry....
In Brief - June 2009
TAC Field Devices has updated its voluntary recall of TAC Erie BB2400 Boiler Operating Controls and BB1200 Boiler Reset Controls, started in conjunction...
Scheduling basics: the CPM approach
We've covered work load management, estimating, inventory control and labor. The next basic is job scheduling. So, you were either invited to bid a job,...
Energy Star, tax credits create opportunities
Two events this year have created new opportunities for plumbing and heating contractors: Energy Star released efficiency criteria for five categories of residential water heaters, equating to a huge leap in energy savings, and the Stimulus Bill provides new or expanded tax credits for four water heater types. ...
Green is the Water Heating Future
There are nine million water heaters sold in the U.S. each year, more or less, definitely less this year. Around 95% of them are conventional tank-type...
The 1.28-gpf limbo: how low can we go?
I'm on a toilet binge seriously! While I was admiring our newest 1.28-gpf water closet's performance the other day, it struck me that I've been working...
Contractors use cast iron
When the home improvement series “This Old House” tackled its first New York City project, the contractors used Charlotte Pipe and Foundry's cast iron pipe and fittings for the plumbing. ...
The ultimate comfort system Part 1
Ever since I got into hydronic heating, I have had a dream to have a system that would incorporate every reasonably available method of heating as it...
Residential contractors have upper hand
The potential IRC residential sprinkler requirement market that is now open to those who install fire sprinklers is also open to the plumbing industry ...
Two new Web-based sharing solutions
If you've ever put together a company newsletter, but gave it up because of the many details and costs involved, and because the news became old all too quickly, you might want to take advantage of MagCloud, a web based self-publishing print-on-demand (POD) service. ...
What you need to know about public work
By now it is clear that nearly every segment of the construction economy has been adversely affected by the recession. As private work, starting with...
Captive insurance cuts business costs
The Internal Revenue Code is not a friendly creature. It is designed to take your money. Yet, there is a section of the Code, Section 831(b), dealing...
Increase business with outbound calls
Life is great when your phone is ringing off the hook and customers are requesting service. Usually, this happens during and after extreme weather conditions,...
PMI updates mission statement
The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute recognized a key facet of its member-driven initiatives by updating its mission statement to recognize the critical and growing importance of environmental sustainability in the products its members produce. ...
Observations about the art of service
It is sometimes easy to forget how important service is to the customer especially since businesses are so consumed with the bottom line and what they...
Stop heavy equipment theft in its tracks
Theft of equipment from construction sites amounts to as much as $1 billion annually, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and it estimates...
Mr. Waterheater promotes conservation
In an effort to continue delivering economical and environmentally sound products for keeping water hot, Mr. Waterheater is launching a water and energy conservation awareness campaign, targeting consumers this fall. ...
Literature Showcase - June 2009
ADRIAN STEEL PROVIDES CARGO MANAGEMENT solutions for commercial vehicles and cargo trailers. Shelving, partitions and ladder racks keep your cargo safe...
Green Products - June 2009
editor's choice THE SOLARAIDE MODEL RS80-42BP PASSIVE SOLAR SYSTEM features 80 gal. of storage and incorporates two solar collectors to meet the annual...
Products - June 2009
editor's choice THE TTW FVIR WATER HEATERS feature a different version of the Defender Safety combustion and control system that includes a new spark-to-pilot...
Water heaters, tax credits and financing
Water heating has been a commodity for way too long. Homeowners seemed unwilling to pay more than $120 at a home center for what was essentially a pot...
advertisement
Social Media
|
Follow us on 
|
Become a fan on 
|
New Products
Opinion Poll
Industry Resources
advertisement
Best of 2010!
Here are Contractormag's top articles of 2010.
Click here to see if your favorites made the list!
Reader Comments