SAINT PAUL, MINN. — If it weren’t for companies like Splash, we would all be a little less comfortable, and our cars wouldn’t be as clean or run at peak performance. A locally owned, Minnesota-based company, Splash manufactures and distributes windshield washer products, as well as de-icers, ice melt, antifreeze, pressure washer cleaner, wiper blades and all-purpose cleaners.
In business since 1995, Splash operates out of Saint Paul, Minnesota, but to manage the national demand for its product, a second plant was opened in Ayer, Massachusetts.
As with most innovative companies, Splash is continuously working to improve its products and processes. According to Adam Lorance, manager at Splash, the company selected P.K. McGuane Plumbing and Heating as the plumbers for the new plant because of the relationship they had already built.
“Brian and his dad, Paul, have been our plumbers for many years,” Lorance said. “They introduced Viega systems to me as a sturdy, time-saving union that would be able to withstand the chemicals we use and the harsh elements of the Northeast. So when they suggested I try it, I did, and I’m happy I did.”
Brian McGuane is a fourth-generation licensed master plumber, working for the company owned by his father. A former Marine, Brian took a class on business development after he started working for his father. In that class, he wrote a business plan with an emphasis on high-efficiency equipment, and in the process of his research, he discovered mechanical pressing systems. Struck by the simplicity and the quality of work they could do, Brian decided to give it a try.
“The first job we did was a four inch copper line,” Brian said, “and the older guys who had never pressed before looked at me like I had two heads because there was no way that this was supposed to work.”
But it did.
“The first joint you press, you can’t believe it worked,” Brian said. “But you’re done and can go on to the next one. I don’t scoff at those not using Viega press technology, but I definitely tell them they need to get on it.”
Since P.K. McGuane was such a fan, they decided to install Viega MegaPress fittings on the Splash project. Brian was tasked with creating a plumbing system that would transport ethanol and methanol in and out of four, 23,000-gallon rail cars.
Used as storage vessels, the rail cars are loaded by tanker trucks. When a tanker truck comes in, it connects to a pump, at which point Splash is able to select what rail car should be offloaded through the use of an electronic panel inside the facility that operates which valves open and close.
Since the piping would need to withstand the harsh winters in Massachusetts, P.K. McGuane selected Viega MegaPress with an EPDM sealing element to connect the approximately 500 feet of galvanized pipe used to transport the liquids. Brian chose galvanized pipe for its corrosion resistance.
P.K. McGuane used a series of valves that allowed them to switch the direction of flow. Instead of only being able to extract methanol to use in the blending process, they are able to connect to the tanker truck to fill and extract at the same connection point.
“With that in mind, there was a higher amount of pressure, because you’re actually filling from the bottom of the rail car,” Lorance said. “Using Viega fittings did the trick, and we were able to sustain the pressure with absolutely no leaks.”
P.K. McGuane got the job done quickly and efficiently to everyone’s satisfaction. At least, until winter came along.
“It was a massively cold winter with lots of snow,” Brian said. “A big ice dam fell off the side of the building and hit my pipe. It was secured to the building with hangers, and the owner of the building told me that my hangers had failed.”
Brian went out to the project to check the damage. The falling ice had detached the pipe hangers from the wall, but he was stunned to realize that the pipe — joined with Viega MegaPress fittings — was still intact. And not only intact, it was still holding pressure (100- to -120 psi).
Mechanical press fittings not only provide a strong, secure connection, but they also help installers save time and labor.
“Threading is a pain,” Brian said. “It’s really a two-man job, but sometimes you don’t have enough room for two guys or you don’t have a second guy. It’s just you fighting a machine. Viega MegaPress is a dream. You can do work that you couldn’t have done before by yourself.”
With the exception of the damage caused by the weather, the project was so successful that Lorance is already planning another project with the same setup.
“Methanol is a highly flammable chemical, so we needed to use couplings we knew we could trust, and it’s been nothing but a success,” Lorance said. “We are going to be doing another large project, and we definitely plan on incorporating Viega systems.”