X marks the spot

X marks the spot

The PHVAC industry is ever changing and ever evolving. Suppose I was to tell you there exists a tankless water heater you could install on the hardest of hard water that would never, ever have to be descaled and that its heat exchanger’s water pathways would look...
What’s in your radiant toolbox?

What’s in your radiant toolbox?

Ensure you do the job right the first time. “All I ever do is staple-up.” That was my friend and competitor’s response after he asked me to determine why a recent radiant heating installation was not working satisfactorily because the owners were ticked...
The Christmas turkey and the drain snake

The Christmas turkey and the drain snake

The perils of industrial strength acids. Forty-eight years ago, I learned a valuable lesson as a plumbing apprentice. I had just begun my career in the mechanical trades when I was dispatched to lend a hand cleaning a kitchen sink drain in an apartment building. ...
Déjà vu

Déjà vu

Do your customers a favor by educating them on the issues of PB piping. For you younger tradesfolk who have entered into a mechanical career within the past 20 years, you may never have encountered PB (polybutylene) tubing and fittings. To tell you the truth, it’s...
Dominoes

Dominoes

Failure of one part of a hydronic radiant system can cause the entire row to fall. The exhaust line should have a minimum of 1/4″ fall per foot. Condensate is pushed forward and will pool potentially causing a safety lockout. As a designer/installer of any...