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ASHRAE and the Building Owners and Managers Assn. Intl. recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in many ways, including fully participating in standards development. The agreement is centered on ASHRAE standards 62.1, 90.1, 180P and 189.1P.
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The city council of Raleigh, NC, has reversed its ban on the installation of food waste disposers. Feedback from
community residents, the manufacturer InSinkErator and disposal/environmental experts convinced the council to change its position just six weeks after approving the ban.
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PRODUCT SHOWCASE: SOFFI-STEEL®
The Soffi-Steel® System is a custom-fitted, utility concealment shield for use in residential, commercial and institutional facilities nationwide. The Soffi-Steel® System covers exposed fire sprinklers, HVAC and plumbing, in addition to other utilities. Ideal for retrofits, renovations or new construction, the metal enclosure comes available in various gauges, finishes and dimensions. Soffi-Steel® is FM approved. For further information, contact:
Grice Engineering Inc.; 800-800-3213; www.soffisteel.com; email: marketing@soffisteel.net. |
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Plumbing Museum to Relocate, Open in Fall 2008 
The Plumbing Museum, previously based in Worcester, MA, is being moved to a renovated icehouse at the company headquarters of J.C. Cannistraro, LLC, in Watertown, MA, and will open this fall. Its displays will outline industry history through examples of tools/materials/fixtures used from the early 18th to early 21st century.
Caroma Supports KS Town's Effort to Rebuild Green
Caroma USA has donated 200 of its dual-flush toilets to Greensburg, KS, as it rebuilds after the damage of a catastrophic tornado that hit the town May 4, 2007. With 95% of the town destroyed, residents and officials decided to rebuild potentially as the greenest town in the country. The toilets initially will be installed in lodging, demonstration homes and city offices. Commercial businesses are also participating in building green.
PMI Signs Agreement With Canadian Trade Group 
Barbara C. Higgens, executive director of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute and Ralph Suppa, president and general manager of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a framework for cooperation between the two not-for-profit trade groups, thus formalizing an already productive 10-year relationship.
Elkay Plumbing Products Division Sells Canadian Operations
Elkay Plumbing Products Division has announced the company sale of its Elkay Canada Ltd. operations to Novanni Stainless Inc. Novanni Stainless Inc. - a newly formed company owned by Oakville Stamping and Bending Ltd. and Supreme Metal Products Inc. OS&B, a privately held company - is Canada's largest manufacturer of overflows, traps, lavatory drains, tubular brass fittings and flexible supply hoses. Supreme Metal Products Inc., also a privately held company, is Canada's largest manufacturer of sink strainers. Novanni Stainless Inc. will continue to serve Elkay Canada Ltd.'s Canadian customers.
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Moen Inc. has announced the promotion of Arthur Gallagher
to regional manager of commercial sales, Northeast region. Gallagher joined Moen in 2001 as a territory manager and was promoted to senior territory manager in 2006. He received the Circle of Excellence Award, an internal Moen award for sales representatives who maximize their sales goals, in 2002 and 2005.
Elkay Mfg. Co.'s Walter E. Reilly [photo], corporate vice president and chief human resources officer, has retired.  His role at Elkay included activities such as labor and employee relations, organization and leadership development and employee health and wellness.
Reilly also served as a member of Elkay's executive council.
Rheem Mfg. Co. has announced the appointment of Peter Reynolds to vice president, general manager of the Water Heating Division. Reynolds will lead the division through the implementation of strategic product and marketing initiatives developed in cooperation with the Rheem corporate team.
Amy Berg-Ferguson
has joined the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute as association manager. She will be responsible for day-to-day office administration, member services, public relations and meeting planning. Her background includes experience in office management, sales and marketing communications.
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Solar Design Notebook...
Coming Soon to PM Engineer
New column by John Siegenthaler starts in June
Dear PM Engineer Readers:
Interest in solar energy technology has increased almost as fast as fuel prices in recent months. Many HVAC engineers have undoubtedly been asked if solar energy hardware can somehow be incorporated into more traditional system designs in the interest of reducing operating cost.
Fortunately, modern space heating and domestic hot water systems (especially those using hydronics technology) are often quite adaptable to use of solar energy. Unfortunately, there aren't many references currently available in North America that show engineers how to do this.
PM Engineer recognizes this need and is responding by launching a new bimonthly column titled "Solar Design Notebook." Its intent is to familiarize engineers with modern equipment and design concepts for integrating solar thermal technology into traditional HVAC applications.
The first column will appear in the June issue of PME. Subsequent columns will appear in the August, October and December issues. Initial columns will cover the fundamentals of solar thermal system design.
Later columns will delve into more detail as they discuss systems ranging from residential domestic water heating to larger commercial applications of solar thermal technology. The column will also contrast the concepts and hardware now used in North America with those used in Europe, where solar thermal technology is now a mainstream market.
Our goal is to provide readers with information that encourages and supports the use of solar thermal technology in applications where it makes economic and environmental sense. We sincerely welcome your feedback on the new column as we strive to bring you information that fulfills this goal.
Sincerely,
John Siegenthaler, P.E.
Contributing Editor - PM Engineer
Subscribe to PM Engineer today!
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Enter The 2008 Excellence in Design Awards Competition!
PM Engineer Wants to Hear About Your Most Unique Design.
Entries Now Being Accepted. Deadline is Sept. 8, 2008.
If you're a consulting, specifying or design engineering firm, you can submit your most interesting projects for PME's Excellence in Design Awards contest. PME is ready to honor the most unique designs of 2008 in these market segments: plumbing, piping, hydronics or sprinklers.
Designs will be judged based on the following criteria:
1. Innovation in design. Explain why you feel your project is an innovative design.
2. Customer satisfaction. What steps did you take to satisfy the customer on this project?
3. Ability to meet schedules. How did you ensure that the schedules were all met on the project?
4. Cost-efficient strategies. What strategies did you employ to meet your budget or improve cost efficiency on the project?
5. Community improvement. How does this project improve the community in which it is based?
To nominate your company's best design, e-mail the editor a very detailed statement describing how your design meets any or all of the five criteria outlined above. We'll follow up by contacting those who submit the most intriguing descriptions.
Please e-mail all submissions to Jim Camillo at camilloj@bnpmedia.com. (Include the name, phone number and e-mail address of the correct contact person at your company.) Nominations also can be mailed to: Jim Camillo, PM Engineer, 1050 IL Rt. 83, Suite 200, Bensenville, IL 60106-1096; or faxed to 248-283-6547. Call Jim with any questions at 630-694-4011.
AN ONLINE ENTRY FORM IS NOW AVAILABLE (simply click
here). |
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Mark Your Calendar
PM Engineer MEC WEBINAR SERIES
CONTINUES JUNE 12
This series of intensive 90-minute Webinars presents the latest concepts for modern hydronic heating system design in both residential and commercial applications. Attendees learn state-of-the-art concepts that enable them to design efficient, affordable and reliable hydronic systems. Economically priced, they are a fraction of the cost of travel and attendance fees for other high-priced conferences or seminars.
CE/PDH Credit* is available.
The upcoming Webinar topics include:
Home Run Distribution Systems - An Outstanding Alternative to Metal Piping
Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 1:00 pm ET.
$79 for the Webinar, downloadable reference and Q&A session.
Sponsored by: Uponor
All Webinars presented by John Siegenthaler, P.E. John is a licensed engineer with nearly 30 years of experience in hydronic heating. He also is a writer, software developer and columnist for PM and PM Engineer magazines.
Register today at http://webinar.pmengineer.com. If you're busy that day,
sign up anyway. You have 12 months to play back the scheduled broadcast any time you like.
Missed one of our 2007 MEC Webinars? Or the first three Webinars held in 2008 (Feb 14, March 20 and May 1)? No Problem! They are now available On-Demand!
*CE/PDH [A Continuing Education--Professional Development Hours (1.5 credit hour) Certificate of Completion will be made available for those who attend. It is up to each individual to verify if a given course is approved by their state licensing board.]
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Battery Backup for Sump Pumps
Electro-Matic Products Co. offers the Drytrol II, a one-piece unit that supplies reliable, uninterrupted AC power to primary or secondary 120VAC sump pumps during a power outage. It can be
used with any standard AC sump pump rated up to 1/3hp, 8 amps. The unit's sleek, lightweight design includes a digital LED and an audible alarm to indicate the operating mode and system status. Drytrol II automatically tests each pump daily, keeping pumps primed and ready for operation. |
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 Suite of Product Group Catalogs
After four years of some major product improvements and additions, Schier Products is pleased to announce the arrival of its 2008 suite of product group catalogs. The suite includes specific different catalogs for the company's grease interceptors, oil separators, solids interceptors and chemical waste tanks. These catalogs are designed for anyone involved in the specification, installation or purchase of commercial or industrial plumbing products. To request one or all of these free catalogs, call 800-827-7119 or log on to
www.schierproducts.com.
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"Green" Fuel Burner
Pro-Fire V is the newest addition to the Pro-Fire series of burners by
Cleaver-Brooks. This burner offers facilities up to 10:1 turndown on natural gas, as well as the option for sub-30 ppm operation throughout the firing range. The Pro-Fire series is available in four sizes, from 1.5 MM Btu to 11 MM Btu and is ideal for use with water tube
boilers in both commercial and industrial applications, showing solid performance at emissions levels of less than 30 ppm NOx or 20 ppm NOx on selected applications. |
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 Valve Set For Tankless Water Heaters
With the rising popularity of tankless water heaters,
Cimberio Valve
offers CimKIT, a valve set for the installation of all tankless water heaters. The CimKIT includes a pressure relief valve and two supply valves that combine the functions of a union, ball valve and drain, eliminating the need to field fabricate up to 20 different connections. CimKIT is available in ¾-inch sizes with four different supply connections. Its color-coded, quarter-turn handles remain forward facing and easily accessible after installation.
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ASK THE EXPERT... AT PM ENGINEER MAGAZINE
Got a general question about plumbing, fire protection or hydronics?
Submit your question to camilloj@bnpmedia.com and we'll get it answered for you in a matter of days, or maybe even hours.
Please be sure to include your position within the plumbing industry [engineer, contractor or wholesaler] so we can forward it to the proper person. |
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| Check Out the Latest Issue of Bath & Kitchen Pro
BNP Media has just published the Spring 2008 issue of Bath & Kitchen Pro (BKP), a unique publication created for a powerful audience of bath-and-kitchen installers, distributors with showrooms and designers. Unlike other magazines that focus purely on design, Bath & Kitchen Pro provides information on installation and purchasing, as well as design trends.
To see what's inside the latest issue of Bath & Kitchen Pro, visit
www.bathandkitchenpro.com. This Web site complements Bath & Kitchen Pro and helps you stay up to date between issues by posting industry news, product news and photos, and a blog written by Bath & Kitchen Pro staff members.
Bath & Kitchen Pro will be published three times in 2008 (Winter, Spring and Fall) and distributed at major B&K shows in addition to its 55,000 circulation drawn from the readers of Plumbing & Mechanical, Supply House Times, Tile, Stone World, and Environmental Design + Construction.
For additional information, contact Publisher Bob Miodonski at 630-694-4007 and miodonskir@bnpmedia.com or Managing Editor Kelly Johnson at 630-694-4379 and johnsonk@bnpmedia.com. |
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MAKE SURE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO PM ENGINEER DOESN'T RUN OUT.
Consider using the online subscription option on PME's website. Renew or start a new subscription at
www.PMEngineer.com today!
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For more information about sponsoring the PME Enewsletter, please contact publisher Bob Miodonski at (630) 694-4007 or e-mail: 
Virtual encyclopedia on modern hydronic systems.
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