 |
|
- The San Diego Union-Tribune
reports that City Council members in Chula Vista, CA, have approved aggressive green building standards that require all new construction and major renovations to use water- and energy-efficient construction methods.
-
Danfoss has entered into an agreement to take over the majority of shares in Eco Heat Pumps, Sheffield, England, which markets heat pumps in the British market. Eco Heat Pumps is Danfoss' sixth acquisition within the heat pumps industry in less than three years.
|
|
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. |
|
|
| |
|
Water Heater Study Reveals Quality Matters 
According to a new study by Clear Seas Research on the U.S. water heater market, quality was the most important factor to plumbing and heating contractors when choosing a brand of water heater to carry and install. A full 70% of the contractors surveyed said their No. 1 reason for selecting a water heater was quality, followed next by brand reputation (62%), price (45%), warranty (45%), brand stocked by wholesaler (44%), and technical support (41%).
AHRI Awarded ANSI Accreditation
Th
e Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) recently announced its accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a standards developing organization. "ANSI accreditation adds value to our standards development process by confirming that our procedures meet ANSI's essential requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process," said AHRI President Stephen Yurek. "In order to maintain accreditation, AHRI is required to consistently adhere to a rigorous set of requirements and procedures."
75 Years Of Service: Danfoss Celebrates A Milestone 
Danfoss Flomatic Corp. recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. Forrest S. White
founded the company as the White Flomatic Corp. in 1933 in Hoosick Falls, NY. Today the manufacturer of high quality valves primarily for domestic and municipal water and wastewater applications is located in Glens Falls, NY. Click here to read more about the milestone.
DVD Highlights Chicago Faucets' Manufacturing and History
C
hicago Faucets produced a new DVD that provides in-depth information on the company's manufacturing process and features an overview on the company's rich history. The manufacturing segment begins in the Milwaukee, WI, foundry where the company's brass is cast. The cast brass faucets then move to the plating process and are hand polished. The 62-step manufacturing process of the Quaturn® cartridge in Duffin, OH, is also showcased. To receive a free DVD, call 800-323-5060. |
|
|
|
|
|
Victaulic has announced four key promotions: Lawrence W. Thau Jr. has been appointed executive vice president and chief technical officer from vice president - engineering. Also promoted were Wayne Barefoot, to chief financial officer;
Joe Savage, to vice president - finance ; and Jim Renner, to vice president - marketing.
Sloan Valve Co. has promoted Bill Madison from northeast regional sales manager to national sales manager. In his new position, Madison will manage and direct the regional sales managers and the national repair parts manager.
The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute has signed an agreement with Rashod R. Johnson [photo] of The Roderick Group  to assist PMI Technical Director Shawn Martin
in the association's various technical initiatives. Johnson will monitor the activities of several industry consensus standards impacting the membership, including ASME, CSA and ASTM. He will also provide support for PMI's code activities in Canada. Separately, PMI announced that John Hasemann has joined the association as operations director. He will assist with PMI's day-to-day operations, public relations efforts and meeting planning.
ITT Residential & Commercial Water's Bell & Gossett division has announced that Gritton & Associates
is now its representative in the Las Vegas, NV, area. Gritton & Associates, headquartered in the Salt Lake City area, has been the Bell & Gossett representative in Utah and surrounding states for 67 years. Gritton will be opening a full-service branch office in Las Vegas.
|
|
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!
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
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.
$49 for the Webinar, downloadable reference and Q&A session.
[Early Bird Rate ($49) Expires May 29, 2008. Price after 5/29/08: $79 (US).]
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.]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
re from
Sustainable Design 
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.
CONNECT WITH PM ENGINEER: