PM Engineer

Root Moves Up At Laars
William (Bill) Root has been appointed vice president and general manager for Laars Heating Systems Co. He assumes the role following the retirement of Angelo Sinisi. Root joined Laars in 1998 and soon assumed the title of vice president, sales and marketing. Shortly after Bradford White's acquisition of Laars in 2005, Root was instrumental in helping Laars introduce many new commercial and residential boilers as well as volume water heating products and controls. Also, Laars announced the hiring of Chuck O'Donnell as product marketing manager. He has more than 11 years of experience in engineering, applications and marketing management, and is helping to develop new product concepts and market strategies for Laars.

Victaulic Names New Marketing/Communication Director
Victaulic announced that Eric Luftig has joined the company as director of marketing and communications. In addition to serving as a company spokesperson, Luftig will direct integrated marketing efforts in key markets and ensure consistency and effectiveness in defining and developing the Victaulic brand and corporate identity. Before joining Victaulic, Luftig led the sales, marketing and product management efforts for the Plastic Films Technologies Division at Scholle Materials.

PMI Hires Technical Specialist
The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI) has hired Charles Hernandez as technical specialist. Hernandez will be responsible for fielding and researching members' technical questions, analyzing and reporting on proposed code and standard changes and attending and monitoring code and standard hearings and meetings. Hernandez most recently worked as an independent consultant, providing guidance on project management, efficiency improvements and maintenance management. He also has worked with the Illinois Labor Relations Board as a board member.

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Stimulus Money, Green Building: Reasons for Optimism In 2010
by Bob Miodonski

The ICC Plumbing Code Results
by Julius Ballanco

What About Green?
by Joseph Sanchez

A Business Lesson From Braveheart
by Tim Fausch

Trade Associations Need To Make People Feel Welcome
by Jim Olsztynski

Got something to get off your chest? You, too, can be a blogger sharing opinions, insights and experiences with fellow professionals.

Send us your article or just tell us what you want to say by contacting Jim Olsztynski at olsztynskij@bnpmedia.com, or Bob Miodonski at miodonskib@bnpmedia.com.

BEST SELLERS for 2009

Piping Databook - $112.95
Whether it's the thermal conductivity of insulation materials or a conversion factor for viscosity, sizes and types of metallic or nonmetallic pipe or fitting dimensions, manufacturers' names or that elusive bit of terminology, the Piping Databook will spare you hours of frustrating fact-hunting. Follow this link for a complete description.

Pocket Guide to Flanges, Fittings, and Piping Data - $60.95
Packed with pictures, definitions, and descriptions of ANSI and API piping materials, such as flanges, fittings, bolts, gaskets, and required wrench sizes. It contains basic information and data to answer common questions that arise in materials handling, pipe fitting, and engineering.  Follow this link for a complete description. 

College of Product Knowledge CD - NOW $89.85
The Best-Read, most highly acclaimed product training series ever published in the plumbing industry has been made available to fill the gaping hole in the plumbing industry's knowledge training.  The College of Product Knowledge  is ideal for wholesalers, manufacturers, agents, designers, contractors, technicians, engineers, architects and other pros that need to understand a variety of plumbing systems and components. Follow this link for a complete description.

History of Plumbing CD -- Sponsored by American Standard - $35.00
PM magazine's wildly popular History of Plumbing Series is available on CD-ROM. History articles cover informative topics such as ancient plumbing, water-borne diseases, early-American innovation, the history of hydronic heating, and more! Follow this link for a complete description.

Visit AECStore.com to view all of our technical resources, CDs and DVDs.

Solar Pumping Station
Taco's newest solar technology package combines the necessary products for a closed-loop water-heating system. The station includes an integral variable-speed solar control pump, isolation ball valves, air elimination flow meter and safety group. 

Horizontal Boiler
Fulton's firetube steam and hot water boilers (up to 800 horsepower) feature a three-pass wet-back design and are offered with an open protocol burner with a pressure rating up to 300 psig MAWP. A programmable logic controller boiler control system shows current boiler status and provides high-tech display parameters for burner firing rate, stack temperature, steam pressure, boiler water temperature and stack oxygen levels.

Flow Valve
Bell & Gossett's The Low Flow Circuit Sentry valve features a unique field-adjusted cartridge that allows the selection of exact flows for specific applications and is designed for automatic flow-limiting style balancing of both HVAC cooling and heating circuits.

Heat Exchange System
The RAUGEO is a high-efficiency geothermal engery source for heating and cooling. Composed of RAUGEO PEXa pipe, EVERLOC fittings, geothermal manifolds and a horizontal or vertical ground loop heat exchanger, the system capitalizes on the earth's ability to provide and store heat energy.

Hybrid Heating
The Eternal Condensing Hybrid uses a full-flow design and stainless-steel heat exchanger with a built-in 2-gallon reserve. It combines the flow capacity of traditional tanks with the continuity of modern tankless units to supply consistent hot water with good pressure for up to five simultaneous applications.

Piping Alternative 
The Aquatherm Lilac was developed exclusively for applications such as toilet/drain water, rainwater collection, laundry/cleaning and irrigation. The Lilac, which uses a simple heat fusion to create seamless connections, also features a durable and corrosion-resistant polypropylene material that is a fully recyclable, environmentally friendly alternative to plastic and metal piping.

Condensing Boiler
Lochinvar's new CREST Heating Boiler will be available in five models with capacities of 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 million BTU/hr. inputs. The boiler will also feature an advanced burner and combustion system and a SMART TOUCH operating control platform enhanced with an 8-inch touchscreen display.

Elkay's EZH20
Elkay's EZH20 bottle filling station is environmentally friendly and provides a pure, clean and affordable filtered water option. The system provides a rapid fill of cold, filtered water at a rate of 1.1-1.5 gpm and can be retrofitted to any existing "EZ style" Elkay water cooler, or installed in new construction or as a stand-alone in-wall unit.

Tankless Water Heater
American Hometec's AHQ-C10 electric tankless water heater features coilless technology, which eliminates lime scale build-up. The C10 also comes with three capacity settings allowing for adjustable power consumption and energy savings. The unit is suitable for all water conditions and provides an unlimited supply of hot water, heating water only on demand for increased efficiency and conservation.

Sioux Chief Stainless Steel Finish Line
This line offers stain-less steel drainage fixtures that can be installed for factors such as corrosion, sanitation/hygiene and appearance. Strong corrosion resistance makes it suitable for applications where harsh fluids may be present (breweries, chemical/textile plants, dairies, laboratories) and a more sanitary surface is applicable for commerical/restaurant kitchens, health care facilities and food processing plants.

Heat Pump
The Versatec Ultra series is a compact water source heat pump for water loop and geothermal applications. Featuring a 17.2 energy efficiency ratio and a 3.5 coefficient of performance, the series uses enviornmentally friendly R-410A refrigerant and is availabe in a wide range of capacities (9,000 to 70,000 Btuh output).

Potable Water Pump
Bell and Gossett's ecocirc potable water recirculator pump features electronically commutated motor technology and a spherical motor design, eliminating the need for a conventional shaft, seal and bearing assembly. The rotor/impeller is the only moving part in the pump. The design allows the pump to use 68 percent less energy and can save an average family of four more than 12,000 gallons of water a year by delivering instant hot water while using 10 watts of power.

High-Efficiency Toilet
Briggs' Maelstrom HET with Turbo 3 Flush Valve promotes water conservation by using only 1.28 gpf. The unit, constructed from vitreous china with 3-inch glazed trapways, also has a MaP of 900 grams, which easily exceeds the EPA requirement of 350 grams.

Commercial PEX Tubing
Uponor is the first PEX manufacturer to offer 3-inch tubing for commercial plumbing applications. The corrosion-resistent tubing is a complement to current 1/4-inch to 2-inch tubing and comes with a 25-year limited warranty. Available in 100- and 350-foot coils as well as 20-foot straight lengths (custom-cut lengths available as well).

Suction Strainers
Industrial Specialties Mfg.'s new line of suction strainers and pick-up filters feature an all-plastic construction that eliminates rust to prevent chemical contamination. Styles include cylindrical, flat bottom or raised bottom and connection options include hose barbs or male NPT threads. Bottom and side inlets are also avaibale and unique styles to meet end-user specifications can be produced.

Low-Flow Spray Valve
T & S Brass' B-0107-C low-flow spray valve operates at 0.65 GPM and can save nearly 100,000 gallons of water per year compared to a federal-limit spray valve at 1.6 GPM (based on five hours of use per day at 60 psi).

Codes on CD
IAPMO's Uniform Mechanical Codes and Uniform Plumbing Codes are both available in CD-ROM version.

Webstone Expansion Tank Valves
Webstone's latest innovation in the Pro-Pal line of step-saving valves designed to streamline installation and facilitate replacement of any expansion tank. This full port, forged brass fabricated assembly eliminates multiple joints and fittings reducing labor and material costs as well as potential leak paths. Anywhere you might normally combine a tee, elbow, boiler drain, hose bibb, ball valve or union can now be replaced with a single Pro-Pal valve.

Rheem's Sizing Guide
CertiSpec3.2 is the latest computerized sizing guide release for Rheem-Ruud Commercial Water Heaters and is now available on the Internet at www.rheem.com. CertiSpec3.2 covers virtually the entire Rheem-Ruud commercial water heater offering, including the six new models in the SPIDERfire® line of condensing-type, gas-fired, commercial water heaters. New users can download the new software any time by accessing the Commercial Products section of the Rheem Water Heaters Web site. For existing CertiSpec users, updating is as simple as clicking the "Check for Update" button under the File tab on CertiSpec3.1.

Digital 2010 Radiant Flooring
Guide Now Available
The 2010 Radiant Flooring Guide is an indispensable tool for engineers and other project team members. It provides all the information for making proper choices on flooring over radiant heating systems, including an updated directory of radiant floor product manufacturers.

To purchase printed copies of the 2010 Radiant Flooring Guide for $15, contact Stephanie Weingartz at weingartzs@bnpmedia.com, phone 248-244-1275, or visit www.AECstore.com.