Color me a skeptic. One of our supply house salesmen constantly hounded me regarding citrus-based no-salt water softeners. I never did buy into the sales literature hype, so we never installed any.
Plumbing systems engineering and design are better with group collaboration. I was in the U.S. Navy, and the Seabee’s motto is, “Construimus, Batuimus,” which means “We Build, We Fight.” We are trained to fight and defend what we build.
As an engineering manager, I have a responsibility to maintain a high level of quality in our “product.” But it’s my opinion that consulting engineers don’t really have a product. You might counter with — drawings and specifications are our product, are they not? Yes and no. Allow me to explain.
ades of dealing with hydronic systems, I’ve confirmed two characteristics that always govern their operation. Both are rooted in the tenants of thermodynamics. Neither should be thought of as mysterious.
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Plumbing Industry Leadership Coalition (PILC) meeting, which was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. While there was a lot of great discussion on a number of important issues, one topic really caught my interest, and that was workforce development in this post-pandemic era.
Morris had me on the phone. It was 1974 and he was calling from Brooklyn, New York. I had a waxed handlebar mustache that year, and my workmates at the manufacturers’ rep were calling me Rollie Fingers because he was pitching for the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Looking at those 1974 photos, I realize that the ‘stache was not one of my best ideas, but the 1970s were their own time and no one can change that.
On a recent weekend, I was catching up on the news and goings-on when I came across this article published on the front page of a well-known national newspaper that caught my eye: “PVC pipes are called a health hazard.” In the back of my mind, I thought “wait, what?!”
Mechanical engineering is an integral part of both HVACR (Heating, Ventilating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration) and plumbing. While both disciplines utilize the same science and engineering principles, their application diverges depending on the system under consideration. A prime example of this is the “wet” piping system that moves water through the piping network.
This month of June, six months into 2023, is a great time to review the activities of Standards Development Organizations, or SDOS. These organizations develop standards through voluntary consensus processes for product performance and safety, services, processes, systems and personnel.