The February 2019 issue of PM Engineer focuses on water safety, specifically the threat of legionella and how engineers can reduce risk by referencing ASHRAE Standard 188. Also in the magazine, Julius Ballanco’s analysis of potentially dangerous proposed changes to Illinois’ plumbing code, a look at new data-collecting sensor faucets and John Siegenthaler, P.E., tells us about different configurations for thermal storage tanks. The February edition also features debut columns by new contributors Ethan Grossman, P.E., on unit conversions, Rocco Luisi on business advice and Christoph Lohr, P.E., on recruiting and retaining talent.
Construction, renovation and maintenance of building water systems in complex facilities is inevitable, and each event may pose an infection risk from waterborne pathogens, particularly in healthcare or long-term care settings.
Most plumbing engineers involved in healthcare design who I’ve talked to have said their foremost design concern is waterborne bacterial control in general, and legionella in particular.
pme traveled to Lebanon, Tennessee to chat with Lochinvar executives, including Director of Marketing Michael Troka, Program Manager-Product Development Robert Wiseman, Product Program Manager Mike Juhnke and Product Coordinator Jonathan Baggett.
The U.S. is seeing about 10,000 baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) retire per day. That means every day we lose knowledge from our industry due to retirements. The fact that so much of the construction industry is experience- or knowledge-based work makes this fact especially sobering, but the challenges don’t end there.
Unintended consequences, that close cousin of mislaid plans, can claim some responsibility for a current conundrum: low-flow fixtures paired with existing oversized piping helped create the growing crisis of legionella bacteria.
Recently, I had the opportunity to go on a fishing trip. It was a “deep-sea” excursion from the northern tip of Plum Island in New England. The recommended method of trickery was to put some pieces of squid on a hook, weight the line with a 16-ounce hunk of lead and let it sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Businesses that last share common traits. For example, they have written ownership agreements with key terms; they are structured to prevent conflicts and disputes between co-owners; and they have planned for timely succession to manage next-generation expectations and prevent frustration.
Thermal storage is an integral part of most hydronic systems that have renewable energy heat sources. Systems with solar thermal collectors or biomass boilers are prime examples.
There are four remaining state-written plumbing codes used in the United States. You could say that the remaining four states are just stubborn. Maybe they think they do it better than the model plumbing codes, but they don’t.
Serrano looks to work with key distributors and contractors to expand Saniflo sales throughout the state, while also targeting Hispanic markets in Southern California.
Most recently, McGuire was chief executive officer of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and executive vice president for the Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan.
High efficiency boilers and water heaters, and pumps — and products designed to avoid bottlenecks caused by the skills gap — were the name of the game at AHR Expo in Atlanta this week.
Contractors expect demand to expand in every market segment this year amid expectations of an infrastructure deal as they increase compensation and adopt labor-saving technologies to cope with worker shortages.
ASPE LA took stock of its past, present and future during a holiday function to end 2018. Chapter President Vivian Enriquez, CPD, an associate with ARUP in Los Angeles, presented five recognition awards to members honoring their participation to their local chapter and the national society.
Milwaukee Valve Co. announced the recent death of Geoff McLaughlin, the company’s vice president of technical sales. McLaughlin was a 19-year veteran of the valve manufacturer, working in a variety of engineering positions for the firm.
The economy also added 32,000 manufacturing jobs, according to the new report.
January 4, 2019
The industry's job and pay gains outpace overall economy. Survey finds contractors plan to add workers, invest in training and technology in 2019 but expect difficulty in filling positions.
Val-Matic’s dual disc check valve with its compact wafer design and low cost have made it a popular choice when space and price are the major factors in valve selection, Val-Matic notes.
The LPD Y-strainer/filter from Metraflex provides significant energy savings over the old Y-strainer, Metraflex states. Metraflex has re-engineered the 100-year-old strainer and given it a leaner interior with fewer obstructions.
For use in a wide range of processing applications ranging from sanitary and food processing to water treatment and chemical operations, Matco-Norca offers a broad range of carbon steel and stainless steel (CS & SS) valves.
Bonomi North America introduces a new digital smart valve positioner that provides precision automated ball valve control with the company’s Valbia pneumatic actuators.
NIBCO introduces the F739 series of large-diameter manual balancing valves available in sizes 2 1/2” to 16”. The NIBCO F-739 utilizes a fixed orifice design, and one of the highest rated accuracies in the industry, NIBO says.
Laars’ Pennant line of fan-assisted, modular boilers and volume water heaters is among the industry’s most versatile and environmentally friendly commercial systems for hydronic and hot water applications.
Professional Plumbing Group’s The Beast Garbage Disposal by Wolverine Brass provides a large-capacity, D.C. permanent-magnet high-speed “Vortex”-powered motor operating