Solving high-capacity home hot water challenges
Problem: With more than 20 years of plumbing and water heater experience, Blaze Air’s trades manager, Luis Uriostegui, has installed and serviced virtually every type of residential water heating system in North Carolina. As customer expectations grew and homes required greater hot water capacity, Uriostegui sought a solution that could deliver exceptional performance, reduce callbacks and make installation straightforward for his technicians. Homeowners wanted consistent hot water while contractors needed a solution that was easy to install, reliable and differentiating. The company faced several issues, including code changes restricting 80-gallon electric heaters, high-usage households (often five-plus people), limited space for larger traditional tanks and cold winters.
Solution: Blaze Air adopted the Essency EXR, an “on-demand tank” water heating system designed for fast recovery, reliability and easy installation. It offers fast, simple installation with top-side connections and two sets of built-in handles. It is lightweight (less than 100 pounds) for easier attic and tight-space installs. Its slim, modern form factor makes it ideal for closets, attics and garages.
Result: By solving the homeowner’s ongoing hot water shortage with a single Essency EXR, Blaze Air transformed a frustrating daily problem into a dependable, long-term solution. The ability to deliver abundant hot water, exceptional durability and homeowner confidence allows Blaze Air to win projects based on performance and value. “It’s the wave of the future for electric water heaters,” says Uriostegui. 888-466-5313; www.essencyhome.com
CIPP specified for challenging installation
Problem: Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, one of the nation’s largest military installations, needed to repair a broken 4-inch underground commercial chilled waterline located between two back-to-back 90-degree fittings. This critical infrastructure served the facility’s mechanical system, and traditional excavation would have required extensive demolition, increased costs and significant disruption to operations. Due to the complexity of the repair, another contractor had already walked away from the project.
Solution: The installer utilized Flow-Liner’s Multi-Industry CIPP specifically for challenging industrial pipe configurations. To ensure success, the team built an in-house mock-up replicating the damaged section, allowing them to test and refine the installation procedure before mobilizing on site. After cleaning the pipe, the installer successfully navigated the two 90-degree bends, rehabilitated the broken section and restored the line’s pressure integrity.
Result: The project restored a critical commercial mechanical system without excavation, avoiding costly demolition and minimizing disruption to base operations. The successful rehabilitation demonstrated how trenchless CIPP technology can solve complex infrastructure challenges that conventional repair methods — and even competing contractors — could not. 800-348-0020; www.flow-liner.com
Contractor installs hybrid tank-tankless system to meet the supersized hot water needs
Problem: Del Sol Food Company’s 31,248-square-foot production facility in Brenham, Texas, required a water heating system capable of handling substantial volumes of hot water intermittently rather than a steady flow throughout the day. The fully integrated production process includes dough mixing, proofing, baking and packaging of John Macy’s cheese sticks, crisps and crostinis. The final stage involves a thorough cleaning of all production equipment while adhering to the strict sanitation standards of the food processing industry. This washdown process typically occurs at day’s end after production has shut down and uses well over 1,000 gallons of 140 degree F water over roughly four hours. This daily demand required a substantial “dump” of hot water within a relatively short period.
Solution: Tipton, a manufacturer’s representative for numerous industry brands, recommended a system that was not just a tankless water heater or multiple banked tankless units. Instead, the system included three 199,900 Btu/h condensing tankless water heaters, each mounted onto a 119-gallon, cement-lined storage tank. Called the Hybrid Hot Series from Noritz, each pairing has a capacity range of up to 11.1 gpm and a maximum delivery rate of 317 gph. The system combines tankless efficiency with ample storage to convert cold water into large quantities of hot water while delivering a thermal efficiency rating of 98% (0.95 UEF).
Result: After installation, the Hybrid Hot Series system performed as designed and to Del Sol management’s complete satisfaction. To maintain the required water pressure for washdown operations, a booster pump was installed near the mixing hose stations to address pressure loss caused by a 4-inch backflow prevention valve and simultaneous hose use. 714-422-8120; www.noritz.com
Self-closing pipe clamps help plumber’s crews work faster
Problem: Mike Barth, owner of Barth Plumbing & Mechanical in northeast Ohio, spends much of his time on plumbing installations and renovations. With crews regularly running new piping systems, efficiency and alignment are critical. Barth typically relied on traditional pipe talons, which often required installers to balance the pipe and support hardware at the same time. “We’re constantly running pipe on our projects,” says Barth. “It’s rarely a simple service call. Most of our work involves installing new piping systems, so anything that helps us work faster and more efficiently gets my attention.”
Solution: After being introduced to Oatey Self-Closing Pipe Clamps, Barth quickly saw how the product could simplify installations. The clamps hold pipe securely in place, allowing installers to focus on alignment without juggling multiple components. “You’re not trying to hold the pipe and the clamp at once to make sure everything stays straight,” Barth says. “It makes installations much easier and more efficient.” Barth also values the ability to preplan installations. “I can set up a laser, mark everything out and have someone mount all the clamps ahead of time. Then I can simply roll the pipe into place.”
Result: The clamps have helped Barth’s crews reduce extra coordination, improve installation speed and maintain clean, consistent alignment. Their versatility across wood framing, metal, residential, commercial and strut applications also helps reduce the need for multiple support products. “When a product helps you work smarter and keeps things simple, that’s a win,” Barth says. “These clamps definitely do that.” 800-321-9532; www.oatey.com
Vortex pump systems used for restroom additions at large medical warehouse
Problem: HealthTrust delivers integrated performance improvement including supply chain capabilities, to healthcare providers. The HCA Healthcare HealthTrust location in Lakeland, Florida, functioned as one large warehouse before the decision was made to section off an end of the building to accommodate offices, restrooms and break rooms for the staff. The project landed with project manager Nate Hefner of Feddon Mechanical. HealthTrust previously installed one restroom and two connecting restrooms in different warehouse sections. The new project scope required tying new restrooms into the existing sanitary sewer, with the furthest restroom roughly 850 feet away from existing sanitary sewer access. “The original spec included grinder pumps to be excavated 6 feet deep and 4 feet wide down in the ground to then pump up across the warehouse,” says Hefner. “But before we pulled the trigger on that, we decided to reach out to Saniflo to see what they had to offer, since we had an existing relationship with our local sales representative.”
Solution: After confirming that they could accommodate the electrical components to operate the Saniflo systems, the Sanicubic 2 VX duplex lift station came out on top as the unit that could adequately handle the flow and distance of the plumbing system. The decision was made to install two Sanicubic 2 VX units to handle the wastewater coming from three new single user restroom facilities. Part of Saniflo’s Vortex Series, this powerful 1.5 hp pump system provides above-floor drainage for multiple plumbing fixtures for an entire commercial structure, thus eliminating the need for costlier and less convenient pit installations.
Result: “Using Saniflo products that were readily available and didn’t require long lead time was cost-effective, compared with the equipment initially specified,” says Hefner. Furthermore, the facility contacted Feddon Mechanical and Saniflo to pursue a service agreement for routine preventive maintenance on all three units, allowing Feddon Mechanical to expand their commercial service division further. 800-571-8191; www.saniflo.com
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