It came down to accuracy over speed at the WWETT Show last week for the title of 2026 Lining Olympics champion.
It was the second year that manufacturer Waterline Renewal Technologies hosted the Lining Olympics in its booth, drawing a large crowd both days of the competition. Teams competed to see who could complete the repair of two “leaks” on a pipe using UV CIPP technology and Waterline Renewal Technologies’ LightRay LR3 system. The teams were assessed on speed, accuracy and teamwork and received point scores from three judges.
In the end, Texas’ Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Abilene, Texas, could not claim a second straight championship, losing to Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electrical of Nashville, Tennessee.
“We just came up a little bit short on the mark,” says Pete Torres, owner of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Abilene. “The guys ran fast, but we had a little error and ended up just short.”
The three-person team from Hiller worked slower — Mr. Rooter Plumbing finished about two minutes faster — but their liner covered both holes in the tube.
Hiller, a company with 18 different branches from Kentucky to Florida, is fairly new to the pipe lining game. It started doing lining work in June 2025, beginning with its Nashville branch. The plan is to eventually bring lining to all of its branches.
Robert Stamper, plumbing installation operations manager for the company, says it's been a learning experience. His team is trying to pick up all the knowledge it can so that it is prepared to help train employees of the other branches. James Gallindo, team lead for the UV lining crew at Hiller, was part of the group that competed at the WWETT Show.
“It feels pretty good to walk away with this win,” Gallindo says. “Our focus and our continuous training that we do in our shop daily really helped.”
Gallindo says that the team at Hiller is always learning through training with Waterline Renewal Technologies, as well as watching videos. Currently the Nashville branch shoots about three to four liners a month, but Gallindo says he sees that picking up in the future.
“It’s definitely growing in our area,” Gallindo says.
The company had been doing pulled-in-place lining and ambient cure lining prior to transitioning to UV curing with the LightRay LR3 system.
“It wasn’t a huge learning curve, but the training crew for the LR3 has been great. They’ve helped tremendously,” Gallindo says. “If I have an issue and I call, they’re always available. I think the LR3 is the best machine on the market.”
Hiller is already planning to defend its Lining Olympics title at the 2027 WWETT Show.
