The team at Inter-Mountain Mechanical Contractor was tasked with replumbing three separate apartment complexes in Fort Collins, Colorado. They would soon learn the entire project had to be completed within a tight, 16-month timeline.
Russ Mounts, owner and president of Inter-Mountain Mechanical Contractor, had several concerns at the onset of the project. The large-scale project included the installation of new water heaters and appliances in each unit. Additionally, one of the properties was originally plumbed with CPVC in the 1990s and the other two properties were plumbed with polybutylene pipe, both of which needed to be replaced.
“Every family had to be relocated while the repipes were completed, so the timeline was tight,” Mounts says. “There were additional challenges, such as not having enough space to install crimp fittings so that minimal property damage occurred. We needed an alternative installation method.”
It was recommended to Inter-Mountain Mechanical to try the SharkBite EvoPEX plumbing system. A push-fit PEX system, it eliminates the need for crimping or using other bulky tools, making it easier to work in tight spaces and requiring less property damage to ceilings or walls. Still skeptical, the Inter-Mountain Mechanical team asked for a demonstration and a trial run on eight apartment units.
“The job was fast, easy and everything tested out beautifully,” Mounts says. “We ended up purchasing thousands of feet of the product along with fittings. If three crew members used the product, we were able to complete an average of seven units a day. If we used crimp, it would have been three units a day. With copper, it wouldn’t have even been two.”
The crew was able to finish the project in 12 months — four months ahead of schedule — and the families were able to move back into their apartments sooner than expected. Using the SharkBite EvoPEX system, Inter-Mountain Mechanical made a challenging project more manageable, and offered comfort and peace of mind to hundreds of families.
