Industry News

We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to this month's sponsor -- Taco Inc. Headquartered in Cranston, R.I., Taco, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of hydronic-based HVAC equipment and accessories for use in residential, commercial and institutional buildings worldwide. The company, privately owned and in business since 1920, manufactures a wide range of pumps and circulators, valves, tanks, heat exchangers, electronic controls, accessories and systems. Manufacturing facilities are located in Cranston, R.I. and Fall River, Mass., with a Canadian distribution and sales facility in Mississauga, Ontario. Taco sells through wholesale distributors and also provides select OEMs with product. Visit www.taco-hvac.com for more information.

 

To find out more about special e-newsletter advertising opportunities, please contact your Phc News sales rep by visiting www.phcnews.com.

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Top 100 Contractors Listing

 

Phc News is looking for the Top 100 Contractors in the industry! The listing -- in its fifth year of publication -- has become a valuable information source for the industry. This tabulated information will appear as The Top 100 Contractors listing, slated for the March issue of Phc News. If you think you got what it takes, please download the form and return to the designated fax number by February 25.

 

NSF offers certification for low lead plumbing products

 

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- NSF International, a not-for-profit, public health and safety organization, announced that Kohler, Moen and Price Pfister have become the first faucet companies to have certain plumbing products comply with the new low lead requirements. Certification allows manufacturers to demonstrate compliance with new state laws, established to help protect the public from exposure to lead, well ahead of the January 1, 2010 deadline.

 

The new section of NSF/ANSI Standard 61 - Annex G – Weighted Average Lead Content Evaluation Procedure to a 0.25 Percent Lead Requirement – includes the recently enacted legislation in California and Vermont that mandates a maximum weighted average lead content requirement of ≤ 0.25 percent. Other states are also considering low lead content legislation. The new lead requirements apply to manufacturers of faucets, valves, water fittings, and other products that come in contact with drinking water.

 

Compliance with NSF/ANSI Standard 61, the American National Standard for Drinking Water Products, is also required.

 

NSF/ANSI Standard 61: Drinking Water System Components -- Health Effects was updated in December to incorporate requirements for use when the ≤ 0.25 percent lead content requirement must be met, in addition to current chemical extraction requirements of the standard. Compliance is determined by a weighted average calculation involving the maximum percent lead content of material specifications and wetted surface areas.

 

To ensure ongoing compliance with the new lead requirements, NSF will conduct annual, unannounced inspections of the manufacturing facilities for certified products and re-test products on a regular basis.

 

Consortium for Energy Efficiency unveils water heater industry coalition

 

Nashville, Tenn. -- The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), a nonprofit, public benefits corporation that promotes the manufacture and purchase of energy-efficient products and services, announced the formation of the Coalition For ENERGY STAR Water Heaters, a special project of CEE comprised of industry associations, utility providers, and leading water heater manufacturers. Representatives from the Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR, CEE, and the Coalition For ENERGY STAR Water Heaters discussed the importance of this initiative and were available prior to the announcement for a networking opportunity with attendees. The event and press conference were held at the BASF Corporation booth. BASF is an ENERGY STAR partner that hosted CEE at IBS. Spokespersons from manufacturers A. O. Smith, Bradford White, Rheem, and Rinnai were also in attendance.

 

Through consistent messaging by industry stakeholders-including manufacturers, utilities, retailers, environmental groups, and government agencies-CEE and the Coalition For ENERGY STAR Water Heaters aim to encourage the support of increased development and use of ENERGY STAR residential water heaters by the industry's supply chain and consumers. Starting on January 1, 2009, water heaters that qualify for the ENERGY STAR label were introduced to the market.

 

WaterSense to label first commercial building product

 

Washington -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense has announced its first product labeling effort for commercial building products with the release of a draft specification for high-efficiency flushing urinals.

Hundreds of residential toilet and faucet models have already earned the WaterSense label. These models perform as well as or better than standard fixtures, while being at least 20 percent more efficient.

 

Urinals are the first commercial product slated for WaterSense labeling. The EPA estimates that about 80 percent of the estimated 12 million urinals in use in the United States are old and inefficient. Nationwide, if all older, inefficient urinals were replaced, we could save nearly 45 billion gallons of water annually.

 

WaterSense has developed a draft specification for labeling those urinals that are 50 percent more efficient than the current federal standard of 1.0 gallons per flush (gpf). To ensure adequate performance, urinals must comply with existing standards for flushing urinals and need to be tested for trap seal restoration and flush effectiveness before they can earn the WaterSense label.

 

EPA is collecting public comments on its draft efficiency and performance specification for flushing urinals, with plans to offer the WaterSense label for these fixtures later in 2009 with the release of the final specification.

New Products

	Variable speed circulator www.taco-hvac.com Taco has introduced a new “00” circulator for the clean energy solar thermal market. The Variable Speed Solar Control Circulator continuously optimizes water flow through the solar collector to achieve maximum energy gain. The new product offering combines the advanced features of Taco’s external speed and solar controls with the reliability and convenience of the dependable “00” cartridge circulator. Taco.
	Navigator valves meet lead-free requirements www.bradleycorp.com As the plumbing products industry moves toward complying with lead-free legislation, the Navigator lead-free valves meet these lead-free requirements and make the valves even safer for drinking or cooking water and better for the environment. California’s new lead law, CA AB 1953, and a similar law in Vermont, which require reducing the lead levels in fixtures used to convey drinking water to be less than 0.25%, will go into effect January 1, 2010. As of February 2009, all Navigator Thermostatic Mixing Valves – standard, high-low and emergency – will be lead-free. Bradley Corp.
	InFlow in cast iron www.siouxchief.com The proven InFlow inline testing system now comes in cast iron as well as pvc and abs. Reduces costs and saves labor; no need for inflatable test devices. Stays in the pipe after the test, no additional materials or labor are needed; can be used as a cleanout opening like any other tee. Controls drain-down after the test is complete. Holds a water test to 20 psi; an air test to 5 psi. A safe, clean alternative to traditional testing methods for testing dwv systems. Ideal for testing in commercial applications. Sioux Chief.
	Grooved copper system www.anvilintl.com Grooved copper system requires only a wrench for assembly on grooved end pipe, eliminating conventional soldering and brazing. Gruvlok CTS Copper System fittings mate directly to copper tube, providing a rigid and durable locked-in connection for tube size ranging from 2" to 8" dia., and because there’s a union at every joint, fast assembly is assured. Anvil Intl.

Movers & Shakers

Noritz America Corp. names president Fountain Valley, Calif. -- Hisashi Uryu, the former president of Noritz’s highly successful Hong Kong Division, has been named president of Noritz America Corporation by Yoshi Asano, Noritz America senior marketing manager.