Industry News

We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to this month's sponsor -- LP International Inc. LP International Inc., the maker of the PowerMate® line of stair climbing hand trucks has been in business for over 30 years selling top quality lifting products. For moving boilers, commercial and residential hot water heaters or geothermal heat pumps a PowerMate® will reduce jobsite injuries and take the stain out of heavy product installs. A PowerMate® can do 100% of the lifting and reduce the effort to move by 87%, saving companies on labor costs. The company manufactures and sells unique products not found anywhere else, including the PowerMate® LE-1 “Stacker” machine and the PowerMate® LiftGate, an interior tailgate lift designed for delivery vans. Your PowerMate® is supported by a superior customer care program that includes call in support, training and service. For more information on PowerMate® products with lifting capacities up to 1,500 lbs., visit the PowerMate website at www.powermate.info or call them toll free at 1-800-697-6283

 

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Keith Bienvenu elected PHCC vice president

 

At its meeting held April 30, the Board of Directors of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) elected Keith Bienvenu of Bienvenu Brothers Enterprises, Inc., Metairie, La., as vice president of the organization.

 

The special election was necessary in order to fill the vacancy caused by the March 20th death of George Raburn, founder and co-owner of Raburn & Raburn Plumbing Company, Inc., of Stockbridge, Ga. Bienvenu hails from a fourth-generation family business that has served metropolitan New Orleans area since 1937. He has been a member of PHCC since 1975, and has held several national positions, such as Zone 2 Director from 1993-1996, and national secretary from 2003-2004. He has served in every office of both the Louisiana PHCC and the Metro New Orleans PHCC and remains active as the state chapter’s director-at-large and metro chapter’s PHCC’s president. He also is very active with the state continuing education program, and has served on numerous PHCCC committees for local, state and national chapters.

 

A founding member of PHCC’s Quality Service Contractors, he has served the organization as a trustee for 13 years and chair in 2006 – 2008. He received QSC’s Founder’s Award in 2009. Bienvenu, who had previously announced his candidacy for the office of vice president, will start now and serve until the 2010 annual business meeting, scheduled for Oct. 30, 2010, in Las Vegas. At that time, the PHCC membership will elect a vice president to complete the remainder of the 2009-2010 term; once this individual is elected, he or she will succeed to the office of president-elect at the close of the convention. The members will also be asked to elect a vice president who will serve for the 2010-2011 year.

 

Water and wastewater facilities provided RFP guidance

 

Boston — In response to unprecedented support for energy efficiency across both private and public sectors, the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), in cooperation with the Water Environment Federation (WEF), has released the Energy Efficiency RFP Guidance for Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities. The new guidance provides water utilities, cities and towns with ready-to-use language to help them include energy efficiency requirements in solicitations for design services. Municipal officials may use this guidance to simplify and streamline the RFP process, to tap into federal funding streams and local efficiency program resources, or to make energy efficiency a standard feature of treatment facilities.

 

“We hope that water utilities and town councils across North America will take advantage of this new resource to help them seize the energy efficiency opportunity,” said CEE executive director Marc Hoffman. “Energy efficiency offers a great opportunity for municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities to cut costs and improve process reliability. Energy savings at these facilities leads directly to more money for other priorities such as schools and public safety.”

 

Although water and wastewater treatment facilities provide an invaluable service to their communities, they are also the largest energy consumers in many cities and towns. In fact, data collected by energy efficiency program administrators shows that a typical wastewater treatment facility spends as much as $100,000 per year on energy for every million-gallon-per-day unit of treatment capacity. By making energy efficiency a standard part of their management practices, facilities could potentially save between twenty and forty percent annually--money that could be used for capital improvements, education, or other essential services.

 

The Energy Efficiency RFP Guidance provides information and tools to help cities and towns gain access to the energy savings potential in their water and wastewater treatment facilities. It includes ready-to-use language to request consideration of measures including high speed blowers, sensors and process controls, variable frequency drives, nutrient removal processes, and more.

 

“Energy efficiency and energy independence are essential to sustainable water and wastewater treatment,” said WEF president Paul Freedman. “WEF commends CEE for taking the lead in developing this new guidance and encourages utilities to incorporate energy efficiency as part of their standard operating practices.”

 

For info, visit www.cee1.org and www.wef.org.

 

Mr. Rooter® Plumbing In Haiti to Help With Cleaner Water

 

Mr. Rooter Plumbing, with the help of 3M Clean Water Solutions, is making cleaner, fresher water a reality for Haitian earthquake victims.

 

During the week-long trip, they will teach women in Haiti how to test, bag and sell water. But it doesn’t stop there. These companies hope selling water can become a trade for Haitian women.

 

“We want to give Haitian women the opportunity to have a business that stretches past the rebuilding efforts,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. “While we want to give them something sustainable, we also want to make sure they have clean water to drink now.”

 

Thompson says Mr. Rooter Plumbing could not do this without 3M Clean Water Solutions and its engineer Satish Chamyvelumani, who is also on the trip. He brought bags and test kits his company is donating to make this venture possible.

 

"We are excited to send a 3M Purification Inc. engineer Satish Chamyvelumani, who is part of a 3M technical team that is committed to developing and providing sustainable, affordable solutions to address water quality for regions like Haiti,” said Veena Lakkundi, business leader at 3M Clean Water Solutions.

 

Once they complete this project, Thompson and Derek Moreland, co-owner of the Mr. Rooter franchise in Toronto, will head to a town north of Port-au-Prince. They will scope out the town’s plumbing challenges.

 

This “fact finding mission” — as Moreland calls it — is important. On a future trip, a group of Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchisees from across Canada and the United States will lay pipe for the town.

 

Moreland made the pledge to help Haitians during a leadership meeting in January, as he talked with fellow Mr. Rooter franchisees. He had just heard that some Haitian kids were walking six kilometers for water, and they carried it back in old paint cans.

New Products

	Hand truck www.powermate.info The PowerMate® M-1 is the ideal stair climbing hand truck for moving geothermal units and boilers and comes with a 1,500 lb. capacity and a retractable four-wheel dolly feature. The unit comes with a 48” lifting height – perfect for accessing truck and van beds! Visit PowerMate®.info for details and pricing. LP International Inc.
	Potable water recirculator pumps www.bellgossett.com Featuring ECM (Electronically Commutated Motor) technology and a patented spherical motor design, the ecocirc® eliminates the need for a conventional shaft, seal and bearing assembly. The rotor/impeller is the only moving part in the entire pump and it is magnetically balanced on a stationery ceramic bearing inside the pump housing to provide silent, long-lasting operation. Bell & Gossett.
	Water filter station www.hawscorp.com The HydrationStation dispenses filtered water through a touch-free, hygienic unit whereby encouraging users to reduce bottled water use. Each HydrationStation saves over 37,000 16.9 oz. bottles per year, with average use. Over the past year, the HydrationStation has been installed at numerous buildings across the nation. Haws Corp.
	Stainless Steel Full-Flow Fittings www.grinnell.com Fittings are comprised of Type 304 or 316 stainless steel and are solution annealed for enhanced corrosion resistance. Stainless Steel Full-Flow Fittings have ul, ulc, iapmo, nsf-61 and nsf-61 Annex G approvals, allowing installation in any type of application, such as industrial, mining, hvac and plumbing. These fittings are a proven solution for rooms or facilities that require non-corrosive conditions, including pulp and paper plants, chemical food lines, wastewater treatment plants, and pharmaceutical laboratories. GRINNELL Mechanical Products.