Aside from the fact that they are all used in hydronic heating systems, what do the following items have in common?

A heating pro is asked to retrofit a pellet-fired boiler to an existing distribution system consisting of older cast iron radiators, iron piping and an oil-fired boiler.

Although lack of available product and labor are ongoing factors within the residential plumbing sector, there is certainly no lack of opportunity. According to the 2021 North American Plumbing Fixtures Market Report, compiled by Grand View Research, the plumbing fixture market ended 2020 with a $22.4 billion value and it is expected to grow at a rate of 7.5% from 2021 to 2028.

Water is the life-blood of hydronic systems. Just as we strive to maintain the health of our own circulatory systems, it’s important to maintain the health of the water-based solutions that circulate through the hydronic systems we construct and maintain.

The COVID-19 pandemic has irrevocably changed the economic landscape of the entire world. Small businesses were among the hardest hit by government forced closures, labor shortages and rising inflation.

This may come as a shock (or not), but I’m not a huge sports fan. I root for my Alma Mater Michigan State (Go Green!), and that’s about it. Whereas my husband started planning his Super Bowl menu weeks in advance. Clearly, opposites attract!

A lot of things are out of your control when working on a job involving multiple trades. Whenever I design any type of system, I always go down a list of “what ifs.” The “what ifs” are scenarios that can affect the performance of a system due to an unknown. This includes actions by other trades.

The most universal characteristic of a plumbing company in 2022 is a dearth of job candidates. Do not complain about it. Do something. Here are 12 things you can try.

Where do you draw the line? That’s easy if you’re a one-person shop. Telephone rings; it’s 2:30 a.m. The clock face comes into focus as you reach for the phone.

“My faucet is dripping and the noise is keeping me awake. How soon can you be here?”(Seriously?)

Frozen steam coils always seem to happen at the worst of times, don’t they? You’re busy because it’s cold enough to freeze coils. The place with the frozen coil contains people who are doing things that are so important they can’t possibly be without that particular coil. Not even for a minute. They’re on the phone, and they’re not being reasonable.