Plumbers and pipefitters rely on high-quality, reliable tools to ensure excellent service.

"American Plumber Stories" aims to promote the plumbing trade to the next generation of professionals. 

Who can be nominated? Any professional working in any aspect of the plumbing industry, including plumbers and pipefitters, contracting business owners, professional engineers and plumbing designers, wholesalers, manufacturers and manufacturers reps.

There is a growing trend in the skilled trades, with more people turning away from the traditional four-year college path.

Due to its low efficiency and high emissions, an installer is asked to replace the outdoor wood-fired furnace with a new cordwood gasification boiler.

Take a look at the two photos in Figure 1. Do you see any installation practices that might compromise the eventual structural or thermal performance of this slab?

Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative opportunities for plumbing contractors, especially with aging infrastructure. New technology makes these services easier than ever.

An installer is asked to pipe up two larger commercial air handlers supplied by a dual boiler sub-system. The building owner wants to make it possible to supply either air handler from either boiler. Can you spot some shortcomings and suggest a better way to accomplish the same objectives?

The U.S. EPA's "Fix A Leak Week" runs March 18-24.

The installer is tasked with setting up a three-zone radiant floor heating system using a 5-ton geothermal heat pump and a mod/con boiler, connected through a primary-secondary system with closely spaced tees. The system includes 4 earth loops of 1” HDPE tubing, each 500 feet long, supplying the heat pump, and features underfloor tubing with aluminum plates.