In the residential plumbing service business, we tend to be closed-minded, only focusing on what the customers called us out to their homes for.

Have you ever learned something the hard way and then found yourself thinking, “Gee, I wish someone had told me that!” As the years pass, we all learn, or should learn, a few new things.

To Kyle Lessard, owner of Las Vegas-based Eternal Plumbing Solutions, the business is more than just a plumbing company; it is a service company focused on the customers’ experience.

CK Mechanical currently has more than 20 employees, between the office staff, master plumbers, journeymen and apprentices.

Kevin Maston was working for another plumbing company and was constantly getting calls from his family, friends and acquaintances requesting plumbing work. Not comfortable working for an employer and doing side work, Maston started CK Mechanical at age 34 with $1,350 in his bank account.

Uniform programs have long been a tool in helping improve and maintain business image by effectively promoting a company brand and projecting a professional appearance. And research continues to support an overall consumer preference for being serviced by uniformed employees.

In an era when plumbing systems are continuing to advance from metal to plastics, contractors are speculating which plastic piping system is best.

When most people think about solar, they think about photovoltaic panels that generate electricity, but they don’t often think about solar thermal. When considering heating water, solar thermal is incredibly efficient by comparison.

Hot water in the supply pipe cools when no one draws hot water. Hot water recirculation saves lukewarm water from being dumped down the drain while waiting for hot water.

In order to understand the influence professionals have in specifying, recommending, purchasing and/or installing specific categories of plumbing products, RJ 2.0 surveyed its west-coast readers in November 2018.