In last month’s column, I touched on air-to-water heat pumps because they are rapidly becoming very saleable to consumers. In some areas of the U.S., electric heating, cooling and production of DHW are no longer an option and fossil fuels have been outlawed.

Almost 80% of all water consumption comes from two groups: No. 1, thermoelectric power, and No. 2, irrigation (farming). Public supply, which includes industrial buildings, commercial buildings and residences, accounts for only 10%.

As with most things hydronic, there are multiple approaches, and the “best” approach for each installation has to consider cost, aesthetics, access to the existing piping, available wall space and the goal of how the overall system will operate based on existing or newly created zones.

Most plumbing professionals in residential construction know PEX. They have either used it themselves or know other designers or installers that are using it. That’s because PEX is the piping product used in more new-home construction than copper and CPVC combined.

“Governmental members” may desire a public perception of having “no vested financial interest in” the development process. But there is no requirement or mandate for them to be transparent in avoiding conflicts of interest.

Taco Comfort Solutions wins the AHR 2023 Innovation award for Sustainable Solutions with its System M. I fully expect to see a virtual explosion in the number of air-to-water heat pumps on display at the upcoming AHR Expo in February.

What characteristic do solar thermal collectors, hydronic heat pumps and thermal storage tanks supplied by biomass boilers have in common?

Pressure relief valves protect fire sprinkler system components by relieving excess system pressure from supply surges or temperature changes. Since the 2010 edition, NFPA 13: “Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems” has required pressure relief valves to be installed on all wet pipe fire sprinkler systems. But picking the correct relief valve for a specific system does need a little preplanning.

Gary Hayden is a man of many talents. A licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and eight other states, the 63-year-old’s career has taken him from product development to design and finally, the implementation of radiant and hydronic systems.

 While most plumbers may like to think that they’re mostly serving routine maintenance or installation customers, the most common nature of those calls is likely panicked customers with a burst pipe, a backed-up toilet or another emergency that needs a response ASAP.