Quicker connections

A battery powered Wirsbo Expander Tool will save time from each and every ProPEX connection that you make. Instead of using your muscles to open and close the tool, battery powered tools will do this for you, making sure that your tubing expands fully for a ProPEX Fitting to easily fit inside. If you plan on making a lot of connections, or just don't have the time to manually expand tubing for each connection, the Wirsbo Battery Expander Tools are a great investment.

PEX Tools including Wirsbo expander tools can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Grease Trap Maintenance

First, empty the grease trap of any water and remove the baffles. Dip a bucket into the grease trap to remove the accumulated grease. Then, scrape the sides, the lid, and the baffles with a putty knife to remove as much of the grease as possible, and deposit the grease into a watertight container. Contact a professional for grease pick-up. Once the grease has been removed, replace the baffle and the lid and record the volume of grease removed and the date so that you will be able to know when the next cleaning is due.

Grease traps and other plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Cleaner air is easy to achieve

You can capture and minimize micro-organisms passing through your forced air system when you combine your UV System with a high-efficiency air filtration system like an electronic air cleaner. Talk to your installer about adding an electronic air cleaner to complement your UV System and provide added protection for you and your family.

Air cleaners such as Honeywell electronic air cleaners, Honeywell humidifiers, and Honeywell thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Final steps in line set installation

Once all of the line set connections have been brazed, a vacuum must be pulled on the system to evacuate the lines. The manufacturer's installation instructions describe the system evacuation process. If your system operates on R22, then by law you must have an HVAC technician do this part of the job for you.

Line sets, refrigerant line sets, and other air quality products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Easy assembly on zone valves

Honeywell V8043E1012 Zone Valves feature a compact design so that installation is easy. Honeywell also makes replacements easy, the entire zone valve powerhead may be removed or replaced without breaking plumbing line connections or draining the system. The actuator motor may also be replaced without removing the valve body or draining the system. This takes away a lot of the time and stress from traditional replacements.

Honeywell Zone Valves including the V8043E1012 can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Connecting a pump to copper pipe

With a Taco 006-BC4 Bronze 1/2" Sweat Connections, you do not need flanges in order to connect to copper pipe. If you are going from the pump straight to 1/2" copper, you can simply sweat the pipe directly onto the pump with no flange in between. Not all pumps work this way, so be sure to check what connection type your pump uses before making a decision whether or not to purchase flanges.

Taco pumps, including Cast Iron Taco Pumps and Bronze Taco Pumps such as the 006-BC4 can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Make your boiler room energy efficient!

Installing a Taco I-Series mixing valve will make your boiler much more efficient, save energy, and directly save you money in your energy bills. I-Series valves allow your boiler to not work at maximum capacity all the time, but rather to work based on outdoor temperature to gauge how high to fire. For example, without an I-Series valve, if it is 60° or -10° outside, the boiler will heat the same. It will stay on for longer in the colder weather, but it will get up to the same temperature. With an I-Series Mixing Valve, your boiler is able to fire to a lower temperature when it is warmer outside because it knows that you will not need as much heat.

Taco controls include zone valves and zone controls can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Connection method for Dual Check Valves

Watts Dual Check Valves in the 7 Series (such as the 0072205 1" Dual Check Valve) are threaded units with female threads on both sides. To connect to copper pipe to the unit, simply use an adapter with NPT male threads and screw the check valve in place.

Watts Valves, Backflow Preventers and other Plumbing Valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Features of the Ridgid Oiler

Ridgid Oilers have 50% more oil per stroke than other hand-held oilers which allows the die cast body and exposed parts to live a longer life. The ergonomic 2-finger trigger design reduces user fatigue and the heavy duty reservoir is light-weight yet will not dent, crack, leak or rust even under heavy use.

Ridgid tools including the Ridgid Oiler can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Troubleshooting a garbage disposal

If you are having problems with a garbage disposal, first turn it off. Then, reach under the sink and feel for the small Reset button. Reset your unit by pressing this button in all the way. Turn the unit back on and check to see if the problem has been fixed. If it has, you are done! If it has not, check the circuit breaker to make sure that a fuse has not been blown and test the outlet and electrical connections to make sure that everything is functioning properly. If no problem is found, it might be time to replace either the motor or the entire unit.

Garbage disposals and other faucets and fixtures including Kohler, Moen, and Delta can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

When to use a bronze pump

If you are transporting potable (or drinking) water, you will need to use a bronze pump. This means that for all plumbing systems, bronze must be used instead of cast iron. You might also need a bronze pump if you are using it for heating water but your tubing does not have an oxygen barrier. And remember, if you are using a bronze pump, be sure to also use bronze flanges.

Taco pumps including bronze Taco pumps and cast iron Taco pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Energy Savings with Dampers

Adding a vent damper to an existing oil-fired boiler or furnace is a very common job. A vent damper prevents chimney losses by closing off a boiler's vent when the boiler isn't firing. Steam boilers benefit from vent dampers more than hot-water boilers, and bigger boilers benefit more than smaller ones by saving a larger percentage of energy usage.

Dampers such as Field Controls OVD Dampers, and other HVAC and Air Quality Products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Multiple wires in a thermostat

Do you need a 2 wire or 3 wire thermostat? The Wirsbo Heat Only Radiant Thermostats differ only by number of wires. All other features and functions are identical. To find which radiant heat thermostat is for you, simply check your wall to see if there are 2 wires or 3 wires and buy the corresponding thermostat.

Wirsbo thermostats and other thermostats including the Honeywell thermostat can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

The durability of a diamond

Delta Kitchen Faucets featuring Diamond Technology are built to last up to 10 times longer than industry standard faucets. (Industry standard is based on ASME 112.18.1 at 500,000 cycles.) Testing demonstrates that the Diamond valve will last more than 5 million cycles. Waterways have been stress tested at 500 psi (the same psi as fire hydrants), and up to 200° F and will not pit, pinhole, scale or corrode in any way.

Delta Kitchen Faucets, Kitchen Faucets, and Bathroom Faucets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

The Tekmar 519 is a great thermostat to use with a radiant heating system. To be sure that your wood never bends or warps due to high temperatures, this thermostat comes ready with a compatible floor sensor. Tekmar 519 Thermostat

You can find a variety of Tekmar thermostats and many other thermostats at www.SupplyHouse.com.

How does a gate valve work?

A gate valve has a mechanism to lift when water flows through in a specified direction. The sealing surface between the gate and the seats is flat and when water is not flowing through, a normally closed gate valve will have a seal on this surface.
Gate valves and other plumbing valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How does a grease trap work?

Grease traps intercept any oil or grease from the flow of water leaving your sink (or dishwasher). When the mixture of water and grease enters the trap, it begins to cool. As it cools, the grease and oil separate out of the water and rise to the top of the grease trap. The water continues flowing, eventually leaving the grease trap while the grease and oil remain inside. You will need to clean the grease and oil out when your grease trap gets around half full.

Grease traps and Grease trap accessories can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Line set installation tip

When feeding a new line set through a wall, it is typically easier to feed the lines "out" from the inside of the house rather than "in" from the outside. This will minimize any damage to the suction line insulation when feeding the tube through the wall. It is always advisable to slowly roll the lines open to avoid putting any crimps in the copper. If you are faced with a tight radius bend, cut the suction line and braze a 90° or 45° fitting to avoid kinking the flexible tube.

Line sets, HVAC Air quality products, refrigerant line sets and air conditioning line sets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Outdoor sensors

Honeywell VisionPro Thermostats can be wired using an Outdoor Sensor. This sensor can be installed with up to 200 feet of wire to get outside and will allow a VisionPro to accurately display the outdoor temperature. Using the outdoor temperature as a guide, indoor temperatures can be programmed for maximum energy efficiency while maintaining optimal comfort in your home.

Honeywell Thermostats such as the TH8110U1003, TH8320U1008 and TH8321U1006 can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Connecting from 5/16" PEX

If you need to go from 5/16" PEX tubing to 1/2" PEX tubing, there are several parts needed to make the connection. If you are using compression connections, you will need a QS style 5/16" fitting assembly with R20 thread, a nipple with R20 thread, and another QS style fitting assembly for 1/2". insert the 5/16" assembly into your 5/16" PEX, screw the nipple onto the open end, and screw the other end of the nipple onto the R20 end of your 1/2" PEX fitting assembly.

If you are going from 5/16" PEX tubing to 1/2" copper pipe, you will need the same 5/16" QS style fitting assembly and an R20 thread copper pipe adapter. No nipple is necessary when going to copper.

PEX Fittings, PEX, and PEX pipe can all be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Takagi T-K3

The Takagi T-K4 Heater is only 14 inches wide and will fit in even the tightest spaces. Having a small unit means that there is less time for the water to travel within the unit and less energy is wasted. Safety is also constantly monitored in a T-K3 with an advanced system of circuits and sensors checking for over or under-heating, freeze conditions, gas levels, water levels, and even air and venting conditions. Available Takagi Tankless Water Heaters include the T-K4-IN-NG, the T-K4-IN-LP, T-KJR2-IN-NG, T-KJR2-IN-LP, and many more.

Takagi Tankless Heaters including the T-K4 Tankless Water Heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

You'll never see a plumber bite his nails!

Nail biting isn't an easy thing to quit, so if you want to continue, get a pair of red painted palm gloves! Your hands will be fresh and clean even after the most sticky situations. And the red color is stylish enough to accessorize any outfit.

Gloves and other plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com