Stock Up on SharkBite

SharkBite fittings save time and energy for do-it-yourselfers and professional installers alike, providing leak-free connections for PEX, copper, and CPVC pipe. Watch our SharkBite video to see the fittings in action.

You can save 5% on SharkBite fittings and the entire line of Cash-Acme products now until May 15th. Just go to SupplyHouse.com and enter coupon code CASH at checkout.

Triangle Tube Trimax

Triangle Tube’s Prestige SOLO and Prestige Excellence boilers just got better with the new Trimax controller. The updated models are now available at SupplyHouse.com. The Trimax control makes setup easy, allowing configuration in as little as 60 seconds. The Trimax can manage multiple zones and an indirect water heater without requiring additional controls. Advanced troubleshooting makes diagnosing problems simpler.

How to Shop for PEX Tubing

Shopping for PEX tubing is easy for those who have done it before, but it can be a daunting task for many do-it-yourselfers and installers who have never used PEX. If you don’t know what an oxygen barrier is or you don’t know the different grades assigned to PEX tubing, watch our video “How To Shop for PEX Tubing.” Check out our YouTube channel for more information on PEX products.

Easy-Up Manifolds for Ultra Boiler

The Weil-McLain Ultra boiler is available in six sizes and offers top efficiency with an LCD display. As a condensing boiler, it should be configured with primary/secondary piping. Easy-Up Manifolds for Ultra boilers work with the circulator that is included with the boiler to create such piping. They come with dielectric unions, shut-off valves, a check valve, a safety relief valve, and optional connections to indirect water heaters. The Easy-Up saves time and effort, making any job look professional.

Available at SupplyHouse.com, part 383-500-649 is compatible with Ultra 80-105 models. Use part 383-500-661 with larger Ultra boilers.

Painting Baseboards

SupplyHouse.com offers Slant/Fin and Baseboarders baseboard heater covers. Several designs are available, but only in white. If you need to paint these covers to match the color or design of a room, use a latex or enamel-based spray paint for best results. Slant/Fin recommends the Rustoleum brand.

Bradford White Cross-Reference

Looking for a new water heater? Consider the Bradford White brand. Bradford White models are quality-made in the USA and available at SupplyHouse.com. Bradford White offers gas (NG or LP), electric, and oil models. To see which Bradford White water heater most closely matches your existing one, use the cross-reference tool on Bradford White’s website. Have the brand and model number of your current water heater ready.

Fittings for PEX-AL-PEX

PEX-Aluminum-PEX, or PEX-AL-PEX, is PEX tubing with an embedded layer of aluminum. The aluminum serves as an oxygen barrier and keeps the tubing rigid. PEX-AL-PEX undergoes less linear expansion than standard PEX tubing. PEX-AL-PEX has a larger diameter than standard PEX, and does not work with the same fittings.

There are few options for fittings with PEX-AL-PEX. Standard PEX-AL-PEX tubing only works with PEX-AL-PEX compression fittings and Uponor’s MLC press fittings.

Viega’s FostaPEX PEX-AL-PEX is not sized the same as standard PEX-AL-PEX. FostaPEX only works with Viega’s PEX Press fitting system. PEX Press fittings are also compatible with standard PEX tubing, but not PEX-AL-PEX.

PEX Tubing & Shower Heads

PEX tubing increases the speed of plumbing installations and decreases materials costs. It’s perfect for retrofit applications because it’s easier to run through walls. PEX can run all the way up to plumbing fixtures, but it should not be placed between tub spouts and shower heads. PEX has a smaller inside diameter than copper, but any flow reduction is compensated for over longer runs since few fittings are needed with PEX. The distance between tub spouts and shower heads is so short that using PEX here can cause reduced flow through the shower head.

Temperature & Pressure Gauges

Temperature and pressure gauges allow you to monitor fluid conditions in your heating system. SupplyHouse offers several options, including the TD-090 & TD-165 from Honeywell, 510-218-097 & 510-218-099 from Weil-McLain, and TR25-CB1-60/250 & TW25-CB2-250-25 from Boshart. Most of these part have 1/4” male threaded connections and can be installed with properly-sized tees and bushings.

Save 5% on Tees

At SupplyHouse.com we stock tees for a full selection of tees for plumbing and heating applications. We have you covered whether you need copper tees, PEX tees, brass tees, black iron tees, galvanized tees, PVC tees, SharkBite tees, or more. Look here first for unusual and hard-to-find sizes. Now through April 26th, you can save 5% on all tees we sell with coupon code BIRDIE (in honor of golf season).

Use Taco's Website for Tech Help

Taco offers a wide variety of American-made parts for residential and commercial hydronic heating systems. They also offer unrivaled technical support. Taco’s website, taco-hvac.com, is a great resource for HVAC installers and do-it-yourselfers. The “Wizards” section gives easy online help, including a circulator pump selector and a selection of wiring guides. Visit SupplyHouse.com to purchase Taco products.

Peter Mangone PEX Staplers

Peter Mangone staplers secure PEX tubing to wood or foam surfaces. Manual and pneumatic staplers work with both flush-mount and stand-off staples for 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8”, and 3/4” PEX. The Peter Mangone Reddi-Strip stapler uses Reddi-Strip Staples to connect PEX to 1”, 1-1/2”, or 2” thick foam board insulation. The staplers are easy to use, save time, and can be purchased from SupplyHouse.

Easy Heat In-Pipe Heating Cables

Easy Heat’s in-pipe heating cable products prevent pipe freeze and offer several unique advantages. Each package includes an adjustable thermostat that turns the cable on and off as needed. Easy Heat cables can also be insulated (meaning even more energy efficiency) and plugged directly into a standard 120-volt outlet with the included line cord. The in-line heater is only designed and approved for installation on 1-1/4" and 1" polyethylene pipes. To find more Easy Heat products, visit SupplyHouse.com.

SupplyHouse.com Returns

It’s easy to set up a return for items purchased on SupplyHouse.com. Just use our online RGA tool to get the return form you’ll need to include with the returned item. No restocking fee applies to items purchased within 30 days. Watch our returns video and read our full return policy for more information.

Radiant Heat Slab Insulation

Concrete slabs that will be used for radiant heating must be insulated adequately. Proper insulation minimizes downward heat loss and maximizes the amount of heat that will do its intended job: heating the floor. The Radiant Professionals Alliance recommends insulation with an R-value equal to at least 0.125-times the difference between the desired indoor temperature and the outdoor design temperature. A building in New York City (15°F design temperature), for example, with a 70°F desired indoor temperature would require a minimum R-value of 6.875 for its under-slab insulation (0.125 x [70°F - 15°F]). Visit SupplyHouse.com to purchase radiant heat insulation and other radiant heat products.

Photograph PEX Layouts

PEX tubing that’s embedded in concrete slabs can heat buildings – either immediately after construction or years down the road. Putting tubing in newly-poured slabs expands future options, while adding relatively little to total construction costs. Whether or not you have immediate plans to start the heating system, always take a picture of the tubing layout before the concrete pour. The small effort required will pay off down the road if you or subsequent owners ever need to see the layout.

Little Giant Pump Sale

Little Giant offers pumps for a variety of jobs and applications. Whether you need a sump pump, effluent pump, sewage pump, condensate pump, or pool pump you can save money at SupplyHouse.com. Save even more through 4/12/12. Use discount code GIANT to save 5% on Little Giant products.

How do Expansion Tanks Work?

Watch our latest video on expansion tanks to learn how these important devices work. Diaphragm-style expansion tanks use pressurized air to maintain steady pressure in closed-loop systems. For most residential heating systems, this means 12 psi. To purchase expansion tanks, please visit SupplyHouse.com.

Flow Meters for Uponor Manifolds

Two styles of visual flow meters are available for separate purchase with Uponor’s TruFLOW heating manifolds. Manifolds with balancing valves or flow control allow users and installers to provide different circuits with different flow rates. Most radiant heat designs call for flow rates below 0.8 gallons per minute (GPM), making the A2640015 flow meters adequate. They display flow rates between 0.15 and 0.8 GPM. For TruFLOW installations with higher flow requirements, use the A2640027 flow meters, which go from 0.25 to 2.0 GPM.

Visual flow meters attach to the return side of a heating manifold and display the flow that is going through a particular circuit. They cannot function if they are positioned upside down. Visual flow meters come included with Uponor’s EP heating manifolds. See SupplyHouse.com for more Uponor products.