Grundfos Comfort Series Instant Hot Water System Here’s a great way to save water. This Grundfos product turns any conventional domestic hot water system into a recirculation system, providing instant hot water to every tap in the house. And it’s so simple. The contractor mounts the circulator on the domestic hot water line, and then pipes the Grundfos thermal bypass valve at the far end of the house. The circulator uses the cold water supply line as the recirculation return line, which I find delightful. The bronze circulator has a timer, and it should be a very easy sale if you’re marketing in a drought area.
Slant/Fin’s Hydronic Explorer software I think it was a bold move on Slant/Fin’s part to develop this easy-to-use CD-ROM heat loss calculation software, and then to give it away to the industry. They raised the bar with this one. If you can fill in the blanks, you can now do accurate load calculations with this tool. Tell your contractor customers to forget those wacky rules of thumb and guesswork and step up to accuracy. They’ll sleep better at nights, and probably close more jobs as well. Anyone can get a copy by clicking on Free Heat Loss Calcs on the HeatingHelp.com navigation bar.
Earthlee Speed Headers These good-looking, one-piece headers save time and money and they won’t leak. And very nice people make them, right here on Long Island. The standard units are 1”, 1-1/4” and 1-1/2” with two- three- or four stations. Each station has either a ¾” or a 1” nipple. Earthlee also makes custom units, and they use either Schedule 40 steel or stainless steel for all of them. The Wetheads who visit the Wall at HeatingHelp.com have been buzzing about Earthlee for the past few years. There are a lot of satisfied contractors saving a ton of time and money with these Speed Headers.
Well worth a look at www.Earthlee.com. Check ‘em out.
LoopCAD Some more software for your consideration. If you’re sizing radiant systems, consider adding this program to your hard drive. LoopCAD automatically creates loop-layout drawings for radiant heating systems. It’s a stand-alone program, but is also AutoCAD compatible. You can create floor plan and circuit design drawings in minutes with this software, and the results are so professional. Take it for a test drive at www.loopcad.com.
Dan Holohan
"Plumbers Protect The Health Of The World."
