Smart Solutions Category: Fittings

Viega Provides Tips for Preventing Waterborne Pathogens in Plumbing Systems

In the United States plumbing industry, focus on water quality and waterborne pathogens is increasing. For public water systems, the Environmental Protection Agency regulates 88 different contaminants. Of these, Legionella has received the most recent attention.

Legionella is the bacteria that can cause legionellosis. (Legionnaires’ disease is a form of legionellosis.) If not treated properly, legionellosis can be fatal. When legionellosis occurs, building owners and engineers may face legal action and damage from negative public relations surrounding the case. The best defense for a commercial plumbing system is to understand waterborne pathogens and how to minimize the risks they pose.

How Waterborne Pathogens Spread in Plumbing Systems

Legionella is a naturally occurring bacteria that affects the body’s respiratory system. Once aspirated, the bacteria establishes itself in the lungs, causing pneumonia-like symptoms. Legionella colonization in plumbing systems can pose a significant threat. Sources of Legionella in a building system may include piping systems, cooling towers, decorative fountains, standalone ice machines, and spas. Specific to piping systems, shower vapor or the mist from a lavatory aerator in which the bacteria exists can introduce Legionella into the respiratory system.

Temperature and flow conditions in a commercial plumbing system matter more than material type. Regardless of the piping, fitting, and sealing elements used, most modern plumbing systems are designed using a branchand- tee concept, which often results in dead legs. Dead legs result in stagnant water, and stagnant water poses a significant risk of harboring and fostering microbial growth.

Legionella bacteria that reside in stagnant water conditions will flourish within a broad temperature range, typically 95°F to 122°F. Because bacteria multiply exponentially every few minutes, undisturbed sections of piping can be the source of Legionella contamination for the entire system.

Legionella secretes a polymeric slime, forming a biofilm on the inside of the pipe wall. Once the biofilm forms, it serves as a protective blanket for bacteria living within it and can withstand extreme treatment methods such as thermal and chemical disinfection. If the colony is not rendered inert throughout the system, it will recolonize after treatment, regardless of the treatment method used.

Five Tips To Minimize Microbial Growth

One of the best approaches for minimizing the risk of Legionella forming in a building plumbing system is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Design strategies can be coupled with good operational and maintenance practices and a secondary disinfection program to effectively prevent a problem before it begins.

Viega’s new double drop elbow fittings allow a single fixture to generate flow through many fixtures up to the point of connection, minimizing dead legs between tees and wall penetrations that can harbor stagnant water and foster bacteria growth.

The challenge with any type of disinfection, including thermal disinfection, is its reach. If the process is not complete, there is a risk of leaving bacteria and biofilm undisturbed throughout the system, allowing regrowth. To discourage microbial colonization, all parts of a system should experience flow and be maintained at the proper temperature.

Even with recirculation, stagnation can occur in dead legs because of the lack of water exchange, which represents a challenge to the plumbing system designer. Dead legs should be eliminated wherever possible.

One solution is to daisy-chain fixtures so their individual drops (dead legs) are avoided. Any time one fixture is used, the remaining fixtures will see flow up to the point of connection even if they are not used.

In the case of seldom-used remote fixtures, water can be forced through the fixture (up to the point of connection) with the use of a venturi. This concept manipulates the pressure across the fixture to induce flow, thereby eliminating the dead leg that serves that fixture.

With flow, temperatures can be better maintained, and disinfectant residual can reach much more of the system. These concepts require the designer to reconsider the branch-and-tee concept.

It is up to the system designer to determine when the risk of Legionella within the plumbing system requires specific attention as well as which disinfection methods and design concepts are best for minimizing that risk. Water quality and sound plumbing design involve far more than installing piping to connect fixtures. As plumbing requirements and risks evolve, so too must the plumbing industry.

For more information, visit www.viega.us.

MCAA thanks Viega for being a benefactor of MCAA 2015.

Vanguard HVAC Technologies Lays Foundation for New Tavern on the Green with Easy-to-Install Viega ProRadiant Heating

Installing Viega ProRadiant™ systems as part of the renovation of New York City’s famous Tavern on the Green restaurant was a simple process—so simple, in fact, that Robert Stewart, steamfitter foreman for Vanguard HVAC Technologies, joked, “I was disappointed there wasn’t more to do.” Completing the radiant floor heating installation quickly allowed the rest of the project to move forward.

“This was our first time using Viega,” said Stewart “I have a lot of years of knowledge in the business, and basically the Viega systems were very simple, very easy. They worked great.”

Located in Brooklyn, NY, Vanguard HVAC Technologies was selected to install the air conditioning and heating systems in the new Tavern on the Green, including boilers, chillers, air handler units, heat recovery units, and unit heaters. Vanguard HVAC Technologies installed radiant heating in the terrace, which features a glass-enclosed dining area with views of Central Park.

Viega ProRadiant systems were listed in the building specifications, so Vanguard HVAC Technologies installed 1,500 square feet of ViegaPEX™ Barrier tubing with insulated panels, as well as stainless manifolds and manifold cabinets.

A Restaurant Revived

Few restaurants in American history have had as great an influence on popular culture as the Tavern on the Green on the Upper West Side of New York City’s Central Park. From its original opening in 1934, it has appeared or been mentioned in several movies and television shows and has even played a role in commercial advertising.

During the financial crisis of 2009, the Tavern on the Green closed its doors. Nearly a year later, the city reopened the building as a visitor’s center and gift store. In 2012, a pair of restaurateurs from Philadelphia won the bid to redesign and reintroduce New York City’s famous landmark. The only problem was the condition of the building. It needed to be completely renovated.

Unfamiliar but Easy to Install

Stewart explained that despite his years of experience he still prefers to understand a system completely before installing it, and he appreciated the availability of local Viega sales team members who took the time to help.

“Even though you’re familiar with the product, you still want to have a guideline of that manufacturer’s procedure,” he said. “I did have a couple of questions here and there, which they answered quickly. They were at the ready. If I needed anything, literally within the hour they were back to me with the answer.”

As with any other radiant floor heating installation, ideally, the entire project is on hold until the tubing is laid and the concrete floor is poured.

The faster the radiant heating portion of the job can be completed, the more quickly the rest of the project can get under way.

“Installing the radiant tubing was one of the easiest things I had to do on the job,” Stewart said. “The insulated panels are great because they line everything up. It’s a great product to work with.”

Vanguard HVAC Technologies found that the ease of installation of the Viega radiant floor heating meant that the rest of the project to restore this New York City landmark could move forward more quickly.

Cost Savings

Viega offers a variety of panel options—insulated, uninsulated, assembled, and unassembled—along with tracks and plates. Insulated panels, which Vanguard HVAC Technologies installed at the Tavern on the Green, are a versatile radiant option that incorporates insulation, vapor barrier, and a grid system to secure tubing all in one convenient product. Compatible with ViegaPEX Barrier tubing in sizes 3/8”, 1/2” and 5/8”, Viega insulated panels allow you to walk the tubing in easily. The approach also saves on material costs, because you don’t need fasteners.

Viega ProRadiant heating and cooling solutions are designed to integrate with other Viega systems, such as Viega ProPress®, Viega MegaPress®, and Viega PEX solutions. Viega is the only manufacturer to offer press fitting systems in multiple materials, including copper, stainless, carbon steel, and high-performance polymer. The Smart Connect® feature helps installers easily identify unpressed connections, and Viega’s Zero Lead™ alloy is specifically engineered for pressing.

“I definitely recommend it for its ease of installation,” Stewart said. “To anyone thinking about installing radiant, Viega would be a company you should look at.”

For more information, visit www.viega.us.

MMC Contractors Credits Viega ProPress With “Tremendous” Time Savings on Solar Power Plant Job

Finds Pressing Faster, Safer than Welding

The speed and ease of installation with Viega ProPress® fittings, as well as overall lower costs, were significant factors for MMC Contractors as they installed more than 15,000’ of stainless steel piping in a new solar power plant in the southwestern United States. Jim Ed Thompson, project superintendent at MMC Contractors, said that by using Viega ProPress to join stainless pipe, MMC’s installers saved a significant amount of time per fitting.

The world’s largest solar power plant, constructed in 2013, will generate electricity using concentrating solar power technology. Covering an area of 1,900 acres, the plant has a 280-megawatt capacity, which is enough to power 70,000 homes while avoiding approximately 475,000 tons of carbon dioxide output.

Solar energy is here to stay thanks to renewable energy source regulations. The local metropolitan utility service contracted to purchase all of the power generated from the new station to meet the mandate that the state’s regulated utilities provide 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

Project Specs Call for Viega ProPress

With as many as 2,000 installers on the solar plant jobsite at any given time, MMC Contractors, which oversaw the piping installation, appreciated the easy, foolproof connections achieved with Viega ProPress for stainless, as well as the safety benefits of pressing over welding.

“The original potable water plans for the solar power generation station construction had to be updated,” said Dan Goellner, industrial account manager at Viega LLC. “It was essential that the system was compliant with the ASME B31 Piping Standard and was listed with the NSF-61G Zero Lead™ certification.” The updated project plans also specified Viega ProPress for stainless in the station’s construction plans for process water, service water, and instrumentation air systems.

By selecting Viega ProPress for stainless, the construction project saved more than 30 percent on materials and labor combined. The process water system is used for transporting waste water produced during cooling. The service water system encompasses the emergency eye wash stations and safety showers at the power plant. The instrumentation air lines are used to regulate media flow using air pressure.

MMC Leads the Way

MMC Contractors acted as the lead contracting company for the Viega ProPress installation. At any given time during construction, as many as 2,000 installers were onsite. Although MMC had experience with Viega ProPress on copper systems, all of the contractors installing the system took part in training with Viega representatives.

“Our team’s training on Viega ProPress for stainless was quick and easy but it was also thorough,” said Thompson. “Pressing with the Viega system provides a tremendous time savings and makes the entire setup process much more flexible. It takes only seconds to join the pipe with pressing compared to over an hour if it had been welded.”

Thompson pointed out that Viega’s system saves more than time. “Aside from being quick, there’s an additional safety factor of not exposing anyone to the fumes produced from welding. Also, the system doesn’t have to be
drained fully in order to do repair work or make changes on it, which was another benefit.”

“Pressing with the Viega system provides a tremendous time savings and makes the entire setup process much more flexible. It takes only seconds to join the pipe with pressing compared to over an hour if it had been welded.”

— Jim Ed Thompson, Project Superintendent, MMC Contractors

Quality Counts

Thompson explained that quality and consistent connections were important in the construction of the solar plant. “The foolproof connections that Viega ProPress for stainless provided were extremely valuable with so many different contracting companies working on the same systems installations on such a large-scale project,” he said. “It was clear that Viega was offering an overall better product with Viega ProPress for stainless. Since Viega offers the larger-diameter sizes, we could do much more of the work with pressing than with other options. The speed of installation and the overall lower costs were also significant on this project.”

The Viega ProPress system includes stainless steel pipe, valves in sizes ½” to 2”, and fittings in sizes ½” to 4”. Using Viega’s revolutionary ProPress technology, installers can make watertight or airtight connections in less than seven seconds. The patented Viega Smart Connect® feature on all Viega ProPress systems guarantees easy identification of unpressed connections.

“It was a big project and there were a lot of deciding factors in the materials we specified in the plans,” said Goellner, “Overall cost was important but we also needed materials that were quick and consistent to install and offered low maintenance. The goal was to be able to put it together and go.”

“Viega’s distribution channels came through for us and for the other contractors using it. We received all of our orders in a timely manner, helping keep the installation on schedule. It was clear that Viega offered the excellent inventory and delivery that a project with this magnitude requires.”

For more information, visit www.viega.net.

MCAA thanks Viega for being a major sponsor of MCAA 2014.

Nelson Stark Saves 20 Percent on Labor Using Viega ProPress for Stainless

Cincinnati, OH, plumbing contractor Nelson Stark Company is installing thousands of feet of Viega ProPress systems for both copper and stainless steel in sizes ½” to 4” at Mercy Health—West Hospital, currently under construction on 60 acres in Ohio’s Green Township. It is the latest addition to the Mercy Health system, which has more than 80 network locations throughout Cincinnati.

“Mercy West is a brand new hospital being built on a very challenging schedule,” said Mike Wells, project superintendent for Nelson Stark. “The stainless has been nice from a cost savings standpoint. The cost savings is the main reason we went with Viega ProPress for stainless.” The Nelson Stark Company, founded in 1940 as Stark Plumbing, specializes in commercial and industrial plumbing, including hospital additions, research facility construction, commercial development, and public works.

Viega ProPress Saves Time and Money

Plumbers installed a combination of Viega ProPress for stainless pipe and fittings and Viega ProPress copper fittings for the potable water system at the new 250-bed medical facility. Viega stainless products were chosen for the system mains because of the high-quality attributes of stainless, as well as its cost effectiveness in comparison with copper.

Wells appreciates the fast, secure installation that Viega press technology brings to the jobsite. He estimated that Viega ProPress systems saved his team at least 20 percent on labor.

“One area that Viega ProPress helps is that it’s obviously quicker from a labor standpoint,” Wells said. “We don’t have to worry about a fire watch or burn permits. Viega ProPress has helped tremendously in that aspect.”

Wells believes that the Mercy Health—West Hospital project will finish on schedule and his team will be able to provide their customers with a brand new hospital in just less than two years.

“You can truly see the time saved by using Viega ProPress. You can cut the pipe and have that water running at 10–20 percent and still have a successful tie-in.”

— Mike Wells, Project Superintendent, Nelson Stark

“We first heard about the Viega ProPress system approximately 10 years ago,” Wells said. “It saves us a tremendous amount of time and allows us to give the customer a good system in a short amount of time and save them some money. It has become a true asset to our company.”

Pre-Fab Speeds Installation Time

The plumbers on Nelson Stark’s staff worked side-by-side with other utility installers in a warehouse near the construction site, mapping out the materials for the utilities in each hospital corridor on large racks. The racks were later transported to the site and permanently installed floor by floor as the construction crews completed each level. The prefabricated rack used in construction saves time when building large facilities like the Mercy Health—West Hospital.

“Using Viega ProPress allowed us to complete the joint-effort installation with this modularly prepared, innovative type of construction,” said Jeff Read, vice president at Nelson Stark. “The installers put together each run of pipe for the 150’ corridors with the fittings but didn’t press them. Once it was sized and laid out correctly, they attached the fittings to the racks so that when the racks arrived at the hospital construction site, all our installers had to do was make the connections.”

While Nelson Stark has been installing Viega ProPress for copper for many years, this was their first opportunity to install Viega ProPress for stainless steel.

“Transitioning that copper to the stainless was a challenge for us because we’d never done it before,” Wells said. “It was nice to be able to call our rep, because he would walk us through being able to transition those fittings.”

Wells explained that in existing buildings, older valves don’t always allow for a perfect shutdown with the water systems.

“The first time I did a shutdown with the Viega ProPress system, I was sold,” Wells said. “You can truly see the time saved by using Viega ProPress. You can cut the pipe and have that water running at 10–20 percent and still have a successful tie-in. With using the old soldering system, it was truly a challenge, because it’s hard to get those valves to shut down. With Viega ProPress, we’re saving the customer money by cutting our labor hours down.”

“We’ve installed thousands of Viega ProPress fittings, and we’ve had a really good experience. Being able to use the same tool to press both stainless steel and copper fittings was a huge benefit.”

— Todd Elliot, Project Executive, Nelson Stark

“At the end of the day,” Wells said, “we as a contractor are obligated to give the customer a clean system. With the Viega ProPress system, we feel it does simplify that part of the job. We feel better giving the customer that clean system less the flux and the solder.”

Overall, the plumbing installation required more than 3,800 feet of large-diameter 316 stainless steel pipe and approximately 900 Viega ProPress fittings for stainless steel as well as approximately 7,500 Viega ProPress fittings and valves for copper. For Mercy Health— West Hospital, Nelson Stark had two plumbers prefabricating Viega ProPress for the main corridors and 60 plumbers on site in the individual rooms and public restrooms at the facility.

Nelson Stark Company is installing thousands of feet of Viega ProPress systems for both copper and stainless steel at Mercy Health—West Hospital. Having one tool that can press both types saves time and labor.

“On 2” and larger pipe, we use Viega ProPress the majority of the time. We’ve installed thousands of Viega ProPress fittings, and we’ve had a really good experience,” said Todd Elliot, project executive at Nelson Stark. “Being able to use the same tool to press both stainless steel and copper fittings was a huge benefit.”

For more information about Viega products, visit www.viega.com.

Hart Engineering Minimizes Facility’s Downtime Thanks to Speed of Viega ProPress for Stainless

Faced with the challenge of replacing all of a biotechnology company’s existing piping with stainless steel in just 14 weeks, Hart Engineering found that Viega ProPress® systems provide clean, consistent connections quickly. Viega ProPress for stainless steel offered a complete solution, including pipe, valves, and fittings in two high-quality grades of stainless steel, 304 and NSF-approved 316.

Hart Engineering, the mechanical contracting arm of The Hart Companies of New England, undertook the installation for one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, a manufacturer of pharmaceutical products designed to treat serious diseases. The company’s plant was shut down for 14 weeks so that all of the existing piping could be replaced with stainless steel.

“The project involved us going through all of the suites in the plant and repiping them,” said Mike Feldman, Hart Engineering’s vice president. “We had to take the rooms apart and redo the piping and insulation through the ceilings and ceiling grid. It was a major effort, and it was all done on very short notice. We worked seven days a week, around the clock, for those 14 weeks.”

According to Feldman, the customer had more than 20 pharmaceutical manufacturing suites in its facility. The high-purity suites contain equipment such as bioreactors, which grow bacteria and other organisms used in the production of pharmaceuticals.

“In biotech applications, we use Viega ProPress for stainless primarily for drains and vents,” said Feldman. “Because it’s stainless steel, we are able to install it in the high-purity manufacturing suites. We installed Viega ProPress for stainless in the large suites, one of which had four bioreactors with multiple reactor vessels.”

Founded in 1941, The Hart Companies has specialized in biotechnical applications since 1989, when the industry began to grow throughout New England. The Hart Companies encompasses a group of design, engineering, and construction companies headquartered in Cumberland, RI. Hart Engineering had previous experience with Viega ProPress systems.

Viega ProPress systems allow installers to make secure, dependable connections for copper or stainless steel in less than seven seconds on sizes up to 4”. Because Viega ProPress fittings are available in more than 600 different configurations, a complete system can be installed with the same press tool.

Built for Speed

Before starting the project, Hart Engineering first had to convince the plant’s owners and engineers that the work could be completed much faster by using the Viega ProPress for stainless system. “Viega ProPress for stainless wasn’t in the original specifications because the company’s engineers didn’t know about the system at the time,” said Feldman. “We showed them what we wanted to do. Once they understood the benefits, they wrote a special clause in the specs allowing us to use the Viega system.”

Feldman explained that it was critical to get the biotechnical plant up and running again as soon as possible because as long as they were working, the plant wasn’t manufacturing. The longer the installation took, the longer the plant would have to go without producing product.

“We did everything we could to minimize the downtime,” Feldman said. “They really couldn’t afford to waste any time. Every day of the shutdown was costing a lot of money. The customer agreed to use Viega ProPress for stainless because it was a very large building and we had a lot of piping to install. It was to their advantage to approve the use of the pressing system. Time was of the essence, and pressing was the fastest way to do the job.”

“We saved about one third of the time compared to welding. That time savings is huge, considering that the labor rates for my guys are almost a hundred dollars an hour.”

— Mike Feldman, Vice President, Hart Engineering

The installation work was handled primarily by Hart’s own crew of pipe fitters and tradesmen. Feldman estimated that his team used between 4,000’ and 6,000’ of stainless steel on the project.

“We used mostly 1” and 1-1/2” pipe all the way up to 2”,” said Feldman. “Most of the fittings were standard fittings, such as couplings, elbows, and tees.”

Saving Time and Labor

Feldman thinks that the best benefit of Viega ProPress for stainless is the time it saves. “It’s much faster to install with pressing,” he said. “We saved about one third of the time compared to welding. That time savings is huge, considering that the labor rates for my guys are almost a hundred dollars an hour.”

Feldman’s second most important benefit of the Viega ProPress for stainless system is that there is no flame, which negates the need for a hot work permit. “That’s a huge advantage,” Feldman said. “With Viega ProPress for stainless, you can go into areas that don’t allow hot work, even if it’s a hostile environment. That’s very important, especially in existing biotech suites.”

Before adopting Viega ProPress, Hart Engineering joined pipe by soldering and welding, depending on the piping that was being replaced. Feldman believes that other mechanical contractors are now using Viega ProPress for copper installations and that more will use stainless as they become more familiar with it.

Two years have passed since the biotech project, and Feldman and Hart Engineering were so pleased with Viega ProPress systems that they recently quoted another drainage and venting job for the same customer. “If we get approval, we’ll be using Viega ProPress for stainless again for some of the installations,” Feldman said. “We are always trying to get our customers to allow pressing for certain applications because of the time savings and safety benefits.”

For more information, visit www.viega.net.

MCAA thanks Viega for being a major sponsor of MCAA 2013.

Danforth Cuts Material, Labor Costs Using Viega MegaPress System for Black Pipe

Using black iron pipe for Buffalo General Hospital’s expansion project saved John W. Danforth Company material costs, while the new Viega MegaPress® carbon steel pipe joining system helped them make clean, consistent black iron pipe connections. Rich Mueller, Danforth’s project manager, said Danforth saved money in two different ways by installing Viega MegaPress. “First, we saved on the cost of the black pipe compared to the copper. And second, we saved on labor by using pressing instead of threading the black pipe.”

Buffalo General Hospital is a 501-bed, acute care medical center located in downtown Buffalo, NY. It recently expanded its medical imaging capabilities, adding MRI and CAT scan equipment in the basement level of its facility. The hospital selected Danforth to handle the piping for its new heating and chilled water system. Danforth installed 200 feet of two-inch black iron pipe and around 20 reheat coils.

Viega MegaPress Saves Time

Scott Metro, Danforth’s general foreman, explained that the project involved transporting steam to a set of heat exchangers to make hot water. The installers made the hot water connection off the heat exchangers and ran it to all the components of the system, such as the pumps and an air separator.

“Normally, it would have been an all-copper job using pipe that was two inches and under,” Metro said. “The Viega rep introduced us to Viega MegaPress, and we really liked it. The materials savings helped us out enormously.”

Viega MegaPress systems are the only carbon steel press fittings for use in both water and gas applications. Available in sizes from one half to two inches, Viega MegaPress allows installers to make secure, consistent black iron pipe connections in less than seven seconds.

“The speed aspect of Viega MegaPress over threading is definitely a plus,” Metro said. “A while ago, we did a shutdown at a different hospital where we had to thread one-and-one-half-inch black pipe that was up in the air. We would have sped up the process if we could have pressed it. The job was spread out over two weekends. If we had used the Viega MegaPress system, we probably could have finished everything in just one weekend.”

Clean Process, Easy Installation

As much time as Danforth saved by installing Viega MegaPress, Metro believes that the most convincing reason to choose the new carbon steel fitting system is cleanliness.

“You can’t be clean enough when working in a hospital,” Metro said. “Pressing eliminates the oil mess, because there’s no need to thread the pipe. With threading, oil can drip onto the floors when you’re carrying the pipe. You have to stuff rags in the pipe ends to keep the oil inside. There’s no need for that with Viega MegaPress.”

Safety and ease of installation were two more reasons Danforth chose the Viega MegaPress system. Some of the pipes were located 16 feet above the floor, making them difficult to reach.

“First, we saved on the cost of the black pipe compared to the copper. And second, we saved on labor by using [the Viega MegaPress] instead of threading the black pipe.”

— Rich Mueller, project manager, John W. Danforth Company

Viega MegaPress system. Some of the pipes were located 16 feet above the floor, making them difficult to reach.

“There were multiple layers of pipe up there,” Metro said. “When you’re up that high with pipe wrenches, you tend to work a bit slower. Some fitters aren’t physically built to pull on those big wrenches. With pressing, it doesn’t matter how strong you are. You just pull the trigger on the pressing tool and the connection is done.”

For Mueller, the biggest benefit of installing Viega MegaPress is the ability to connect black iron pipe without draining the system completely.

“In the past, we’d have to try to solder the pipe with a stream of water coming through it,” Mueller said. “With pressing, after you make your cut, you just slide an open Viega valve on and let the water flow into a garbage can. You make the connection with the pressing tool and shut off the valve. Then you can finish the rest of the work.”

The flameless aspect of Viega press technology also made a huge difference to Mueller and his team, because Viega MegaPress can be joined without flame. “The tool does the same exact connection for every joint,” Mueller said. “You don’t have to worry about over-tightening and cracking the fittings or cutting a thread too deep or too shallow.”

For more information, visit www.viega.net.

North Mechanical Counts on Viega When Timelines Are Tight

Ease of Installation Makes New Quad Close Trap Seal a Good Fit for Campus Construction Site

When the J.W. Marriott Indianapolis required some fundamental building systems to be completed ahead of the rest of the building schedule, North Mechanical Contracting, Inc. knew it could count on Viega ProPress® pipe fittings to get the job done. North Mechanical installed Viega ProPress for domestic water and hot water heating applications on all copper piping systems sizes 2” and below in the prestigious hotel. The 34-story J.W. Marriott opened its doors in February 2011; it is both the largest and tallest hotel in Indianapolis, with more than 1,000 rooms.

“We had a portion of the building that had to be done within about 10 months,” said Rod Foley, project manager with North Mechanical. “And then we had an additional year for the rest of the building on top of that. The infrastructure fed another property—one of their adjacent sister hotels. And we had to have the infrastructure up and running.”

Foley has been in the industry for 11 years and first used Viega ProPress six years ago. He prefers to install Viega ProPress because of the time savings the product offers.

“I think Viega ProPress is a great product,” Foley said. “It really has good applications and we’ve found good success with using it in the past.”

Viega Cuts Installation Time Dramatically

Viega press technology provides a secure connection in less than seven seconds on sizes 1/2˝ to 4˝ pipe. The patented Viega Smart Connect® feature also helps installers to identify unpressed connections easily, adding an additional level of security with each connection. As a result, installers can save anywhere from 30 percent to 60 percent on installation time using Viega ProPress.

North Mechanical is one of the top full-service contractors in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Since incorporating in 1976, the company has expanded to include commercial, institutional, and life sciences clients.

North Mechanical is so confident in the time they can save by installing Viega ProPress that they offer their customers an opportunity to switch if Viega ProPress isn’t already being installed.

“We feel like it does save time,” Foley said. “Almost every project we bid on, if it’s not in there, we offer it as an alternative cost savings for the owner.”

Viega ProPress is engineered for use in many different applications, whether heating, potable water, natural gas, propane, fire protection, or solar. Because it trims installation time, Foley said, “We’ve found it to be a more economic option. We definitely intend to use Viega ProPress again.”

Thanks in part to North Mechanical and Viega ProPress, the new J.W. Marriott joins three other Marriottbranded hotels on a seven-acre, $450-million complex in downtown Indianapolis.

For more information, visit www.viega.com.

MCAA thanks Viega LLC for being a major sponsor of MCAA 2012 and for sponsoring the student chapter outings.