Tip of the Week

April 18

A unique opportunity to get in front of general contractors!

I attended a “GC Showcase”. This is a forum where general contractors set up a reverse trade show. They have booths set-up and invite all subcontractors in the area to stop in and introduce themselves. What an opportunity! With the explosion of solar and General Contractors not knowing where to turn to get help when a job calls for solar here is a great opportunity. There is no cost for sub-contractors to attend. Take a look at the attached link to find out when it is coming to your area; http://www.thebluebook.com/pressbox/showcaseinfo.html

 

April 15

Why would I choose one pump manufacturer over another (part 1)?

I don’t hear this question as often as I should. Frequently installers will select a pump based on three criteria; head, flow and cost and that is it. On a regular basis I hear feedback about pumps that I need to share. After installing enough systems you will come to a place where you need to go back and diagnose what is going on with a system. After initially evaluating a system you may need to determine whether the pump is actually spinning. The pump is making noise and getting hot but for some other reason you might still suspect that the pump isn’t generating flow. Now what. This is a case where selection of pump manufacturer makes a difference. See below.

Some pump manufacturers include a screw on the head of the pump. By removing the screw there is another screw that is connected to the pump shaft. Simply by removing the screw and looking in you can see right away whether the pump is turning. This screw can also be used to free a stuck rotor or bleed air trapped in the pump. A few manufacturers that include this maintenance feature are; Wilo, Grundfos, and Armstrong while Taco does not. While it may not seem like much the small details can help save you big time diagnosing a job.