Viega

When premium wholesale plumbing supplier, Winston Water Cooler, decided to build a large training and distribution center in Phoenix, not only did they choose to stock Viega products, but they chose to show them off in their own plumbing and piping as well.

The 35,000-square-foot building was recently completed for use with customer training. “The Workbench” gives tradespeople the opportunity to do hands-on product demos and learn about the situations they might find on the job, as well as learn about products they can use.

“This is all live fire,” explained Phillip Clark, Partner of Winston Water Cooler in Phoenix. “There is water pumping through the heaters, gas running to the heaters, that sort of thing. We can simulate certain problems by putting different parts in and having people troubleshoot to find the issues. It’s all hands-on, which makes it valuable in our industry for these guys. We want them to be comfortable with the products, and it gives them a comfort level so they can come up here and screw up something instead of potentially screwing up their customer’s stuff!”

Clark said the training center includes products seen in multifamily buildings, plus parts of a mechanical room setup, including boilers, booster pumps and mixing valves. The building contains equipment supplied by a variety of manufacturers. Originally a data center, Winston remodeled the space into a training center.

All the water in the building is piped with ProPress, and gas lines are run with MegaPressG. About 200 feet of 2½” and 3” copper lines connect to storage tanks, where water can be circulated through heating and pressure-boosting segments. The gas lines have 1½” MegaPressG fittings.

“We wanted to become a stocking distributor for Viega for years, and in 2019 we jumped at the opportunity when it came,” Clark said. “We phased out Apollo as we brought in Viega. We realize the value in the product and know it’s good – and that a lot of customers only trust Viega.

“The product line with Viega is more diverse with the larger-diameter fittings, and Viega has some fittings in configurations and tighter tolerances. It’s just a good market presence that speaks for itself. We’ve had issues with other [brands], where we’re responsible for going back and taking care of the customer after hours. But Viega’s track record for quality and consistency is far superior to the competitors’ and it makes our customers happy.”

Clark said it’s a great advantage to hold training classes and show products at work that they also have in stock on their shelves. Attendees can see how Viega fittings work and that they’re a clean installation. All the piping in the facility is exposed on the walls and anchored so it can be used for show-and-tell.

Viega LLC’s ProPress Automatic Recirculation Balancing Valve ensures a balanced domestic water recirculation system by dynamically changing with varying conditions.

The valve can help prevent the growth of legionella bacteria by keeping hot water out of the growth zone temperature of 95°F to 115°F (35°C to 46°C), while still preventing scalding and conserving energy.

The Automatic Recirculation Balancing Valve is a modification of a Viega product that has been used successfully in Europe for years. It helps keep water temperatures more uniform by adjusting flow with changes in temperature. The results are faster hot water delivery, minimized waste energy and water and less stagnation and chance of contamination. Among the valve’s features:

• Unlike with manual valves, temperature can be set once and be maintained automatically. Settings can be changed easily, if needed.
• Can be installed on risers or branches
• Remote monitoring with temperature sensor
• Optional thermometer provides visual indication of valve setting
• Threaded ends allow it to be used with Viega ProPress or Viega PureFlow fittings systems for easy integration with copper or PEX
• Includes bypass for thermal disinfection

Additional accessories that can be used with the valve include a thermometer, drain valve and optional insulation sleeve.

“Viega is committed to providing hot water quickly and efficiently while improving water quality and the new Automatic Recirculation Balancing Valve is a significant step toward that goal,” said Paige Riddle, Senior Manager, Market Manager. “This valve offers more features than any other on the market while requiring minimum work on the part of designers, engineers, installers and building maintenance personnel.”

For more information on the ProPress Automatic Recirculation Balancing Valve, click here.

When you take an old space and make it new, there are inherent challenges to it. And that’s exactly what happened with a restoration project in downtown Buda, Texas. Tight spaces to work in meant Viega products were a perfect partner.

In the downtown space, old and unused factories have slowly been getting facelifts. Developers are turning them into retail and restaurant spaces. It’s what Hill Country Plumbing was brought in to do with the old Buda Mill and Grain Company, changing it into Los Olivos Market, a wine shop and bistro.

“The big challenge was that there was another restaurant backing up to it, a common space with a delineating wall,” explained Colie Curry, owner of Hill Country Plumbing. “And there were two different architecture firms that got their measurements inconsistent, so we had to sacrifice space. The roof space we had for grease vents and mechanicals was very tight.”

Existing utilities had been run through the ceilings and were undersized for the new needs, so everything had to be retrofit. The 2½” gas line ended up going up the exterior of the building, down a soffit and then jumping up onto a flat roof to bypass a walkway access—in other words, it would have been nearly impossible to thread pipe together where it needed to be hung.

“I’ve been a fan of Viega for years and we use PureFlow on a daily basis—plus I’ve used smaller MegaPressG fittings,” Curry said. “I heard that the larger diameter was coming out in January, and we did this project in March, so the timing was perfect!”

With the help of Viega reps, Curry acquired a MegaPress PressBooster and rings so he could get the project done on time. There were about 20 fittings in the 2½” size, and then the pipe necked down to 2” for the equipment manifold and again to ¾”.

“We could have tried to thread, but hanging a 50-foot-long piece of threaded pipe that is 2½” and weighs 300 pounds would have taken six guys – that’s not good. Plus, we would have had to work our way from it after hanging it,” Curry said. “With Viega, we were able to work in multiple directions. We did a lot of the interior piping before the roof penetration, and we could cut in wherever we needed.

“In about four and a half hours we did what would have probably taken two days—it was a ton of labor savings! And if there had been a leak we would have had to start over after cutting that part out. Using the Viega fittings worked out really, really well.”

Curry and his crew also used PureFlow PEX, in sizes 1¼” and smaller, for waterlines to the bathrooms and commercial kitchen.

As soon as Viega LLC introduced its MegaPressG fitting system for joining gas and fuel oil pipes, contractors began asking for it in larger sizes.

The original lineup included fittings for carbon steel pipes from ½” to 2″. They were the first fittings approved for use in gas and fuel oil applications and they quickly proved popular among contractors for their speed, reliability and ease of use. However, the 2″ limit restricted the number of applications in which they could be used.

In February, Viega introduced MegaPressG fittings for 2½”, 3″ and 4″ pipe, creating a comprehensive lineup of fittings approved for use in gas and fuel oil applications. And it’s the only system on the market that allows secure press connections on gas lines 2½” to 4″ in 16 seconds or less.

Constructed of carbon steel with a corrosion-resistant zinc nickel coating and first-of-its-kind graphite separator ring in larger sizes, MegaPressG is suitable for use with ASTM Schedule 5 to Schedule 40 carbon steel pipe

Using MegaPressG means no open flames, faster connections and labor savings, resulting in safer and more efficient projects that come in on time and on budget. It can reduce labor costs by as much as 60% to 90% over traditional methods.

Configurations include elbows, couplings, no-stop couplings, reducers, tees, reducing tees, adapters, reducing adapters, caps and flanges.

Combining productivity with peace of mind, MegaPressG fittings are equipped with Viega Smart Connect® technology, which allows installers to easily identify unpressed connections during pressure testing.

MegaPressG fittings offer the same proven quality and durability as all Viega products, bringing complete confidence to every job.

For more information on the new line of MegaPressG fittings, click here.