Viega

There’s never a good time to lose hot water in a building – but days before a busy holiday weekend just might be the worst.

It’s what happened at a hotel in New Hampshire. Father and son duo Kevin and Hunter Hart were able to get hot water going again for the hotel in just two days, instead of four or five, by using Viega ProPress.

“It was definitely an emergency. They had two boilers for hot water and two storage tanks. But they’d already lost one of the storage tanks back in the summer and waited to get it fixed, so when the second one went out, they were in a bind,” Kevin Hart said.

“We worked side by side for 14 hours, two days in a row to get it fixed up. But definitely with the Viega press, it cut the job time in half. That hotel could have been without hot water for five days.”

They used 2” to 3” ProPress adapters, elbows, tees and ball valves. They also needed MegaPress G fittings, in sizes ¾” and 1”, for the gas line to the boilers.

After first using Viega for a middle-of-the-night emergency repair a few years ago, Hart said he was hooked. Now he’s teaching 19-year-old Hunter the business. For Hart Plumbing and Heating, owned by Kevin and his brother Robert, the business definitely includes Viega fittings.

“We’ve got 13 guys in our crew and now all the trucks have a press tool and fittings,” Kevin Hart said. “When we do work in commercial buildings and things, it’s much safer to not have to light up torches for repairs. Being able to come in and say we’ll do a job in a short time is a huge plus for our business.”

When Jonathan Cheever snowboards in World Cup races this winter, he has the Viega logo on his uniform. When he installs hot water heaters this summer, he’ll have Viega fittings in his toolbox. Viega LLC is stoked to announce its sponsorship of Jonathan Cheever, a 2018 Olympian and a 14-year member of the U.S. Snowboard Team as a snowboard cross racer. Jonathan is also a licensed journeyman plumber who supports himself in the off-season installing water heaters and plumbing bathrooms.

World Cup Snowboarder Jonathan Cheever is sponsored by several industry brands including Viega, Bradford White and American Standard.

“Jonathan is a natural fit for Viega. In addition to being a world-class athlete, he understands the challenges and rewards of plumbing. When he endorses a product, it’s because it’s proven to be the best performer,” said Molly Morrow, channel marketing manager for Viega.

“I’ve been using Viega fittings since I began working as a plumber in 2004,” Jonathan said. “I’m proud to have the company as a sponsor and to spread the word about its fittings and pressing systems. Snowboard cross is all about speed and Viega fittings make every job faster and easier.”

This winter Jonathan is competing in the FIS Snowboard World Cup, which started in Austria this month and will conclude in March in the Czech Republic. He is racing for the United States as an independent athlete.

To support himself in the off season he works as a plumber out of Park City, Utah, where he’s done jobs for teammates and coaches. He also sometimes returns in the summer to his hometown of Saugus, Mass., to work with his father and brother, who own Mark Cheever Plumbing & Heating.

“Snowboarding is my passion but, for me, plumbing is more than just a way to make a buck,” Jonathan said. “I like the challenge of figuring out the best way to solve a problem and improving people’s lives.”

Jonathan also advocates for people to enter the skilled trades, which face a shortage of workers.

“Plumbing and the other trades offer exciting work, job security and good pay without the crippling student loan debt that often comes with a four-year college education,” he said. “It’s a rewarding career path more young people should consider.”

Valve makes industrial maintenance programs faster and more efficient.

Viega LLC is proud to announce that 3-Piece Ball Valves are now available for its MegaPress® carbon and stainless steel pipe pressing systems.

The newest component of Viega’s MegaPress system is approved for all MegaPress applications, excluding natural gas. It’s available in 1⁄2”, 3⁄4”, 1”, 11⁄4”, 11⁄2” and 2” sizes.

It is available in multiple materials for specific applications. The carbon steel valve is available with EPDM and FKM sealing elements. The 304 stainless steel valve has an FKM sealing element, while the 316 stainless steel valve has an EPDM sealing element. Repair kits and replacement handles also are available.

The valves will make industrial maintenance and installation programs faster and more efficient by minimizing downtime and keeping projects on schedule, said Paige Riddle, product manager, valves. “MegaPress is all about allowing end users to operate more productively; the new 3-Piece Ball Valves add one more valuable component to the system,” she said.

As with other MegaPress fittings, secure connections with the ball valves can be made in seven seconds or less with no adapters. Pressing technology doesn’t require fire or flame, so there’s no need for burn permits or fire watch. It also
eliminates the danger of contamination caused by thread cutting oil or filings.

The valves are equipped with Viega’s patented Smart Connect® technology, which makes it easy to identify unpressed
connections.

For more information about the MegaPress 3-Piece Ball Valve, click here.

Viega LLC is proud to announce that fittings for its PureFlow®Press system have received ASTM International certification.

Viega’s fittings have always met ASTM standards, and listed its PureFlow Press fittings under the ASTM F877 standard, but the company now has pioneered a new standard for itsr PureFlow Press connections, ASTM F3347 and ASTM F3348. Viega then submitted its products to NSF International in order to receive the official certifications, said Seth Larson, product manager, plastics, at Viega.

“Everyone in the field is familiar with the quality of Viega fittings, but the ASTM certifications provide an additional level of reassurance for contractors, as well as a standardized fitting that is easier for engineers to specify,” Larson said.

The specifications, published as ASTM F3347 (Zero Lead bronze press fittings with stainless steel press sleeves) and F3348 (plastic press insert fittings with stainless steel press sleeves), are for PEX tubes that distribute potable water and that support hydronic plumbing systems for homes and businesses.

For more information, visit viega.us.