On our trucks, we keep all our soldering material, such as solder, paste, pipe cutters, emery cloth, inspection mirror and other miscellaneous items, in small tackle boxes.

This tool tip made my co-worker and our customer so happy that he made one and wrote my name on it. 

Leaking fixtures can waste a lot of water and money. 

First, remove the overflow trim. Then, insert a water hose down overflow. 

We do gas and electric water heaters for lots of residential customers. 

The customer says there is water at the base of the toilet after flushing, which means you get to replace the wax seal. 

Every time I installed an ice maker supply line, I was always concerned that it may leak — pushing and pulling on the fridge. 

Carry lengths of pipe in a standard cargo van and eliminate roof racks.

Contractors are a mobile breed — constantly on the move, from job to job. With so much shuffling around, there is more opportunity for human error — tools ending up on the wrong jobsite on the wrong day. When you have inventory tied up across different jobs, in the back of a work truck or van, or in a warehouse on a high shelf that’s rarely dusted, it’s easy for mistakes to be made.

When installing a shower arm or hand held hose wall elbow, thread a ½" coupling onto the male ends and select the appropriate size pipe nipple to use as a lever.

I have seen and experienced draining a water heater for replacement, and the drain is clogged and won’t let out any water.

We are a full service plumbing company. There are times when we have to gain access to the roof of million dollar homes. 

We keep super glue on the truck for any time we run into needing an O-ring, but don't have the exact size. 

The acquisition strengthens Anvil International’s fire protection product package.

The Yankee chapter will now be known as the Patriot chapter in the New England area.

PEX can be a viable alternative to more traditional materials for fire sprinklers.

NFPA 70 provides the important details for design.

Former Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer leads charge for residential fire safety.

The Johnson Controls GRINNELL G-Fire One-Bolt Coupling features a single-bolt design that eliminates alternate tightening.

Effective July 8, 2019, Victaulic has purchased Globe Fire Sprinkler. Combined, these two respected companies will have the resources and capabilities to bring exciting new solutions to the fire protection industry around the world, Victaulic notes.

Spencer Bell has been a fan of HoldRite plumbing brackets and the TESTRITE DWV testing system for years. So recently, when he heard that HoldRite had innovated the cast-in-place firestop sleeve process, he didn’t waste time learning more about it.

BNP Media Plumbing Group Multimedia Editor Nadia Askar recently sat down with Michael Whiteside, president and owner of Chicago-based MIFAB.

Now that many jurisdictions across the country are mandating fire sprinkler systems in new-home construction, de-signers need to be aware of the requirements and challenges these systems can face in relation to water meters.

How can engineers and contractors design wet fire sprinkler systems equipped to prevent corrosion and dry systems equipped to prevent freezing? That has long been a question central to code requirements and new product development.

Pressure relief valves protect fire sprinkler system components by relieving excess system pressure from supply surges or temperature changes. Since the 2010 edition, NFPA 13: “Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems” has required pressure relief valves to be installed on all wet pipe fire sprinkler systems. But picking the correct relief valve for a specific system does need a little preplanning.

Concealed attic spaces combine some of the most difficult aspects of fire protection design and require carefully tailored fire sprinkler solutions for effectiveness.

Corrosion in fire sprinkler systems can go undetected until it's too late, causing damage or loss of life. Traditional ITM protocols can accelerate corrosion, but new advancements offer better prevention and monitoring for protecting lives and property.

Eighty-two percent of respondents use digital tools daily to help streamline training and development programs. The majority of respondents within this group recognize the diverse benefits that digital tools offer the skilled trades industry.

Leave behinds are low-cost items that you give to customers to promote your brand following service calls or that you give away during home shows and other events. Oftentimes, plumbers stumble with leave behinds because they select things they might like instead of what the customer values. Here are 17 great leave behinds that will build brand recall with consumers.

One of the most challenging tasks managers face is terminating an employee. It is never easy, but sometimes necessary. What is all too easy is putting it off when it does become necessary.

You would never send your plumbers into the field without training and tools, right? What about the necessary sales training? Here is a simple 8-step approach that you can weave into your weekly service meetings to boost your team’s effectiveness in promoting add-ons.

The most expensive part of plumbing service is getting the phone to ring and the truck to the job. Once there, every additional dollar past breakeven helps cover the monthly overhead nut. Once this is covered, it falls straight to the bottom line. So, how can you maximize revenue? Here are nine ways to boost your average tickets.

Most plumbers are missing a golden opportunity for add-ons with point-of-use or whole-house water purification systems and/or water softeners. Consumer awareness of the benefit of water purification has been raised by the pandemic and well-publicized municipal failures. Many, if not most consumers are highly sensitive to contamination today, whether air- or water-borne.

If you rely on search engine marketing for calls, you are putting your company at risk because you are relying on the unreliable. Here are eight steps to wean your company off big tech dependency.

Ninety percent of seniors would rather remain in their own homes than move to assisted living, according to AginginPlace.org. Given the costs of assisted living, aging-in-place makes financial sense as well. Yet, many homes are not ready, which presents an opportunity for plumbing contractors.

Why are some plumbers winners, while others struggle? It is not the market, location of the company, the role of government, customers’ attitudes, the availability of manpower or any of the other excuses bandied about. Winning plumbers share a set of intangible traits that affect how they approach the world, how they see the world, and thus, how the world responds to them.

If the country is not already in recession, it appears likely one will arrive in 2023. Here are six ways to turn the downturn into an opportunity.

You may be the best technical plumber in town, but you will earn poor reviews and bad word-of-mouth if you cannot communicate well. Here are nine simple steps you can take to improve your communication skills. Almost all of them are non-verbal.

It is always a mystery why more plumbers fail to emphasize drain cleaning — if they offer it at all. Some think it fails to offer enough revenue. Others think it presents too much low-dollar competition. Here are five solid reasons every plumber should offer drain cleaning.

A product with a "Made in America" label is not necessarily made in the United States. It could be made in Canada or Mexico. Do you want products made in America or the USA?

Plumbing contractors are not known for their marketing prowess, yet marketing can drive more calls. The simplest marketing might be the sales promotion. Here are the steps.

Here are 46 business proverbs or truths that apply to the plumbing profession, presented in no particular order. Accompanying each is a question every plumbing company owner should ask about his company.

You know him (or her). He is the irrational employee. The irrational employee is usually a good producer or an essential person. Here is how to manage him, instead of letting him manage you.

It only takes a little effort to out-recruit the competition. Here are nine ways to become a better recruiter.

Should you hire apprentices instead of journeymen and master plumbers? Some contractors are finding more long-term success by building their team from the ground up.

The current U.S. workforce is comprised of four generations: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. But there’s one generation in particular that the skilled trades have their eyes on right now: Gen Z.

Many companies within the construction industry are chasing after the same pool of talent. Here are tips for mitigating the workforce shortage.

The trends that shape our industry are changing at a faster pace than ever before.

A successful home service franchise offers sales and marketing systems similar to those employed by large companies. These systems can be easily implemented and replicated over and over again.