Jamie Solus

Aug
1

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Most homeowners’ decisions involving home construction or renovation boil down to what lifestyle features/benefits can be achieved for what investment, with big-picture, infrastructure improvements often being disregarded. In the case of residential fire sprinkler systems, homeowners are unlikely to consider this addition because it does not readily improve their lifestyle. According to an article published in Canadian Contractor, “What You Need to Know About Residential Fire Sprinklers,” Uponor’s Eric Skare explains how contractors can set themselves apart from competition and help their clients overcome cost-based decisions by educating them on the fundamental benefits of residential fire sprinkler systems.

 

The full article may be viewed at: https://www.uponorpro.com/~/media/Extranet/Files/articles/Canadian%20Contractor%20July%202013%20Fire%20Sprinkler%20Article.aspx?sc_lang=en&version=072320130347

 

O'Reilly-DePalma Client News

Jul
30

Plumbing Industry Veteran Applies Product-Development Skills to Bring Clean Drinking Water to East Africa

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Water is a basic building block of life, but how often do we carefully consider its use? According to the United Nations, roughly one-fifth of the world’s population (approximately 1.2 billion people) live in areas of physical water scarcity, facing problems on a daily basis that rarely, if ever, cross the minds of those who have easy access to clean water.

Don Arnold, a 50-year veteran of the U.S. plumbing industry, immediately recognized Africa’s water problem during a mission trip to Uganda in 2008. He saw that in Africa, half the water pumps that are designed to destroy bacteria, viruses and parasites are not working because they are broken and require costly maintenance or unavailable parts. Rain is scarce, and available water is often dirty, used for both bathing and drinking by people and animals.

With his extensive knowledge and experience in plumbing products and systems, Arnold was able to formulate a solution that would significantly change the lives of the people in the villages.

“I knew that any number of water-purification options could help the situation,” Arnold explains. “But the more I spent time immersed in the realities of life in the villages, the more I saw how often devices and systems that require periodic maintenance – such as replacing a filter cartridge or adding a chemical such as chlorine – often fall into disuse.”

Utilizing “slow-sand filtration,” a basic technology that is more than 200 years old, Arnold is working with Safe Water Team-Kenya (SWT-K), a subsidiary of the Michigan nonprofit Safe Water Team, Inc., to introduce BioSand water filtration units in villages throughout that country. In this simple, yet efficient process, the bacteria in a sand-and-gravel mixture feed on other bacteria from the dirty water, thus reducing waterborne pathogens by more than 90 percent.

The cost of materials, installation and shipping is about $100 per filter, and residents are charged 300 shillings (about $2.65) for each unit. “[It] doesn’t seem like much, but that could be a week’s income for them,” he says.

Arnold hopes to expand these efforts beyond Kenya and make safe water accessible throughout East Africa. He sees his work on this project as the most rewarding of his career.

“To do something as basic as provide safe water and keep people healthy is beyond satisfying,” he says. “I wish I would have done this a long time ago. It’s making a huge difference, and I have dreams to make it even bigger.”

O’Reilly DePalma helped Arnold share his inspirational tale through several pro-bono communications efforts designed to raise monetary and volunteer support for Safe Water Team Kenya.

Don Arnold was featured in the Lake County News-Sun and Supply House Times for his efforts in East Africa. For more information on this announcement, view the complete press release here.

Good Works, Good Business | The OR-DP POV

Jul
24

HVAC Ultraviolet Light Introduced

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HVAC/P Product News magazine recently profiled the Stinger HVAC Ultraviolet light fixture, from Santa Clarita, Calif.-based UV Resources. The Stinger is designed to efficiently destroy surface microbes and organic materials that impede HVAC system efficiency, as well as contribute to allergies, poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), and airborne-transmitted disease.  The Stinger UV-C fixture keeps coils and drain pans clean and working, often without additional maintenance.

Because it mounts from the exterior and requires no interior unit access, the Stinger is ideal for hard-to-access HVAC equipment — even up to 5 tons — including fan coils, heat pumps, unit ventilators, terminal units or individual duct runs. The Stinger works well in critical areas too, units above ceilings or in specialty equipment applications in hospitals, industrial plants and pharmaceutical facilities — anywhere UV-C is needed in small equipment.

For more information on this announcement, view the complete press release or email us.

 

Green Building | New Building Products | O'Reilly-DePalma Client News