A crew from Pinnacle Plumbing began threading the carbon steel pipe needed for gas lines in a 96-unit townhouse complex; but shortly after, they switched to Viega MegaPressG. The rest of the project – which includes more than 30 buildings, some of them mixed use – was completed with Viega.
“After getting into the project, we were able to increase the speed of installation with less manpower using Viega,” said Allen Pacheco, President and Owner of Pinnacle Plumbing. “I think we did one building with the threading machine and it was just too much time.”
Pacheco brought ProPress into the job as well, noting how well it worked for the boiler room, where plumbers were crammed in 36-inch-wide closet-like spaces.
“To solder in there just doesn’t work,” he said. “And when it’s 101 outside and 98 percent humidity, it’s too much. We started to see the value, obviously for safety, but also turning around and installing this faster than we could have done with more manpower. Viega worked out a lot better.”
The townhome complex has 31 buildings with two or three homes in each, plus three other buildings that have commercial space on the lowest level. There are a few buildings that include a cluster of apartments and community-style/common rooms. The little subdivision is located within walking distance of the small village of Pascoag, Rhode Island.
The majority of MegaPressG fittings used in the development were 1″ (with some 11⁄4″ fittings also required). ProPress was used for the residential boiler systems, in 3⁄4″ and 1″ sizes. One of the larger buildings includes a 2″ copper main water supply as well.
Pacheco and his crew, led by project foreman Christopher Baker, began using Viega ProPress about four years ago. It came as a recommendation, and although he was hesitant at first, he quickly realized Viega was, as he said, different and better.
“We tried it on a 21⁄2″ boiler pipe, and from there we did a lot of commercial work with Viega. With another application, we would have been there all day long,” Pacheco said. “Doing repair work with Viega fittings, you get things done in a couple of hours instead. People also complain about things like smoke and flames in their homes, so this is something that the industry needs. We’ve transitioned and now every vehicle of ours has the press setup.”
