When meeting a crucial deadline, many contractors know that using Viega products will get the job done well and without worries of missing a target date.
It’s why Moe Saavedra, General Manager of Devix Heating and Cooling in West Allis, Wisconsin, called on Viega ProPress and MegaPress fittings for a boiler-repiping project. In September, when a 60-year-old large boiler at the Contessa Apartments in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, quit working, a fix was needed – and fast.
“It was all natural gas, and it was an oversized unit, so we converted the one very large boiler into a staged multi-boiler system,” explained Saavedra. “These boilers work in stages, depending on the outdoor ambient temperature.”
Saavedra said there was a 21⁄2″ carbon steel water main coming in from the building, but everything else was 2″ copper tubing, so his crew used Viega transition fittings to connect 21⁄2″ carbon steel into 2″ copper. Their vendor, Ferguson, helped gather all the parts needed quickly, so they could get the work done.
“Viega made this job happen quickly, because typically we’d cut back and use a threaded fitting. But in this situation, it was all welded pipe, so MegaPress was the best repair option for this. We’ve used Viega ProPress for about three years, but this was our first time to try MegaPress,” Saavedra said.
Devix Heating and Cooling uses ProPress for nearly all its water heater and boiler repairs and installations. Saavedra said the fittings are a big benefit to the company.
“A job that might take us six days can take us just two or three (with ProPress), which means that it cuts our labor in half. And that means we can pump out twice as much work! It’s a huge win,” he said.
Saavedra admitted that after being introduced to Viega initially, he still wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the products, but after putting Viega press fittings to work on a job, he became a believer.
“Everyone loved it. The job was done super quick. It was just phenomenal,” he said.
One of Devix’s customers is a building management company in Milwaukee that owns 40 to 50 buildings. The company regularly calls on Devix to do maintenance, repairs and replacement work, such as the Contessa Apartments. Before switching to Viega, Saavedra said they did things “the old-school way” via solder and flux. With Devix using Viega, their clients are noticing the return on investment they’re getting.
“They love that we can replace a boiler in a day. We’re not a big company, but this allows us to cut and press, and we’re done,” he said. “The only reason we can pump these things out so fast is because of Viega.
