Students at Central Elementary School in Longmont, Colorado, just might find it a little easier to concentrate, now that an outdated pump system has been replaced.
The entire three-story school would vibrate when the aging boiler system (located in the basement) was running, which caused a lot of distraction. Everest Mechanical replaced the pump system, using 3” MegaPress for hydronic water, and gone were the issues of vibration.
The team at Everest Mechanical has been using MegaPress for a year or so, and Derek Shepard, General Manager of Operations, said he’s been very impressed with it. So, when the company bid for the school job, they knew they’d use MegaPress.
“What really nailed us the job is that the original calculations submitted for the project’s boiler pumps were incorrect. When we submitted our bid, we guided the client toward the correct type and size of pumping system to increase longevity, functionality and quiet operation. The customer informed us that no other mechanical contractors had noticed the incorrect pump submittals,” Shepard said.
MegaPress was a new product to those overseeing the project, and Shepard said there were initially a lot of questions about the MegaPress System from the school district’s maintenance team. But Everest Mechanical, along with Viega District Manager Roy Sevigny, did a product demo and walked everyone through the products. Afterward, the school district was completely confident in the use of MegaPress and were then on board.
“We did a walk-through with the district when the project was complete. The installation was clean and nice looking – they were impressed,” Shepard said. “MegaPress makes sexy plumbing!”
He said that using MegaPress instead of threading saved his crew at least a week of labor. Another good time-saver was using three of the MegaPress Press-in Branch Connectors.
“Usually those are a pricey fitting, or it’s near impossible to find a 4” by ¾” threaded tee,” Shepard said. “Roy introduced us to these connectors and it was impressive technology. They went in clean and very nice. They look like they’re part of the pipe. [Without them] it would have been four or more hours of labor, but instead we were done with all of them in less than an hour.”
Shepard said he’s excited that using MegaPress has given Everest Mechanical a competitive edge on bids for other school boilers. By saving labor, it saves money and keeps the price point down. With lots of aging schools in their service area, he hopes to use Central Elementary as an example in obtaining future similar jobs.
The other thing Shepard said he really appreciates about Viega press technology is how beneficial it is to his crew from a personal perspective.
“Threading pipe and turning wrenches, especially on pipe of that size, is tough on rotator cuffs and tendons,” he said. “The MegaPress System reduces this, increasing the livelihood and longevity of a technician’s career. If a new technician can come in and have a full career without injury, that’s our greatest goal. We’re sold on Viega. We really trust it.”
