Expo Exhibitors Provide Piping, Duct Help

ATLANTA, GA — What’s new in duct and piping accessories? Plenty. At the recent Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Expo, many new products were on display, all claiming to help the contractor complete duct and piping projects faster and better.

A late arrival and first-timer to the expo, Evesham Enterprise, LLC (Blenheim, NJ), introduced its patent-pending Flex Riggin Strap™. Invented by a group of experienced installers, the company said its product is designed specifically for the proper installation of flexible duct. It said it replaces the current use of nylon strapping-roll materials, tie wraps, or thin metal banding for hanging flexible duct from steel or wooden joists.

According to Gary Passanante, vice president of Sales and Market-ing, each Flex Riggin Strap is designed to provide a full 31¼2-in. of support and multiple hanging choices to eliminate “kinking, sagging, and the resultant airflow restrictions and R-value degradation today’s flex duct installers experience.”

“I was pleasantly shocked by the overwhelming reception we received from so many countries wishing to import our product, as well as the reaction of contractors seeing a product that can cut their installation time in half,” said Passanante. “As a result of this year’s ASHRAE show response, we will be rapidly expanding our product’s presence worldwide.”

Michael Prokapus, vice president of Finance, said the flexible duct manufacturers were elated to see this product because “the use of Flex Riggin Straps will ensure the performance integrity of their product line and expand flexible duct use in the global market.”

“As I was reminded numerous times during the show, it’s always the simplest ideas that make the biggest impact in an industry,” said Prokapus.

OTHER PRODUCTS

Z-Flex (Bedford, NH) featured its Z-Vent III™, designed to complete simple gasketed connections “in a jiffy.” With its product, Z-Vent said pipes snap together without the need to drill or screw; provides air-tight seams, can be cut to length, and can be installed with minimum clearance to combustibles.

The company also featured its Insul-Vent™, a double-wall flexible insulated vent connector. It said its product was designed to make insulated connections between appliance and common vent “easy and economical.”

“Simply cut to desired length and attach quick connect ends,” said a spokesperson. “It eliminates costly elbows and accessories.”

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OmegaFlex, Inc. (Exton, PA) touted its TracPipe flexible gas piping line. According to a representative at its booth, TracPipe is heavy duty but lightweight, bends and forms by hand, replaces black pipe, and is easy to use. A company spokesperson said the product has the highest pressure ratings, tested by CSA International for ratings up to 125 psi. It manufacturers up to a 2-in. size for commercial gas piping.

“It conforms to requirements for industrial, commercial, and high-rise applications,” said the spokesperson. “Your crew can complete more installations each week for no increase in labor costs.”

Titeflex Corp. (Springfield, MA) featured its Gastite® fuel gas piping system. According to the company, it utilizes corrugated, semi-rigid stainless steel tubing and fully integrated, all metal components. A company representative noted that simple hand tools, such as tubing cutters, wrenches, and utility knives, are all that are needed to work with the Gastite components.

“The XR fitting creates a metal-to-metal seal — superior to all others on the market — with no split rings, O-rings, or gaskets,” said the spokesperson. “The self-guiding bushings in the tool-less flare design ensure a perfectly even flare every time.”

According to the company, its patented Jacket-Lock™ feature captures the polyethylene jacketing, leaving no exposed stainless steel behind the nut.

“This feature alone,” said the spokesperson, “makes Gastite’s fitting-to-pipe assembly the most corrosive-resistant on the market.”

FloSafe (Kansas City, MO) announced a new line of plastic pipe and fittings for industrial use. Called Flo Clear HPC (for “High Purity Clear”), both pipe and fittings are molded from identical clear PVC resin to ensure system uniformity and consistency in clarity. The piping, which is made in accordance with FDA Title 21 and NSF Standard 61 requirements, is available in sizes from 1¼2 in. through 6 in. and IPS sizes with “Streamline” socket-style fitting configurations.

Pex-Gard™ by Perma-Pipe® (Niles, IL) is designed for fast, economical installation, due to its extremely long laying lengths and its ability to be routed around obstructions, said the company. It is available in maximum-coiled lengths from 164 ft to 1,180 ft, depending on pipe diameter. Applications include snow melt, district heating and cooling, domestic hot water, potable hot water, and industrial facilities.

Publication date: 03/05/2001

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