HYDRONICS e Continued from p 52
new circulator will cut power consumption by half or more, most are bound to have their doubts,” reasons Hunt, explaining his strategy.
“And when they hear about the higher price point of the new technology versus a conventional circulator, our selling job turns even tougher. “I just wanted to be able to say to
my customer, ‘Hey, this pump really will do X, Y and Z, just as the manufacturer claims. That performance will fully justify the larger price tag. How do I know? Because I’ve used it myself and saved money. I even have the lower utility bills to prove it.’” The application: Hunt served as
his own installer on this home project, which is no surprise, given his lifelong industry background. His grandfather, Thomas Hunt, and his father, Vincent J. Hunt, both worked as independent plumbing and heating contractors for decades, each
relationship with Edelstein evolved into a mutually beneficial professional partnership that spanned the better part of two decades, with Hunt acquiring controlling interest in the firm from the retiring Edelstein in 1994. The new owner subsequently added
“& HVAC” to its name “to reflect his own skills and interests.” In short, an industry
veteran of more than 40 years, Hunt knows his way around a circulator. Changing out the old pumps for the eight new ALPHA circulators took only half a day, he says. “The electrician who did the boiler wiring when the house was built put in pigtails and used plug- in circulators, so I did not have to create any new
55
Danbury Plumbing & HVAC Supply, Danbury, Conn.
ushering the next generation into the family trade (as opposed to “family business,” since each man preferred to start his own, eponymous company). Following a youthful
apprenticeship under his dad, the third generation launched T. J. Hunt Plumbing at the tender age of 22 in the mid-1970s. Several years later, T. J. came in from the field to teach plumbing in a local vocational technical school before his professional life took yet another interesting turn. As a boy accompanying his father
on the job, Hunt got to know Danbury Plumbing Supply and its longtime owner Phil Edelstein. Some years after their first handshake in the 1960s, the latter offered the 25- year-old T. J. a part-time position managing his radical-for-the-times, retail parts counter operation. That initial experience ultimately led to a full-time position one year later, in 1982. The employer-employee
wiring,” adds Hunt. “That saved me a considerable amount of time.” Built in 1997, with radiant
floor heating throughout, Hunt’s Danbury residence was “not the ultimate challenge” for ALPHA, he acknowledges. For one, the low water temperatures of his radiant system would be less demanding on the pumps than a conventional hydronic baseboard setup. In addition, the home’s eight heating zones are each controlled by a dedicated circulator that maintains a constant pressure. As a result, Hunt didn’t necessarily need the ALPHA’s AutoAdapt feature, which automatically adjusts pump speed and pressure to meet changing demand. “The eight separate,
e Continued on p 56 e Circle 32 on reader reply form on page 80
phc july 2011
www.phcnews.com
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