Weekly Plumbing Brief: May 27–June 2, 2025
This week in plumbing saw a strong focus on sustainability, smart technology, and strategic business developments. The industry continues to evolve rapidly, driven by innovations that enhance efficiency, safety, and environmental responsibility. From cutting-edge water reuse systems gaining traction to new tools designed to boost productivity on job sites, the sector is demonstrating its adaptability. This digest also highlights key company advancements and programs specifically crafted to support trade professionals, ensuring they are well-equipped for the future.
Weekly Plumbing News & Trends:
A.O. Smith Corp. Wins Silver Edison Award for High-Efficiency Tankless Water Heaters
A.O. Smith Corp., a prominent manufacturer, was recognized with a 2025 Silver Edison Award for its new line of high-efficiency tankless water heaters. This award signifies innovation and excellence in product development within the industry. High-efficiency tankless water heaters are a growing trend, offering continuous hot water on demand while significantly reducing energy consumption and standby heat loss compared to traditional tank systems. This recognition highlights the industry’s ongoing commitment to developing more energy-efficient and sustainable solutions for consumers. The market is rewarding innovation that aligns with consumer preferences for lower utility bills and environmental consciousness, indicating that plumbers should be prepared to recommend and install such advanced, energy-saving systems as a standard offering. This also underscores the growing overlap between the plumbing industry and the broader energy efficiency and smart home sectors, requiring plumbers to increasingly act as energy consultants.
Published: June 2, 2025
https://www.achrnews.com/articles/164711-fyi-news-briefs-in-hvac-june-2-2025
Tools & Tips
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Milwaukee M18 FORCE LOGIC Press Tool (2773-20): Enhanced Efficiency and Safety
The Milwaukee M18 FORCE LOGIC Press Tool (model 2773-20) represents a significant advancement in plumbing installation. This battery-powered tool allows professionals to crimp copper, PEX, or black iron pipes in seconds, effectively eliminating the need for open-flame soldering on job sites. This not only dramatically speeds up installation times but also enhances safety by reducing fire hazards, noise, and fumes. It is designed for efficiency and reliability, ensuring consistent, leak-tight connections. The shift from traditional methods to battery-powered press tools highlights a broader “electrification” trend in the trades, offering significant safety improvements and dramatic increases in efficiency. Furthermore, the use of battery press tools contributes to sustainability by cutting approximately 200 lbs of CO₂ per technician per year compared with torch soldering, revealing a deeper layer of sustainability in the industry: not just what is installed, but how it is installed.
M18 and M12 FORCE LOGIC Plumbing Installation Press Tools | Milwaukee Tool -
Jobber: Streamlining Plumbing Business Operations
Jobber is a leading plumbing business software solution designed to enhance operational efficiency for contractors. It offers an intuitive interface that streamlines essential tasks such as estimating, scheduling, dispatching, and invoicing. With features like automated quoting, real-time technician tracking, and integrated payment processing, Jobber helps plumbing businesses manage projects from initial request to final payment. This comprehensive platform aims to improve accuracy, reduce administrative burden, and ultimately boost customer satisfaction and profitability. The emphasis on such software underscores that digital transformation is no longer optional but a critical component for business growth, directly combating challenges like inaccurate job costing and communication gaps. By streamlining back-office operations, plumbers can provide faster quotes, more accurate scheduling, and transparent communication, thereby building client loyalty and a positive reputation.
https://www.getjobber.com/industries/plumbing-software/
Fun Fact
Did you know that while the Romans were masters of aqueduct engineering, their widespread use of lead piping for water distribution led to significant health consequences? Around 200 BCE, Roman engineers replaced existing systems with lead pipes, which dramatically improved water transport but unknowingly introduced toxins into the water supply, contributing to numerous deaths from lead poisoning. This historical misstep highlights the long-standing challenge of ensuring safe water delivery and the continuous evolution of plumbing materials and standards. This past failure serves as a stark historical reminder of the critical link between plumbing materials and public health, directly relevant to modern regulations like “lead-free” requirements and the development of new, safer pipe materials like PEX. From ancient clay and copper pipes to the later introduction of plastic piping due to metal shortages, the industry has consistently adapted to overcome material limitations and health risks, demonstrating that innovation in plumbing is often a direct response to identified needs or past failures.
https://www.bigrentz.com/blog/very-not-boring-history-plumbing
We’d love to hear from you!
Have you participated in any Plumbing events or utilized new Plumbing tools recently? Share your experiences or insights with us—we’re featuring selected community voices in next week’s edition.