Taking Northern Tier challenges in stride

In Anchorage, wholesalers Ferguson Supply, Keller Supply and Pacific Plumbing all share a solid relationship with Partusch Plumbing, one of the largest mechanical contracting firms in the state. 

The rigors of working in one of the world’s most unforgiving environments demand a unique approach to solving problems. Such as lengthy shipping of materials and equipment from the mainland and the midwinter challenge of getting a supply truck to out of the wholesaler’s parking lot. 

“It’s like we’re out here in the gulag,” said Mike Cooke, manager of plumbing operations.“There are times when white-out snowstorms or low temperatures bring everything to a crawl -- and sometimes to a dead standstill.”

A few years ago, the pros at Partusch Plumbing, in corporation with all three wholesalers, devised a direct-to-door purchasing plan to streamline the delivery of product purchases. This ensured that when their installers needed plumbing fixtures, a water heater or several Grundfos circulators, there’d be no need for concern.

“It works well for the wholesalers because they don’t need to handle the material or write an inventory for every unit,” said Larry Partusch, president of the firm. “Instead, we’re invoiced for an entire truckload. This reduces the cost for the manufacturer, the wholesaler and for us. This means that we can be more competitive with shops that are buying all materials and supplies over the counter.”

Partusch Plumbing and its associated business, Northern Sheet Metal, occupy a 13,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse facility with 10,000 square feet of additional snowmelt outside.  They constructed it in 1995.

“When the building was being designed, at the top of the list was the need for room -- lots of it -- for inventory,” said Terry Bolton, manager of Northern Sheet Metal. “We wanted to be able to stash lots of inventory to reduce the need for installers to be at the wholesaler. Before, we lost a lot of time that way. We cut that lost time substantially. We’re sure that our ‘troops’ make fewer trips to the wholesaler than any other firm up here.” 

Speed, efficiency and no lost time are of the essence, especially when you consider the three- or four-month-long period of warmth. Partusch installers have learned that if you’re going to install radiant heat or (especially) snowmelt tubing, you’d better get the job done in June, July or August. 

The same weather that challenges them on the jobsite has made hydronics king. “We may lay-down 20,000 or 30,000 feet of radiant snowmelt tubing in those short months and another 150,000 feet of interior tube during the year,” added Partusch. “And since that’s the time frame we have to get it done in, we find a way through it. Many jobsites may have tubing in long before we can get to the boiler installations, but our customers know the realities of dealing with severe conditions and long, hard winters.”  

Last June, they were just revving up for the new tubing season. At one jobsite, 15 miles east of downtown Anchorage, several of their trucks bumped and slid through a long, rough-hewn track, girded on both sides by tall birch and spruce trees, that was soon to become a new home’s driveway.   

Excavated tundra, with old snow and a fresh set of bear tracks about 30 feet from the home’s front door, was still visible on all sides of the property, so it was still too early to lay out the ice melt grid prior to sidewalk and driveway pours. But the pumping of air compressors and hammering inside were sounds of progress, evidence of work under way. 

That’s where Cooke and Bolton had stopped to check the progress of two plumbing crews, moving efficiently between sections of the large custom home. Another Partusch crew was installing a bank of Grundfos SuperBrute three-speed circulators in the mechanical room that would serve the home’s extensive radiant heat system.

“We standardized on Grundfos circulators years ago,” said Bolton. “Not only is the wet rotor design, in our opinion, the most reliable -- but we also grew attached to the SuperBrute’s and VersaFlo’s three-speed capability. The SuperBrutes now have three circulators in the lineup, each with three speeds and levels of performance. There’s virtually no hydronic challenge we can’t handle with a few of these circulators in the truck.”

Cooke added, “We train all of our techs, and build each hydronic system based on the concept and advantages of multi-speed circulation. As this area grows, there’s a lot of retrofit work here.  These circs give us the flexibility to make adjustments downstream, often with no need to swap-out the pump.”

Bolton noted, “Being able to select speed and performance levels is very important to us. With radiant heating, we already have the ability to create as much or little heat in any particular zone by cutting back on the valves, and to have a circulator with three speeds only gives us more control and versatility.”

Cooke then added, “We’ve also prefer Grundfos isolation valves. Their design is solid, and the all-brass construction is what we want for jobs that won’t require call-backs.”

In addition to greater interest in radiant, snow melt has caught on big in Alaska, noted Cooke. Use of the technology began 10 to 12 years ago, chiefly for banks, car washes and hospitals, but made a quick leap into the residential and light commercial markets.  After all, snow’s a certainty in Alaska, and they’ve gotta’ get rid of it somehow.