From 2003 as appeared in plumbing mechanical
He Said, I Said
I happened to be in a home center this morning looking for some light bulbs when I came upon the plumbing department. A homeowner just happened to be looking for some advice and was asking the store person about pumps for his heating system.
The store person said, "No problem. Take this one."
At this point I had to say something and asked the heating salesman the following: Was this "pump" a centrifugal, rotary or reciprocating? He just shrugged his shoulders.
I asked if this was a centrifugal "pump" was it horizontal or vertical? He said, "Let me look at the box again." I then asked if it's a rotary pump, is it a vane, gear, piston, lobe progressing cavity, peristaltic or screw type?
He said, "Let me get my manager." A few minutes later the manager comes along with the store person and asks if he can help.
I said, "You sell pumps, correct?" He said "Yes." I said, "What types do you sell for heating?" He said, "We sell one type that fits most applications." I said "Do you mind if I ask you some questions regarding this one-size-fits-all pump?" He said, "No problem. That's why I'm here."
I said, "Fantastic. This one pump you sell: How does it know the TDH of the system and the required flow rate?" He asked me what TDH was, and I told him "Total Discharge Head."
I was faced with three blank looks.
Finally one said it doesn't matter because the pump "knows" what it needs to do. I said, "What about pipe loss and Hazen Williams formulas or Darcy formulas or the friction factor based on Reynolds number and laminar flow as opposed to turbulent flow?"
Then another store employee came over and said he was a plumber. I said, "Great. Where are you licensed?" He said he didn't need a license as he knows it from doing it. He then went on to explain why this great pump is automatic and can handle all kinds of water as it only draws the power it needs to move water around. I asked how fast does it move the water? He said a few miles per hour, with that I left the store saying thank you.
Now I am curious as to how insurance companies pay off claims to non licensed folks dabbling in very technical trades. Here we have stores selling "pumps" to anyone who walks through the door thinking they can get a crash course from these shopkeepers in blue jeans.
Let's make it mandatory that to buy this type of equipment that the buyer must require proof of a license to show they know what they're doing. I know when I went for my hunting license I had to show proof of taking a hunting safety course. It's a national disgrace the number of folks who die from bad installations that are done without requiring formal training by anyone tinkering out in the field.
Sylvan Tieger
S. Tieger Plumbing Co. Inc.
Riverdale, N.Y.