Uponor North America (Uponor), a pioneer and leading provider of PEX (crosslinked polyethylene) piping products, is today launching its new complete polymer solution for commercial piping applications, the PP-RCT piping system. The innovative platform for this important announcement is a special, 90-minute, virtual event for customers, specifiers, installers, and other buying influencers in the commercial plumbing and mechanical field.
“Our new PP-RCT and Construction Services offerings, combined with our traditional PEX piping solutions, deliver a complete polymer solution for a wide range of commercial plumbing and mechanical projects,” says Bill Gray, president of Uponor North America. “From half-inch diameter PEX to 12-inch diameter PP-RCT, our piping solutions meet the performance, durability, and safety needs of the entire commercial structure. In addition to these industry-leading piping products, Uponor Construction Services can provide the systems design and engineering expertise to ensure a project is fully supported from kickoff to post-construction.”
PP-RCT piping system: Uponor PP-RCT (PolyPropylene, Random copolymer with modified Crystallinity and Temperature resistance) has higher temperature and pressure ratings than PP-R pipe, as well as lower levels of expansion and contraction.
Proven reliable for commercial hydronic heating, chilled-water cooling, and distribution piping for radiant heating and cooling applications—including snow melt, turf conditioning, and permafrost prevention—PP-RCT is 80 percent lighter than steel pipe. That makes it not only easier, but also safer, to install than metallic pipe systems. It also offers higher resistance to corrosion, rust, and scale buildup and quieter operation than metallic piping materials.
In addition, contractors will be able to bid projects with more certainty and confidence, as polymer piping offers stable pricing that doesn’t fluctuate with market changes unlike alternative piping materials.
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- Photo courtesy of Uponor
Uponor initially announced its entry into the North American PP-RCT market in September 2019 through a partnership agreement with Pestan North America. As a result, Uponor is now marketing approximately 270 pipe and fitting products in the U.S. in sizes up to 12 inches in diameter and with plans to expand up to 24 inches. All Uponor PP-RCT pipe and fittings come protected by a 10-year warranty.
“With this new piping system, we are also offering comprehensive training and expert technical support—both online and through our nationwide network of in-person sales professionals—to help contractors learn our PP-RCT system,” says Gray. “This includes making pipe connections with special heat-fusion equipment, via our partnership with McElroy Manufacturing, the leading manufacturer of fusion equipment.”
Gray went on to say that whether their customers select virtual or hands-on training, Uponor’s professional guidance helps installers master best practices for both PP-RCT and PEX, helping to keep their projects on schedule and within budget.
Construction Services
Continuing its 27-year history of offering PEX piping system design for both residential and commercial radiant heating, cooling, and plumbing, residential fire safety, and commercial hydronic piping, Uponor has expanded this offering to become Uponor Construction Services, featuring regionally based designers, as well as a team of BIM experts.
Using the latest design and estimating tools, the Uponor team of skilled and experienced designers and project managers offers a deep menu of design and construction services at no charge, including:
- Square-foot budget estimations
- Material take-offs
- Piping material cost comparisons
- Design development
- Radiant heating and cooling loop layouts
- Pipe sizing and load recommendations
In addition, Uponor Construction Services provides fee-based, system design services (plansets in PDF, Revit®, and fabrication models), quoted to meet the particular needs of individual projects, at prices below standard industry system-design rates.
Other fee-based services from the BIM Services team include:
- Record modeling
- Estimating
- As-built modeling
- On-site support
- Project controls
- Modular construction
- Kitting and prefabrication
- BIM content
All of these services integrate directly into the user’s software platform and workflows, providing an integrated partnership with an end goal to deliver a well-designed project that is properly coordinated and fully supported.
“Evolving our Construction Services offering was in response to customer feedback and their growing expectations related to project efficiency, accuracy, quality, and consistency to better meet schedules and budgets,” says Gray. “We saw an opportunity to become a more involved partner from the very start of a project through construction onto completion and beyond. With this project-spanning partnership, we are confident we can help improve customers’ productivity and profitability.”
Since the evolution of Uponor Construction Services and the PP-RCT partnership announcement with Pestan in 2019, Uponor has provided PP-RCT piping systems and design expertise for several commercial projects in the U.S. The largest and most notable of these is a recently completed hybrid snow-melt system, involving both 1,900 feet of Uponor PP-RCT and 36,000 feet of Wirsbo hePEX™ pipe, for a 305-foot pedestrian bridge on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, the largest public university in the state. (See case study.)
About
Apple Valley, Minnesota-based Uponor North America strives to be the partner plumbing and HVAC professionals rely on for smart water and energy solutions. The company is helping to move the construction industry forward through innovation, education and advocacy focusing on the defining issues of our time: water, energy and labor. An award-winning manufacturer of PEX piping and the exclusive marketer/distributor of Uponor PP-RCT in North America, the company offers plumbing, fire safety, radiant heating/cooling, hydronic piping, and pre-insulated piping system solutions for new construction, retrofits and remodels in the residential and commercial markets.
Uponor partnered with Belkin International in 2016 to form Phyn, a new intelligent water company that is revolutionizing the way consumers interact with water and helping solve major challenges facing the global water supply. Recognized for best-in-class manufacturing, sustainability, economic development and as a top workplace, the Uponor group of companies employs more than 33,800 worldwide. Uponor’s global headquarters are located in Vantaa, Finland.
Contact
Patti Winger
651-341-8991
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