ISH it, or ISH it not...

...working in the N.A. market?

By Bob "Hot Rod" Rohr,

Radiant expert

I recently attended ISH North America. It was the fourth ISH North America, this time located in beautiful Chicago. It was the smoothest running show so far. The city and McCormick Place handle conventions of this size with ease. The transportation and cab service was the best yet. And it’s always easy to find dining opportunities in the Windy City.

Jennifer Salvadori is the show manager of ISH N.A. She and her team did an excellent job of keeping the show running smoothly. The seminar rooms were easy to find and get to. The business topics were relevant…marketing, compensation, recruiting, hiring, numbers crunching. The brightest gurus in our industry put on first-rate programs. The seminar rooms were well staffed with ISH help and AV experts. (So why were the rooms so sparsely occupied?)

The trade show floor booths were well appointed. Gone were the “open-mouthed breathers” who were “clueless in the booth” at past ISH N.A. events. One of the best reasons to attend ISH is to meet face to face with the manufacturers. You can give them candid feedback about their products and get a preview of the cool things to come.

I picked up on a handful of new products and insight into soon-to-be-released hydronic goodies.

I noticed more solar booths and products. Congratulations to Schuco Solar for winning a “Best in Show” award. Have you seen their very attractive flat panel solar panels? (www.schuco-usa.com)  Solar, I predict, is the next profit center for plumbing and hydronic contractors. Learn it, and do it correctly, please.

One of my favorite show moments was at the totally awesome interactive pump display panel in the Wilo booth. Every person who sells, reps, installs, or services circulators should spend an hour in front of that panel. Especially any and all who deal with open system OWF (outdoor wood furnaces.) The arrangement of piping and gauges clearly and undeniably shows the principles of cavitation and NPSH (net pressure suction head.) I understand this board will be a traveling demonstration model soon. Nice job, Wilo. Also keep you eyes out for a one watt circ pump from them! (www.wilo-na.com)

Caleffi showed off their solar modules for quick, attractive plug-and-play solar installs. Also, there were some sneak previews of the Idronics technical journal due out in January. It is a technical journal that will use schematics, photos and illustrations to address particular design applications. Approximately 20 pages in length, the first issue will deal with hydraulic separation. It will be available as a printed piece, as well as downloadable PDF at the www.caleffi.us site. It’s collaboration by Caleffi’s Italian engineers and John Siegenthaler. Looking forward to this fusion magazine.

The RPA demo house was abuzz with live product demos. I liked what Taco has going on with the smart zone/mixing valves. Who better than Dave Sweet to present the features and benefits of this system?

Lochinvar had a nice PDA give-away program going on. Their Knight mod con boiler enjoyed a catbird seat at the RPA demo house.

Bradford White has FINALLY updated the clever CombiCor heater. The concept: a basic tank-style water heater now with a large diameter steel coil inside. It will provide both DHW and handle small hydronic loads from a single affordable appliance.

Some little gadgets that caught my eye: Gloves with scratch cloth sewn to the palms is a clever idea. Of course I bought a pair and have three jobs on them. Also, I discovered a cool reamer tool for chip-free deburring of freshly cut copper tube. Both are available at www.pace-asp.com How about fluorescent colored abrasive mesh for low-light copper cleaning! (www.pro-gritproducts.com)

Walking through the China pavilion was deja vu all over again. The products were copies of many plumbing and hydronic products right down to the color selection. A plus for tenacity goes to the Chinese!

The big question still remains: Where were all the contractors? It seems as though the vast majority of badges were exhibitors!

The city was right. Time of year, darn good. It was neither crazy heating or cooling weather. We even sat outside to dine in the evening, albeit with a little help from an overhead radiant heater.

The right players from the plumbing and hydronic industry were there. Some manufacturers unveiled new booths, and we saw some new ceos and smiling team members. The speaker selection and topics seemed right on. There were plenty of hospitality rooms for after hour chatting.

What will it take to get the contractors on board? An ex-president or astronaut as a keynote speaker? A Cadillac work truck giveaway? It sure seemed like all the right ingredients were in the mix this time. Cooked to perfection by Salvadori and her staff. What’s not to like?

If you know, tell me. I’m all ears. I hope N.A. doesn’t stand for “not applicable.” Are you waiting for a perfect time of year, a no-hassle, cost-free show? It’s not going to happen. So what if you leave your company for a few days? If you can’t pull away from your company, maybe it’s time to cut loose of that ball and chain. What have you got to lose? This IS(H) the show we all asked for. Let’s get behind it.

Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr is particularly interested in “hybrid” radiant systems — systems that utilize solar and wood energy in addition to, or in place of, fossil fuel. Also, systems that incorporate different methods of heat delivery. He owns and operates Show Me Radiant Heat and Solar, Inc. in southwest Missouri. Reach Hot Rod at hotrodradiant@aol.com or by calling 417/753-3998.