U.S. Water Heating Solutions Technicians Attend PVI Training
PVI Start-up Training - Fall 2022
In addition to our first in-person event sponsorship since 2019 (a.k.a. the 3rd quarter Shmoozefest back in September), this fall also provided our team members more commercial training sessions at PVI; we last sent now Senior Technician, Jack S., along with two other team members back in 2019. In late October 2022, Michigan Field Staff Supervisor, Max D. and Illinois Regional Service Technician, Seil S., had the chance to attend PVI start-up certification training in Fort Worth, Texas. Our HR and Logistics teams had been planning to send both team members to multiple commercial training courses over the last two years, but availability was severely limited by the pandemic. With training opportunities slowly becoming available, we knew it was the perfect time to send Max and Seil.
PVI is part of the Watts brand family, which is known for being at the forefront of pressure relief valve development for hot water systems; PVI is most well-known for being “the only ASME-code water heater manufacturer who builds pressure vessels and heat exchangers from duplex stainless steel, AquaPLEXⓇ.” In other words, their tank linings are made from a signature blend of stainless steel for ultimate corrosion prevention and durability. PVI is also known for their Dynamic Water Heating™️ Solutions, which enable commercial clients like hospitals and schools to find equipment that is sufficiently large, durable, and can function with a vast array of energy sources. PVI Industries even won the 2014 Texas Environmental Excellence Award for Pollution Prevention because of their AquaPLEX design, which reduced their production waste to a fraction of former 1.5 million pounds of annual production waste.
Michigan Regional Field Staff Supervisor Max (L) and Illinois Regional Technician Seil (R) pose in front of Watts/PVI Industries headquarters
The PVI Training Experience
Commercial start-up trainees spend two days on site at PVI headquarters in Fort Worth. The training begins with an exclusive factory tour, where technicians actually have the opportunity to walk the manufacturing floor and see the step-by-step tank fabrication process. Following the factory tour, trainees head to the classroom for lessons on the installation manual and start-up requirements, followed by hands-on training lead by some of PVI’s most experienced product engineers. Max and Seil had unique hands-on training with units from some of PVI’s most popular units, including: Conquest 100, Conquest 130, Power VTX, and Turbopower 96. Trainees review the sequence of operations for the units and have a chance to diagnose issues they are likely to see in the field. Max’s favorite part of training was “getting a chance to meet new people and receive some fantastic training from knowledgeable people,” as a Detroit native, he also “loved the food in Texas!”
Fun fact: Unlike traditional residential tank type water heaters which are mass produced, some PVI water heaters are made to order, typically if they operate with an intake of a million BTUs or above; many of PVI’s clients have water heating systems that are customized for their specific needs, meaning their units are shipped directly from the factory to the customer for installation and start-up.
What is a Commercial Start-up?
In the commercial water heater industry, many manufacturers require a commercial start-up to begin warranty coverage. The end user, for example, a hospital, school, or retirement home will typically have their maintenance engineers or an outside plumbing company install the water heater. The manufacturer will then appoint a third-party company whose employee(s) have been start-up certified to visit the site; this external company will then verify that the unit has been installed to manufacturer’s specifications. In the event that there are any issues (a very common one being inadequate gas pressure), the technician documents said issues in writing and by photo; they will also provide the installer with a write-up of suggestions to rectify the issues. At the end of the document, the technician signs off on their findings, approves or disapproves the start-up, and submits the paperwork to PVI.
Why are start-ups important?
Commercial water heaters are an investment and must meet specific installation requirements in order to operate properly. PVI (and other commercial water heater manufacturers) want to ensure that your unit is properly installed prior to the unit being in operation; thus, if there are any issues with the unit in the future, they can easily rule out installation issues as a cause or they will have documentation of previous issues on site from failed start-up attempts. In the event that a client’s installation fails the start-up, they will not have an active warranty until the appropriate repairs have been made.
What makes PVI Start-Up Certification Training so special?
PVI start-up training is one of the most prestigious opportunities for our team members because of the experience level required for training consideration. Although all water heaters and boilers’ sequence of operations have some overlap, each manufacturer has their own nuances and installation requirements. Because PVI works exclusively with commercial clientele and has a unique manufacturing process, we require our technicians to have a minimum of two solid years of commercial diagnostic experience prior to attending this specific training. Now that two more of our technicians are officially certified to perform PVI start-ups, they will continue to receive hands-on training with our two most Senior Technicians.
At present, U.S Water Heating Solutions is the only known PVI start-up certified company in the state of Illinois and in the Detroit area in the state of Michigan. We currently stock a limited selection of PVI parts and are actively accepting service requests for PVI water heaters.
Be sure to stay up to date with us for our upcoming announcement on Friday, December 9th and our upcoming launch of Water Heater 201, an educational article focused on commercial water heaters, launching Friday, December 16th.
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