Geothermal heating and cooling is a well-established technology; it’s been around in simplistic forms for more than half a century and has developed at an impressive rate to become a technology that is providing real solutions for decarbonization and grid management. In its years of growth and innovative development, geothermal has taken on many different forms and variations, all of which have their own unique benefits.

The Vanderbilt Breakers Mansion saves $36,000 a year with Direct Geothermal Exchange.

The first recorded closed-loop geothermal design installed was a water-free direct exchange geothermal system in 1945. Robert C. Webber (1911-1984) is acknowledged by most to be the inventor of the ground-coupled heat pump system. In fact, according to a September 1948 issue of “The Refrigeration Industry,” Webber was the first to heat his seven-room home in Indianapolis by reversing the cycle on his home freezer. The issue featured Webber as The Refrigeration Industry’s “Man of the Month.” Webber’s “freezer in reverse” was also featured in Ripley’s Believe it or Not in 1948.

Caption: Robert C. Webber (1911-1984)

Direct geothermal exchange (DGX) waterless geothermal systems, also known as direct exchange systems, offer an innovative and sustainable way to heat and cool your home without requiring water in the loop for heat exchange. Unlike many other types of systems, DX uses a closed-loop refrigerant circuit to release heat from under our feet, eliminating the need for water that other systems require. One of the most vital benefits of Direct Exchange Waterless Geothermal is how efficiently it produces year-round temperature control using safe, reliable refrigerants.

There are many pioneers within the sustainable and renewable energy field, one of which is Bill Buschur, President of Total Green Manufacturing. Bill is a recognizable figure within the geothermal industry, and within the niche of waterless geothermal, with a history in the development of the technology used today. For reference, back in 1980, EarthLinked Technologies (ETI) established itself as a research company in the geothermal industry, becoming the original direct exchange manufacturer. It continued to have great success over the years as it carved out a niche in the geothermal industry. ETI partnered with Total Green Mfg. for five years, and Total Green acquired the 38-year-old DGX Manufacturing company.

Total Green Crew installs a DGX system.

A little history

“At around 12 years old, I began to ride along with my father in the service truck and I would run back and forth from the truck to get him tools or the parts he needed to make the repairs,” Buschur shared with us, “As I got a little older, I began building geo ground loops. I remember we had two football practices a day, and I would come home and build loops for the rest of the day. Eventually, I began to go to the job site with other crew members and help with the installation process.”

Young Bill Buschur working on site.

One of the keys to innovation is passion, and Bill Buschur has no issue with showing his passion through actions and incredible results. Bill has grown his business from a hard-working crew of only four people to becoming the largest direct exchange geothermal contracting company in the U.S., installing over 100 DX systems on a yearly basis.

Establishing the Waterless® brand was no small feat for Bill, but after earning a degree in Business Management and a refrigeration certification, topped off by 30 years of experience in geothermal heat pump technology, he’s become the driving force behind the biggest name in Direct Geothermal Exchange nationwide.

Quality is vital in any field, but Bill has ensured that his geothermal direct exchange units are to the highest standard, stating, “Dad always taught us that ‘If you don’t do things right the first time, you’ll end up doing it again’”. So we made sure we didn’t cut any corners when it came to Designing and Installing a geothermal system.”. This has been a key factor in how effectively Total Green has kept up with the latest technology.

At the end of the day, the million-dollar question is, “Are direct exchange waterless geothermal systems as efficient as water-based geothermal systems?” The answer is yes. Past criticisms of DX systems have primarily revolved around the question of environmentally friendly refrigerants. Today modern DX systems use advanced refrigerants that are both environmentally friendly and efficient with heat transfer, which will enhance the performance of the system altogether.

Bill Buschur in his younger years learning the trade (right).

We’re fortunate to have so many diverse options when considering which geothermal system to choose from, accompanied by so many industry pioneers behind each system. As we continue to push for the world to embrace and prioritize sustainability and energy efficiency, minimizing negative environmental impact and using the natural resources given to us, we should make a conscious effort to do so as one piece of that ever-forming puzzle. Any and every geothermal system contributes to a brighter, greener, world-changing future for us and generations to come.

We are on the same team, we are in the same boat, and we are a part of  the geothermal heat pump revolution, changing the world for the better.

Mimi (Hannah) Egg is a Social Media Marketing Consultant with a passion for writing and researching. She has overseen the social media accounts for multiple private and corporate organizations and is constantly learning new ways to understand and optimize demographic outreach and form beneficial business connections through social networking for her clients. She can be reached at Mimieggshell@gmail.com

Just like the scene from the classic movie, “A Few Good Men,” where Tom Cruise says he thinks better with a baseball bat in hand, you gotta believe that for Chris Armstrong, his clarity comes from communicating from the front seat of his service vehicle. Most that follow Chris @pstheplumber on the Gram know that his “van chats,” among many of his other social posts, are can’t-miss.

Nicknamed PS for the past 20 years—or a variation of it like Uncle PS, or for his younger relatives that couldn’t pronounce PS, it morphed into “Uncle Pissy,” to now being called “Pumpkin Spice” by Travis Abaire @t.a.p.plumbingandheating—Armstrong seems to just roll with it. “Whatever floats your boat, I guess.”

Owning his company, Armstrong Pro Services, Hudson Valley, N.Y., since 2004, Chris started his business on accident, really. “I worked for a real high-paced service company making really, really good money and it wasn’t for me. It was just blood money,” says Armstrong with hyperbole. “They were working me like an animal and it wasn’t making me happy. Honestly, I didn’t even have the time to spend the money I made.”

Having had enough, Armstrong put in a month’s notice to this company and they fired him the next day. Talk about lame …. turns out, Armstrong always had side work and customers that he dealt with so it wasn’t until months later that people were like, “have you found a job yet?” Armstrong says that he had been too busy working, and that’s where the genesis of doing the work for himself and starting on his own really began. “Back then the Internet what it was today, so I put out business cards in the grocery stores, the hardware stores, and just word of mouth so every customer you get, you get their neighbor, their cousin, their sister-in-law, and it branches out.”

Armstrong Pro Services specializes plumbing and mechanical—new construction, renovation, some HVAC work, pumps. “I really enjoy the vintage stuff; I’m very passionate about repairing the real early stuff on up through the early ‘60s and ‘70s.”

Yet, making that transition from employee to owner, “I had a good reputation with all the other plumbing companies and other local plumbers. They knew that I was of good integrity so they would basically hire me on sometimes for a job for a week, a day. In between my stuff, I would go do their projects or lead their projects so they didn’t have to lose out. They paid me what I wanted, I got their job done, I didn’t steal their customers. In fact, a lot of these companies helped me start my company,” says Armstrong.

As a 20-year veteran of owning his own business, his message to anyone entering the trades? “I would say start young. The more you are interested in learning and soaking up as much as you can, it’s only going to make you better, and earn that much more money that much faster.”

Speaking from experience, an old Frenchman became a good mentor to Armstrong. “When I was 18 years old, he was the first guy I’ve ever seen bend a piece of L copper. He was amazing.”

So how can the industry as a whole in today’s landscape do a better job of attracting young people to the trades? “The industry is already doing better. We’ve got more good people. We’ve got all of these guys that have a big profile on social media and doing really well to not only encourage their own coworkers and their companies and their bosses to do better, but everybody else,” says Armstrong. “The more we show these kids that you can make a good living and you can be proud of what you’re doing, and it’s not just guys out here plunging toilets and getting super dirty, we are doing better at recruitment. You can make a good living in the trades. By continuing to learn, you will be a very critical part of the workforce.”

“Absolute daily go-to tools: the Supco Magjumpers —hybrids and the regular ones—and my Fieldpiece meter are probably two of the most important tools that I’m using on a daily basis.”

Armstrong admits that social media hasn’t helped his business per se, but he’s not presently putting forth the effort on social to do just that. “As far as social media helping my business, it hasn’t, and I’m not trying to make it so,” says Armstrong.

“I’m very busy and I’m definitely a lot more short-handed. We used to have anywhere from 5-7 guys full time for many years. I’m trying to stay smaller, and not that I don’t want more help, but I’m not putting my business out there trying to get business out of social media. I’m do this so I can see people by whom I get inspired—all these guys/gals doing cool shit. I like to see guys like me that are nerdy and passionate about what they’re doing and always striving to get better.”

Bottom line, “I’m on social media so I can see what people are doing. I like helping a lot of people. Sometimes it gets to be a little much but I do like to share what I know to people that need help. It feels good to help people out. I get a lot of people who send me messages and pictures of their jobs. The connections that I’ve made are more important than anything else.

All the people I’ve met on social are good people and have become good friends, and I love the connections. That’s the most important thing for sure.”

How does Armstrong balance work life with home life? “That’s a challenging one for me,” says Armstrong. “I definitely get that you need it, and I am getting older. Listen, I have been doing this well over 20 years. It’s tough—I just worked until midnight on a Sunday and 9 pm on a Saturday. I’m trying. My kids are young so I’m trying to spend more time with them and I’ve got things to get done around the house.”

Armstrong stresses that he’s constantly trying to spend more time with the family, but he says that he’s out there trying to help everybody, trying to do as much as he can. Nevertheless, when it comes that precious spare time, “I’m always at my kid’s hockey games. I like working on old motorcycles; basically, I like working on anything old and fun—restoring tools.”

If he wasn’t doing any plumbing and mechanical work, Armstrong says that he would be doing some sort of fabrication. He enjoys building things so he’d probably be doing some type of engineering, tool making. “I like tinkering, I like to make tools and I like to prototype. I’ve made a lot of tools; I didn’t get patents but I like to build. I have little machines at my house, I have a milling machines and lathes, plasma cutters and everything that you can think of—shrinkers, stretchers, benders, rollers.”

Finally, any favorite tattoo? “I’ve got this eagle on my arm with a fishing pole in one hand with a fish on it and he’s got a pipe wrench in the other hand. It doesn’t really mean anything; it was just a fun, quick tattoo.”

By joining forces with Uponor, GF is set to become a global leader in sustainable water and flow solutions. To support this ambition, complementary businesses will be grouped together under one roof: the new division GF Uponor will focus on Building Technology, whereas the infrastructure and utility business will move to GF Piping Systems. Michael Rauterkus will join GF’s Executive Committee and will lead the new division together with his Uponor leadership team.

After all conditions of the tender offer have been fulfilled, GF closes the transaction as of 13 November 2023.

To accelerate the implementation of GF Piping Systems’ Strategy 2025 and to further benefit from global megatrends, GF will start an ambitious value creation program to unleash the full potential of this acquisition. GF Piping Systems will focus on the industrial and utility business, providing its customers with sustainable leak-free piping solutions for numerous end markets such as microelectronics, water treatment, energy, chemical processing, marine, data centers or water & gas utilities. Uponor’s infrastructure business will become part of GF Piping Systems and will further strengthen the division’s portfolio to provide customers with combined solutions.

In the new division, GF Uponor, the building technology businesses will be combined to offer a complementary portfolio for safe and clean water, as well as energy efficient heating and cooling. The consolidation of complementary businesses provides an ideal platform to develop markets with high potential for both divisions. As the brand Uponor stands for high quality and innovation, it will drive growth in intelligent Building Flow Solutions.

These organizational changes will be implemented during the course of 2024 while GF will ensure operational excellence and business continuity to customers.

“We will continue to implement our strategy, and leverage powerful global trends, such as the need for safe and clean water, or more efficient energy use,” GF CEO Andreas Müller said. “On behalf of all my colleagues, I am happy to welcome Uponor employees and start this new chapter together.”

The kitchen sink being attendees, that is. PHCC CONNECT, this past October 25-27, was set up for one of those “best-ever” shows. Beautiful downtown Cleveland was the backdrop to very a good week of meetings, connections, site visits and much more. Oh, and the weather didn’t hurt either, with temps lingering in the mid-70s.

Mechanical Hub’s John Mesenbrink and The Family Plumber owner, Mike Prencavage, Jr. take the RIDGID tour.

RIDGID, Oatey, Moen and Merit Brass all call the “City that Rocks” home, or close to it anyway, and they each offered a bus trip to visit their respective HQs. Contractors visited their location of choice and all benefitted from their site visits.

The opening keynote, “Growth Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone,” was presented by a compelling Ken Carter whose story blew up on the big screen as “Coach Carter,” played by none other than Samuel L. Jackson. The story of his 1999 season as coach at Richmond High School is the basis for the film. Throughout his life and tenure as a coach, he has inspired and guided numerous lives of young men to reach their highest potential. His “no non-sense” approach to getting things done is the force that has sustained him to have the tremendous positive influence that he currently possesses.

One of the contestants of the Plumbing Apprentice Contest.

One of our favorite annual events at PHCC CONNECT is the Plumbing and HVAC Apprentice Contest. A total of 21 plumbing and 11 HVAC apprentices from across the U.S. competed for top billing. The Plumbing Apprentice Contest winner was Cody McDonald of Van Contracting, Inc. in Columbia City, Ind. He was sponsored by the International Code Council.

The HVAC counterpart apprentice winner was Jacob Lee of P1 Service in Lenexa, Kan. He was sponsored by RIDGID.

The plumbing apprentices were required rough-in a bathroom system. The set-up includes a toilet, sink and shower, complete with supply, waste and vent lines, plus cleanouts and extra features designed to test the contestants’ knowledge and skills. The test set-up includes a variety of pipe materials—cast iron, copper and PVC and corresponding joining methods.

A Bradford White AeroTherm heat pump water heater was on display during the Product & Technology Showcase.

The HVAC competitors were required to complete a written test, demonstrate proper brazing techniques and perform a hands-on diagnostic on an HVAC package unit, with system errors created by the Foundation’s contractor volunteers for the competition. The competitors also had to perform a pressure and leak test, demonstrate proper refrigerant recovery procedures and the ability to accurately take a variety of instrument readings.

Adjacent to these apprentices diligently working on their assignment, a Product & Technology Showcase buzzed with activity surrounding the lates in tool technology, kitchen and bath, and water heating and heat pump tech.

The kitchen sink.

Seminars and breakout sessions included a Government Affairs Update, Private Equity’s Interest in Plumbing Industries, DOE Standards for Water Heating Products and an Open Roundtable with Union Affiliated Contractors.

A strong session on Women in Industry: “Unlocking Potential and Breaking Barriers: Fostering Success for Women in the Trades through Gender-Inclusive Practices in Recruitment, Retention, and Engagement,” featured some of our personal friends, including Linda Hudek, LH Plumbing Services, Fairfield, Ohio; Ashley Martin, Executive Vice President, NIBCO; and Cassie Pound, co-owner of Quality Heating, Cooling & Plumbing in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Linda Hudek addresses a question from moderator Susan Frew.

In today’s ever-changing business landscape, strengthening the contractor/wholesaler channel is critical to survival. A recent general session at PHCC CONNECT drilled deep into the conversation. This session, “Collaborative Connections: Strengthening Supplier-Contractor Relationships for Success,” featured RobertGrim, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, InSinkErator, Mount Pleasant, Wis.; Scott Robertson, President, Robertson Heating Supply Co., Alliance, Ohio; Dan Callies, President, Oak Creek Plumbing, Inc., Oak Creek, Wis.; Kathryn Poehling-Seymour, President and CEO, First Supply LLC, Madison, Wis.; and JasonPritchard, Co-Founder, PriCor Technologies, Seattle.

From l to r: Robert Grim, Scott Robertson, Dan Callies, Kathryn Poehling-Seymour, and Scott Pritchard.

And many, many more worthwhile seminars were offered. In fact, PHCCCONNECT2023 education sessions had been approved by OCILB (Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board) for 19 CEUs.

A RIDGID afterparty at a brewery on the river in downtown Cleveland with some American Plumber Story stickers? Yes, Please! Here with RIDGID’s Becky Brotherton, the Hub’s John Mesenbrink (l) and Tim Ward (r) from the Appetite for Construction podcast, recorded a series of podcasts from the event.

So, mix in some fun nights out with Oatey, RIDGID and PHCC’s receptions “Ohio Night House of Blues” and its closing event at the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, and, of course, connecting with industry peers, and you had the recipe for one kick-ass event.

Next year’s PHCC CONNECT will be held in Birmingham, Ala. Of all places, I sure hope that words gets around about the event. It’s worth the time, but more people need to come experience it, Birmingham or not.