For nearly 40 years, Joseph “Joe” Ficek has been involved in the design, specification and commissioning of plumbing and related systems, serving clients primarily in the health-care, lab/pharma and higher education sectors. 

Domestic hot water recirculation (DHWR) systems are designed to conveniently provide a hot water supply at every fixture in all units of a building. 

Plumbing engineers will immediately view this device as an added level of protection for any hospital or health-care facility. These buildings always rely on providing additional levels of protection for the public and patients.

A primer on sump/sewage pumps and why we use them. The terminology varies to describe these pumps, but typical names include sewage pump, sump pump, sewage ejector, lift station pump, effluent pump, bilge pump, nonclog pump, drain water pump, solids-handling sewage pump, grinder pump, dewatering pump and wastewater pump. 

The requirements of residential sprinkler systems are similar across the three installation standards, with a few variations to provide cost-saving options for homeowners. Where additional protections are necessary or desired, it is up to the engineer to specify.

Whenever a client speaks to me for the first time about a potential construction case, I almost always ask them to prepare a “back of the envelope” timeline. 

For more than 100 years, the United States has been a global technology leader and, for much of that time, the world’s biggest economic powerhouse. 

Over the last century, pandemics have come and gone. From the 1918 Spanish Flu to the present day, millions have lost their lives to virulent strains of the influenza virus. COVID-19 and its variants are turning out to be one of those history-changing events.