It’s that time of year again when people reflect on what they’re thankful for in the past year, and hope for a positive 2024. I cannot stress enough the job that Brent and Kathleen Ridley (@toolpros & @toolwife) do with Miracle Mechanical, a charitable organization dedicated to uplifting families in need, one at-no-cost-HVAC/plumbing repair at Read more
Mechanical
It’s that time of year again when people reflect on what they’re thankful for in the past year, and hope for a positive 2024. I cannot stress enough the job that Brent and Kathleen Ridley (@toolpros & @toolwife) do with Miracle Mechanical, a charitable organization dedicated to uplifting families in need, one at-no-cost-HVAC/plumbing repair at a time. “Honestly, it’s hard to put into words,” says Brent Ridley. “Seeing and feeling the gratitude from homeowners is an incredible feeling, and something that never gets old.”
Tool Pros began as tool review brand, as the brand grew and relationships with tool manufacturers were made, Ridley felt a need to use his platform for more. “Free tools and trips are great but I thought to myself. ‘let’s actually do something that matters.’”
Combined with his platform and what he knew best—HVAC /plumbing—Miracle Mechanical was born. Shortly after the concept, Ridley reached out to his contacts at RIDGID to gauge interest. “Thankfully they loved the idea and wanted to sponsor the very first project. Two months later we completed our first project, and the rest is history,” says Ridley.
Officially, the primary facilitators of Miracle Mechanical consist of Brent and his wife Kathleen. They also bring in a production crew of three to four people, and their team of HVAC / plumbing contractors—usually a 4-man crew—for a project day.
Ridley says that the goal is always to complete as many projects as possible; however, they are averaging four to five projects per year. In fact, Miracle Mechanical just completed a project this past October with Sharkbite.
And they have partnered with RIDGID for the next project taking place in early 2024. In the past, Miracle has teamed up with the AHR Expo but nothing for 2024. “We look forward to partnering with AHR for their work force development program in the future,” says Ridley.
But between working as an HVAC contractor, content creator, Miracle Mechanical facilitator, podcaster and Lowe’s Santa, finding time to take a deep breath can be difficult. “Sure, it can feel overwhelming at times,” says Ridley. “Thankfully, I have my wife who is a full-time manager and coordinator for the Tool Pros brand and Miracle Mechanical. Her dedication to the brand allows me to focus on my HVAC/plumbing business (H & M Services, Inc.), as well as other creative outlets—without dropping any balls in the process.”
The Miracle Mechanical concept is such a good one, and one that I know Ridley hopes he can provide nationally. At this time, logistics and funding for national projects have been a huge obstacle, but one that I’m confident we’ll overcome in the next couple of years,” says Ridley.
More About Brent Ridley
Ridley started into the trades right out high school in 2004. His girlfriend’s father, at the time, owned an HVAC business, and he started the summer after senior year doing commercial duct work and hated it. It was only until he found service and repair that he fell in love with the HVAC industry. “From there, I have always strived to make it more than just a ‘Job,’ but a lifestyle. If you want to get ahead in life, you can’t clock out at 5 pm.”
In the earier days before social media, Ridley wrote long-form, trade-specific tool reviews on a site called HVACTalk.com, which no longer exists. In 2017, Ridley started his successful Tool Pros Podcast. “Not long after, the social media portion of the brand quickly outgrew the podcast, leading to many opportunities that I am very grateful for, like Miracle Mechanical,” says Ridley.
Designed to recognize and thank essential workers, the program will shine a spotlight on those who show up on the front lines, every day Bosch Power Tools, the world market leader for power tools and power tool accessories, will recognize and acknowledge trade workers for their tireless efforts and give them the thanks they deserve Read more
Designed to recognize and thank essential workers, the program will shine a spotlight on those who show up on the front lines, every day
Bosch Power Tools, the world market leader for power tools and power tool accessories, will recognize and acknowledge trade workers for their tireless efforts and give them the thanks they deserve. With “Always Essential,” Bosch plans to meet these essential workers where they are, giving back through giveaways and worksite activations.
Recognizing that individuals in the trades couldn’t stay home while facing a global pandemic, Bosch sees workers from HVAC to construction and beyond continuing to perform their essential duties. As many facets of everyday life were shut down, new hospitals and healthcare centers needed to be built, heating and air conditioning systems needed to be repaired, power lines, roads and bridges needed to be maintained. The very framework of our society continues to be managed by frontline workers who stay largely behind the scenes. Until now.
“While ‘essential worker’ has become a buzzworthy phrase in 2020, we understand and celebrate that these trade professionals are, and always have been, essential to our way of life,” said Roger Amrol, president of Bosch Power Tools North America. “Without the commitment, hard work and dedication from each and every one of these individuals, society as we know it could not exist. And for that, we’re forever grateful.”
Over the coming months, teams from Bosch will meet trade workers on their turf at worksites around the country with giveaways and other gear to say “thank you” to the indispensable individuals who are the backbone of the trade industries and the country itself.
Amrol added, “The trades have always been essential and worthy of our gratitude and recognition. Now, it’s time for us as a society to give it to them.”
For more information on Bosch Power Tools and “Always Essential,” please visit www.stories.boschtools.com/always-essential or connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Seminar attendees can earn credits and certifications. Broomfield, Colo. — Viega LLC is adding more classes to its schedule of online seminars for contractors who want to increase their knowledge and add skills. While Viega’s seminar centers in Colorado and New Hampshire are temporarily closed due to COVID-19, the company is making the valuable training Read more
Seminar attendees can earn credits and certifications.
Broomfield, Colo. — Viega LLC is adding more classes to its schedule of online seminars for contractors who want to increase their knowledge and add skills.
While Viega’s seminar centers in Colorado and New Hampshire are temporarily closed due to COVID-19, the company is making the valuable training available for free to contractors, distributors and others.
Viega, the leading manufacturer of pipe fitting installation technology, is offering classes in such subjects as ProPress, MegaPress and PureFlow PEX, as well as radiant and flushing systems training. The classes are taught by Viega’s expert instructors. Some courses offer Continuing Education Units while others include the opportunity to earn industry credentials from Viega.
Classes are free, but registration is required. For a schedule of Viega classes and to learn more, click here.
In addition, Viega is continuing its “TechTalk LIVE!” program. Master plumbers and Viega training managers Troy Locke and
Bo DeAngelo will discuss technical topics and answer questions from viewers in realtime.
The next webinar is Wed., Aug. 26 from 5 to 6 p.m. CT. Previous sessions are available on Viega’s YouTube channel.
OSHA’s Crystalline Silica Standard will be in effect September 23, 2017. OSHA is issuing the standard to protect workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica in the construction industry in order to allow employers to tailor solutions to the specific conditions in their workplaces. The new standard has had tool manufacturers working overtime to engineer Read more
OSHA’s Crystalline Silica Standard will be in effect September 23, 2017. OSHA is issuing the standard to protect workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica in the construction industry in order to allow employers to tailor solutions to the specific conditions in their workplaces.
The new standard has had tool manufacturers working overtime to engineer tools and too attachments that will keep us productive while meeting the dust collection requirements. Here at The Hub we will be sharing reviews and information in the coming days and weeks leading up to September 23 date showing the various tools and attachments you might consider for your own compliance. Here is our first review:
Bosch HDC100 Dust Collection Attachment
Bosch knows concrete and the tools needed to work efficiently and effectively on the plumbing & hvac job site. Whether you’re working with a Bosch Bulldog rotary hammer or nearly any other modern rotary hammer of another brand this attachment is simple to install and use and is priced right in our opinion.
We’re referring to the HDC100 as a “universal” attachment, though it’s not listed as such on Bosch’s website it will fit any modern rotary hammer with a barrel mounting neck for a standard auxiliary handle (see pic above).
The 1.5lb composite plastic dust collection attachment has a built-in depth stop with a maximum drilling depth of 4-3/4” and can handle SDS drill bits up to ¾” diameter, dry core drilling up to 3-1/8” diameter [when using the core bit adapter, included].
As seen in the video the HDC100 is very effective at collecting nearly 100% of the dust from the ½” holes drilled for the drop-in anchors, an extremely common task on any mechanical job site. The dust port can be hooked up to a 1-3/8-In. vacuum hose nozzle, or it can accommodate 1-1/4-In. or 2-In. nozzles when combined with an appropriate optional adapter.
It is important to note that the HDC100 alone is not all that is needed for compliance with the OSHA standard. The HDC100 must be connected to a HEPA rated dust collector vacuum that meets the minimum requirements of the Crystalline Silica Standard to be compliant. In the video we are using the Bosch GBH18V-26 18V EC Brushless 1 In. SDS-plus® Bulldog Rotary Hammer and Bosch VAC090A 9 Gallon Dust Extractor with Automatic Filter Clean.
We have done some online price searches and found that nearly all Bosch tool retailers are listing the HDC100 at $69-70 US, its available for purchase currently.
This is only one of many tools Bosch has engineered to meet the OSHA standard, please watch for reviews of additional tools soon here on mechanical-hub.com.
Were you at this year’s AHR EXPO at the McCormick Place in downtown Chicago? If not, you only missed a spectacular show that literally shattered their all-time attendance record with nearly 62,000 attendees. That’s right, 62,000. The amount of exhibitors was so massive, they had to fully use up all the floor space on both Read more
Were you at this year’s AHR EXPO at the McCormick Place in downtown Chicago? If not, you only missed a spectacular show that literally shattered their all-time attendance record with nearly 62,000 attendees. That’s right, 62,000. The amount of exhibitors was so massive, they had to fully use up all the floor space on both the north and south halls.
For three days in late January, This fully packed show had something for all professionals in the industry. Attendees could walk through approximately 480,000 square feet of exhibits, which is equivalent to at least 9 football fields. In addition, professionals had access to a bountiful supply of presentations, seminars, educational courses, and training sessions. Several courses included, The Path to Net Zero through Hydronics, Tips on Selling Radiant to Homeowners, Steam Solutions, and Fundamentals of Risk Management just to name a few.
There was great energy at the AHR EXPO with exceptional interaction between exhibitors and attendees. Over 2,000 exhibitors showcased and displayed their new and existing products and services. This Expo had it all from fans to furnaces, boilers to chillers, and even software to hardware with hands on tool testing for contractors.
Of course not everyone is able to attend with such busy schedules these days. But don’t worry, the AHR EXPO travels each year to different cities for convenience. And the 2016 AHR will come quickly to sunny Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center. Not a bad place to be come January.
So what else was there and what else did you miss? There could be so much more said but you simply had to be there. This may sound like just another AHR EXPO endorsement and in a way, yes it is. But there’s many reasons why this broke several records from expos in the past. And since a picture is worth a thousand words…….and more sometimes, we’ve included some inspirational pictures from this years show so you can decide for yourself. Perhaps this will create some excitement and buzz in anticipation for next year’s show in Orlando, Florida. Will you be there?