Founded in 2008, Forbes Mechanical Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta, is a company poised for continuing success. A premier service provider and commercial project vendor Forbes Mechanical is licensed, bonded and certified in plumbing, gas fitting, HVAC and septic systems.

Andrew Long, Commercial Foreman for Forbes Mechanical, took the reins on a piping installation at the Excel Society’s Grand Manor in Edmonton. The Excel Society is a non-profit company that supports and advocates for people with mental, physical and developmental disabilities in Alberta. Grand Manor is a one-of-a-kind facility, which allows Excel Society clients to build a life in a community.

The Excel Society planned to add a new 64-suite addition to its existing 56-suite facility. The biggest complication: Grand Manor’s new addition didn’t have a boiler room. Forbes Mechanical would have to run eight or nine different piping lines through a 55-foot underground chase from the old building to the new one.

“I had to run a 2" gas main down that chase,” Long said. “The free area you’ve got to work within that chase was about three-and-a-half feet of headroom with about 18" side to side. It’s very, very tight.”

A gas piping solution for very tight spaces

In a workspace that cramped, Long realized there was no possible way to tighten a 2" gas line. Forbes Mechanical thought of several different methods to install the gas line, including prefabricating the line and sliding it into the chase. But the concern for possible leaks prevented that option. That’s when Long discovered Viega MegaPress®G.

“I was kind of leery of it at first,” Long said. “I knew of Viega ProPress®, but I’d never seen the Viega MegaPress system until I saw a blurb about it at a wholesaler.”

A Viega District Manager met with Long and presented the black iron pipe solution for gas lines, loaning Long an available pressing tool.

CUSTOMER: The Excel Society's Grand Manor

APPLICATION: Natural gas

LOCATION: Edmonton, AB

CONTRACTOR: Forbes Mechanical, Inc.

With Viega MegaPress, I had two guys down there for six hours, and it was done. It was a huge benefit.”

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“It was looking to be hugely labor intensive, spending days down there,” Long said. “But with Viega MegaPressG, I had two guys down there for six hours, and it was done. It was a huge benefit.”

An additional project connected to Grand Manor was a large parkade, a multistory parking garage. Forbes Mechanical also used the loaned pressing tool on that project, where they installed all the heating mains. Long estimated that it would have taken a three-man crew a week-and-a-half to complete the project using traditional soldering for copper and welding for black iron.

“I put all my pipe up,” Long said, “and then − by myself − in 10 hours, I made all the connections. We saved probably 80 manhours on the parkade alone.”

Forbes Mechanical was so impressed with the time savings and security they experienced, the company decided to start pressing as many projects as possible.

©2016 Viega LLC

“We already had the pressing tool from another company we bought out, but we always soldered,” Long said. “So it was just sitting on the shelf. After seeing how fast we went through that parkade, it was a no-brainer. All we had to do was buy the jaws for Viega MegaPress systems.”

Long also appreciated the security of the connections. Since this project marked his first experience with Viega systems, Long fully expected leaks.

“I was ready for them,” he said. “I had three bottles of leak detector. I expected I would have to go through and test all these joints and find all the leaks, but there was nothing. I was very impressed. I still have three full bottles of leak detector left.”

Long stated that he could solder a joint quickly but that it would probably leak. But with Viega, you get a faster installation and a more reliable connection.

“From now on, I’ll do next-to-no soldering,” Long said. “As much as I possibly can, I’ll only be using press.”

For more information on Viega system solutions, visit www.viega.us, or call toll free: 800-976-9819.