Great Products Make It to the Winner's Circle

Products in the Miscellaneous category ofThe NEWS'third annual Dealer Design Awards are both great and small. While they're not a big piece of equipment or a large system, they make the installation of those units and systems better. And the winners, EZ Floor LLC's RAZ PanelÂ® and Duro Dyne's Envirofab, both have achieved greatness.

GOLD: The PEX sits below the working surface of the panel, which eliminates trip hazards as well as protecting the PEX from foot and equipment travel.

GOLD WINNER

RAZ PanelÂ®, an offering by EZ Floor, received the gold in the category. This all-in-one vapor barrier, insulation, and PEX tube holder is designed for subslab hydronic radiant heat applications. The 2 inches of solid EPS foam provides an insulation rating of R-11.9 and an 860-psf compressive strength rating.

The judges tended to think that this product would be a time saver. One of the judges said that this is an "outstanding product for time savings by combining vapor barrier, hold down, and spacing and insulation all in one. Also it eliminates coordination of other on the job (for vapor barrier and insulation) and prevents damage to insulation, which is a big concern."

The panels hold either 1/2- or 5/8-inch PEX. The PEX sits below the working surface of the panel, which eliminates trip hazards as well as protects the PEX from foot and equipment travel.

The panels are marked in 2-inch increments so that a tape measure is not needed when cutting. Modular panels provide 8 square feet of useable surface area with a 10-mil polystyrene film, providing a perm rating of 0.56 perms. For installation, staples or twist tying to wire mesh are not necessary.

Another judge remarked that "placing the tubing into the panels would be very easy and safe," while a third said that it is a "nice method of assuring spacing, securing, etc."

"The product comes in bundles of 18 panels, weighing 55 pounds. The bundles will not blow away or turn the handler into a human kite. A one-man PEX installation is possible if used with an uncoiler," said Steven J. Paske, national sales manager, EZ Floor.

SILVER: Envirofab is used as a vibration insulator between the fan and ductwork, in heating, air conditioning or ventilation systems.

SILVER WINNER

Envirofab by Duro Dyne won silver. It is an environmentally friendly duct connector fabric, manufactured with reprocessed material to qualify for use on "green" building projects. Envirofab is used as a vibration insulator between the fan and ductwork in heating, air conditioning and/or ventilation systems.

"Envirofab is beneficial for IAQ use in applications where UV light is incorporated into the duct system," said Steve Martin, new product development director, Duro Dyne.

The fabric has a black side and a white side. When installed on ductwork incorporating IAQ UV lights, the white side will reflect the UV rays back into the airstream to enhance the sanitizing process.

The judges liked that the Envirofab is made of recycled materials. "The use of recycled materials will always get my vote if all else is equal," said a judge. A second judge went further, saying "The benefits are derived from the product being made of recycled materials, which allow it to be sold and utilized on environmentally sensitive building applications. This is a new take on an existing product category."