June 05, 2024

Uponor PEX Maximizes Efficiencies for Senior Living Expansion Project

by Kim Bliss

What began in 1894 as a housing project for four elderly women in St. Paul, Minn., has grown into a comprehensive senior care facility serving residents with various needs. The exponential growth over the decades prompted a need for additional space to house new residents while also providing a contemporary fitness room, salon, and theater. 

The new addition, called Midway Village, includes a seven-story, post-tension concrete engineered building with 168 units of senior housing. R.T. Moore Co., a Burnsville, Minn.– based company installed the plumbing and mechanical piping for the project. 

Dean Kirchoff, lead mechanical project manager for R.T Moore, and a Master Plumber with 30 years of experience in the industry, chose Uponor AquaPEX® for the domestic hot and cold water lines as well as Wirsbo hePEX™ for the hydronic piping systems to maximize installation productivity and profitability potential. 

“Using Uponor PEX allowed us the flexibility to route the lines and minimize conflicts with other trades,” he said, adding that the products’ reliability and warranty were also compelling factors.  

The expansion project used 32,000 feet of ½" to 2" Uponor AquaPEX® and ProPEX® fittings for the plumbing system along with 4,080 feet of ½" to 2" Wirsbo hePEX™ and Uponor PEX-a Pipe Support for the hydronic heating system.  

R.T. Moore worked with Uponor Construction Services to assist with the sizing and sleeve layout locations for each of the plumbing, condenser loop, and concrete draining systems. 

“We maximized the flexibility of the system design using Uponor ProPEX multiport tees, thus decreasing the number of joints in the system,” Kirchoff said. “We also installed risers from the first floor to the seventh floor, grouping bathrooms and grouping the kitchens.” 

To help ensure a smooth, efficient installation, manufacturer’s representative FourMation Sales of Rogers, Minn., provided training and certification of the crews once the Uponor products arrived on the jobsite. 

After the installation was complete and ready for occupancy, Episcopal Homes was very satisfied with the result. 

“This project was successful because of the experience of its contractors and their superior workmanship,” Anne Kamiri, special projects coordinator for Episcopal Homes, said. “The project has received so much praise and recognition from its community.” 

Download the case study one-pager to learn more.