Plumbing
Supply, drain, waste and vent. The core trade and most of the work.
- Repairs and emergency service
- Pipe installation and replacement
- Water heaters
- Drain cleaning
- Kitchen and bath installations
- Backflow prevention
An extension of Click Plumbing · Austin to San Antonio, Texas
We add capabilities to humanity.
Every day our team does the plumbing, electrical and mechanical work to make spaces habitable, so we can build and test the frontier technologies that will one day be used in habitats only accessible via space.
How we get thereEvery new tool is proved on ordinary jobs first. Licensed crews do the work. Measurements check it.
- L1Reliable MEP service
- L2Measured performance
- L3Water systems under test
- L4Closed-loop and extreme environments
Mission
Add capabilities to humanity.
A capability counts when someone can rely on it on an ordinary day.
Vision
Bring technologies from esoteric fields into mission-ready tools.
A technology becomes a tool once a crew can pick it up, use it and repair it.
Who we are looking for
A tool built on technology you do not fully know is indistinguishable from magic.
We want to find the wizards who can help make it.
See careers →01Approach
Capability is built in layers.
Each layer has to hold before the next one means anything. The service work pays for the rest, and it is where a new tool has to prove itself.
Our opinion on systems
Genius has the fewest moving parts.
Every part we leave out is one that cannot fail. It is also one less to stock, inspect and repair.
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L1
Reliable MEP service
Plumbing, HVAC, electrical and mechanical work for commercial and residential buildings, performed by Click Plumbing. This is the foundation and nearly all of the revenue. Every other layer depends on doing it well.
Operating daily
EvidenceJobs completed. Callback rate. Response time.
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L2
Measured performance
A repair is finished when a reading says so. We are building the habit of logging pressure, flow, temperature and humidity before and after, so that comfort and reliability can be shown and compared.
Being built into the work
EvidenceBefore and after readings on file. Published field notes.
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L3
Water systems under test
Two water devices are in development: an electrocoagulation wash-water recycler and a high-speed torsion and compression plate device. Neither is for sale. Both are being measured before anything is claimed.
Under test
EvidenceTest logs. Instrumentation status. Results when they exist.
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L4
Closed-loop and extreme environments
The long-range target is a space that reuses its own water, holds its own climate and can be repaired by the people inside it. Remote sites come first. A Mars habitat is the hardest version of the same problem, so it is the filter we use to decide what to learn next.
Horizon
EvidenceNothing to show yet. That is stated on purpose.
02Services
Four trades, one crew.
All service work is booked and performed by Click Plumbing, across Austin to San Antonio, Texas.
HVAC and thermal
Heating, cooling and air quality, sized and checked against readings.
- Heating and cooling installation
- Maintenance and repair
- Ductwork design and installation
- Indoor air quality
- Efficiency upgrades
- Commercial refrigeration
Electrical
Power and controls for the systems above, and for the building around them.
- Commercial installations
- Emergency repairs
- Lighting
- Panel upgrades and maintenance
- Generators
- Code compliance and inspections
Mechanical and fabrication
A carpenter and a welder are on staff, so supports, frames and access are built in house.
- Welded supports, frames and brackets
- Carpentry for chases, access and equipment framing
- Modifications to existing assemblies
- Test rigs for our own water systems
Book service at clickplumbing.com →or call 512-360-0599. Emergency service 24/7.
03Progress and status
What is true today.
Numbers go here when they can be backed. A dash means the figure is not published yet.
Last updated
Projects completed
800+
Service and installation projects.
As published by Click Plumbing
Years of service
18+
Field experience behind the service work.
As published by Click Plumbing
Callback rate
—%
Share of jobs that need a return visit within 30 days.
Placeholder Not yet published
Jobs with logged readings
—%
Jobs closed with before and after measurements on file.
Placeholder Not yet published
Capability milestones
- L1Licensed plumbing, HVAC and electrical service in operationDone
- L1Carpenter and welder on staff for in-house fabricationDone
- L2Standard before and after reading set defined for service callsPlanned
- L2Callback rate published on this pagePlanned
- L2First field note published from a real jobPlanned
- L3Electrocoagulation recycler in active testingIn progress
- L3Plate device being instrumentedIn progress
- L4First closed-loop water trial at a remote sitePlanned
Water devices
WS-01
Electrocoagulation wash-water recycler
Active testing
Stage 4 of 6
WS-02
High-speed torsion and compression plate device
Experimental, being instrumented
Stage 3 of 6
04Field notes
Short technical notes from the work.
One problem, how it was measured, what changed. Written so another tradesperson could repeat it.
Repairability is decided at installation
A system that cannot be isolated, reached and identified will cost more at every repair. Seven checks, made while the wall is still open.
Read note →Finding pressure-loss points in a supply line
Low pressure at a fixture is a symptom. Walking the line with a gauge under flow finds the place where the pressure is lost.
Read note →Comfort stability is a range held over time
A thermostat reading says little about comfort. Share of occupied hours inside a temperature and humidity band says a lot.
Read note →05Water systems
In development. Not for sale.
Two technologies from outside the trade, being turned into tools. Each one is listed with its stage, what is being measured and what comes next. No performance figures are published until there are logs behind them.
WS-01
Active testing
Electrocoagulation wash-water recycler
Treats used wash water so it can go around again instead of down the drain.
A low-voltage current passes through metal plates sitting in the water. The plates release ions that bind fine solids, oils and soaps into clumps large enough to separate. The cleared water returns to the wash loop.
Stage 4 of 6
- Concept
- Prototype
- Instrumented
- Active testing
- Field pilot
- In service
Planned measurements
- Turbidity in and out
- Energy used per gallon treated
- Electrode wear per gallon
- Share of water recovered per cycle
Next step
Publish a first set of in and out readings as a field note.
WS-02
Experimental, being instrumented
High-speed torsion and compression plate device
A mechanical device that works water between plates under high-speed torsion and compression.
This one is early. A prototype exists. What it does to the water has not been measured well enough to describe, so we are not describing it yet. Sensors go on first.
Stage 3 of 6
- Concept
- Prototype
- Instrumented
- Active testing
- Field pilot
- In service
Planned measurements
- Inlet and outlet pressure
- Temperature rise across the device
- Shaft speed and input power
- Water quality in and out
Next step
Finish instrumentation, then run a baseline against plain recirculation.
06Careers
We are looking for wizards.
A tool built on technology you do not fully know is indistinguishable from magic. We want to find the people who can help make it.
Tradespeople who want to go further
Plumbers at any level who want to measure their work, teach it and build systems, not only install them.
People from esoteric fields
Deep knowledge of an unusual technology, and the wish to see it become a tool in a crew's hands.
The plumber ladder: nine levels
Every level says what the work is and roughly how long it takes. The later levels add measurement, mentoring and systems work to the trade itself.
Foundation
- 01 Helper 0 to 6 months Site safety, tools and materials. Learns by assisting and keeps a job moving.
- 02 Apprentice I About 12 months Registered apprentice. Basic rough-in and repair tasks under direct supervision.
- 03 Apprentice II 12 to 18 months Completes common repairs and installs with checks. Reads plans. Starts recording readings. Measurement
- 04 Apprentice III 12 to 18 months Runs routine jobs with a journeyman on call. Prepares for the journeyman exam. Measurement
Craft
- 05 Journeyman 2 to 4 years Licensed. Works independently and owns a job from diagnosis to close, paperwork included. Measurement
- 06 Senior Journeyman 2 to 3 years Takes the difficult diagnoses. Trains an apprentice. Logs before and after readings as routine. MeasurementMentoring
Leadership and systems
- 07 Lead 2 to 4 years Runs a crew and a schedule. Answers for quality and callbacks across several jobs. MeasurementMentoring
- 08 Systems Plumber 3 years or more Designs and commissions whole systems. Writes field notes. Works on water systems testing. MeasurementMentoringSystems
- 09 Master / Technical Lead Ongoing Master license. Sets standards, reviews designs and owns the technical direction, including this ladder. MeasurementMentoringSystems
Draft 0.1 Time ranges are typical, not guaranteed. Licensing steps follow the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. HVAC and electrical ladders will follow.
Apply through Click PlumbingHiring is handled by the service business.
07Contact
Need service? That is Click Plumbing.
Service, quotes and emergencies
Click Plumbing
512-360-0599- Hours
- Mon to Fri, 7 AM to 6 PM
Emergency service 24/7 - Area
- Austin to San Antonio, Texas
- Office
- 5501 Balcones Dr A141
Austin, TX 78731
North Star Technologies
Systems work, testing and talent
Questions about the water devices, the field notes or the career ladder go to the same office. Put "North Star" in the subject line.
office@clickplumbing.com →