- Ceiling Height & Heating
Not long ago, there was an article in The Wall Street Journal titled, "Ceiling Height Versus Performance: Sometimes It Can Make a Difference." It seems that if you're..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, March 18, 2008) - Dan Holohan
- Comfort is Perception
Back when I was working for the manufacturers rep company we moved into this big new office on the Isle of Long that was split up into Dilbert-like cubbies. The place had..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, September 19, 2007) - Dan Holohan
- Iron Radiators New And Old
There are some old radiator sizing formulas but they will most often produce wildly oversized systems. If you're good and accurate with measurement, are quite familiar with..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, August 21, 2007) - Mike Thies, HeatingHelp.com, Dan Holohan
- All Roads Lead From ISH
I first went to the big ISH fair in Frankfurt, Germany in 1991 with two buddies, and I think we three were joined by only about 17 other Americans that year. ISH was..... Click here for full article
(Monday, July 16, 2007) - Dan Holohan
- A Customer Bill Of Rights
There's a restaurant chain here in the east called Legal Seafood. They've been in business for years, and for good reasons. Their places are clean and attractive. They serve good fresh food at a fair price for the value delivered, and..... Click here for full article
(Friday, June 15, 2007) - Dan Holohan
- Mini-CHPs
In August, 2003, the lights and everything else went out in a big part of America. I work at home so it was no big deal for me. I don’t do much to begin with, so being in the dark really isn’t a problem. The Lovely Marianne closed our storefront office in town and came home. We sat in..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, May 24, 2007) - Dan Holohan
- Replacing Your Old Steam Boiler?
If your steam boiler leaks, or if you realize the old unit has the efficiency of a campfire, you're probably going to find yourself interviewing heating contractors. Only the bravest do-it-yourselfer will tackle an old steam system. As you..... Click here for full article
(Saturday, March 31, 2007) - Dan Holohan
- After the War Is Over
One of the treasures that I have in my library is a booklet titled, "Trends in Heating Development" that Coal-Heat magazine published in July, 1942. K.C. Richmond, the Editor of Coal-Heat surveyed a group of..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, February 27, 2007) - Dan Holohan
- Gas Heat Knowledge
My friend Tim McElwain specializes in Gas Appliance Service Training and Consulting. When it comes to this, I think he’s the best in the business. Since 1994, he’s conducted training nationwide for everyone involved in the Gas Heating Industry. Tim has..... Click here for full article
(Saturday, September 30, 2006) - Dan Holohan
- Gaslighting
A friend sent me a booklet that New Jersey's Public Service Gas Company (now Public Service Electric and Gas) published in 1917. This little gem appeared during a time when electricity was..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, June 21, 2006) - Dan Holohan
- Pipes in Concrete Can Corrode
We’re still in our first house, mostly because this is where all the memories are. That maple tree in the center of the backyard, the one that towers over the second-floor roof? I had that tree in the backseat of a..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, May 30, 2006) - Dan Holohan
- Wasted Energy
Somewhere in America an old friend of mine is hanging a low-NOX gas/oil burner on the side of this enormous steam boiler. This burner weighs 3,600 pounds and is the size of a Buick. It produces screaming..... Click here for full article
(Friday, March 31, 2006) - Dan Holohan
- Products That Caught My Eye
Some good stuff for your consideration, products that can I think can really benefit you if you're a contractor. In no particular order: Differential pressure regulators This is a standard item..... Click here for full article
(Friday, February 24, 2006) - Dan Holohan
- Gold's Mattress Radiator
I’ve owned one of Stephen J. Gold’s mattress radiators since the fall of 1989. It’s on a shelf in our office now, a part of the little heating museum that we maintain for the sake of wonder and amusement. Last spring, I got a..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, January 19, 2006) - Dan Holohan
- Heating in Russia
My buddy, Fred, was over for a visit and the talk turned to steam. Fred works for Consolidated Edison in New York City. Con Ed provides the electricity and steam for about..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, October 20, 2005) - Dan Holohan
- Washington Steam
I was visiting Washington D. C. with the family. We stayed right near the Smithsonian Institute and spent our days walking through museums and breathing in the history and having a fine time. The sight of the homeless people..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, September 22, 2005) - Dan Holohan
- What's the Right Temperature?
My sister-in-law Missy has lived with us for the past seven years. She’ll turn 40 next September and she has Down Syndrome. She often does things that make perfect sense to her, but it takes us a while to recognize..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, August 25, 2005) - Dan Holohan
- Air Filters
If your house has a warm air heating system there's a lot you can learn from your hair dryer. It sounds funny, but every now and then we'll solve a "no-heat" call by telling someone to rearrange..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, July 20, 2005) - Dan Holohan
- Boiler Sizing
When steam heating was new, back at the turn of the 19th century, coal was the fuel of choice. It burned hot, and it burned long. A good coal-fired boiler would stay lit for eight to 10 hours on a load of coal. Those early boilers contained cast iron grates that were similar to what you..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, June 29, 2005) - Dan Holohan
- Conductive Concrete
Concrete has been used for many years as a composite material that has excellent mechanical properties and durability for construction. However, concrete is a poor electrical conductor, especially under dry conditions. Concrete that..... Click here for full article
(Monday, March 21, 2005) - Dan Holohan
- The Air We Breathe
I have an old book on my shelf that came to me by way of my friend Paul Yunnie. Paul lives in England and is Chairman of the ASHRAE Historical Committee. I time-travel with him...... Click here for full article
(Thursday, October 14, 2004) - Dan Holohan
- Some Advice for Engineers
I was reading an interesting book titled The Monster Under the Bed (How Business Is Mastering the Opportunity for Knowledge for Profit) by Stan Davis and Jim Botkin (Simon & Schuster, 1994) when I came across something that made me sit up straight and stare out the window for a while...... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, August 18, 2004) - Dan Holohan
- I know you can't see this, but . . .
I just got back from an industry symposium where I watched a bunch of engineers give lectures on various topics. Each was an expert who had knowledge to share, and I was hanging on as best I could, not being an..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, July 27, 2004) - Dan Holohan
- If Noah Lived In Australia
The Lord contacted Noah & commmanded he build an Ark for in one year's time a flood would cover the earth. Specifations were sent & Noah accepted the task. Exactly one year later, the Lord returned to find a grey haired Noah but no ..... Click here for full article
(Monday, February 02, 2004) - Dan Holohan
- Paying Vital Attention
Is the year already rushing by you? Where has the time gone? You haven't started on your list of vital tasks. June will arrive before you even complete your planning and budget for the year. This is NOT the way you wanted to do it this year. So, what's the deal anyway?..... Click here for full article
(Friday, November 21, 2003) - Linda Leigh Francis (Guest writter for Dan Holohan)
- Notes From Wetstock I
Here are the notes that participants from the first Gathering of Wetheads (November 23, 2002) handed in during the day. From Aaron Ourada RADIANT COOLING EXPLORATION. Why not? (tubing’s already there!):
..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, July 31, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- Somewhere In America
Somewhere in America today an old friend of mine is hanging a low-NOX gas/oil burner on the side of this steam boiler. This burner weighs 3,600 pounds and is the size of a Buick..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, May 07, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- The World According to Missy
Missy was watching The Weather Channel when the woman in front of the map mentioned that it was going to snow in Denver. Missy's eyes waggled furiously and she shouted, "I'm going in!"..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, April 10, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- Energy Usage
The Energy Information Administration is a fascinating website where you can find a huge amount of detailed information about energy usage in the United States..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, April 09, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- Some tips on teaching
A friend told me that he was thinking of putting a training session together for his apprentices. He was also hoping he could work with the local trade association to see if........ Click here for full article
(Tuesday, April 08, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- Hot water recirculation magic
WE NEED HELP with a number of problems left over from a new addition,” the homeowner told me over the phone. “It’s a slab on grade radiantly heated room that overheats, and it takes forever for us to get hot water in the master bathroom.”..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, February 25, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- An old radiator Q&A
Questions regarding the often elegant, cast-iron behemoths we love so much are as perennial as water hammer and squirting air vents. So, I thought I'd put some straight answers together for you in one convenient place. Here goes..... Click here for full article
(Friday, February 21, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- A Steam Heating Primer
If you ask a dozen people what the proper operating pressure for a steam system is, you'll probably get a dozen different answers. Most folks just follow "what they were taught" without giving much thought to the results. You see most steam systems run at ridiculously high pressures..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, February 20, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- Low-water Cutoffs Belong On All Boilers
Contractors use low-water cutoffs on every steam boiler they install, as well as every hot water boiler over a certain size. That’s good because the most common cause of boiler loss in this country is low water and the incidences of loss would boggle you mind (just ask Hartford Insurance)...... Click here for full article
(Friday, January 17, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- It's Not What The Market Will Bear
When business owners make up selling prices, they trot out this silly phrase as their reasoning: I charge what the market will bear – the going rate. Sadly, virtually all business literature, and most accountants and bankers will back up..... Click here for full article
(Monday, January 13, 2003) - Dan Holohan
- The Enormous Scope Of European Hydronics
This time last year, I was just returning from ISH, the world's largest plumbing & heating show. They hold it every other year in Frankfurt, Germany. Before I left, I was invited to a press conference in New York City to hear Andreas..... Click here for full article
(Monday, December 16, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- Know How To Solve Problems?
I'm working on a 90-psig-steam system. It provides heat to a 30' x30' x 10' foot curing room with a chamber temperature of 100-degrees Fahrenheit. There are coils on both end walls of the room. They're piped in parallel and fed from a solenoid valve. The condensate goes through a..... Click here for full article
(Friday, December 06, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- And we're Living here in Levittown
I grew up in Hicksville, Long Island (don't laugh!) and I spent a good part of Junior and Senior High School sharing a classroom with Billy Joel, and that is my single brush with musical fame. I clearly remember sitting next to him in
..... Click here for full article
(Monday, November 18, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- Screwdriver Willie and the Cold Tenants
In a Manhattan co-op apartment building, where the local time, mechanically speaking, is 1949, Screwdriver Willie is doing his very best to keep the tenants warm and happy while trying to maintain his own sanity. His tool of choice for this monumental task is, of course, the screwdriver...... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, October 16, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- A Simple Copper Elbow
When I was 20 years old I took a job working for a manufacturer’s rep. My father was my boss and since we were the first father/son combination ever to show up at this company he was especially hard on me. He didn’t want anyone to think I was being favored. We were the representatives for the ..... Click here for full article
(Monday, August 05, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- The Basics Of Steam Heating
If you ask a dozen people what the proper operating pressure for a steam system is, you'll probably get a dozen different answers. Most folks just follow "what they were taught" without giving much thought to the results. You see most steam systems run at ridiculously high pressures...... Click here for full article
(Friday, July 26, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- Fixing Those Old Steam Traps?
The building management agent looked at me the way a cop would look at a con man. "You can't tell me how much we're going to save?" he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "We should spend all this money and go to all this trouble without knowing the payback?" He shook his head again. "This is not something I can sell to the board," he said finally, and we left it..... Click here for full article
(Monday, July 01, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- How Indirect Heating Works
If you're working with folks who are rich, cold, and miserable there's a good chance they'll be living in big 19th Century homes that have heating systems of the indirect variety. These can be as confusing as adolescence so I thought I'd tell you what I've learned of them so far..... Click here for full article
(Monday, May 06, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- Boiler Ratings Explained
When you look in a boiler manufacturer's catalog you'll see that there are several types of ratings for each boiler. There's the Input rating, the Gross Output rating (which some call the D.O.E. Heating Capacity) and then there's the Net Output rating. You pick one or another to size a boiler. But are you sure you picked the right one?..... Click here for full article
(Friday, April 05, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- Billy and the baker
Billy was having a bad day. Mario the Baker had called him first thing that morning to say he was going to drive to Billy’s office and punch him in the face. It seems that Mario the Baker’s steam boiler had just spit about ten gallons of dirty boiler water into the oven along with the steam. That, of course, ruined the rolls, and..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, March 28, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- All About Monoflow Tees
Bell & Gossett sells a special fitting called the Monoflo tee. You'll find these in thousands of heating systems, and they've been there for decades. If you ever have to move pipes around within one of these systems here are a few tips that should save you some time...... Click here for full article
(Friday, March 08, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- An American Cathedral
Mike always wrote his initials on the pipes with a wax crayon. Next to his initials, he wrote the date and next to the date he drew an arrow that pointed toward heaven. He didn't write on all the pipes, just the one's that he himself had welded. It didn't matter that the other trades would soon bury his pipes behind the walls and beneath the ceilings. Mike knew what he had done, and he knew that it would be there forever...... Click here for full article
(Friday, February 22, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- You Are Where You Live
I have a lot of old engineering books. They’re all weathered and worn and the pages come apart in my hands if I’m not careful. They smell like they’ve traveled all over the world. I could sit here for hours and just look at them. I often..... Click here for full article
(Friday, February 08, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- How to Replace an Old Steam-Heating Boiler
Here are some tips that I thought you might want to file away somewhere for the next time you encounter an old steam heating boiler. Base the size of the replacement boiler on the connected load, not the building’s heat loss. The boiler’s ability to produce steam must match the system’s ability to condense steam..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, January 30, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- Radiators Of Special Interest
Over the years, I've written articles about hydronic systems for Old-House Journal magazine. It's mostly homeowners who read OJH, folks who are involved with restoring beautiful old Victorian money pits. OHJ readers never throw away that magazine..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, January 16, 2002) - Dan Holohan
- How They Make Oil Burner Nozzles
There are some things you can’t help but notice about Denmark. They have windmills, but not of the Don Quixote sort. No, these are huge, three-bladed, high-tech monsters that whoop in a wind that never seems to stop blowing across this low-lying land. You can spot these graceful behemoths from miles away. The people of Denmark turn the wind into light..... Click here for full article
(Monday, December 03, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- What You Should Know About Hartford Loops
A Hartford Loop is an arrangement of piping between a steam boiler's header and its gravity-return piping. The end of the header drops vertically below the boiler's waterline and connects into the bottom of the boiler. We call this pipe the "equalizer" because it balances the pressure between the boiler's steam outlet and condensate-return inlet..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, November 07, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- When A Steam System Floods
The couple had lived in the old Victorian for five years and it was their hobby as well as their home. They'd been restoring it and they didn't want to part with the old one-pipe steam system, but it had been acting up lately..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, October 23, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Where Did The Water Go?
Billy was having a bad day. Mario the Baker had called him first thing that morning to say he was going to drive to Billy's office and punch him in the face. It seems that Mario the Baker's steam boiler had just spit about ten gallons of dirty..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, October 16, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Boiler Ratings
When you look in a boiler manufacturer's catalog you'll see that there are several types of ratingsfor each boiler. There's the Input rating, the Gross Output rating (which some call the D.O.E. Heating Capacity) and then..... Click here for full article
(Monday, October 08, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- A Lesson In Life Learned The Hard Way
Never gloat over someone else's stupid mistake. Make it better if you can, but don't laugh. Just let it slide and do your best to make like you never saw a thing. I say this because there's a BIG ONE waiting for you down the road, my friend, and when you slam into it, you're going to need all the understanding you can find..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, October 03, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Does The Color of a Radiator Matter?
I recently came across this circular sent out by the US Department of Commerce's National Bureau of Standards on July 19, 1935. It's fascinating stuff and I thought you might want to keep it on file. Here 'tis..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, September 12, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- How To Tell An Engineer From A Contractor
If an engineer takes the train to work, he is likely to keep track of the miles traveled and the time elapsed between each station. He will keep these records for years in spiral notebooks and drive people crazy by sharing this useless drivel with them at a moment's notice..... Click here for full article
(Friday, August 31, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Why Do Steam Coils Freeze?
Our problem is that five out of hundreds of univentilator coils freeze up on a regular basis. They are part of two pipe steam systems with pneumatic control valves and condensate pumps. The F&T traps have been replaced and the coils are grading down to the returns..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, July 10, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- 21 Great Reasons To Choose Hydronics
With hydronics, you use water instead of air to move the heat around the building. Water holds more heat than air. Everybody knows that. Water allows you to use small pipes instead of big ducts. Since small pipes take up a lot less space than bulky ducts, you wind up with more living space..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, April 04, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- How To Tell An Engineer From A Contractor
If an engineer takes the train to work, he is likely to keep track of the miles traveled and the time elapsed between each station. He will keep these records for years in spiral notebooks and drive people crazy by sharing this useless drivel with them at a moment's notice. Contractors are different..... Click here for full article
(Friday, March 23, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Pressure Differential & Steam Systems
A New York City contractor called me last winter to tell me about a situation that he had gotten himself into. We'll call him Augie because that's close enough. "The old steam boiler was up on this pedestal," Augie told me. "The new one, I put down on the floor because that's where the engineer wanted it."..... Click here for full article
(Monday, March 19, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Steam Tips - Part 4
When water turns to steam (at 0 psi) it expands 1,700 times. That's what moves the steam from the boilers to the radiators. High pressure goes to low pressure - always! What stands..... Click here for full article
(Friday, March 09, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Steam Tips - Part 3
Piping pitch is crucial to steam heat, whether the system is one pipe or two pipe. The rule is that the pipe should always pitch in the direction of flow at least 1" in 20 feet. If you have..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, February 20, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Steam Tips - Part 2
When confronting a lack-of-heat complaint, the urge to crank the pressuretrol up can be so strong as to cloud your mind and make you temporarily stupid..... Click here for full article
(Friday, February 02, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- Steam Tips - Part 1
Always install a union and a gate (or ball) valve on the outlet side of an automatic water feeder. This will allow you to perform the "broken union" test if you have a flooded boiler..... Click here for full article
(Monday, January 08, 2001) - Dan Holohan
- What I've Learned About Steam Pressure
It had stood on this corner just off Wall Street in Manhattan for nearly a century. It stood witness to the comings and goings of countless people who never gave much thought to its many windows and its 25 stories that were served by one-pipe-steam radiators..... Click here for full article
(Monday, December 11, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- Things To Consider
Consider the smaller boiler. If you have a choice between a big boiler and a smaller boiler, give that little one a second look. I say this because I've been in boiler rooms on days when it was so cold outside I thought that the sunshine might freeze..... Click here for full article
(Tuesday, November 21, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- Tips On Balancing One-Pipe Steam Systems
Vent the mains quickly. This will help the steam get to all the radiators at about the same time. Steam is a gas and it will always look for a way out of the system. When it leaves the boiler, it heads toward the air vents..... Click here for full article
(Friday, September 15, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- Thinking Like Air
Grownups sat in the shade of the latticed porch and waved off the summer heat with paper fans. If you close your eyes, you can still see them there..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, August 09, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- Considering Modular Steam Boilers?
The people who sell Modular steam boiler systems promise ease of installation and energy savings. But how you pipe those boilers - both individually and then together - will either make or break the job..... Click here for full article
(Friday, July 21, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- PEX Choices
You have options when it comes to the tubing you bury or staple up on a radiant job. You may choose to go with a particular supplier and never question the type of tubing they provide. That's a legitimate choice, if you trust the supplier..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, July 06, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- Understanding Primary/Secondary Pumping
Primary/secondary pumping has become pretty popular nowadays, especially with boiler manufacturers. They love it because it offers a simple way to protect their boilers against low-temperature return water and the resulting flue-gas condensation that low-temperature water causes..... Click here for full article
(Friday, June 09, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- How Steam Traps Can Bite You
In the beginning there was one-pipe steam, and one-pipe steam was pretty simple. The steamtraveled up the pipe; the condensate fell down the pipe. Size and pitch the pipes properly, don't over-fire the boiler, keep the wet returns clean, and you were in pretty good shape..... Click here for full article
(Monday, May 22, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- Radiant Heat And Wood Floors
More and more radiant systems going into existing homes as retrofit projects. On many of these jobs the tubing winds up getting attached to the underside of the wood floor. On other jobs, the tubing goes down on top of a subfloor, beneath the finish wood..... Click here for full article
(Wednesday, May 03, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- Why A Radiator Is Not Heat
I once looked at a problem job in an office building on Long Island. It can get pretty windy here on the Isle of Long. This building had a wide driveway that passed under the first floor to a parking lot out in the back..... Click here for full article
(Monday, April 10, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- The Trick To Sizing Steam Piping
They built the place in the 1930s and heated it with steam. It's always been a commercial building - part office, part factory. They heat the offices with one-pipe steam radiators and the factory with steam unit heaters nowadays, but it wasn't always that way..... Click here for full article
(Friday, March 03, 2000) - Dan Holohan
- What color is your radiator?
First, those in which the pigment consists of small flakes of metal, such as the aluminium and bronze paints, most commonly used for painting radiators, which produce a metallic appearance and will be called metallic paints..... Click here for full article
(Thursday, January 27, 2000) - Dan Holohan
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