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Systems Help Center

Our comprehensive HVAC Systems Help Center covers a wide range of HVAC-related topics, including air conditioning and heat pumps, geothermal, hot-water heating, thermostats and controls, solar, steam heating, and warm air. We also have a section of informative and entertaining articles to help you sharpen your HVAC business skills. And our Heating Museum is a captivating journey through the evolution of HVAC technologies. 

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Recent Articles

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Disassembly Required

It’s a good price and they’ll assemble it for us,” The Lovely Marianne looked up from her iPad and nodded. “This is a good deal. And you should definitely not be assembli...

Published on 01/13/2020 11:02 AM by Dan Holohan
Posted in The HVAC Business
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Thieves

We had a warehouse break-in over the weekend when I was young and working inside-sales (read, order-taking) for a manufacturers’ rep on the Isle of Long. We had just move...

Published on 01/08/2020 10:57 AM by Dan Holohan
Posted in The HVAC Business
Air Vents and Oversized Radiators

Years ago, my friend Frank Taverna (who happens to be one hell of a good heating man) and I looked at a steam problem in a small church in New York City. Five one-pipe st...

Published on 01/01/2020 3:57 PM by Dan Holohan
Posted in Steam Heating
Eureka: An Early Diverter Tee

In 1897, Eureka made an early version of what we now call the diverter tee. It worked by creating a drop in pressure along its run, which encouraged the water to flow int...

Published on 11/20/2019 12:08 PM by Dan Holohan
Posted in Hot-Water Heating
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A Foreign Exchange

It took Jimmy about a half-hour to realize that the homeowner hadn’t understood a word he had said. “The guy was a real dummy,” Jimmy told Larry, who had been his partner...

Published on 11/13/2019 1:57 PM by Dan Holohan
Posted in The HVAC Business
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Your Pet Peeves

I asked this question on The Wall at HeatingHelp.com: “Just curious. What gets under your skin these days when it comes to your local wholesalers?” Then I sat back and wa...

Published on 10/21/2019 1:09 PM by Dan Holohan
Posted in The HVAC Business
cast iron radiator
When Minds Close

A guy I don’t know emailed me a question. I get a lot of that because I’m easy to find on the internet. He wanted to know if it’s true that all manufacturers stopped maki...

Published on 10/16/2019 10:59 AM by Dan Holohan
Posted in The HVAC Business
Radiator Covers

Should you box in those radiators? Let’s take a look at radiator enclosures. Some people use them because they think old radiators are ugly (I sure don’t).

Published on 09/25/2019 2:24 PM
Posted in Steam Heating and Hot-Water Heating
thermostat
Thermostat Adventures

Twenty-five years ago, I wrote a story for this fine magazine I titled it, "Only Gus Touch." Over the years, many people have told me they still remember that tale and as...

Published on 09/18/2019 10:10 AM by Dan Holohan
Posted in The HVAC Business