Consulting by Mad Dog & Matt Jr.

CONSULTING FOR ALL OF NEW YORK STATE (Montauk to Manhattan, Lower Hudson Valley, & Rhinebeck to Saratoga Springs, Lake George to Watertown, The Southern Tier Finger Lakes to Buffalo and every nook and cranny in our Great, Empire State!), NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, CONNECTICUT, VERMONT, MASSACHUCETTS, RHODE ISLAND, NEW HAMPSHIRE. AVAILABLE FOR OTHER SURROUNDING STATES ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.

I am Matt "Mad Dog" Sweeney and I'll tell you what's wrong with your SCREWED %@#!~ up heating system....you know, the ones everyone else left for dead and said couldn't be fixed and should be RIPPED out. You spent alot of good money on the advice of someone you trusted, but the room is not getting up to temperature, the system is noisy, and your heating bills are higher than EVER! I have been swingin' the wrenches - in the trenches - in residential and commercial boiler rooms for close to 40 years now, and consulting for the last 25 or so years. I've worked side-by-side with the best in the business. I have become close, personal friends with many of the industries' heating savants and have a DEEP well of advice from fellow Industry experts to draw from if needed, and they from me. For Many of the first few years I lost alot of money coming up, REFUSING to walk away from problem jobs, and taking a financial beating just to make it right. The Great Master Heating Industry writer and founder of HeatingHelp.com, Dan Holohan, calls that, TUITION! But did I get an education! There isn’t a bad system that intimidates me.

I've attended every Dan Holohan seminar I could over the years and have STACKS of all the Master's books. I am a licensed Master Plumber since 1998 and a 1996 Magna Cum Laude Graduate and Member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society (est. 1776) of The State University of New York at Stony Brook. Why does this matter? I bring the WHOLE, BIG picture approach to your home and business when I come out. I pick out things that OTHERS miss. I'm the guy you call when everyone else gives up. I NEVER, NEVER, EVER QUIT! (Winston Churchill)

After spending as much time as we need to make things clear to you, and canvassing your problem system, I write up a thorough and comprehensive report, complete with Isometric drawings that ANY licensed, master plumber or qualified plumbing and heating technician can follow. I will tell you EXACTLY what ails your system and EXACTLY what its going to take to remedy it. I will walk your trusted plumber through the corrective work if that is necessary (not often). If you're looking to wean off of fossil fuels, I can advise you on the Series M Air-to-Water Heat Pumps by Taco Industries for your heat and domestic hot water needs.. Once you hire me as your consultant, I will be available for phone calls or emails to walk you and your contractor through to TOTAL success.

Call, text or email anytime for a fee schedule. Senior Citizen and US Veterans discounts will be given.

Read testimonials from all of my happy customers here.

Mad Dog's Boot 👢 Camp -Personal one on one coaching by Sgt Sweeney. If you're fairly handy and want to tackle a small to moderate plumbing & heating project in your home, I am available to coach you. (Natural gas piping to be worked on by Licensed Master Plumbers ONLY) Matt Sr. REMOTE CONSULTING AVAILABLE VIA ZOOM OR SKYPE. Memberships: *Association of Energy Engineers NYC *PHCC Long Island *The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen NYC *Chairman Examining Board of Master Plumbers Floral Park, L.I.,N.Y *Two Time Past President of The Nassau County Joint Board of Plumbing Examiners. *New York State Guard Staff Sergeant (2001-2006), Army Division, Homeland Defense Forces.

Comprehensive consulting services for:

• ALL steam heating systems: One-pipe, Two pipe, Vapor, Vacuum, Hybrids, Mini-tube
• All Hydronics: Monoflo, Baseboard, Gravity, Radiant, Primary-Secondary, Injection, Solar Thermal, and Snowmelt, Air-to-Water Heat pumps to wean off of fossil fuels.
• Carbon monoxide mitigation
• Boiler wiring problems
• Control strategies
• Heat loss calculations and designs
• Green plumbing & heating designs
• Common sense energy conservation strategies

LICENSED MASTER PLUMBER: Floral Park #579 Town of Hempstead and Nassau County #0579 Huntington & Suffolk County #1081 Westchester County #1676 City of Poughkeepsie #346 City of Kingston - PENDING Rockland County - PENDING Putnam County - PENDING Albany City & County - PENDING City of Saratoga Springs - PENDING State of New Jersey - PENDING City of New York - PENDING State of Connecticut - PENDING State of Vermont - PENDING

Meticulous, Custom Boilers to suit your home or building & Heating repairs & installation on a selective basis. Wall Hung Mod-Cons (Navien, Rinnai, Viessman, et cetera), Radiant Heat, Solar Thermal (Hot water Heating), Snowmelt, Green Plumbing & Heating Designs & installations. Consulting, troubleshooting & design of plumbing, Steam and all Hydronic systems (Radiant, Solar Thermal, Snowmelt). Tutoring on an as needed basis for All Master Plumber exams, Plumbing Civil Service Jobs (Helper, Plumber, Supervisor, Inspector. Boiler Inspector & steamfitter. Call for rates.

McNulty Family

Challenge

The McNulty family paid good money to have a large, residential steam boiler replaced in 2006 on their Dunham Bush Vapor-Vacuum Steam System. It was a gorgeous Gold Coast Mansion built in 1899 straight out of The Great Gatsby. It looks out over Manhasset Bay. There had been several renovations through the years: Zones were added off the boiler to accommodate the new radiantly-heated kitchen, two baseboard zones and 4 bathroom renovations. Immediately after the install, the heating system was in an uproar. Nothing worked right and as Dan Holohan wrote in the Lost Art in 1992: "...It sounded like the anvil chorus." The contractor came back a few times, but that was IT! He walked away.

Fast forward to January 2016: The McNultys had more than 6 reputable, licensed plumbing/heating contractors come out in an attempt to resolve the system's woes. They tried this, they did that….to no avail. They paid for it too, through the nose! They did have their trusty, local plumber along the way. He was honest and had tried all he could, but he was at his wit's end. Fed up, Mr McNulty talked to his brother Dick, who was an Ol' (late 70s) Navy man (Riverine Patrols in The Mekong Delta, South Vietnam) and steamfitter who still had some contacts in the business. Dick told him: "...Look, u hav’ta get this kid Mad Dog in here to straighten this crap out...he's the REAL deal and ALWAYS figures out the problem for good." Mr. McNulty tracked me down and I paid a visit the next Saturday morning.

Approach

The steam side BANGED like the The Anvil Chorus, especially in the wee hours on a January night. The hot-water baseboard zones never got above 130 degrees, even though the rooms needed 180. The radiant floors? Well....they never worked right. The McNultys settled for plug-in electric radiators throughout the radiant areas. Not only were the gas bills through the roof, but the electric bills were also. I noted on my report that the steam header was undersized, pitched the wrong way and the take offs to the mains were ALL wrong. The Hartford Loop was way above the water line causing crazy banging. Flat Plate HX (heat exchanger) was piped totally wrong resulting in the inability to get 180 to baseboard. The make up water was all wrong too. The traps were original, and never rebuilt. The main venting was woefully inadequate.

Solution

We walked through the home room by room. I interviewed the McNultys like I do ALL my clients: An easy going, give an' take rapport. I listened to ALL they had to say: "...well, Matt, I get up around 4:30 am and the bathroom tile is cold as ice...the steam radiator in my master bedroom is banging like hell around that time...." After our walkthrough, I spent considerable time surveying the boiler room, basement and ANY crawl spaces I need needed to see. I encourage the client to stay with me so we can uncover ALL that needs to be shone the light of day. I take copious notes and make some quick drawings to chronicle what is wrong with the piping. I stay as long as needed until you fully grasp and understand your system's problems and what it will take to fix it. This is flat rate fee, that you will know before I travel to you and there will be no surprise fees or any of that nonsense!

Right off the bat, I saw that this old vapor system had a badly piped header, Hartford Loop, and returns. The HX was piped wrong, and the circulators were in the wrong places. The aquastat was the wrong type AND in the wrong spot. The radiant needed mixing valves, bypasses, and thermometer gauges. All of that was missing. I also pointed out how the flue pipe was not safe and chimney should be checked. Last, I spec'd out all the traps for replacement and recommended a BATTERY of main vents to get the system hotter, faster, and quiet.

We sat down at the kitchen table and I wrote a clear, cogent, and concise report that their trusted, local plumber could follow. I then spent awhile drafting up some isometric drawings of what the piping changes needed to reflect, with great detail.

They brought their trusted plumber back in and he had to call me only once in the beginning to get him flying straight. We spoke once more to walk him through the fine tuning and tweaking. The work was completed by mid February, so they got to see results quickly. The McNultys were thrilled with their “new” quiet, comfortable, and efficient system. They now enjoy warm floors and the electric radiators are stored in the garage. I told them to expect big savings on their gas bill. Last we spoke, their March and April gas bills were much lower than the seasons before. Their plumber is proud of himself and happy he learned something new.

Most people ask: "So, Matt, how did they come to call you Mad Dog?" I got tagged with that moniker playing high school football in the early 1980s by a tough as nails opponent when we played North Shore HS. We battled all afternoon long as he was the Fullback on Offense and I the Middle Linebacker on defense. He played Middle Linebacker on defense and I played Right Guard on Offense. I also kicked off (Old School Straight on Style) and never left the game, like him. He came up to me after the game to shake my hand and said: "...Man! You kept comin' at me all day like a MAD DOG!" My teammates overheard him and the name stuck. I wasn't very big or super-talented, or super-fast, but I worked my BUTT off on the field and in the weight room. My Papa Bart told me to always work HARDER than ALL your teammates! I played with ferocity, tenacity, intelligence, integrity, and a dogged determination like the NFL middle linebackers. Papa and I watched films of: Mike Curtis, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Jack Lambert. The Mad Dog name followed me through high school, in to rugby after high school, and then my beloved trade. My dogged pursuit of perfection, tenacity, and attention to detail is what DRIVES me every day. I just keep charging at the problem till its solved.

I am Matt "Mad Dog" Sweeney and if you follow my prescription, to the letter, I GUARANTEE that your heating system will be much quieter, as efficient as can be, and work as The Dead Men intended. My son, Matthew Jr. Has A Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering (specializing in Water treatment and Geothermal systems). Matt Jr. has tagged along with me since he was 5 years old and has personally installed Radiant Heating, Steam and hot water boilers, plumbing waste and vent and associated piping systems. He is a great technical resource for me. If needed, he can be consulted for his professional opinion. Call me and we will solve your heating woes, together. And one last thing: after we work together, I will NEVER ignore your calls or emails AFTER the the consult is done.

Mad Dog