Freezing Univentilator Coils
I had written a story for Plumbing & Mechanical a while back about a fella in Canada who sent me this email: "Our problem is that five out of hundreds of univentilator co...
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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
Times Change
Morris had me on the phone. It was 1974 and he was calling from Brooklyn, NY. I had a waxed handlebar mustache that year and my workmates at the manufacturers’ rep were c...
Who's Driving the Truck?
My first job in this business was to be a truck driver for an AC/Refrigeration wholesaler on Long Island. I didn’t have a car at the time, so I walked a mile to the branc...
Do You Miss the T87?
In 1885, when you could still buy a milk cow for $29.70, Albert Butz, a Swiss immigrant living in St. Paul, Minnesota, invented what he called the damper-flapper. He pate...
What Did You Think Wouldn't Make It?
When we started HeatingHelp.com in 1997, the folks who built that first crude site told me we could have a links page. I asked what that was, and the young man doing the ...
Why Congress Has No Windows
People who knew Capt. Montgomery C. Meigs said he was occasionally pompous, but when the job was done to his satisfaction, he said, “This was the most difficult piece of ...
Dry Steam Is The Goal
I love all the advances taking place in the world of hydronics, but I’m still seeing plenty of steam systems out there in our older cities, so knowing about dry steam wil...
Do Promotions Work?
The promotional offers show up every year and I always wonder whether they work? I suppose some do because the manufacturers repeat them. Buy a bunch of boilers, get a wi...
Vent Valve Comparison Chart
This is vent valve comparison chart for balancing steam-heating systems covers the Vent Rite #1, Gorton, Maid O'Mist, and Heat Timer Angle Varivalve. Thank you to Al Piri...
Circulators or Zone Valves
Back in my rep days, half a lifetime ago, I sold Bell & Gossett circulators. We didn’t have a viable zone valve available at the time, and when the factory finally showed...