Take a seat

Take a seat

Tips and tricks for repairing older faucets. My apprentice years were filled with a wide exposure to all manner of plumbing and heating jobs. At that time, F. W. Behler had just four seasoned employees who had been with the company for many years. Paul...
Oh, my aching back!

Oh, my aching back!

Considerations for designing and installing radiant snow-melt systems Snow is coming, and my back recoils in fear at the thought. I should have added snow-melting for our driveway, but I was 30 years younger when we built our forever home. Our home is the first of...
This way to egress

This way to egress

The key to success is having an exit strategy in place. PT Barnum had a real problem with patrons who lingered in his museum a bit too long, which limited the crowds and cut into profits. He needed a way to get people to leave and replaced the exit signs with “This...
Stone-cold crazy

Stone-cold crazy

Liars never win; and cheaters never prosper. Way back in 1972, I was working high steel, and we were laying out new Butler steel roof panels. Craig and I had started the same week and worked well together. Walking 2-inch tops of the bar joists did not come easy, but...
Troubleshooting an electric water heater

Troubleshooting an electric water heater

Tips and tricks of the trade. Troubleshooting tank-style two-element electric water heaters is relatively simple once the operation is understood. When newly installed, or heavy usage outpaces storage, the tank is full of cold water. The upper element will be...
Inverter air-to-water heat pumps

Inverter air-to-water heat pumps

Tips and tricks for adopting this increasingly popular technology. Yates joins elite team of columnists and icons for industry-leading Plumbing & Mechanical, Supply House Times and PM Engineer titles. By now, most of you have either...