From bourbon to hand sanitizer

From bourbon to hand sanitizer

Helping out in a time of need.  I was intrigued by a post on Facebook from Jason Barrett. The post went like this: “8 days ago we made Bourbon for a living.5 days ago we shut down production, in compliance with state requests.4 days ago we learned how to make...
No gas for you!

No gas for you!

Will we eventually evolve to an all-electric based PHVAC world? Let’s turn back the hands of time to the 1970s, and gather round you youngsters born after 1980 because you’re not going to believe what mechanical contractors faced while fighting to keep their vehicles...
X marks the spot

X marks the spot

The PHVAC industry is ever changing and ever evolving. Suppose I was to tell you there exists a tankless water heater you could install on the hardest of hard water that would never, ever have to be descaled and that its heat exchanger’s water pathways would look...
What’s in your radiant toolbox?

What’s in your radiant toolbox?

Ensure you do the job right the first time. “All I ever do is staple-up.” That was my friend and competitor’s response after he asked me to determine why a recent radiant heating installation was not working satisfactorily because the owners were ticked...
The Christmas turkey and the drain snake

The Christmas turkey and the drain snake

The perils of industrial strength acids. Forty-eight years ago, I learned a valuable lesson as a plumbing apprentice. I had just begun my career in the mechanical trades when I was dispatched to lend a hand cleaning a kitchen sink drain in an apartment building. ...
Déjà vu

Déjà vu

Do your customers a favor by educating them on the issues of PB piping. For you younger tradesfolk who have entered into a mechanical career within the past 20 years, you may never have encountered PB (polybutylene) tubing and fittings. To tell you the truth, it’s...