by Dave Yates | Nov 3, 2021 | pmmag.com Articles
The tale of an oil hot-water boiler project and a hot head customer. Looking over the new home plans in order to provide the builder with pricing, I noticed there was no chimney included. Way out in the country, where no natural gas was available and the owner had...
by Dave Yates | Aug 3, 2021 | pmmag.com Articles
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...
by Dave Yates | Jul 5, 2021 | pmmag.com Articles
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...
by Dave Yates | May 31, 2021 | pmmag.com Articles
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...
by Dave Yates | Apr 30, 2021 | pmmag.com Articles
A leak detection investigation. I knew my day was going sideways when it was going to be necessary to change into a bathing suit and get wet in the customer’s master bath in order to find out what was causing a leak into the basement. Did I mention the owner was an...