Thank you Dan Holohan

SuperTech

I just recently purchased and received three of Dan's books, Pumping Away, Classic Hydronics and How Come. These books were a pleasure to read, it's a lot easier to learn something when it's tied in to a memorable story. I'm so grateful that Dan has shared his knowledge and experience. I've been an HVAC service technician for eleven years and I'm still obsessed with learning everything I can. I'm tired of hearing different opinions from the technicians that I've worked with, it's good to know the proper way to do things. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these books to anyone. Thank you again Dan for the great books and awesome website.

I'm going to have a drink and toast to the memory of Gil Carlson tonight.

SuperTech

I recently purchased three of Dan's books,. Classic Hydronics, Pumping Away and How Come.
Despite my clever screen name I certainly don't know everything and I crave knowledge about HVAC, sometimes I get obsessed with combustion analysis, lately I have been focused on Hydronic systems.
I have to say that Dan's books are incredible, 9/10 only because I wish they were longer.
I have been in the trade as a service technician for ,11 years and I got tired a long time ago listening to other techs give differing opinions on what is right, it's confusing when you are trying to figure out what is the best way to do something
We'll Dan's books, especially Pumping Away and Classic Hydronics explained almost everything I was wondering about, and did it in an easy to follow and enjoyable fashion. Its much easier to remember something when an Interesting story goes along with the informatio. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these fine pieces of literature to anyone.
Thank you Dan for sharing your knowledge. I'm going to have a drink in your honor and one or two of the great Gil Carlson.
I must also thank all of the Wallies who have helped me learn since I joined. You guys are great!

I'm not a SuperTech yet, but I'm working on that goal every day.

STEVEusaPA

You've been here a year and a half and just purchased Dan's books...for shaaaaaame....lol jk.

GBart

re: "I certainly don't know everything and I crave knowledge about HVAC".

Just remember THE MAIN RULE OF HVACR....... no one knows everything, no one ever will, it's too diverse a field and to make such a claim exposes the person as probably knowing next to nothing over all.

All we can be is the best we can, to learn from others like Dan and try to keep up on the new technology, HVACR is an never ending journey of learning.

SuperTech

> @STEVEusaPA said:
> You've been here a year and a half and just purchased Dan's books...for shaaaaaame....lol jk.

I honestly didn't know he was an author or founder of this site until I saw his post about his classic hydronics seminar. Then I figured it out.

I happened to stumble upon this site when googling information about Energy Kinetics boilers. Now I'm addicted to it. I suppose I am a Wallie now.

DanHolohan

SuperTech, you're super in my eyes.

Larry Weingarten

One thing I've noticed about Dan... He says a LOT in just a few words. That takes effort!

Yours, Larry

DanHolohan

Gosh.

hot_rod

Larry Weingarten said:

One thing I've noticed about Dan... He says a LOT in just a few words. That takes effort!

Yours, Larry

That is the sign of a good writer and communicator. Steamhead is good at that also.

lchmb

They have books on this stuff? No way....

DanHolohan

Thanks, guys. One of my favorite Mark Twain anecdotes is about a very long letter he wrote a friend. He closed by writing, "I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn't have the time."

I'm working on my fourth novel right now. Splashing dialogue in a frenzy onto the page in the mornings, and then, during languid afternoons, whittling at it for hours and hours to make it tighter and truer.

It's a joyous process, and what I have always wanted to do.

Retirement doesn't mean stopping. It means looking left and right in addition to just straight ahead.

I would have retired earlier, but I didn't have the time. ;-)

Thanks for reading me.

Mike_Sheppard

@SuperTech I am right there with you! I wouldn’t be where I am today without Dan Holohan! In all seriousness.

I have also been a tech for 11 years. A few years ago I got fed up just like you. I was tired of hearing people have no idea what they were doing. I was tired of no one being able to answer my questions. I discovered books. The amount of knowledge I’ve gained over the last few years completely blows the rest of the years out of the water. When it comes to commercial boiler technicians, they never think knowing how the systems operate or how they are designed will help them with their job. That is so far from the truth. When I was coming up, I was taught that reading and classes were useless. I was told you would learn everything you need to know on the job. Turns out the people who told me that are absolute worthless technicians (to put it bluntly). I didn’t realize that until later down the road. I wish I had discovered Dan and all of the other great educators sooner. Their knowledge has helped propel me to places I never thought possible and inspire me to keep absorbing it all.

Thank you, Dan!!!!

Mike_Sheppard

All I can say is this... I certainly NEVER thought I could have shed a tear over a damn radiator. (Last few pages of Classic Hydronics). Only Dan could pull that off.

DanHolohan

Thanks, Mike. The Art of the Craft. I can't do what you do so well.

Tinman

Classic Hydronics remains my favorite.

SuperTech

> @Mike_Sheppard said:
> All I can say is this... I certainly NEVER thought I could have shed a tear over a damn radiator. (Last few pages of Classic Hydronics). Only Dan could pull that off

I'm glad I'm not the only one

Rich P_3

Hello all you Wallies,
I too love Dan’s writing technique! I just blew through two of his novels!
I don’t read very often but when I do it’s got to be Dan’s book
Dominic Murphy’s walk, and Singer Island what books I just could not put down. He has a fantastic style you guys have to check out his novels. Thank you Dan for keeping me entertained for over 20 years and helping me learn this fantastic trip! Cheers! Thank you, Rich Palmieri

DanHolohan

Thanks, Rich! If you have time, please review them on Amazon. That really helps. I'm loving these days of fiction writing. Emma's Way, the third novel, will be out soon. Thanks for reading me!

Rich P_3

I can’t wait for your next one!!
I will do the Amazon review!
Cheers!

SuperTech

Amazon reviews have been done!

DanHolohan

Thanks! I appreciate it.

Steamhead

For me, it started years ago, with "The Lost Art of Steam Heating".

I had developed an interest in steam heating, having realized there was a lot of it out there, and very few people knew how to work with it. The old-timers could do it, why can't we?

So I started collecting old books on the subject. I'd read them and get something out of them, but except for Frank Graham's works, they weren't written well. The authors had a lot of information to offer but they weren't good communicators.

Then I found "Lost Art". As I read through it, light bulbs started coming on (ohhhhh, THAT's what they were talking about in the ASHVE Guide, etc). Finally I had much of the steam-heating picture, but of course, you never see it all.

Dan's gift is his communication skills. He can take this information and present it better than anyone else I know of. This is why his books, and this site, are as good as they are.

Oh, and thanks, @hot rod .

RayWohlfarth

@Steamhead I agree with you about The Lost Art. I am not sure if I ever thanked @Dan Holohan on this venue but I have thanked him personally. I sold and installed some replacement low pressure steam boilers on a project and made every mistake possible. I sized the boilers to meet the existing boilers and did not do my due dilligence by walking the site and asking questions. That first Winter, I spent many many hours babysitting the boilers trying to maintain heat to all parts of the building and usually failing. The owner was calling all the time. I attended one of Dan's seminars and purchased the Lost Art and stayed up all night that night reading it. I went back to the site the next day and turned down the steam pressure from 8 Psig to 2 Psig and the system started to work better. I learned about steam and thought like steam like Dan said. I kept the Lost Art with me there all the time and it was held together with duct tape. It felt like Dan was in that boiler room with me showing me what to do. After the second winter, we had tamed that system and heat was everywhere. No more complaints. A few years later, the owner of the building told me this building had the lowest heating costs per square foot of all his buildings. Thanks @Dan Holohan

DanHolohan

Guys, thanks, but I just read a lot and shouted from the shoulders of giants. I wish I could do what you do every day. Thanks.

JUGHNE

I have to thank Dan for getting me interested in steam and hot water heating.
In 1977 I moved to my hometown rural area only experienced as an electrician. I soon learned to diversify into power line work, plumbing, hvac and light commercial refrigeration. The only way to learn about these other, foreign to me, trades was reading and looking at old installs.
Hydronics was and is pretty scarce here. It is a tough sell as AC is now considered an essential of life in Nebraska. I have one of the very few houses with wet heat and also central ducted AC.

In the late 90's I started reading Dan's columns in PM and other periodicals. Even clipped out and saved many. The oldest I could find was from P&M April 1996. That seemed like just a few years ago but actually 22 years back......time moves on doesn't it?

The writing is so good that you don't realize you are learning new tech things as you read. Many articles were even enjoyed by my wife who in the medical field. Soon after I got one of the few Christmas presents I would always keep and use......the entire package of Dan's books. The collection now totals 10 books.

One regret is not pursuing the hydronics business earlier.
There were several systems I possibly could have saved from the scrap yard as they were replaced by FAF.

I did make the 850 mile round trip to Minneapolis to attend one of Dan's last road trip presentations. Sat in the front row and was about the only "nerd" who would ask questions. I was surprised that with a full room of young guys who seemed to not be more inquisitive than they were. But they may have been on the clock to attend, otherwise may not have shown up.

So thanks for the glass of wine afterwards, but more so for your writing and the Wall.

DanHolohan

@JUGHNE, you made it all worthwhile. Thanks, pal.

Mike_Sheppard

@JUGHNE

When I was a new technician work sent me to Dan’s steam seminar. Probably about 10 years ago. I was one of those young guys who didn’t care that I was there. I hadn’t really picked up anything about systems at all yet. I had only been in the trade for a year or so at that point. Everything was going right over my head. I look back on that now and wish I could do it over again so bad. I started reading the books and bought the seminars and just wish I had had some more experience under my belt before I was sent to the seminar to fully take advantage of what Dan was teaching.

It is extremely rare to find anyone (outside of this group) that knows what they’re doing when it comes to steam, or water for that matter. It’s always satisfying to solve problems with systems that no one has been able to solve for years, but it’s also a shame that no one was able to solve those problems. My goal is to help spread this knowledge as much as I can and get more people involved.

New England SteamWorks

DanHolohan said:

tighter and truer.

You've been reading Hemingway @DanHolohan. Watch the weight gain!