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"What Hydronics Taught Holohan" - Great Book



The second to last pages hit home for me. I was being brought up and taught by these parts replacers. We had one great technician at our company who I could rely on to help me out when I need it. He was the researcher and I was the searcher. He retired after almost 40 years with the company a few years ago. I no longer had anyone to rely on. I remembered going to Dan's seminars and decided to check out his books.

WHAT A LIFE CHANGING DECISION. My house is now overflowing with books. Of all subjects. These books have answered so many questions that the people I worked with could not. If there is something you don't know, just pick up a book.

I've improved immensely as a service technician, but more importantly my ambition has grown and my mind has opened to so many more things.

I work for a commercial company. I've actually never done residential work before. They call us "burner technicians". Which is misleading because we work on so much more than burners. On the commercial side, finding people who know the systems, as well as the burners, is a pain. And it seems that no one wants to learn it either. I new NOTHING about systems at all until these books. Especially steam. And no one I worked with knew them either.

I am thankful that I did not end up a parts changer. Thank you Dan and Erin, as well as all the other great authors here, and all the great wallies of whom I've also learned a ton.

Cheers to learning.
Never stop learning.
ratioErin Holohan Haskell

Comments

  • Erin Holohan Haskell
    Erin Holohan Haskell Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 2,276
    Thanks, Mike. The industry is lucky to have you.
    President
    HeatingHelp.com
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Amen, Mike. Thanks.
    Retired and loving it.
  • OldSchoolHVAC
    OldSchoolHVAC Member Posts: 13
    I am VERY glad that you did not end up a parts changer Mike. The industry already has enough.
    This post make me so thankful for the Holohan family and all that they have contributed to our industry and especially how these books and posts have blessed my career. I am a tech support / trainer for a wholesaler distributor and have had to look at many jobs / installations that did not work they way they were supposed to. I'm still somewhat shocked at how simple most of the solutions to these problems are. (92.7% of the time the answer is in the unopened I and O)

    My dad was a Diesel mechanic / machinist for many years. He always taught me that "if you understand how something is supposed to work, you will be able to better recognize when it doesn't. "
    Besides isn't life more fun when you at least have somewhat of an idea on what you are doing? I am by no means as knowledgeable as I would like to be yet, but I'm thankful for what you all have taught me so far.
    Thanks everyone!

  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Thanks for that. 👍
    Retired and loving it.
  • Erin Holohan Haskell
    Erin Holohan Haskell Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 2,276
    Thanks, @OldSchoolHVAC!
    President
    HeatingHelp.com
  • Mike_Sheppard
    Mike_Sheppard Member Posts: 696
    I went to a class a couple of days ago at a local company. They had Weil Mclain, Sprirovent, Armstrong Pumps, and Heat Timer all talk about their products and give demonstrations.

    Got to see the steam boiler with glad near-boiler piping run again. That was cool. That put a glass window in the front section as well so you could see the difference between the gauge glass and what’s really happening in the boiler.

    Spirovent did their demonstration with the bicycle pump and clear piping to show how their vent eliminates dirt and air. I’ve read about that one in several of Dan’s books.
    Never stop learning.
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Seeing is believing.
    Retired and loving it.