How One Missing Pipe Can Make All the Difference

HeatingHelp

How One Missing Pipe Can Make All the Difference

I was looking at the piping for the hot-water zone. I’m a steam guy, too, but I’m also a born-and-raised New Yorker, so I know what a Brooklyn Special is, and that’s what I was looking at.

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GeneBA

I love the story, troubleshooting steps and the actual solution. There is some good physics in it. I personally have nothing to do with heating but got a condo in Brooklyn with radiant floors and boy did I learn my lesson. I hope everyone meets someone like John Rogers in his trade/profession to learn from.

DanHolohan

Thanks.

rick in Alaska

I try and look at the whole picture as much as I can, just for this type of issue. Some issues seem obvious when first looked at, but have a hidden second problem that will throw your whole initial theory off. Sometimes just by standing back and following the system, you can see what the problem is
I also do this with people. It can be fascinating at times. What is the back story???
Rick

DanHolohan

Amen, Rick.

OldSchoolHVAC

Great article!
Many years ago when I first read "Pumping Away" I learned a valuable skill. On page 118 you wrote about making a kid see the BTU in their mind's eye. I have used this many times over to diagnose issues and failures in not only heating systems, but refrigeration systems as well. Say for example, looking at a refrigeration circuit I often ask myself "If I were refrigerant, what would I do? Would I be a Liquid or a Vapor at this point? Which direction would I travel and would I absorb heat or would I release heat? Dan Foley also taught me to draw the system out on paper. This helps identify how the system functions from a big picture standpoint. I've often found that it is a short jump from the paper to the "minds eye".
Thank you Dan Holohan and everyone at heatinghelp.com. You have helped an old, below average intelligence salesman figure out a lot of "stuff". Solider on and never stop learning!

Jackmartin

Smart. Strange, how your ears turn off the moment you open your mouth. Silence is golden and very good for your knowledge base. I remember the tough silent men I apprenticed to, if they said a dozen words a day they were being verbose. However, the moment you proved to them you were willing to shutup and listen, they slowly started to tell you what was going on. I still miss the rough affection they showed a know nothing kid. I am sure they are fixing steam systems in heaven and looking down at me and saying Yup he is still a dumb kid. All the best Jack

Grega

This story reminds me of Friedmont Lobenstall from Ann Arbor, Mi (spelling of name?). I was lucky enough to have him as an instructor and later be able to ask him many questions as a service tech. I had a situation like this and was losing my mind. He walked in after i asked him to take a look. He worked for my competitor but still agreed to help. He looked around and started asking me questions to make me think in a different way to solve my problem. I liked he didn't just say do "do this", he was a constant teacher. Anyway he showed me this many years ago and it stuck...thanks for the story and trip down memory lane.

DanHolohan

@Grega, here's a story I wrote about Freemont. Thanks for remembering him. He was quite a guy.
https://heatinghelp.com/blog/the-teachings-of-fremont/

SteamCrazy

Great story Dan. I'm thinking I may want to add a basement loop to my project now.

DanHolohan

Thanks, @SteamCrazy

SteamCrazy

Your most welcome,  But Thank you for the way you write your books. Very interesting sometimes I think man if had the choice to go to a Dan Holohan school for heating systems I may have gone that route in my younger years. You see my " chosen profession " is Diesel and auto technician, but I love this steam stuff you know! Lol Anyway Thank you, your daughter and the lovely Mary Ann for all your efforts. 

DanHolohan

Our pleasure! Thanks