HVAC errors in books, TV, and movies

DanHolohan

I recently reread The Shining, which is far scarier than the film. The boiler in the Overlook Hotel plays a big role in the story in that (spoiler alert!), it blows up the building at the end of the tale. It's a steam boiler heating radiators and operating at 300 psi. And that makes me nuts. Are there no technical editors to help Mr. King?

Another novel, this one by Lee Child, had Jack Reacher syphoning gasoline out of a tank that was several hundred feet below his vacuum pump. Grrrr.

Got any other examples of HVAC stumbling that you've spotted in books, TV, or films? Love to hear them.

The Steam Whisperer

The steam boiler in "The Preachers Wife" looks like it was installed with PVC pipe.

DanHolohan

The radiator in Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment is a Clow Gasteam, connected to nothing. 

EdTheHeaterMan

My favorite movie... A Christmas Story... The furnace billows soot out of the register in the kitchen... I thought he should have a smoke test for the heat exchanger. All those byproducts of burning coal right in the house.

But back then they used mercury and asbestos, so what's a little CO added into the mix anyway!

And it bangs like a steam boiler??? Coal does not go boom and furnaces don't have steam hammering noises.

There is a better chance of putting your eye out with a BB Gun, then there is of getting that heater working that way.

It is interesting though... every dumb thing that happened over my entire life happened to that kid in less than a month.

DanHolohan

How about the boiler (furnace?) in Home Alone?

Ironman

In an NCIS episode a few yews back, some guys break into their building by posing as HVAC tech's. One of them knocks the power out while working on a RTU and electrocutes himself. When they discover him, they point to the open disconnect switch on the unit and call it a transformer - repeatedly.

Illinoisfarmer

I've been re-watching 'Hill Street Blues'. The basement roll call room has some sort of heating device on the wall behind and to the side of the blackboard. It appears to be fed from a main coming from above, zig-zags pipe back and forth, then tees back into the same feeder. Found an image.

I have NO experience with this stuff, but enjoy reading this forum. The family is somewhat concerned that I now point out problems like this.

motoguy128

In ALL spy movies, HVAC ductwork is always big enough to crawl through, easily supports a person, doesn’t make noise crawling through it, and return grills are always big enough for a person and are easily removed in seconds with a pocket knife.

Even better, all underground facilities have big ventilation fans that are 5’ or larger diameter propeller fans. This actually could be partly true in some tunnels of very large parking structures.

kcopp

Not HVAC related but when someone in a movie/ tv show sets of 1 sprinkler head.... ALL the heads start raining water.

vtfarmer

We have to include the furnace-monster in Home Alone!



It's part boiler, part gravity octopus furnace, and I think there's actually a radiator lying on its side in it when the grill opens! I looked for a video of that sequence and found something hilarious: a Google commercial with that scene in it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JONGt32mfRY

RayWohlfarth

I was watching a movie and the henchmen wanted to send poisonous gas into the house so they piped it at the outdoor condensing unit. I jumped up and yelled, Hey That won't work,"

SlamDunk

RayWohlfarth said:

I was watching a movie and the henchmen wanted to send poisonous gas into the house so they piped it at the outdoor condensing unit. I jumped up and yelled, Hey That won't work,"

My wife gets annoyed when I do that. Like when the nightly news shows restaurants in NYC building tents over their sidewalks for outdoor seating for covid protection. That won't work. One place showed they had intakes and exhaust vents to refresh the air. That's great unless you're sitting next to the exhaust vent.
I get the eye roll.

RayWohlfarth

@SlamDunk I get that all the time. I wish they would spend some money and hire an expert. I watched the first episode of Man from Uncle on TV and the hero was handcuffed to a steam pipe. He kicked the pipe until it broke loose. I turned it off Lol

luketheplumber

Has anyone seen Ted Cook's (aka "Anti DIY HVAC") Cowboys of HVAC show on YouTube?
he has released 3 episodes at the moment and has quite a few more on the way. I would recommend you all check it out, its just too funny.
here is the pilot episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO0XbyPfO0Q&t=21s

rick in Alaska

motoguy128 said:

In ALL spy movies, HVAC ductwork is always big enough to crawl through, easily supports a person, doesn’t make noise crawling through it, and return grills are always big enough for a person and are easily removed in seconds with a pocket knife.

Even better, all underground facilities have big ventilation fans that are 5’ or larger diameter propeller fans. This actually could be partly true in some tunnels of very large parking structures.

Don't forget that the ductwork is always, Spotless! And most of the grills have hinges on them. Makes me cringe.
Rick

Solid_Fuel_Man

DanHolohan said:

How about the boiler (furnace?) in Home Alone?

KEVIN! 

Jellis

A TV ad a couple years ago showed a guy lean on a sink and the sink come crashing off the wall. Water started spraying violently out of the.... Drain pipe

Robert O'Brien

DanHolohan said:

The radiator in Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment is a Clow Gasteam, connected to nothing. 

Apropos for a show about nothing!

The Steam Whisperer

I especially like the Carrier equipment advertising , IIIRC, that show the furnace PVC exhaust that would blow right at the outdoor condenser.

ChicagoCooperator

I always enjoy NYC based movies or tv shows where the nosy neighbors are snooping by listening at the gravity heating ducts in massive pre-war apartment buildings - with the register in the middle of the living floors. As we all know.... they got steam heat, sszzzziiiisss

SteamCrazy

We can't forget The Burbs Dr. Colpek's giant Boiler ( furnace) lol

ethicalpaul

It's even worse for computer stuff

Swamp_Yankee

I can't believe no one has mentioned the mother of all mechanical room brawls, the final fight scene of Commando!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9aiYqSRfCM
First of all the mechanical room of the evil villain's lair (a house on an island) is the size of the Titanic's engine room, black pipe is effortlessly ripped from walls and used as weapons, giant boilers doors are opened willy-nilly in an attempt to force the other guy inside Hansel and Gretel style, the bad guy is briefly electrocuted by what looks like a small high voltage substation (with no lasting effects) and finally, what looks like 4" or so black pipe is pulled off of the wall (nothing comes out of it) and is then hurled through the air, impales the bad guy, and pierces some sort of steam vessel which harmlessly vents off instead of rupturing catastrophically

DanHolohan

  

Swamp_Yankee

I thought I had posted the entire fight scene and not just the final seconds.  Here it is in all of it's far fetched absurd glory:
https://youtu.be/80q2fG_icUk

kenjohnson

Nice touch in Cowboys of HVAC where one of the installers has sunglasses on during the attic install.

Zman

Don't forget Diehard. Vertical ducts that are 20 feet across with a little fan that can be jambed with a rifle at the top.
One day the good guy will run into a balancing damper and that will be the end.

jumper

My favorite is the swarm of killer bees flying into a Texas nuke's air intake followed by the nuke exploding.

Woody_S

How about EVERY mech room that has steam leaking, even if its obviously a hot water system?

AMservices

Is this how people get into the HVAC industry now?
Clip from "the community" 

https://youtu.be/KrcY6PXkGuE

ratio

Wait—that isn't how you were inducted?

Solid_Fuel_Man

You wouldn't believe me if I told you. 

I love paninis, they are outta this world. 

WMno57

kcopp said:

Not HVAC related but when someone in a movie/ tv show sets of 1 sprinkler head.... ALL the heads start raining water.

Impress your fellow movie goers. Tell them "oh look, that's a Deluge System".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_sprinkler_system#Deluge_systems

I once worked at a place where one morning after a very cold night it was raining in the enclosed loading docks. The building had a wet system. Someone should have either spec'd a dry system, or turned up the stat in the loading dock. Very expensive lesson.

JUGHNE

First scene above....why is air coming out of the RA filter grills in the hallway?

JUGHNE

Not a HVAC item, but do you ever watch someone "hot wiring" a car?
Once inside they reach up under the dash and pull out the "extra" 2 feet of wire (only the switch and start circuit have that extra length of wire BTW)....cut them apart....strip ends...maybe tie 2 together, ( could be one of the wires they just cut in two)....then flash a couple more together and the car starts. They put in in gear and drive away.
But cars have had steering wheel/shift lever locks since maybe the 70's.....all these cars are newer. Some even look new enough for fob keys....how did the wheel get unlocked?

Grallert

I was watching Bobs Burgers, the meat man episode with my daughter the other day and was surprised to see a very accurate boiler and water heater at the beginning of that episode.