Dan Holohan Retires After 36 Years of Writing Magazine Columns

Erin Holohan Haskell

@DanHolohan has been writing for industry magazines throughout the US and Canada since 1987. You can read his final column in Plumbing & Mechanical here.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us for all of these years, Dad. I am so grateful for you.

ethicalpaul

I never could have fixed my old boiler nor installed my new one if it wasn't for this forum and your book, thank you for everything.

Larry Weingarten

I too am SO grateful for your Dad, who has and continues to demonstrate to us all, how to have a positive effect on us individually, and as a community. Put simply, Dan is a miracle worker.

Yours, Larry

EdTheHeaterMan

OMG, My wife of 33 years passed away in 2011, and I miss her so... I remember one afternoon as a self-employed one man contractor, I was considering closing up shop and working for someone because the money was not there. I also had 2 young kids to put through catholic school and college. (Side note: My wife said we would not be able to have kids until we had $5,000.00 in our savings account.. must have been a big number back in the day Dan)


Then I took a class offered by Lennox Ind. on flat rate pricing. Long story short... The computer I had did not have enough memory to load all 4 floppy disks of that $1,000 program software I just purchased. Talking with my dear Patricia, I had a similar conversation. We needed to purchase a $1,700.00 computer in order to use the Flat Rate Pricing program. We agreed to spend more of that savings account to make it happen.


The program only had 5 Oil Heat Scenarios under the Oil Heat Tab in the first book I printed. since 80% of my business was OilHeat, that would not due! For the next month I continued to do service calls and on every oil heat service/repair, I took notes of how long each task took and what parts I used. At the end of one month, I reprinted the book and there were 32 pages of scenarios (about 6 per page) and I converted my pricing from Time + Material to Flat Rate.


Unbelievable how that turned my business around.


As I read your last article Dan, a tear formed as I remember my Precious Pattie, and her support and great times. Thanks for the memories, the great classes I was fortunate to attend and all the knowledge you offered to me. And all those classes I was able to teach because of you.


Your new stories will be missed, But there are so many old stories that you will never be forgotten. Someday we will both be with The Dead Men you have brought to life. We will be with our loved ones who have gone before us and we will be remembered here.


Thanks for everything.

Erin Holohan Haskell

That's beautiful, @EdTheHeaterMan. Thanks for sharing. And I'm so sorry you lost your Precious Pattie. It sounds like she was a wonderful partner.

Big Ed_4

Good Luck and enjoy.

You know when you are ready. Peace and Happiness ...

EBEBRATT-Ed

Can't add a thing to the great comments @EdTheHeaterMan posted.

DanHolohan

Thanks, Dear Readers. You made it all possible. I love you forever. 

JUGHNE

Dan, your early columns are what introduced me to steam heat in the early 90's.

This opened up another trade for me and is the most interesting and about the only one I continue doing.

I would share a lot of your columns with my wife and eventually she would look for them in the magazines, we both loved your prose and stories.

Especially thank you for starting the Wall and passing that torch on to Erin so it continues to thrive.

God bless you and your family.

hot_rod

Thanks for the memories. Enjoy the retirement years😉

CLamb

It's sad to see you go but you deserve the rest. Thanks for all your work.

Rusty2

Thank you so much Dan. I never would have attempted to install a steam boiler by myself, thread pipe, build a drop header, know about the "A" dimension and a whole bunch of other good stuff to keep me in and out of trouble with the knowledge you kindly passed along. The people (and the animals) at our house are comfortable and warm again this winter thanks to you and everyone at this forum you so wisely started.

RayWohlfarth

Dan You have helped so many people with your wisdom and non engineer way of explaining things Dont mean this as a shame to engineers. Thank you for all you have done for everyone in the industry

John B Fowler

Thank you, Dan, for all of the information provided in a friendly manner and establishing this forum to keep the knowledge alive. Lots of good life lessons in your teachings as well. My best to you and your family, you have much to be proud of.

Mad Dog_2

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Say it ain't so Joe......you're killing me...FIrst you move off The Island 🏝, now this!!!  Ha ha 😂 🤣 😆 😄 😅.  It has been an honor 🎖 and an absolute privilege to have traveled this road behind the Hydronic Literary Juggernaut, Dan Holohan. 

 Following Dan's "Blocks" all these years was like having  Vince Lombardi's 1960s Greenbay Packers NFL Champion Hall of Fame pulling Guards Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston lead blocking on the Famous Packer sweep.  Fullback Jimmy Taylor & The Golden Boy Paul Hornung rushed for touchdown after touchdown..

Dan threw the blocks and educated us along the way, so that we could look like Hotshots in the boiler rooms of America 🇺🇸...scoring touchdowns!!  He not only took sometimes difficult concepts & engineering, broke it down so WE could understand, he schooled us on Customer relations, salesmanship, professionalism...doing the right thing...Taking care of your fambly...Hugging your kids..He did all this with a Wicked sense of humor...

What other superstar of any genre, industry or profession picked up the phone when you conjured up the nerve to call that phone number on the Back of the books? Then talked to you for a half hour till you grasped it!   Dan was there through my darkest times, my failures and great Triumphs. He was the Dutch Uncle , that he always talked about, to me and many of us.  We laughed, we cried, we drank...sometimes too much!
Those Chimay Trappist Monk Beers you treated me and Bart to at Canterbury Ales Oyster Bay after the Plumber's Picnic were $12 Bucks a Pop!! 20 years ago...Ha Ha...He's been a great life coach, Father Figure and guiding Beacon of light for me!  

Dan, The Lovely Marianne, The Girls and The Elves became fambly to my fambly over the years. Dan and TLM were always Salt 🧂 of the Earth 🌎 , extremely hard-working 💪 folks. They done good...real good....Their 4 Girls and Legacy is carved in stone now...for eternity...

When I meet a new consulting client, and they ask about Dan and the Little Hydronics Empire he dreamed of and made happen with TLM, I put it this way...Dan Holohan is The Billy Joel of OUR industry..A Megastar...but a regular Joe from Hicksville "in a Town known as Oyster Bay Long Island 🏝 ..." They were even Classmates!!! I tell the astonished folks.. If I ever get to meet Billy, I will make sure to tell him..." Hey Billy...did you  know You were in Hicksville HS with OUR Rock Star 👩‍🎤 👨‍🎤 🌟??  Dan Holohan.  Love em Both...enjoy your grandkids Dan...Hug the H--- outta em!  You fought the Good Fight Dan...Mom & Dad are very proud....Mad Dog 

reggi

@DanHolohan  We're family , you're not leaving the Forum ? Of course not... it's home ...TLM .. listen...See you later .... ♥️

SlamDunk

A hundred years from now, they will gaze upon his work and marvel at his skills, and will always know Dan Holohan's name!

Mad Dog_2

One more thing...Dan threw a Grand Party 🥳 indeed. I've made lifelong friends here and at Dan's Seminars.  He willingly "shared" and spread around his fame and influence.. He gave us all a stage to showcase what we could do, express ourselves, gain our own individual notoriety...on a National Stage no less!  Without Dan and Heatinghelp.com, who would be known by anyone outside of our Counties, Cities?  Most of us would have never crossed paths..Mission Accomplished Dano!  Mad Dog 🐕 

Steamhead

CLamb said:

It's sad to see you go but you deserve the rest. Thanks for all your work.

This.

Sal Santamaura

Dan, I've been learning from you and this Web site since around 1998. Your contributions to knowledge, not to mention wisdom, have been immeasurable. Thank you very much.

In February of this year, our primary care physician of 44 years finally retired. He was an avid fisherman, and looked forward to doing more of that in his newly found leisure time. Seven months later he was gone. Not trying to be a downer, but rather to encourage that, whatever your passion(s) other than heating might be, you pursue them with vigor. Wait for nothing to experience the enjoyment they bring. Do it now!

ScottSecor

Dan you are the modern version of Gil Carlson with a twist. Unlike Gil, you speak and write in a language that all of us can understand. This includes heating contractors, engineers, manufacturers, reps, homeowners, you name it.

You have taught my late father, myself and my son how to design, service and install wet heating systems and we are graceful. In addition, you taught at least half a dozen our our (now former) employees these same things. I'm guessing you also educated perhaps a million other people over the years in your writings, seminars and videos.

I think your style is certainly unique and we are all going to miss it. Enjoy your retirement and thank you for all you've done for the industry.

PeteA

@DanHolohan good luck and God Bless!! You can see by the responses on this website you've made a tremendous impression on the industry and the folks working in it. Thanks for making this forum and all of these folks knowledge available for people like me to reach out to.

Mad Dog_2

"Thanks for the memories"...Bob Hope.
"I did it MY way....." Elvis...Are you crying 😢 yet???  I'm close....Mad Dog 🐕 

Mad Dog_2

"Good morning 🙏 🌄 Yesterday...you wake up and time has slipped away....Do you remember the Times of your life???"  Paul Anka ...I'm nostalgic & in Mourning...We Irish are good at that!!  Mad Dog 🐕 

Redbaran

Well Deserved. I've learned so much from Dan! There are few people who can really have a dramatic impact; and Dan is on the top of that very small group. Thanks! Richard Baran

clammy

Time flies by and before you know it s gone . I hope that w your new leisure time that it will be spent enjoy time w your daughter, son in laws and of your grand children . There a an old saying about a life being well spent is a life of giving to others .well I’m pretty sure there are a lot of people who you my friend have giving too including myself more so then most . You taught us to really look at old stuff and respect it and realize that it’s all not difficult once you remove the engeeneers term and boil it down for the rest of us humans . Thanks
There always talk of awards and of course the coveted Gil Carson award well how about a Dan Holohan knowledge giving award a award for one who over time has uncovered and brought back knowledge which is mostly lost ,who has a ability to boil it down for as kazoo would say ( flint stones) for us dumdum .
I remember being sent to dans seminar very early on from an employer it was a universal engineering supply co now kinda something else . I still have the original copy very beaten and cover barely on but the page w tlma is still in great shape . I purchased who knows how many copies and gave them to other mech who I had worked with and would always ask questions ,then pumping away can out and the same occurred . Every book you wrote Dan was mindfully written with us dumdums in mind ,that my friend was and still is the most special abliity knowing how to convey knowledge espically to a bunch of guys who basically do what we do cause to tell the truth none of us where going to college at least not myself but we had different skills . You did all this without
confusing your subjects ,I wish when in grade school I had teacher like Dan I most likely would have done better in life ? Maybe the next one .
I truely hope for you to enjoy yourself and find the joy that you well deserve . As one that only believes in the laws of karma and cause and effect I can only say for myself and that the cause and effect of your body of worldly work shall transcend the time spent on this plane of duality . Not anybody can make such a difference and impact on a trade as you have . Really no one has and will.
I personally thank you for all the unseen help that you have given me throughout the years and the biggest thing was to open my eyes to continue learning and passing it on .
Thanks Dan for all that both you and Maryann have given us all . Truth be told has anyone ever though what would have happen to steam without Dan , I was lucky and received all those old ITT,band g and Hoffman books from my dad and from bosses I was extremely lucky most where never .
Again thanks Mr H and if we never meet on this side hopefully on the next round
Peace and good luck clammy

Jamie Hall

Steamhead said:

CLamb said:

It's sad to see you go but you deserve the rest. Thanks for all your work.

This.

what more could I possibly say?

Intplm.

Have used many of your writings for years as reference material, teaching aids, and just for good old enjoyment.

Dan, I wish you well.
My most humble thanks.

Hope you to see you continue here.

MikeL_2

   Dan,
           Thank you for the many opportunities for learning.
            Thank you also for reminding me to " hug my kids "; my life is better from knowing you.

Intplm.

Just went to read your final column. Such a great writing style. Admired.
I feel like you are a friend that I haven't met yet.

Again.
A resounding thank you @DanHolohan

hadeone

Thank you for all the info shared with us.

MarkC

I am not a beneficiary of Dan's magazine columns. However, I am a beneficiary of his books and even more so this online forum/website. In my view, all three are cut from the same fabric. That said, a thank you to Dan is certainly in order. Thanks!!

Tim McElwain

You will be greatly missed. I thank you for all your help over the years. Enjoy full retirement I will maybe someday soon join you. I am 84 this past Thursday and still going strong. Thank God for good health and Irish blood.

Mad Dog_2

How about a Shot of Irish Whiskey before bed, Timmie? WINK 😉.  Mad Dog 🐕 

Paul Pollets

Thanks for the priceless info you've shared...and being such a good friend. I wouldn't have been as motivated to start my business without your "therapy".

SteamingatMohawk

I don’t remember how I came to know of HH.

I do know how instrumental you have been, Dan, with the combination of your knowledge, wisdom, presentation and writing skills, storytelling and making sense out of the magic of using 100+ year old technology in today’s world. Without you many of us that do not work in the steam heat industry would still be struggling with how to get these systems to work properly.

I have three of your books in my library and have the greatest appreciation for the web site, including the immensely valuable contributions of the experts who participate on it.

The world is a better place because of you and how you brought us all together.

We all are forever grateful!!!

Enjoy each and every day in your retirement.


Erin, you have big footsteps to follow, but we know you are capable and support HH wholeheartedly.

Robert O'Brien

I remember the Fuel Oil & Oil Heat days, Congratulations!

pedmec

Congratulations, we couldn't have done it without you

DanHolohan

OldawgBryant

I've still got that 1st book (1992) and I can say that you gave me the everlasting tools to be able to fix heating (and other building) systems, and I've been doing so ever since... One can't fix things unless they unlock how things are supposed to work to begin with, and you unlocked the mysteries that roam the insides of the lengths of pipe and boilers in our dwellings, both old and new. You taught us how to listen to the whispers that come from cast iron and vents... You shared the steamy stories told by tanks and valves... You've managed to build a lasting knowledge base, an online toolbox full of tales, stocked with many people from all over, both dead and alive. For these things, I thank you (and your family), for you have given all the "dead-men" a second life.

reggi

OldawgBryant said:

 You shared the steamy stories 

Time for a trip to the Holohan Archives