What Do Space Exploration, Beer, and Hydronic Heating Have in Common?

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What Do Space Exploration, Beer, and Hydronic Heating Have in Common?

What do these three things have in common? You’d be surprised by these historic connections.

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Steve_Wheels

This never gets old! Hydronics, Space and Beer…… sounds like my life!!!

leonz

Adolph Coors II, Adolph Coors III, Joseph Coors and William Coors, were all graduates of Cornell University majoring in Chemical Engineering. Several of the extended Coors family members are buried in the Lakeview Cemetary in Ithaca, New York.

The book "Citizen Coors" is an excellent read about the Coors family and American politics

LeonZ

Mark Eatherton

Bill (William) Coors was a good customer of mine. He hired our company to replace his existing poorly designed (DHW heaters as boilers) boiler system in his home on Lookout Mountain, As we were in the process of disassembling the existing plant, he came down into the boiler room and asked us to save the Grundfos circulator because it has one of his companys' ceramic seal assemblies built into it. Quite the interesting fellow. He had miniature steam engines throughout his home, connected to a compressed air system. He had built each and every one of them as a child in the Coors machine shop.

Talk about small world syndrome, my friend who owns the Space Ship house in Genesee, across the valley from Bills house, ended up purchasing. Uncle Bills house after he passed away (102 Y.O.) and is in the process of rebuilding/remodeling and adding a 20 car garage to his expansive (8k sq feet) home. BTW, when I asked him about the book, he said it contained a lot of "mis truths" about him and his family…

He was a lot of fun to talk to, because of his depth of not just mechanical systems, but he was also a very well known agronomist/horticulturist, and besides inventing the completely recyclable aluminum beer can, which he intentionally did NOT patent, he also invented the process for using ice crystals to enhance beers flavor.

I remember an incident where one of our employees got dressed down by his wife (Crazy Rita Bass), when it wasn't my employees fault. I called Uncle Bill to inquire as to what had transpired. He apologized for Rita's incorrrect response and reaction and said the employee could help himself to whatever was in the refrigerator in the garage. The employee emptied the refrigerator out (Killians, Coors Gold and others). Bill just laughed it off. He was that kind of guy.

Everyone at the brewery loved him, because he remembered EVERYONES name. He went in 2 times per week while 80 years old, just walked around talking to the employees. We were later introduced to his nephews and to my knowledge, are still taking care of their comfort needs.

I will share some photos of the completed installations when they are complete. I'm doing the design work and will supervise whomever gets the job. Too old to be burning and turning anymore.

ME

EBEBRATT-Ed

Why was Coors making ceramic seals? Did it have something to do with beer manufacturing?

HeatingHelp.com

@EBEBRATT-Ed, Adolph Coors had a bunch of business ventures, including what is now CoorsTek. They originally produced pottery and later engineered the recyclable aluminum beer can. In the 1960s, they focused on ceramics. More history here.

leonz

At one time Coors Ceramics was casting ceramic pipe and ore chute liners and wear plates for the mining industry. I do not know if they are still actively manufacturing ceramic products.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, I don't know if it was Coors, but beer vats were glass-lined. It's where the idea of glass-lining water heaters came from 💡

Yours, Larry

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1848326#Comment_1848326

was that before or after they did it to bathtubs?

mattmia2

so what is remite? what were belt drive compressor seals made of starting in the teens? a refrigeration or air compressor is a much harsher environment than a circulator.

the documents I posted for the henry ford museum heating system showed the circulators for that sold as separate pumps and motors and that was about 1930.

when did ceramic disc faucets first appear? there i think was a diagram of one in the 1970 reader's digest home repair book.

hot_rod

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1848408#Comment_1848408

AO Smith was glass lining tanks in the 1930s

mattmia2

I think kohler started doing it to bathtubs in the 1880's

Intplm.

A fun read. I actually replaced a few of those Thrush circulators years ago.