Four hours speaking about radiant heating (PAH)

Dave Yates (PAH)

Our shop foreman and well-versed hydronician asked me if I would speak to the night class he's been teaching (4 hours twice a week in the evenings) & if I'd concentrate on radiant heating.

I was concerned about filling up four hours without boring everyone into a stupor that would require paramedics for recovery. (Lois laughed at the notion I couldn't be a windbag for a mere four hours - I get no respect!)

It felt like five minutes! What a great group of attentive students Barney has brought along. Some tough questions tonight - one asking how I can defend such expensive systems (GGGGGGG). He was thinking beyond the rhetoric and I enjoyed the challenge of defending radiant.

My hat's off to Barney who gets a pittance for giving up his week nights to teach HVAC. Dedicated professionals giving back to the community.

These are folks who want to get "into the trades", but need that first break. (A few are already in the trades.) Boy, that brought back memories. I practicallly had to beat the snot out of my first PHVAC employeer to get a foot in the door!

During break, one student made the mistake of asking me about open systems(G). His second mistake was asking about thermal expansion where potable water heaters are concerned! Ear bending 101.

The best part is I had a blast & if you ever get the chance to do anything even remotely similar - grab that bull by the horns. Who knows, maybe one of those students will go on to become a hydronician.

Plant seeds.

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Unknown

Dave,

The contractor I'm doing a radiant addition for is an instructor at one of the regional technical high schools. He's asked me to come by and give a talk on radiant to the students in the plumbing program. I'm not so sure I'm up for it. I surely don't have all the answers and not looking foreward to the stress.

Any advise?

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ScottMP

Great job

To you and Barney.

Once again Dave you have shown the high road. Giving your time to others, for the better of the trade.

Truley PAH.

Scott

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Mark Eatherton1

Jeeze...

And to think that I have a 15 week course on radiant...@ 4 hours per week, that equals 60 man hours of me talking.

That makes me the ultimate wind bag eh:-)

Good for you and your man. I encourage anyone involved in hydronics to go talk to other plumbing classes about hydronics. I'm fortunate enough to work with some great plumbing instructors that promote my classes for me. We reciprocate on a regular basis.

Maybe you should consider doing a 15 week class on radiant Dave. I'm betting it would be well attended. I'd be glad to help with a sylabus to get your juices flowing.

ME

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Dave Yates (PAH)

Go for it!

Thanks Scott. Gary, Go for it! My nerves were on end at first, but I planned out my presentation in advance (PPPPPPP) and rehersed what I wanted to say a number of times before I spoke. That helped a great deal & Dan's book "How to Teach Technicians..." is an invaluable resource for planning out a presentation.

Prior planning meant I could be more at ease and that gave me the opportunity to tell some war stories with humor infused to ease everyone into feeling they could ask questions. The interaction was the highlight for me because it kept me on my toes and gave me an opportunity to exercise my own feeble brain cells.

Keep an eye peeled for droopy eyes & switch gears if you're starting to lose the audience. The first time I spoke to a group of night class students two years ago, I forgot the simple fact that they didn't have much, if any, knowledge regarding hydronics and quickly lost my audience by talking about things that were way over their head.

As an example & to test where we were going last night, I hit them up with the "what goes into a T must come out of a T" & used an examply with a 10 GPM primary loop and a 20 GPM secondary loop. It took a while for them to wrap their brains around that concept, but they enjoyed the exercise and it was fun to see their individual light bulbs shining as that concept became clear.

Start out with the most basic concepts you've got in your arsenal and move up from there. At the end of the evening, I opened up the Wirsbo heat loss program to show them graphically how varying methods affect water temperatures (we had discussed all of the various installation methods with products to pass around the room previously). Although I'd spoken about this in the hours that preceeded, the program's delivery water temperature changed right before their eyes as I clicked on alternate install methods.

We briefly touched on remote mini-tibe injection systems at the end, but skipped the technical details. I wanted them to know we had barely scratched the surface of what can be done with hydronics.

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Dave Yates (PAH)

That

sounds like a plan ME. I'd like nothing better.

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Mark Eatherton1

Consider it...

DONE!

This offer is extended to anyone seriously thinking about starting a radiant heating class on a community college level.

ME

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Dave Yates (PAH)

CDAM !

Well, I'll be C-DAMned! Right under my nose the whole time(G). Funny how the forest gets obscured by other trees some times. How to go about getting this recognized as an accredited course? The RPA's RB has hit that mark. I'm anxious to teach that one locally too & we've had some nibbles.

I was telling the students about how those of us who share this passion willingly share the knowledge in order to raise the bar. Thanks for proving that point.

Do ya think Mr. Milne will be teaching in his VS teddy?

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Mark Eatherton

Accreditation...

This course is an accredited course in Colorado. (4 credit hours. Not sure if it meets your CC requirements though... Be glad to help how ever I can.

ME