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My new helper.

JohnNY
JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
edited September 2020 in THE MAIN WALL
I have a new employee. He's 21 and lives in Paramus, NJ.
Today we drove past The Dakota apartment building which he recognized immediately, pointed to and said "One of The Beatles died there."
I replied,
"Yes."
"John Lennon."
But that name meant nothing to him. He kept pointing and looking. He followed up with a confident challenge, "Did you know that?"
I accepted his challenge with a double-take and equally confident smile. "Yes. It was actually pretty big news when I was 13."
"Oh. That makes sense.", he said.

Old guy 1, Millenial 0.

Later on I had to kneel down and take the model numbers off a constant pressure duplex booster for a large building on Sutton Place. I had trouble getting up. New guy gave me a hand.

I guess we're even.
Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
Consulting & Troubleshooting
Heating in NYC or NJ.
Classes
JellisEdTheHeaterManIntplm.luketheplumber

Comments

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 9,572
    Use your phone to reach down and take a picture of it next time.
    luketheplumber
  • Alan (California Radiant) Forbes
    Alan (California Radiant) Forbes Member Posts: 3,976
    edited September 2020
    I guess we're even.

    Maybe - just don't let him know.
    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
    JohnNYEdTheHeaterManluketheplumber
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583
    Most consider 1996 to be the end of millennials so he would be gen Z.  By a lot.




    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    ChrisJ said:

    Most consider 1996 to be the end of millennials so he would be gen Z.  By a lot.




    And I was actually 11 on December 8th, 1980 so the whole story is fakakta.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
    Classes
    mattmia2EdTheHeaterMan
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,459
    @JohnNY Thanks for the smile I feel your pain with the knees
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
    EdTheHeaterMan
  • SlamDunk
    SlamDunk Member Posts: 1,570
    edited September 2020
    ChrisJ said:

    JohnNY said:

    ChrisJ said:

    Most consider 1996 to be the end of millennials so he would be gen Z.  By a lot.




    And I was actually 11 on December 8th, 1980 so the whole story is fakakta.
    Damn boomers and their exaggerations. :p
    11 in 1980...not a boomer. Gen X by five years. Boomers don't need to exaggerate! :)
    JohnNYEdTheHeaterManluketheplumber
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,583
    edited September 2020
    SlamDunk said:

    ChrisJ said:

    JohnNY said:

    ChrisJ said:

    Most consider 1996 to be the end of millennials so he would be gen Z.  By a lot.




    And I was actually 11 on December 8th, 1980 so the whole story is fakakta.
    Damn boomers and their exaggerations. :p
    11 in 1980...not a boomer. Gen X by five years. Boomers don't need to exaggerate! :)
    I meant it as a joke, I know he's not a boomer. ;)
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    JohnNY
  • This is nothing new, and has been going on for a long time:
    http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=398104
    Zman
  • jerryb46
    jerryb46 Member Posts: 59
    how many of u guys watched the "BEATLES" on ED Sullivan? And seen TOM SEAVER pitch at SHEA.Guess i'm a BOOMER fun too think back.
  • dopey27177
    dopey27177 Member Posts: 887
    I am a litter older than a boomer.

    Young new helpers are there to pick us up when our body refuses to work the way they used to.

    Always give the guy a reward...

    The reward is some type of information bout the job at hand, like don't bend your knees to far or you my wind up like me before you reach 50.

    Jake
    Zmanluketheplumber
  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,612
    At 80 years old I do not remember anything you guys are talking about. As for knees I have not been down on my knees in 5 years (not good for a preacher) trouble is once I get down I can't get up.
    Zmanrick in Alaskaluketheplumber
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 7,713
    This discussion has been very entertaining so far. I hope it continues into the next decade.
    My grandson still thinks I'm wonderful, He's almost 2.
    Edward F Young. Retired HVAC ContractorSpecialized in Residential Oil Burner and Hydronics
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,803
    I don't know what category I'm in and don't really care. All I know is I was only two at the time of Woodstock and I'm still pi**ed I couldn't go.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,159
    HVACNUT said:

    I don't know what category I'm in and don't really care. All I know is I was only two at the time of Woodstock and I'm still pi**ed I couldn't go.

    It was quite the party...
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    HVACNUT said:

    I don't know what category I'm in and don't really care. All I know is I was only two at the time of Woodstock and I'm still pi**ed I couldn't go.

    Being born in 1969, I used to think that way. But then I looked into it and realized that most of the bands weren't very good, it rained nearly throughout the concert, it was during a pandemic, bands like The Who came on at 2 AM, there weren't nearly enough toilets or food available for people. ...Woodstock looked like an absolute sh*tshow to me. I'm happy enough to watch it on TV.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
    Classes
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,803
    Very true @JohnNY
  • Alan (California Radiant) Forbes
    Alan (California Radiant) Forbes Member Posts: 3,976
    edited September 2020
    Being born in 1969, I used to think that way. But then I looked into it and realized that most of the bands weren't very good, it rained nearly throughout the concert, it was during a pandemic, bands like The Who came on at 2 AM, there weren't nearly enough toilets or food available for people. ...Woodstock looked like an absolute sh*tshow to me. I'm happy enough to watch it on TV.

    With the addition of tripping on LSD, it took you to the astral plane where you didn't notice the rain, only the kaleidoscopic vibes. If you've ever seen the documentary, you see a lot of happy faces.


    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
  • HomerJSmith
    HomerJSmith Member Posts: 2,425
    edited September 2020
    JohnNY, nobody ever got to where they are today with out a lot of help from others.

    I believe the only knowledge we retain is that which is shared with others. I believe knowledge without sharing is sin.

    It's our duty to pass on what we know and have learned to our children, co-workers just starting out.

    That's what I like about this site, sharing knowledge and experience.

    JohnNY, what gives your life meaning is what you pass on. That's commendable. Teach that Newbee everything you know,
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    Wow. Listening to some of you, I didn't know I was one of the old guys! Dang, no wonder my back hurts.
    Yeah, I am getting close to retirement age, and I wish I could hire someone to pass the knowledge to, but the hassle of having them have an apprentice license, and have outside schooling, and workmans comp, and being able to keep them working 8 hours a day, and I just can' t make it all happen.
    I am thinking maybe just trying to write down a bunch of tricks and how to's, just to have at least something of my experience to pass along.
    In my spare time, of course. :s
    Rick
    luketheplumber
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,272
    Hi @rick in Alaska , Pondering what you wrote, two things come to mind. First is that you're a REALLY good troubleshooter, and that is a skill that needs to be widely disseminated. Next, is that you could help a lot of people by writing a book, sharing your thought processes, giving examples, and sharing stories. All of that could happen without workman's comp etc. It might even give you some ongoing income! Now, the hard part. What's the title of your book? o:)

    Yours, Larry
    luketheplumber
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    edited September 2020
    Hm. Not a writer, but if it did happen, and it had a title, I would think something like "proper troubleshooting". I would want it to be mostly heating related, but also to carry on in to other problem solving areas. Except relationships, of course. A lot of problems out there can all follow the same troubleshooting techniques, such as just identifying the problem before even looking for the answer.
    Maybe down the road when I have nothing else to do, but as of right now, it is still 8 days a week.
    Rick
    P.S. Thanks for the kudo's Larry, it means a lot.
  • HomerJSmith
    HomerJSmith Member Posts: 2,425
    edited September 2020
    rick in Alaska said, "Hm. Not a writer..." Hemingway wasn't a writer and look what he achieved.

    People are intensely interested in each other. Writing from a view that reveals your humanity or a view that reveals the humanity of Mankind as Hemingway did is a sure winner.

    My Mother use to say to me, "You never know what you're capable of, unless you try." Thanks, Mom!

    "Happiness is reaching your full expression while benefiting others."- Homer.
    Larry Weingarten
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,272
    Hi @rick in Alaska , Here's another thought. Our phones these days can take voice dictation and do a mostly decent job of putting it into the written word. How about just taking notes about interesting things you think or run across, and collect those in a file? This should take very little time. I take notes this way pretty often and some fun writing has come of it. At some point, when you have a spare two minutes, you might reread what you've put down and begin to see groupings of stories or see what's not there and calling to be filled in. That's one way a book is born.
    I imagine that if you just have the collection of experiences and musings written down, it will find a way to become a teaching tool, whether in book form, video, articles, a TED talk, or blog posts. And that has the potential to help lots of people.

    Meddlesomely yours, Larry
    luketheplumberErin Holohan Haskell
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    I guess I should think about that some more. I don't feel like I could make enough for a book, but it might be something that could be combined with other peoples info.
    Rick
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,272
    Hi, I suppose one reason I'm so interested in this is because I like troubleshooting. Here's an article I wrote years ago on it: https://www.larryweingarten.com/blog/archives/07-2018 See what you think.

    I imagine there are general troubleshooting rules to follow and then, specific things to consider for each piece of equipment and the environment it lives in.

    But, to bring this thread back to it's intent, I looked it up and boomers were born between 1946 and 1965. That means I'm a boomer and I must go torment some younger person... Or something. ;)

    Yours, Larry
  • luketheplumber
    luketheplumber Member Posts: 149


    But, to bring this thread back to it's intent, I looked it up and boomers were born between 1946 and 1965. That means I'm a boomer and I must go torment some younger person... Or something. ;)

    Give me your worst Larry, I can guarantee you will never torment me as much as a stereotypical millennial.
    I just earned my GED and am looking for a apprenticeship with one of these steam gurus on this site!
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    I am right in the middle of the boomer range myself. I don't have anyone to torment, but probably wouldn't anyway, just because.
    Anyway, back to the thread. I think we could do a lot better with apprentices if we could have them work for us without any wages. I know there are a lot of rules against it, but my thinking is that people who go to college will pay, out of their pockets, thousands of dollars to get an education, where as if they were working for me, I would give them all my knowledge for free! I do understand that going to college doesn't require any physical work, but you are still going to be training for a few hours a day no matter what.
    That would make it so much easier for me to be able to handle an apprentice if I didn't have to worry about having to keep enough paying work going to be able to pay him, or her, for a full day every day. Troubleshooting usually doesn't have the ability to have 8 hour pay days, unless you factor it in in your hourly rate, which you should.
    I don't know it seems like everything is just so hard to do anymore. I can't even hire a young kid to dig a small ditch for me without them having an apprentice license. But, it would really be nice to have someone who was excited about what we do to be able to pass our info on to, without having so many rules and fees to have to deal with. It's a pipe dream though.
    Ready for the comments now :#
    Rick
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,272
    OK @luketheplumber , Here's my tormenting. When New York is safe again, get yourself to the General Society and go up to the fourth floor to spend some time in their water heater museum. Book a room at the hotel next door as this could take some time. Look at the heaters for fun, but spend time with the books. Lifetimes of experience are in those books. Particularly, read the books by Frederick Dye. He'll teach you how to see inside of pipes! The book will help you to become the plumber of your dreams! Of course, once you know the physics, there is the human side of the trade to deal with, but that's another torment. o:)

    Yours, Larry

    ps, I too am waiting for comments on Rick's "pipe dream" comment :p
    Zmanluketheplumber
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    I think Luke should learn plumbing, although he has some interest in steam heating. If Luke makes to the NY general Society he should study the steam system also.

    I would like to have an apprentice but the requirements of having an employee are too much.
    Even if I were to have a family member get the State Electrical Apprentice license, they would have to be considered an employee.
    In my state this info is shared with the dept of labor.
    Then workmen's comp and unemployment insurance kicks in.
    Even being required to be a state registered contractor I must state if I have any employees. So there are 3 state agencies that compare notes to be sure of my compliance.
    This is also a sales tax info quiz to be sure I am compliant with that tax collection.

    But if there was a way Luke (or anyone with his interests) could be employed and all the requirements be met, without adding overhead that puts me or anyone having to run at a loss of income, would be a benefit for the trades.

    Just a Rant.......
    luketheplumberrick in Alaska
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,272
    Hi @JUGHNE , A thought. Years ago I had employees and as a small employer, it didn't work very well. It was more of a babysitting job with lots of book-work, that kept me from being productive. More recently, I've used Labor Ready, (now People Ready it seems) to act as an intermediary. I'd find people to work with and let the agency hire them for me. They took care of the book-work and took a small cut. I'm not sure going with an agency like that covers everything you brought up, but it helps. B)

    Yours, Larry
  • luketheplumber
    luketheplumber Member Posts: 149
    @rick in Alaska
    Not sure if I can agree with you there. When I worked as an apprentice plumber, I made sure that I was helping and working hard on every job that I was on.
    I definitely agree on the fact that there are too many rules and regulations,

    @Larry Weingarten
    Thanks I will definitely stop by there next time I am in new york. I am definitely planning to go to new york by myself when I turn 18 once I have the time and money to go.

    @JUGHNE
    I am looking for a job in plumbing an HVAC as the old company I worked for couldn't support me during the corona. but now that school has started I have put that goal on the back burner until I get settled and have a break from school.
    I am looking to get an apprenticeship with one of the awesome steam gurus on this site as soon as I graduate high school in 2022. But until then, School is my top priority and plumbing and HVAC will be something that I will do on the side in my free time.
    I just earned my GED and am looking for a apprenticeship with one of these steam gurus on this site!
    JUGHNEAlan (California Radiant) Forbes
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    Not sure what you mean about working hard every day. That has never been a problem with anyone that I have had work for me, and even re-reading my post, I don't believe I even implied it.
    Having an apprentice who can work hard is not the issue here, it is being able for employees to be able to hire someone without all the hardships it takes.
    It looks to me like you are on the right track, and seems like you have great work skills, so I don't think you will have much problem doing well in this trade.
    Rick
  • BillyO
    BillyO Member Posts: 277
    Finding hard workers easy compared to finding workers who know how to work. Think about it
    JohnNYmattmia2Canucker
  • dopey27177
    dopey27177 Member Posts: 887
    Hi Rick from Alaska

    I wrote a book it took me 5 years to get it at an eighth grade level and have it usable by engineers and home owners.

    I wrote the book Steam The Perfect Fluid for Heating and Some of The Problems.

    I got a lot out of the the Plumbing and Heating Industry, a comfortable retirement, paid a goodly portion of my 4 grand childrens college educations and was able to travel around the world with my wife of 58 years.

    I wrote the book to give back to our industry.
    Writing a niche book and getting it published is costly ($10,000+)
    My return on this so far is less than $800.00.

    Like i said it is give back to the industry that fed me any family for decades.

    If you are interested it is available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Dorrance Publishing of Pittsburgh PA.

    I have a complete chapter on trouble shooting, commercial heating.

    Jake
    rick in AlaskaCLamb