Dead Men Tales
118 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsDuring HeatingHelp.com’s Dead Men Tales podcast, industry expert and master storyteller Dan Holohan shares the stories behind the work and fun facts you may not know about heating history.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
The Redflash Reckoning
January 11, 2022 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.76 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan tells a story about a mansion with two Ideal Redflash boilers, each with a rating of 500,000 Btuh.
All That History Nonsense
January 04, 2022 09:30 - 9 minutes - 9.15 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan explains why this “history nonsense” gives us the insight we need to keep things in perspective and solve the toughest heating problems.
Modern Times, Old Buildings
December 28, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.36 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares some entertaining tales about troubled heating systems and human nature.
A Song for Christmas
December 21, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.86 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares a personal story of family and hope.
The Teachings of Fremont
December 14, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.68 MBSome people just stay with you long after they are gone. In this episode, Dan Holohan remembers his friend Fremont Lobbestael and his lessons on steam heating and life.
The Radiator
December 07, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.45 MBTake the time to consider the beauty of simple things like the radiator. Everything ever made began with someone’s dream, and with their passion to create.
Saving Coal At Home
November 30, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.46 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan reviews a circa-1920s short film that the US Bureau of Mines made about energy conservation.
Generations
November 23, 2021 09:30 - 7 minutes - 7.01 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan reflects on how his dad grew up, seeing his breath indoors on winter mornings. It’s only within a couple of generations that we’ve come to expect homes to be heated or cooled. Our work whispers; it doesn’t shout. We've gone far beyond protecting the health of the nation. We now also provide the nation with comfort, and when we do our jobs well, people don’t even know we were there.
The Mills System Surprise
November 16, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.6 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan faces a startling surprise when troubleshooting a problem involving a Mills steam-heating system and a football-sized air vent.
Does It Pay To Fix Steam Traps?
November 09, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.48 MBIt pays to fix steam traps, but probably not in the way you think. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares how experts in the 1970s speculated on how quickly steam-trap repair would pay back, but missed an important factor.
Alfred
November 02, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 8.02 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan reflects on the importance of taking time for people.
How ASHRAE Began
October 26, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.67 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares the story of Hugh J. Barron who helped found The American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers and encouraged the nascent I=B=R. He believed in learning, teaching, and sharing. He also saw the future well and he did not suffer fools.
Keep An Eye On District Heating
October 19, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.66 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares how district heating was born, why it’s getting bigger all over the world, and what this means for hydronics.
Learning From History
October 12, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.49 MBSometimes what seems strange at first (the boiler’s installed where?!) makes sense when you consider the history behind it. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares handy historical tidbits that will help you troubleshoot those older heating systems.
Collectors
October 05, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 9.11 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan ponders the things we collect and the intriguing stories behind them.
Troubleshooting In An Antique Building
September 28, 2021 08:30 - 7 minutes - 6.81 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan walks us through a troubleshooting job at Fraunces Tavern, which was built in 1719 and is the oldest structure in NYC.
The Problem Solver
September 21, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.79 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan tells the tale of finding treasure in an old box in a warehouse and how that moment changed his career bit by bit.
An American Cathedral
September 14, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.51 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan reflects on the tradesmen who built NYC's World Trade Center.
The Game-Changing Arrival of the Oil Burner
September 07, 2021 08:30 - 7 minutes - 6.73 MBWilliam Newton Best developed the earliest oil burner just as the world entered the 20th Century. Coal was king, but he didn’t let that stand in his way. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares how oil burners disrupted the coal industry.
Plastics!
August 31, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.48 MBThere’s a scene in The Graduate where Mr. McGuire says to Benjamin, “I want to say one word to you...Plastics!...There’s a great future in plastics.” This was around the time that Thomas Engel invented PEX. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares how plastics entered the HVAC industry and how not everyone was as enthusiastic about it as Mr. McGuire.
Henry's Law
August 24, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.99 MBConsider this story the next time you’re installing an air separator, or wondering why the air keeps coming out of that compression tank.
A Simple Copper Elbow
August 17, 2021 08:30 - 7 minutes - 7.23 MBDo you ever wonder about the path products take to get to us? In this episode, Dan Holohan follows a simple copper elbow on its journey to the job site.
The Missing Chimney
August 10, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 8.11 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan explores the old heating system in a Fifth Avenue mansion in search of a missing chimney and shares how a blizzard shaped NYC’s heating history.
Hindsight
August 03, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.47 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan reflects on how hindsight has us shaking our heads at wacky decisions of the past, especially the one involving an asbestos hat.
The Metal Manometer
July 27, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.56 MBAt first, Eugene Bourdon was annoyed when he saw what his worker had done to the metal tube, but then it gave him an idea that would save countless lives. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells us about an invention that’s at the heart of every pressure gauge ever made (even to this day).
The Little-Known Story Behind a Popular Tool
July 20, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 8.13 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares the fascinating story behind one of the world’s most widely used inventions.
The Hidden Air Vent
July 13, 2021 08:30 - 5 minutes - 5.37 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan tells us about the time he channeled MacGyver when fixing a radiator with a very unusual old air vent.
The Duke Mansion Mystery
July 06, 2021 08:30 - 7 minutes - 7.27 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares a whodunit mystery involving the hot-water-heating system at the sprawling mansion of Doris Duke.
Novels and Heating History
June 29, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.38 MBIn 1918, the person who could bring steam- or hot-water heat to your home was nearly a magician. In this episode, Dan Holohan explores how heating appears like a character in old novels and how things have changed over time.
What Might Have Been
June 22, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 9.11 MBJohn Bartlett Pierce grew up in Maine, worked in a hardware store, and fell in love with hydronic heating. He went on to build a tall building in New York City that looks like a coal fire and left a fortune behind.
My Father's Way
June 15, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.5 MBEd Holohan came back from the war in the Pacific and went to work in a supply house because they were hiring strong, young men who wanted to work six days a week. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares memories of his father.
How to Embarrass a Beautiful Old Radiator
June 08, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.35 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan takes us to a seaside Victorian estate and meets a beautiful old radiator with tears in its eyes.
The Great Experimenter
June 01, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.66 MBJohn Mills was one of the great-granddaddies of heating. He worked with the H.B. Smith Company as a freelance inventor and engineer from 1873 until 1897. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares why you may think of John Mills the next time you’re doing a heat-loss calculation or looking at an old steam heating system.
The Origin of the Btu
May 25, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.6 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan tells the story of Thomas Tredgold, defining the British thermal unit, and why it pays to develop a healthy skepticism.
Predictions for the Heating Industry
May 18, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.53 MBIn 1942 a group of industry leaders wrote a booklet containing their predictions for the future of heating in America after the war. Were they correct? Find out in this episode.
The Magical History Tour
May 11, 2021 08:30 - 10 minutes - 9.59 MBAt the turn of the century, the crowded quilt of lower Manhattan was teeming with manufacturers of heating equipment and the spirit of invention. In this episode, Dan Holohan takes us on a walking tour and shares little-known stories of heating history.
Why We Run Steam Boilers At 2-PSIG Pressure
May 04, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.44 MBIn 1899 an association of boiler manufacturers got together in the spirit of what they called cooperative competition. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells about The Carbon Club’s brazen (and very successful) efforts to not only control the price and supply of boilers, but to also set standards that would keep those boilers from exploding.
The Legacy of Gil Carlson, Hydronics Pioneer
April 27, 2021 08:30 - 10 minutes - 9.94 MBGil Carlson first pointed out the importance of a circulator's location in a closed hydronic system. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares how his teacher’s curiosity and brilliant mind changed the way we pipe heating systems.
The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen
April 20, 2021 08:30 - 10 minutes - 9.29 MBAfter the American Revolution, skilled craftsmen gathered in a tavern in lower Manhattan to discuss how they’d rebuild the war-torn city. They formed an organization that now supports NYC's oldest technical school. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells the story of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen and its lasting impact, as well as why 1880s steam heating is very different from 1930s steam heating.
Form Follows Function
April 13, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.3 MBDo you ever wonder why the chimneys are on the sides of most buildings? Or why most homes have eight-foot ceilings? In this episode, Dan Holohan explores how purpose shaped design throughout our industry’s history.
An American Love Story
April 06, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.35 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares the story of a century-old family business and the quiet pride that accompanies their manufacturing process.
The Illuminating Beginnings of Gas Boilers
March 30, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.82 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan takes us back to 1917 when the gas lighting industry, threatened by Edison’s lightbulb, branched into the business of gas boilers and furnaces.
Heating John Lennon’s Apartment
March 23, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes - 8.64 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan takes us to NYC’s Dakota Apartments, where John Lennon once lived. It has a circa-1880 steam heating system and was home to one of the world’s first co-generation systems.
How Schlemmer’s Tee Shaped Hydronics
March 16, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes - 7.59 MBOliver Schlemmer’s fitting was the first tee capable of consciously diverting water into a radiator. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares how the O-S fitting paved the way for modern hot-water heating systems.
The Curious History of PEX
March 09, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.92 MBIf a shoe factory had been present in Thomas Engel’s vicinity at the time he invented PEX, we would perhaps today be walking around on shoe soles made of cross-linked polyethylene. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares the fascinating story behind PEX and its brilliant inventor.
Heating and Horror at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin
March 02, 2021 09:30 - 10 minutes - 9.2 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan tells us about Frank Lloyd Wright’s unique heating system at Taliesin and how a horrific 1914 event took its toll on the home and its inhabitants.
The Caretaker of Heating History
February 23, 2021 09:30 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBTake a walk through history in this episode with Dan Holohan and his friend Bob as they explore Doug Starbuck’s circa-1872 workshop and the treasures that lie within it.
The Secret to Heating Old Churches
February 16, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.8 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares advice for keeping old churches and other buildings with lofty ceilings comfortable in the winter without sending fuel bills soaring.
Gold’s Mattress Radiator
February 09, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.65 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan talks about the success and decline of Stephen Gold’s mattress radiator, the first safe and successful steam radiator for house heating.
Hydronic Heating for Health in 1911
February 02, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.99 MBThe East River Homes were built by the Vanderbilts as a model tenement for tuberculosis patients in 1911. The engineers chose hydronic heating for sanitary reasons, perhaps making this NYC’s first large-scale hot-water heating system. In this episode, Dan Holohan recounts memories of how he later grew up in this housing development and why its heating system was unique for the time.