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.
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Episodes
The World's Fair of Hydronic Heating
January 26, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes - 8.16 MBHeating took center stage at the 1904 World’s Fair with the American Radiator Company’s modern home exhibit. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares how millions marveled at the beauty and simplicity of its hydronic-heating system and what became of that famous model home.
Heating’s Explosive History
January 19, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes - 9.04 MBIn the early days of hydronic heating, boilers were exploding left and right. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells how seemingly insignificant mistakes often led to disaster.
Old Buildings, New Steam
January 12, 2021 09:30 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBIn the 1980s, New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development renovated hundreds of old buildings and installed brand new one-pipe steam systems. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares why steam was the solution and how he taught their contractors to install steam systems from scratch.
Remembering Mel Dubin
January 05, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.25 MBMel Dubin dreamed, invented, and built something that helped raise thousands of American families. In this episode, Dan Holohan remembers his friend Mel, the founder of Slant/Fin.
Heating The Breakers
December 29, 2020 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.57 MBJohn D. Clarke knew how to heat a 70-room cottage in 1893. And he got it right the very first time. Then the Vanderbilts ordered all the mechanical drawings burned after construction so that no one would be able to copy the system. In this episode, Dan Holohan walks us through the history of the heating system at the Vanderbilts’ summer home, The Breakers.
The Paul System and Other Delightful Discoveries
December 22, 2020 09:30 - 10 minutes - 9.17 MBYou never know what you’ll come across when you’re the heating person. It’s a wonderful life. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells about the time he was making recommendations on how to save fuel in a circa-1905 voraciously steam-heated building and discovered a Paul System, as well as a piece of American movie history.
The Surprising Stories Behind Heating Inventions
December 15, 2020 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.94 MBDid you know that the first pressure relief valve was invented in 1681 because the King of England really liked jelly? And that the first gravity heating system was used to warm chickens? How about the expansion tank that was assembled using an overstock of baby carriage wheel rims? In this episode, Dan Holohan tells the fascinating stories behind inventions that paved the way for modern heating.
Building a House Every Two Hours
December 08, 2020 09:30 - 7 minutes - 7.18 MBIn the 1940s, William Levitt built a community of 17,447 homes, completing one house every two hours. Levitt chose radiant heating for these houses because it was the cheapest heating system he could find. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares the story of Levittown and how those radiant slabs are doing now.
What the 1918 Flu Taught Us About Heating During a Pandemic
December 01, 2020 09:30 - 9 minutes - 8.8 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares how the 1918-19 pandemic changed the way we pipe heating systems and the type of windows we use, why radiators are painted silver, and what we can learn from history.
Thankful
November 24, 2020 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.54 MBSome stories are as worn as old work boots because we just can’t resist hearing them again and again. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares memories of Thanksgiving mornings in NYC and his time spent in the heating industry.
The Model K Mystery
November 17, 2020 09:30 - 10 minutes - 9.15 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan tells about a Manhattan co-op apartment building, where the local time (mechanically speaking) is 1949, the heat is uneven, and the radiators hold a historic clue.
My Father’s American Dream
November 10, 2020 09:30 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares stories about growing up on Long Island, NY in the 1950s, the bungalow his dad built, and hydronic heating.
A $50,000 Mistake
November 03, 2020 09:30 - 8 minutes - 7.51 MBIf you're staring at an odd, old device and you don't know what it is, put your hands in your pockets and back away until you learn more about it. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells the story of a strange device and a $50,000 mistake.
The Wacky History of Temperature Scales
October 27, 2020 08:30 - 7 minutes - 7.28 MBMany of the scientific concepts we take for granted started as an idea that some guy in a room came up with one day. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares the interesting and peculiar tale of how temperature scales were invented.
Heating the Central Park Arsenal
October 20, 2020 08:30 - 10 minutes - 9.83 MBThere’s a beautiful historic building in New York City’s Central Park called the Arsenal. It was constructed between 1847 and 1851 and designed to look like a castellated fortress because it was to be a place where they would store munitions. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells the tale of the Arsenal, its heating system, and how it has served the city through the years.
Bicycles and Heating History
October 13, 2020 08:30 - 7 minutes - 7.22 MBThere was once a time when the plumbing and heating industry was threatened by bicycles. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells the story of how this new and exciting invention was banned from business.
A Hundred Years From Now
October 06, 2020 08:30 - 10 minutes - 9.32 MBIn this episode, Dan Holohan reflects on the work and the unsung heroes behind it. We are surrounded by inspiration because so many tradespeople take extreme pride in their work. You may be one of those people. If you wipe a solder joint correctly, even though the carpenter is going to sheetrock the wall and no one will ever see that beautiful joint again, you are one of those people. You do such things because you care — not only about your reputation, but about the building in which you are...
Introducing Dead Men Tales
September 25, 2020 17:12 - 1 minute - 1.35 MBOn October 6, 2020, HeatingHelp.com will launch the Dead Men Tales podcast hosted by master storyteller and industry expert Dan Holohan. Each week Dan will share the stories behind the work and fun facts you may not know about heating history. You’ll learn how the bicycle threatened the industry, how temperature scales came to be, tips for heating historic buildings, how PEX was invented, and more. HeatingHelp.com’s Dead Men Tales is brought to you by SupplyHouse.com, home to over 100,000 ...