Latest Heating history Podcast Episodes
So Thorough. So Quiet!
Dead Men Tales - May 31, 2022 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan spins an on-the-job tale that will leave you laughing.
Heating Boston's Old North Church
Dead Men Tales - May 24, 2022 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares a story about replacing the boiler on the unique heating system in Boston's Old North Church, as well as some Dead Men tips for a false-water-line bottle.
How Diaphragm Tanks Came To Be
Dead Men Tales - May 17, 2022 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares some little-known stories about how diaphragm tanks were invented, as well as advice that will come in handy on the job.
Pump and Circumstance
Dead Men Tales - May 10, 2022 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares the story of Smokey and how pumps can create air problems in hot-water heating systems.
Hidden Radiators
Dead Men Tales - May 03, 2022 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares how the Dead Men installed indirect radiation in wealthy customers’ homes. It combined heating with ventilation and discretely hid radiators.
Adventures in Steam Heating
Dead Men Tales - April 26, 2022 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares some basic principles of how steam heating systems operate and why opportunity knocks for those who work on them.
Uncle Tony
Dead Men Tales - April 19, 2022 08:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares some funny stories about his Uncle Tony and this wonderfully wacky business.
A Dead Men Secret
Dead Men Tales - April 12, 2022 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThe Dead Men had a clever solution for balancing gravity hot-water heating systems. They told each other about it, but they never wrote it down so that you and I, stuck in the 21st Century would know. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares this secret that was almost lost to history.
How They Rated Radiators
Dead Men Tales - April 05, 2022 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsFrom the paint-the-floor method to the American Radiator Company's Institute of Thermal Research, Dan Holohan explores how the Dead Men developed radiator ratings.
When It Comes to Boilers, How Old Is Too Old?
Dead Men Tales - March 29, 2022 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares stories about a quest for the oldest boiler, a near-death experience, and century-old equipment that has nine lives.
Voices From The Past
Dead Men Tales - March 22, 2022 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIt’s amazing what old heating systems can tell us if we pay attention to the details left by the Dead Men who installed them.
The Significance Of The Fire
Dead Men Tales - March 15, 2022 08:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThe Irish made fires that never went out. The fire in the hearth was for cooking and for warmth, and it smoldered for hundreds of years in some cases. In this episode, Dan Holohan reflects on his heating heritage.
Quiet May
Dead Men Tales - March 08, 2022 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThe May Oil Burner Company made an oil burner they called Quiet May during a time when just about everyone in America who had central heating was burning coal. To overcome this obstacle they didn’t just sell an oil burner. They sold intangible things such as better health, a cleaner home, more fr...
Air Vents and American History
Dead Men Tales - March 01, 2022 09:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThe automatic air vent didn’t come easily to the heating industry. It took hard work and a lot of very inventive thinking. Hearing this story will help you sharpen your troubleshooting skills.
District Steam
Dead Men Tales - February 22, 2022 09:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan time travels back to 1905 when Washington, D. C. was pondering the promise of a soon-to-be-installed district heating system.
What Ray Taught Me
Dead Men Tales - February 15, 2022 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsWe all had to start somewhere, right? In this episode, Dan Holohan recalls a lesson learned the hard way and a mentor who had a brutal brand of kindness.
How To Kill A Boiler
Dead Men Tales - February 08, 2022 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares a murder mystery involving a troubled heating system and a well-intentioned suspect.
Special Tees
Dead Men Tales - February 01, 2022 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan tells us about the inventive tees used in early hot-water heating systems.
The $37 Million Steam Trap
Dead Men Tales - January 25, 2022 09:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIgnoring preventative maintenance can have disastrous consequences. Take this story, for instance.
Events That Shaped Heating History
Dead Men Tales - January 18, 2022 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsFrom explosions to inventions, Dan Holohan shares a timeline of events that impacted the heating industry and the fascinating stories behind them.
The Redflash Reckoning
Dead Men Tales - January 11, 2022 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - January 04, 2022 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - December 28, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares some entertaining tales about troubled heating systems and human nature.
A Song for Christmas
Dead Men Tales - December 21, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares a personal story of family and hope.
The Teachings of Fremont
Dead Men Tales - December 14, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsSome 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
Dead Men Tales - December 07, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsTake 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
Dead Men Tales - November 30, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan reviews a circa-1920s short film that the US Bureau of Mines made about energy conservation.
Generations
Dead Men Tales - November 23, 2021 09:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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 nati...
The Mills System Surprise
Dead Men Tales - November 16, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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?
Dead Men Tales - November 09, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIt 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.
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