Latest Heating history Podcast Episodes
Alfred
Dead Men Tales - November 02, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan reflects on the importance of taking time for people.
How ASHRAE Began
Dead Men Tales - October 26, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - October 19, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - October 12, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsSometimes 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
Dead Men Tales - October 05, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan ponders the things we collect and the intriguing stories behind them.
Troubleshooting In An Antique Building
Dead Men Tales - September 28, 2021 08:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - September 21, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - September 14, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan reflects on the tradesmen who built NYC's World Trade Center.
The Game-Changing Arrival of the Oil Burner
Dead Men Tales - September 07, 2021 08:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsWilliam 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!
Dead Men Tales - August 31, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThere’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 eve...
Henry's Law
Dead Men Tales - August 24, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsConsider 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
Dead Men Tales - August 17, 2021 08:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsDo 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
Dead Men Tales - August 10, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - August 03, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - July 27, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsAt 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
Dead Men Tales - July 20, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn this episode, Dan Holohan shares the fascinating story behind one of the world’s most widely used inventions.
The Hidden Air Vent
Dead Men Tales - July 13, 2021 08:30 - 5 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - July 06, 2021 08:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - June 29, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - June 22, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsJohn 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
Dead Men Tales - June 15, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsEd 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
Dead Men Tales - June 08, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - June 01, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsJohn 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 ste...
The Origin of the Btu
Dead Men Tales - May 25, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - May 18, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - May 11, 2021 08:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsAt 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
Dead Men Tales - May 04, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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 tha...
The Legacy of Gil Carlson, Hydronics Pioneer
Dead Men Tales - April 27, 2021 08:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsGil 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
Dead Men Tales - April 20, 2021 08:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsAfter 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 a...
Form Follows Function
Dead Men Tales - April 13, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsDo 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.
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