Latest Heating history Podcast Episodes
An American Love Story
Dead Men Tales - April 06, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - March 30, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - March 23, 2021 08:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - March 16, 2021 08:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsOliver 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
Dead Men Tales - March 09, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIf 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
Dead Men Tales - March 02, 2021 09:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - February 23, 2021 09:30 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsTake 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
Dead Men Tales - February 16, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - February 09, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - February 02, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThe 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...
The World's Fair of Hydronic Heating
Dead Men Tales - January 26, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsHeating 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
Dead Men Tales - January 19, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - January 12, 2021 09:30 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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 scr...
Remembering Mel Dubin
Dead Men Tales - January 05, 2021 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsMel 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
Dead Men Tales - December 29, 2020 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsJohn 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 ...
The Paul System and Other Delightful Discoveries
Dead Men Tales - December 22, 2020 09:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsYou 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 A...
The Surprising Stories Behind Heating Inventions
Dead Men Tales - December 15, 2020 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsDid 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 episo...
Building a House Every Two Hours
Dead Men Tales - December 08, 2020 09:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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 ...
What the 1918 Flu Taught Us About Heating During a Pandemic
Dead Men Tales - December 01, 2020 09:30 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - November 24, 2020 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsSome 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
Dead Men Tales - November 17, 2020 09:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - November 10, 2020 09:30 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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
Dead Men Tales - November 03, 2020 09:30 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIf 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
Dead Men Tales - October 27, 2020 08:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsMany 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
Dead Men Tales - October 20, 2020 08:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThere’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 Ars...
Bicycles and Heating History
Dead Men Tales - October 13, 2020 08:30 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThere 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
Dead Men Tales - October 06, 2020 08:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn 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 ...
Introducing Dead Men Tales
Dead Men Tales - September 25, 2020 17:12 - 1 minute ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsOn 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...
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