Dead Men Tales

It’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 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.

The 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 free time, more family togetherness, peace of mind, convenience, and more living space.

The 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.

In 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.

We 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.

In this episode, Dan Holohan shares a murder mystery involving a troubled heating system and a well-intentioned suspect.

In this episode, Dan Holohan tells us about the inventive tees used in early hot-water heating systems.

Ignoring preventative maintenance can have disastrous consequences. Take this story, for instance.

From explosions to inventions, Dan Holohan shares a timeline of events that impacted the heating industry and the fascinating stories behind them.