Articles by Dan Holohan

Dan Holohan: Baseboard adventures

Sometimes you have to re-think the usual way of doing things.

June 25, 2021

So this fella comes up to me after a hot-water seminar and tells me about a problem he's having with this copper-fintube baseboard loop he installed in this big hall with a bunch of offices. "I can't get the end hot," he said.

Dan Holohan: The subtlety of steam

Help your customer be a better troubleshooter.

Dan Holohan

June 7, 2021

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You may think steam is just, well, steam. But there’s a lot more going on when it comes to steam heating a building.

Dan Holohan: Sludge, scale and bouncing boilers

Understanding the causes of pipe scale.

Dan Holohan

May 5, 2021

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Clogging up heating surfaces is sort of like having all the traffic lights in your town turn red at the same time, and then stay red.

Dan Holohan: What's not in stock?

Hear directly from the contractor what they want from your inventory.

Dan Holohan

March 26, 2021

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I asked a bunch of heating contractor friends what was missing from their wholesaler’s stock and how they felt about that. They had some interesting things to say and I thought you might want to listen in.

Dan Holohan: Your body is a radiator

Use understanding of body temperature to sell radiant heating.

Dan Holohan

February 26, 2021

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Ever been to Ocean City, Maryland? It’s a summertime wonderland, and I was lucky enough years ago to get hired to do a seminar on hydronic radiant heating for a group of contractors who were having a conference there.

Dan Holohan: What is heat?

If you want to be a heating expert, you first have to understand what heat is.

Dan Holohan

January 28, 2021

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Before I retired in 2016, I’d get a lot of calls from lawyers who wanted to hire me to be an expert witness at a trial. They were almost always representing a building owner. I always said “no thank you,” because I like to keep stress out of my life.

Dan Holohan: Nearly famous heating quotes

Certain quotes always stick with you.

Dan Holohan

December 28, 2020

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Gil Carlson, who was the first person to come up with many of the hydronic concepts we take for granted today, was also my teacher. He would often say, “For a difference to be a difference, it has to make a difference.”

Dan Holohan: Trade resolutions

Ideas for a new year.

Dan Holohan

November 30, 2020

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It’s that time of the year when we’re supposed to get ready to make a resolution or two that will last a few weeks until we slouch back into our usual routines. You know how it goes. The stationary bike sure makes for a great clothes hanger, doesn’t it?

Dan Holohan: Will it help?

Asking yourself this question before speaking can change your outlook.

Dan Holohan

October 28, 2020

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If you’re lucky in life, you’ll occasionally have a conversation with someone that will stay with you forever. Maybe it was something your spouse said when you least expected it, or perhaps it was your child showing you a reflection of the sky in a puddle after a storm.