It’s been more than two years since I took over PM Engineer from my predecessor. What a wild and crazy time that was — the COVID-19 pandemic was just getting started and lockdowns were being mandated. Needless to say, I didn’t get out much that year, or even last year, for that matter.

 recently came across the December 1924 issue of Popular Science magazine. Reading stuff like that always makes me feel like I have a time machine.

Let us get down in the dirt, or at least “backfill.” A recent discussion on ASPE Connect’s “Open Forum” was entitled “Minimum Pipe Cover when Calculating Invert Under Building Slab for PVC Sanitary.”

“It couldn’t happen where I live.” Many in the United States probably thought that when watching the horror occurring in Flint, Michigan, from 2014 to 2016.

Some of us may remember a day when ketchup was placed in thick glass bottles with skinny necks. I’d like to meet the person who came up with that idea and kindly ask, “What were you thinking?” 

As global energy planning moves away from fossil fuels and toward electricity, an increasing number of hydronic heating systems are being supplied by heat pumps. Some use water-to-water heat pumps supplied by geothermal earth loops. Others use air-to-water heat pumps.

Did you know that May 4 is National Skilled Trades Day? It also happens to be National Star Wars Day — “May the Fourth Be With You,” and all that jazz.

I first encountered formic acid erosion/corrosion when our installed air conditioning and heat pump evaporator (indoor) coils began suddenly leaking refrigerant in 2008. These were not old coils either, and some had only been installed for a year when the issues arose. 

In my January 2022 column, I made a broad call for improved water intelligence to offer improved building occupant health. This is nothing new to the HVAC industry, with system monitoring and control extending far beyond the mechanical room and into the most remote areas of the building