PERC presented Lance Syrett, general manager of Ruby’s Inn with its national Energy for Everyone Hero Award for environmental stewardship.

It’s acceptable to raise the hot water storage temperature if you incorporate temperature-balancing scald-guard devices either at the point-of-source, or better still, at all points of use where human contact will occur.

Color me a skeptic. One of our supply house salesmen constantly hounded me regarding citrus-based no-salt water softeners. I never did buy into the sales literature hype, so we never installed any.

Judge Roy Lam could easily have been mistaken for a hang-em-high judge from a Clint Eastwood western movie! His demeanor could have scared-straight even the hardest of criminals. While arguing a case before another District Magistrate Judge where the deadbeat customer’s lawyer clearly sensed he was losing the case, he announced I had chosen the wrong venue (District Court for our business area) and should have filed charges against his client in her district. I asked him if he would really want to have me bring this case before Judge Roy Lam? He, realizing that would be a fool’s errand on his part, wisely threw in the towel. We secured full judgment and, finally, got paid.

The first time I ever bid and landed a commercial plumbing contractor, it was for a huge retail store on the upper floor of a local shopping mall. Every bidder was required to provide submittals for virtually everything being installed.

If you’re my age, you’ll remember Chubby Checker singing the Limbo song. If you’re wondering who and what that is, check out the link. I found myself thinking of that song and how low can you go when reviewing some flat panel radiator pictures.

I love design-build mechanical projects, and York Arts was one that presented many challenges. The basement level would be two large pottery classrooms with a third room isolated for the electric kilns, the first floor an art gallery and offices and the upper floor was to be classrooms and a large open space where lectures, painting classes or gatherings would be held. With such a diverse and wide-ranging load for maintaining thermal comfort, multiple zones would need to be created.

I was first introduced to black water in 1972 as an apprentice at F. W. Behler, where I had just begun the never-ending learning curve. We were draining a hydronic hot water system that served a large row home with standing cast iron radiators. The water was dark colored and smelled a bit funky, but it was explained, to me, that this was perfectly normal and highly desirable because that indicated the hydronic water was essentially devoid of free oxygen.

Customers with steam heating systems often ask if there is any way for them to reduce operating costs. In addition, after asking, they note there is uneven heat distribution and want that resolved, too.

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.