On Oct. 3, 1854, an industrious young man from New Haven, Connecticut, filed U.S. Patent No. 11,747. Stephen J. Gold called his patent “Improvement in Warming Houses by Steam.” 

Few would argue that fin-tube baseboard was the “flagship” heat emitter in North American hydronic heating systems through much of the 20th century. 

There are only two types of companies I’ve ever worked with in my 18 years of being a consultant to the contracting industry.

Like you, we’re navigating uncharted territory — but we remain laser focused on implementing procedures that will protect our employees and volunteer leaders and providing resources that will support you, our valued members.

It’s an exciting time for the plumbing and heating industries. 

Few contractors are successful with plumbing service agreements, but they should be.

Suppose I was to tell you there exists a tankless water heater you could install on the hardest of hard water that would never, ever have to be descaled and that its heat exchanger’s water pathways would look almost as clean as the day it was born. 

Have you ever felt a lack of energy and/or excitement to jump out of bed and hit the ground running? Do you love what you do for a living? If you answered yes to either one or both of those questions, you are not alone. 

A few years ago, an engineer who works with older New York City buildings started to email me with good questions, mostly about steam heating. 

I recently designed a system for my daughter’s new home with a water-to-water geothermal heat pump as its main heat source.