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In 1968, on a warm summer day, my mother looked out her kitchen window facing Minnesota Highway 75 and was horrified to see my little brother, only 3 years old, hanging onto the back of one of my dad’s electrical service trucks, which was just pulling out onto the highway heading south. 

Most plumbing company marketing sucks. But then, most small business marketing sucks.

I have far too many memories of freeze damage in "winterized" homes where the winterizing procedure consisted of shutting off the main valve, opening a basement drain in the potable water system, opening all faucets, flushing every toilet, adding automotive antifreeze to traps and toilet tanks/bowls, and turning off the heat. 

I’ve been around a little while, my friends, and I’ve had to adapt to change throughout my career. 

Most manufacturers rate their condensate pumps in square feet EDR. 

Whenever a hydronic system is divided into several zones, it’s worth considering a buffer tank between the heat source and distribution system. 

Submissions were collected over the summer and then reviewed by a panel of third-party judges made up of distinguished ASHRAE members. Entrants are evaluated based on overall innovative design, creativity of the product or service offered, application, as well as potential market impact.

The conversation typically goes like this: The owner tells me, “Al, I don’t know if I can get buy-in here for the operating manuals.”

An installer is asked to pipe up two larger commercial air handlers supplied by a dual boiler setup.