Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner - Articles - Page 6

CONTRACTOR’S CORNER

Dave Yates: Propane tanks and outdoor temperatures

Another lesson learned in the school of hard knocks.

Dave Yates

January 4, 2022

You ever have one of those jobs where nuisance heating system lockouts drove you crazy?

Dave Yates: Business insulation

Cash is king in business.

Dave Yates

December 6, 2021

Supply chain disruptions are ever present and show no signs of going away anytime in the near — or perhaps distant — future.

Dave Yates column: No chimney? No problem!

The tale of an oil hot-water boiler project and a hot head customer.

Dave Yates

November 3, 2021

Looking over the new home plans in order to provide the builder with pricing, I noticed there was no chimney included.

Dave Yates: Take a seat

Tips and tricks for repairing older faucets.

Dave Yates

October 4, 2021

My apprentice years were filled with a wide exposure to all manner of plumbing and heating jobs. At that time, F. W. Behler had just four seasoned employees who had been with the company for many years.

Dave Yates: Oh, my aching back!

Considerations for designing and installing radiant snow-melt systems

Dave Yates

September 7, 2021

Snow is coming, and my back recoils in fear at the thought. I should have added snow-melting for our driveway, but I was 30 years younger when we built our forever home.

Dave Yates: This way to egress

The key to success is having an exit strategy in place.

Dave Yates

August 3, 2021

PT Barnum had a real problem with patrons who lingered in his museum a bit too long, which limited the crowds and cut into profits. He needed a way to get people to leave and replaced the exit signs with “This Way to Egress.”

Dave Yates: Stone-cold crazy

Liars never win; and cheaters never prosper.

Dave Yates

July 5, 2021

Way back in 1972, I was working high steel, and we were laying out new Butler steel roof panels.

Dave Yates: Troubleshooting an electric water heater

Tips and tricks of the trade.

Dave Yates

May 31, 2021

Troubleshooting tank-style two-element electric water heaters is relatively simple once the operation is understood.

Dave Yates: Immersed in your job

A leak detection investigation.

Dave Yates

April 30, 2021

I knew my day was going sideways when it was going to be necessary to change into a bathing suit and get wet in the customer’s master bath in order to find out what was causing a leak into the basement.

Dave Yates: Heroes and zeros

Texas PHVAC contractors face unprecedented challenge.

Dave Yates

April 5, 2021

As Texas settled into a deadly-serious Polar Vortex, you could predict the pattern emerging based on your own past experiences with bitter-cold sustained weather conditions: No-heat calls inundating your emergency calls; heating systems not able to keep up with demand; heating systems stressed to the breaking-point; followed by frozen water lines, water services and water mains; and then biblical flooding and damage once thawing temperatures arrived.