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A Steam Heat Primer by Dan Holohan (Podcast)

By Bryan Orr

In today’s podcast episode, Bryan gives an audio recording of the legendary Dan Holohan’s article, “A Steam Heat Primer.”

Read that article HERE.

Check out more about Dan’s work at heatinghelp.com.

If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

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Author:

Bryan Orr

Company: HVAC School

Position: Founder

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Our latest Podcast

HVAC School – For Techs, By Techs

Real training for HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Technicians. Including recorded tech training, interviews, diagnostics and general conversations about the trade.

In this episode, Bryan leads a live team meeting focused on getting technicians mentally and practically ready for the summer rush. He opens by asking the group to name what makes the season different, and the answers pile up quickly: higher call volumes, hotter attics, more irritable customers, and a nagging pressure to move faster than usual. Bryan distills these observations into a central theme that runs through the entire conversation — the tension between speed and thoroughness, and how the desire to rush during the busy season is the root cause of most costly mistakes and callbacks.

A major thread of the discussion is the idea of “sharpening your ax” before the season’s workload hits full force. Bryan pushes the team to build real confidence in their tools rather than assuming they work correctly. He walks through practical habits: verifying that a leak detector is properly calibrated, understanding its components well enough to troubleshoot it, and periodically checking a vacuum pump with a micron gauge so a technician instinctively knows what normal performance looks like. He also shares a story about a mentor named Howard Erskine, using it to illustrate how small, deliberate routines — from hose-rolling technique to truck organization — compound into real speed without sacrificing accuracy.

The conversation then turns to drain lines and diagnostic philosophy, centered on Bryan’s “wide, narrow, wide” framework. He explains that rushing tends to collapse a technician’s focus into the narrow middle step — fixing only the immediate complaint — while skipping the wide assessment before and after the repair that catches secondary issues like sagging platforms, damaged insulation, or drainage problems before they become bigger failures. A detailed real-world example involving an oversized system in a heavily shaded, lakeside home shows how factors outside a standard load calculation, like mature trees and humidity, can explain why equipment isn’t “keeping up” even when nothing is actually broken.

Bryan closes by connecting these technical habits to business outcomes, urging technicians to fully document and resolve issues rather than telling clients to “keep an eye on it.” He frames average ticket size, callback rate, and time on call as honest indicators of thoroughness rather than sales pressure, and encourages the team to lean into detailed measureQuick reports, thermal imaging, and clear client communication so that no problem gets punted down the road. He wraps up with an honest, encouraging note about the grind of the summer season, reminding the crew that the long hours are temporary and that consistent, unhurried practices are what ultimately make the season more profitable and less stressful.

Topics Covered

What makes the summer HVAC season uniquely difficult, from heat and call volume to mental fog and burnout
The connection between rushing and increased callbacks, mistakes, and missed opportunities
“Sharpening your ax” — preparing tools and routines before the busy season hits
Properly calibrating and understanding leak detectors, including the H10
Using a micron gauge to verify vacuum pump performance and knowing when to change pump oil
Building personal routines and truck ergonomics to work faster without losing accuracy
Common and costly drain line issues, including float switches, double traps, and pitch problems
The “wide, narrow, wide” troubleshooting framework for full-system diagnosis
A case study on an oversized system in a shaded, lakeside home and how site conditions affect load
Handling clients who report a system “not keeping up,” including thermostat lookers vs. comfort-focused clients
Using measureQuick reports and third-party verification to build client trust
Evaluating ductwork, insulation, and equipment sizing as part of a full home assessment
Why documenting a clear path forward beats telling clients to “keep an eye on it”
Average ticket size, callback rate, and time on call as indicators of technician thoroughness
Maintaining a healthy mindset and work-life balance through the demands of summer

Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.

Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.

Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android.

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HVAC Summer Service Calls: Rushing, Mental Fog & How to Stay on Your Game

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