Making the Watts Experience Better

[hausdok]

Hi All,

Well, it's been a couple of months and I recently heard from the Watts folks. They're interested in continuing to work with TIJ to bring good hydronic and radiant heating training to home inspectors and they're asking for more input. So, I'm hoping that the dozen folks who attended the first course with me can help us design a better course.

Let's try first to stick to the same concept of a 2-day course. and see if, now that we know what their capabilities are, we can tweak the training to achieve a better result.

My initial thoughts are:

• less emphasis on the types of PEX
• less emphasis on the manufacturing process
• more emphasis on their appropriate uses
• more emphasis on the various components of a hydronic system
• more emhasis on where these components need to be located within a system and the negative aspects when they're not so installed
• more emphasis on common problems encountered and what their indicators are

That should get us started.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[StevenT]

Funny you should bring this up, I'm hoping that they hold another class, since I had to cancel attending the last one.

[hausdok]

Hi Steve,

They not only want to hold the classes in Springfield; they're hoping that we can help them tailor a seminar presentation that will spark more interest in learning more about these systems. Given the push toward green technologies, I think knowing a lot about these is going to one day be requisite in this business.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[StevenT]

A house that I inspected last week had a hydronic system in it. Sure I was able to generally look at the system. but I was sure missing what I think I would have learned at Watts.

Count me in.

[kurt]

Cool. I've given this some thought since we were there, and your primary points are also mine.

Your last 3 items are of particular interest; while they touched on these items, they should have really zeroed in on them.

[hausdok]

Originally posted by StevenT

A house that I inspected last week had a hydronic system in it. Sure I was able to generally look at the system. but I was sure missing what I think I would have learned at Watts.

Count me in.

Even in a day and a half, I soaked up a lot of info there. Two weeks ago, I inspected a co-op built in 1947 that has in-floor radiant hydronic heat. The system has been recently upgraded and there are two new boilers installed alongside an old boiler.

In days gone by, I would have disclaimed everything to do with the hydronic system and referred it all over to Northwest Mechanical. This time, I knew what some of the new components are, where they should be in the system, was able to easily recognize how the old system is laid out, and I actually understood everything that I was looking at.

If that were a 3-day course, and it focused more on those last three bullets above, as Kurt pointed out, I think I'd be very comfortable looking at any of these, regardless of how complicated they are.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[randynavarro]

Yes!

Hands-on training is always the best.

Teach us design principles. Give us a system to design. We build it--virtually, of course. Then have it reviewed, critiqued and corrected where needed.

[hausdok]

Kewl,

That's a good suggestion. You'd want to do that late in the course, right?

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Les]

Well,

First off, there were a couple of times during the two days that the class participants were too divided in their different levels of understanding. The instructors could have, should have, surveyed the participants and quickly adjusted the material to the class's level. In short, that particular class was comprised of very sharp individuals that could have handled just about anything they could present.

I liked the mfg parts, but got bored with how to make a header etc. I know how to make a header. I do not know how to make PEX, but I do now.

They should have had quite a bit more on nomenclature. More on pumps, I could not believe how little the class knew about pumps. More on "looking" at systems and a real deal live system! While I thought the class was one of the best, or best, class I have ever attended for inspectors. An inspector, maybe two, should be co-presenters to help tone down the Watts guys. I think they could take me off the deep end, as they are very smart but not inspectors. Inspectors should leave the class with enough knowledge to make their own presentation to fellow inspectors and or interested individuals. The knowledge is there at Watts, now we need to figger out a way to get it!

I would appreciate the opportunity to do it again.

[fqp25]

I agree with you guys. Actually, I thought Mike would want more Algebra!!!

I think they had a lot to cover, and not enough time. I felt the second half day was rushed. Especially when we started to get a little into the design aspects

I like the idea of component identification and correct placement in a system. I feel that systems are going to start to be bigger, or at least more spread out and they are going to have much more electronic controls. I think we have to keep pace with the technology.

Frank