Lines in the slab and lines on paper

BY BOB ‘hot rod’ ROHR,

contributing writer

I have had a great time sharing stories with you in Phc News. It has been more than a year now that I have been writing a monthly column. Writing has allowed me to reflect back over 30 years of wrench turning to reminisce and put down on paper some of my experiences. The discipline of writing on a monthly basis has been interesting, as well. I have been self-employed for virtually all of my 30 years in the trades. Deadlines are a bit more lax when you call your own shots. The monthly deadline has seemed to speed up my life.

Earlier this year, in February, I switched gears a bit in my career. I was offered a job as a trainer for a hydronic component manufacturer. I have used products from this manufacturer since they entered the U.S. market six years ago. I had the opportunity to visit their manufacturing facilities in Europe. When the call came inviting me to the North American home office, I jumped on it. As in the past, I had expected a show- and-tell visit -- manufacturer to contractor. By day’s end, the visit turned into a job offer.

I have toured a handful of plants over my career. I started early, as we visited various plants with my high school shop classes. I still remember details of my trip to Bethlehem Steel in Lackawanna back in the 1970s; that trip had a special impact, as my dad worked there for many years after returning from World War II. He always had great stories to tell of working at the plant, and quite a cast of fellow workers visited my dad’s shop at our home. The sights and sounds of walking through a large steel plant will stay with me forever. The noise. The smell. The danger. I’d recommend you jump at any opportunity to visit a manufacturing facility should the offer come your way. Trust me, the factory visit shows on television are nowhere near the “real deal.”

Lately the trips have become even more exciting as I travel around Europe visiting manufacturers. I have been fortunate to visit not only the places where the products are built, but also a number of job sites where the products are put to use. If you get a chance to travel overseas to visit plants or job sites, drop whatever you are doing and pack your bags. So much can be learned from conversing with installers and the folks that invent, design and build components for hydronic and solar industry.

When the day came to decide to put down my tool box, a bit of anxiety set in. Everything I have and know is a result of my hands and tools. Starting over in a career in mid-50s is a big step. I felt I had a lot of knowledge and great experiences to share, but I had to get comfortable working in front of a room of my peers and make the presentation fun and interesting. Would it take years to develop such skills? What if it didn’t work out? Would it be an option to load up the truck every morning and head off to the job site? My job now includes a lot of travel, completely different clothes, unfamiliar tools and unfamiliar territory. Ten months into a new career I am starting to feel more comfortable and getting a rhythm. I have had a lot of help and encouragement from some of our industries’ best and brightest. To them I say thank you and I will pass along the favors.

So I hope to continue to appear between the pages here on an intermittent basis. I’ll turn over the monthly space to a fine, funny and knowledgeable hydronician who goes by the name Paul Rohrs. I have followed his work and writing at www.heatinghelp.com for years. We have chatted at a number of industry gatherings.

I think the Phc News team and Paul have made a wise choice. I’d ask the readers to take the time and communicate with Paul. Tell him about what you would like to read. Be honest and fair with him when you critique. The more you interact, the better Paul can address your desires for information and stories.

I’ll drop by the magazine from time to time. I’m especially excited to be part of the new solar age. I hope to spend the majority of my time and energy looking into alternative energy. I’ll show and tell you what I see and learn. It will be a fun and timely trip; there is so much happening in this field, and we all win by offering alternative options to our customers. Ciao!                   

Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr has been knee-deep in plumbing, heating and solar work since he was a kid. He has learned a lot of simple ways to install, repair and update hydronic systems. Check out his new, downloadable “Cool Tips from Hot Rod” at www.showmeradiant.com.