Stephen Minnich

Stephen Minnich has nearly 40 years of experience in the heating industry, primarily installing and servicing hydronic systems. He most recently operated Minnich Mechanical Design, based in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village. Minnich is currently an HVAC consultant for Elevate Energy, Chicago.

Contractor Stories

One-Step Program

My heating paraphernalia collection obsession is too much fun to stop.

January 7, 2020

Stephen Minnich

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It started innocently enough. It was just one every now and then. Until it became a daily routine — an obsession, if you will. Once I had one, I couldn’t stop myself. I had to have more.

Contractor Stories

Are You the Curious Sort?

Sometimes you need to perform a ‘part autopsy’ to get at the heart of a problem and come up with the right solution.

December 5, 2019

Stephen Minnich

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I am and always have been curious, especially when it comes to heating parts and equipment.

Contractor Stories

Radiant Floor Design Tips

What you need to know to design and install a successful radiant floor heat project.

November 4, 2019

Stephen Minnich

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When it comes to radiant floor design, there’s a lot to know. There’s no way I can cover a complete radiant design in this column or this entire magazine for that matter.

Contractor Stories

Not Once

Promoting your business is good, but having people attracted to it makes the sale so much easier.

September 5, 2019

Stephen Minnich

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Not once have I asked for the sale when on a sales call. What? Yup, it’s true. I was always confident I’d have a pretty good shot at getting the job without having to ask.

Contractor Stories

The Folly of Youth

August 7, 2019

Stephen Minnich

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Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-One. I figured I’d sound older and wiser if I typed it out rather than just a 1, 9 , 8, and a 1. Well, maybe not wiser but certainly older.

Contractor Stories

Boiler Room Prefabrication

You can save money and effort — and have fun doing it — by prefabbing your own hydronic panels.

July 8, 2019

Stephen Minnich

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The way I see it, we have three ways to put together a boiler room. We can piece it together on site, fitting by fitting, following a piping schematic. We can buy a prefab panel from a manufacturer. Or, we can build our own prefab panel suited specifically for the job it’s intended for.

Contractor Stories

Energy Efficiency and Steam Heat

We can reduce the size of most steam boilers as well as reduce their carbon footprint.

June 4, 2019

Stephen Minnich

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Why aren’t we trying harder to make steam heating systems more efficient? It seems to me we can reduce the size of most steam boilers and, at the same time, reduce their carbon footprint.