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

Warm Beer and Snowmelt Systems

When it comes to potential problems on a job, trust your instincts.

January 4, 2021

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

Do you remember your very first career-related equipment repair? I do. It’s etched in my brain forever.

Contractor Stories

Grinding My Gears

My pet peeves: factory-installed pressure relief valves and inconsiderate customers.

December 1, 2020

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

My pet peeves: factory-installed pressure relief valves and inconsiderate customers.

Contractor Stories

Choosing a Boiler

Select models able to meet the building's heat loss on the coldest day of the year, based on the heat loss load calculation.

October 31, 2020

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

Select models able to meet the building's heat loss on the coldest day of the year, based on the heat loss load calculation.

Contractor Stories

Manual J Simplified

Some tips on doing manual heat loss load calculations.

October 6, 2020

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

Some tips on doing manual heat loss load calculations. Using the software is easier, I think it’s important to understand what these numbers represent and where they come from.

Contractor Stories

@pipefitter71: One of Chicago’s Best

This hydronic heavyweight is invested in this trade because he loves what he does, and is learning every day.

August 31, 2020

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

This hydronic heavyweight is invested in this trade because he loves what he does, and is learning every day.

Contractor Stories

Commercial Boilers and CSD-1

We’re required to follow these rules so boilers don’t blow up and people don’t die; the AHJ is both the check and balance in that equation.

August 10, 2020

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

The opening paragraphs of any commercial boiler installation manual will inundate you with acronyms, standards, codes and multiple mentions of the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). This one is courtesy of Dunkirk Boiler. Sound familiar?

Contractor Stories

Changes

Time to say goodbye to Chicago and hello to a new city, new home and new opportunities.

July 5, 2020

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

It’s time to say goodbye to Chicago and hello to a new city, new home and new opportunities.

Contractor Stories

There’s a Better Way

Guys like me realize that we all start at the bottom and it takes many years to get good at your craft. So ignore the trolls.

June 1, 2020

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

They are not going away any time soon and every response to their vitriol just further serves their cause. Efforts of being reasonable, polite, humble and displays of self-deprecation will be in vain.

Contractor Stories

My Ideal Heating System

Getting out of the trenches gave me more time so I could design and build the perfect beast in my home.

May 5, 2020

Stephen Minnich

No Comments

I've dreamt about it, planned for it, designed for it, changed it a million times, and was never quite sure it would happen. Getting out of the trenches gave me more time so I could design and build the perfect beast in my home.