I was taught from the very beginning of my design-build career to always start with a system flow diagram. The phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” doesn’t do justice to the true value of a ...

Illustration by Sarah Cheney. Imagine a home in which the temperature is always comfortable, yet the heating and cooling system is out of sight. That system performs efficiently but doesn’t require ...

Maybe the problem was born in design - overestimating pump head, or a cooling tower that isn’t towering enough. Or it arose in installation - say, misconnected coils. Even then, a fix may create a new ...