Make Trades Great Again
Whether you're a seasoned professional, a newcomer, or simply interested in the trades, the "Make Trades Great Again" podcast offers something for everyone. Our goal is to promote the value of skilled trades, provide essential resources, and build a strong community of passionate individuals.
Industry Insights - Educational Content - Community Stories - Technology in Trades
Tune in now and be part of the movement to make trades great again!
Make Trades Great Again
Latest Episodes
We Installed a Radiant Cooling System...You Can Too!
Andy and Eric discuss their recent project installing a Viessmann air-to-water heat pump system, exploring its performance, efficiency, and potential applications in radiant cooling and heating. They share insights on system design, energy savi...
The Boys Are Back Together in Montana
Eric is flying out to work with Andy on the Mickelson P&H shop! This episode features a deep dive into radiant heating design, heat pump integration, and insulation strategies for shop construction. Hosts Eric and Andy share pra...
Eric Hates Combi-Boilers
Should we stop installing combi-boilers? Eric and Andy discuss the pros and cons of combi-boilers, the longevity of different heating systems, and practical advice for choosing the right water heating solutions for North Amer...
Who is Mark Wille
Hey MTGA fans, we're excited for you to meet a good friend of ours, olease give it a listen! Mark Wille shares his journey from childhood in construction to becoming a leader in building science and education. Discover his insights ...
Trouble with Trying New Equipment
We explore the challenges and lessons learned from installing new heat pump systems, including a detailed account of a failed project. We discuss equipment selection, troubleshooting, and the realities of integrating innovative technology into ...
Fan Mail
#MTGA Hey guys i wanted to reach out for your thoughts on something. Been listening to the podcast for about five years now and I love it. You two make my day when a new episode drops. You two really help get through any type of day good, bad, and ugly. I have six years of open shop plumbing experience. Been out on my own for just about four out of the six years. ( in my own truck in the company, not in my own business). The shop I recently worked for taught me everything I know, great relationship with the manager and other plumbers. The owner suddenly cut a good portion of our wages in the sense of commission. We used to make very good money overall with what you guys would say is a low hourly and I would agree. For some context I was in the 20s/hr but the commission made up for it. The owner pretty much cut the commission and made it more of a productivity goal making it difficult to get it at all. We also had 24hr on call which we didn't get any compensation for unless we went out on a call and even then it didn't seem worth it giving up the personal time. This week, I started at a new company making more money up front with no commission. It's a very small shop that's been in business for about 15 years. The first thing I noticed was it seems like the owner doesn't stock much at all and gets a lot of material from the big box stores. This is very different for me since my last shop had just about everything ready to go. The new shop does treat the customer just the same and gets the larger stuff like water heaters and water treatment systems fr
Warrington, Pennsylvania
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