{"podcast":{"title":"Scaling UP! H2O","slug":"scaling-up-h2o-7746","podcast_index_feed_id":7746,"rss_url":"https://scalingup.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://scalinguph2o.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/b/0/0/f/b00f6cb167c1837a/ScalingUP-Logo-Color-2019-square.jpg","author":"R. Trace Blackmore, CWT, LEED AP: Water Treatment Enthusiast, Trainer and Consultant","episode_count":491,"summary":"The podcast where we scale up on knowledge so we don't scale up our systems. Find out why working in Industrial Water Treatment is the best job in the world. Hear industry experts share their knowledge and stories. Learn about technologies, methods, and career journeys. Join podcast host Trace Blackmore, former AWT President, LEED, and CWT every Friday for a new episode.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scaling-up-h2o-7746"},"episode":{"title":"460 Building Boiler Talent: Fundamentals, Online Training, and Better Partnerships with Eric Johnson","slug":"460-building-boiler-talent-fundamentals-online-training-and-better-partnerships-with-eric-johnson","published_at":"2026-01-23T06:00:24+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scaling-up-h2o-7746/460-building-boiler-talent-fundamentals-online-training-and-better-partnerships-with-eric-johnson","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scaling-up-h2o-7746","url":"https://scalinguph2o.com/?p=59642","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scalingup/Scaling_Up_H2O_-_460_-_Eric_Johnson_v2.mp3?dest-id=797464","summary":"Boilers can feel intimidating the first time you step into a boiler room—the heat, the noise, the pressure gauge, and the weight of knowing that mistakes can be costly. Trace Blackmore opens with a reminder that boilers deserve respect, not fear—and that learning fundamentals is how you replace mystique with clarity. The talent gap behind the boiler room door Eric Johnson , Founder and CEO of Boilearn , explains why boiler expertise is becoming harder to replace. He points to the shrinking pipeline of boiler-trained technicians—historically strengthened by Navy steam training—and why companies can't rely on \"tribal knowledge\" and informal shadowing alone to develop the next generation. Training that scales past the 2–3 day class Eric shares what pushed him to build Boilearn: technicians and operators need structured, repeatable competency systems—not just scattered classes and a \"shotgun approach\" to on-the-job training. He lays out why fundamentals can be taught effectively online when it's done well, and why travel-heavy training models often spend a large share of the budget on logistics instead of learning. Troubleshooting that starts with fundamentals Troubleshooting is where boiler work can feel like a mystery—until you understand fundamentals and sequence of operations. Eric explains how technicians can isolate problems faster by knowing what should be moving (or not moving), testing one theory at a time, and using electrical diagrams as a practical roadmap when formal sequence documentation isn't available. Better partnerships between boiler techs and water treaters The conversation closes with practical steps that reduce friction and finger-pointing: take photos during inspections, package observations clearly in service reports, communicate directly when poss…","meta_description":"Boilers can feel intimidating the first time you step into a boiler room—the heat, the noise, the pressure gauge, and the weight of knowing that mistakes…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3790,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/scaling-up-h2o-7746/episodes/460-building-boiler-talent-fundamentals-online-training-and-better-partnerships-with-eric-johnson/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scaling-up-h2o-7746/460-building-boiler-talent-fundamentals-online-training-and-better-partnerships-with-eric-johnson.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}