460 Building Boiler Talent: Fundamentals, Online Training, and Better Partnerships with Eric Johnson

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 possible, and over-communicate inspection schedules so the water treater can prepare the program before the boiler is opened.  Listen to the full conversation above. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!    Timestamps  02:20 - Trace Blackmore sets the stage on boiler fear vs. Respect, learning boilers from a Navy-Trained mentor  09:20 - Words of Water with James  10:50 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals   14:20 - Interview with Eric Johnson of Boilearn  16:30 – Eric's Path: HVAC school – Boiler Service Tech – Founder   19:10 – What Boilearn Does  22:10 – The lost "lifeline" problem  33:20 – Electrical Troubleshooting  44:20 – Coordinating Boiler Openings and Inspections    Quotes  "I've learned that boilers are something you definitely need to respect, but definitely not fear."  "There's a career behind boilers. There's a career behind water treatment and not enough people talk about it."    Connect with Eric Johnson Email: [email protected]  Website: Boilearn I The Foundation of Boiler Training  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericjohnson2020/   Boilearn: Overview | LinkedIn     Guest Resources Mentioned   Boilearn Boilearn mission and origins  Boiler operator roles and skills  Common steam‑boiler problems   Safe boiler operation guide  Boiler start‑up and maintenance  Safer operation manual    Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned  AWT (Association of Water Technologies)  AWT Technical Training Seminars   Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses  Submit a Show Idea    Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is water lost from a cooling tower as liquid droplets are entrained in the exhaust air.     2026 Events for Water Professionals  Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.