This was my first book and a true labor of love. I spent decades studying steam and the work of Dead Men, in both old buildings and on library shelves. I traveled the country, haunting used-book stores, looking for engineering books that held the answers to questions that nagged at me. I was obsessed with this topic, and when I finally sat to write, I poured all that I had learned into this book, and as I wrote, I tried my best to make the words sound good to you - like we were together and having a conversation. I wanted you to know what I know and I wanted you to be able to do what I can do when it comes to old steam systems. This book arrived in 1992 and has since gone though dozens of printings. We've sold it in every state as well as in foreign countries. Steam heat is everywhere there are old buildings, so why shouldn't you be the one with the answers? Dan Holohan
Excerpt from Steam Heating for Buildings, or Hints to Steam Fitters: Being a Description of Steam Heating Apparatus for Warming and Ventilating Private Houses and Large Buildings, With Remarks on Steam, Water, and Air, in Their Relation to Heating; To Which Are Added Useful Miscellaneous Tables It was within the twenty years previous to the writing of the first edition of this book (1878) that the warming of buildings with steam carried through pipes became anything like a science; previously, it was a "chaotic mass of pipes, and principles," and even at the present time there is much blundering by persons who, being in some of the other engineering branches, imagine any one may do steam heating without any special training. A low-pressure gravity apparatus is a healthful fairly economical, and pretty perfect heating appliance, and may be constructed to heat a single room, or the largest building, with a uniformity which cannot be attained by any other means, except, perhaps, hot water. By a gravity apparatus is meant, one without an outlet, whose circulation is perfect, wasting no water, and requiring no mechanical means returns to return the water to the boiler. It may with a hot water apparatus be likened to the circulation of the blood - the boiler being the heart; the steam-pipes, the arteries; and the return-pipes, the veins; thus carrying heat and life into every part of a building. When reference is made to steam-pressure in this volume, it is understood to mean pressure above the atmosphere. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
If you're a homeowner with steam heat, know that I wrote this one for you. If you'd like to fix uneven heat and squirting air vents or want to reduce your fuel bills and silence clanging pipes, then arm yourself with this book and smile. This is not a do-it-yourself book. Here's what you'll learn: How your steam-heating system works (and why it might not) What each component does (or what it's supposed to do) Why high pressure in a steam-heating system won't work How the choice of fuels can affect your system What causes all that noise (and how to get ride of it once and for all) Simple ways to lower your fuel bill What you can do yourself When you should keep your hands in your pockets How to find a steam-heating pro (and how to avoid the knuckleheads) Things that should be in every contract you sign for steam-heating work The right questions to ask when replacing a boiler How to fix, move, clean, paint and/or replace an old radiator How to have a hot-water zone added to your steam-heating system How to know if you can have your steam-heating system converted to hot-water heat And a whole lot more Arm yourself with this book. You will not be sorry. Dan Holohan
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