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Library Categories

Very Old Stuff Back to top
A Proposal for Warming Rooms by the Steam of Boiling Water Conveyed in Pipes Along the Walls And also a Method of Preventing Ships from Leaking. Both by Col. Wm. Cook. This original document is from The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1745. This is the first time the possibility of heating buildings with steam is mentioned in a book.
Eckstein's and Busby's Patent Circulator The first circulator. This is from Charles Hood's A Practical Treatise on Warming Buildings by Hot Water, Steam, and Hot Air, Fifth Edition, 1879. The first edition of Mr. Hood's book appeared in London in 1837.
Gold's Mattress Radiator Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding the patent for Steven J. Gold's "mattress" radiator. This is the first radiator that was a commercial success in America.
Roman Hypocausts This is from an 1845 book titled, Bernan's History and Art of Warming and Ventilating Rooms and Buildings. Walter Bernan was a Civil Engineer in London. What we have here is a very thorough look at how the Romans did radiant heating.
The Origin of the British Thermal Unit Here are a few pages from Thomas Tredgold's 1824 book, The Principles of Warming and Ventilating Public Buildings, etc. This is the first text ever written about heating and ventilating. In it, Mr. Tredgold writes about a new way of measuring heat, which evolved into what we today call the British thermal unit.
The Patent for Steven J. Gold's Boiler Mr. Gold was the inventor of the first radiator, the "mattress" radiator. Here is is patent for his boiler, which appeared nine years later. Much thanks to Gerry Gill for sharing this wonderful document with us.
Ventilating Slave Ships This is from David Boswell Reid's 1844 classic, Theory and Practice of Ventilation. Makes you think about engineering in a whole new way, doesn't it?
Air Conditioning Back to top
Do It Yourself - Cool Entire House About fifty years ago, General Air Conditioning offered a ductless system before the current mini-split technology. Special thanks to John Mills for finding this one and sharing it with us.
American Standard Heating Products Back to top
Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 1 Thanks to John Mills for sharing and scanning this catalog from 1957. Many of the products you'll find here are still in the field. Thanks, too, to Alex Marx for his help with the file conversions. This is in five files
Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 2 Part 2
Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 3 Part 3
Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 4 Part 4
Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 5 Part 5
Anodes Back to top
Anode patent Courtesy of Joe Szakacs.
Anti-corrosion device Thanks to Joe Szakacs for sharing this great information with us.
Elno booklet Thanks to Joe Szakacs for sharing this with us. He's taught many people with it.
The Cleveland Heater Company's 1949 anode patent Gerry Gill tells me that this company was at the forefront of anode protection. Joe Szakacs first shared this information with Gerry, and now he has shared it with us. Thanks, Joe!
Asbestos Back to top
Asbestos ads Thanks to Gerry Gill for bringing us back to a time when asbestos was the "Miracle Mineral."
Asbestos hat? Thanks to Howard Ek for sharing this article from a time when we were, I suppose, more innocent.
Beacon Boiler Reference Book - Boilers between 1959 and 1972 Back to top
Part 01 (Special thanks to Don Farrell of Industry Publications for sharing this book with us.) This section contains pages A1 through A19 and includes Table of Contents as well as the ratings for the following manufacturers: Aldrich Company, American-Standard, Axeman Anderson, Bethlehem Corp., Bock Corporation, Bryant Air Conditioning, Bryan Steam Corp., Burnham Corporation,
Part 02 This section contains pages A20 through A43 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Columbia Boiler Co. of Pottstown, Crane Company, Crown Industries, Inc., Dunkirk Radiator Corp., Edwards Engineering, Electric Furnace-Man, Inc., Federal Boiler Company, General Automatic Products Corp., General Electric Co., Gilbert & Barker Mfg. Co., Humble Oil & Refining Co., Hydrotherm, Inc., International Boiler Works Co., International Heater Co., S.T. Johnson Co., Lynn Products, Lookout Boiler & Mfg. Co.
Part 03 This section contains pages A44 through A62 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Marietta Metal Products Co., Mueller Climatrol, National U.S., New Yorker Steel Boiler, Paragon Oil Co., Peerless Heater Co.
Part 04 This section contains pages A63 through A84 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Portmar Boiler Co., Inc., Penn Boiler Div. Pebbco Industries, Inc., Rheem Mfg. Co., Roberts-Gordon Applicance Corp., Slant/Fin, The H.B. Smith Co., Stewart-Warner Corp., Thatcher Furnace Co., Themo-Dynamics, Thermo-O-Tek, Inc., Toridheet Div. Cleveland Steel Products Co., Utica Radiator Corp., Van Wert Mfg. Co., Waltham Products, Inc., WEstcott Snyder Mfg. Corp., Weil-McLain Co., York-Shipley, Inc.
Beacon Boiler Reference Book - Boilers prior to 1959 Back to top
Part 01 (Special thanks to Don Farrell of Industry Publications for sharing this book with us.) This section contains pages 1 through 26 and includes the Forward and ratings for the following manufacturers: Abendroth Bros, Acme Heating Div. Adams & Jones, Advance Boiler Corp., Advance Engineering Co., Air Don Co. Airtemp Div., Aldrich Company, Almy Water Tube Boiler Co., American Heating Co., American Boiler and Foundry, American Oil Burner Corp., American Ship Building Co., American-Standard
Part 02 This section contains pages 27 through 45 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Andrews Heating Co., Anetsberger Bros., Arc Way Steel Boiler Co., Atlantic Steel Boiler Co., Auburn Boiler Corp., Automatic Burner Corp., Axeman-Anderson Co., B-Line Boiler Co. Banta Heating Co., Barry & Zecher Co., Barstow Stove Co., Bass Foundry & Machine Co., Bastian-Morley Co., Baumann, Arthur C., Beckett Corp., R.W., Bernard Boiler Mfg. Co., Bethelehem Foundry and Machine Co., Birchfield Boiler, Inc., Birdsall & Co., W.A., Bock Corp., Borden Stove Co., Boynton Furnace Co., Brandenburg Research Corp., Breeze Engineering Corp., Brennan & Co., John, Briggs Filtration Co., Bros Inc., Brown Oil Burnign Equip. Co., Brown Products Co., Brownell Co., Bryan Steam Corp., Bryant Air Conditioning Corp., Bryant Mfg. Co., Bufalo Radiator Co., Burkhardt Engineering Assoc., Burley Heater Co.
Part 03 This section contains pages 46 through 64 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Burnham, Campbell Co., E.K., Canfield Supply Co., Carrier Corp., Carter Craft Co., Case & Son Co., W.A., Catskill Metal Works, Inc., Central Radiator Co., Central State Steel Boiler Co., Century Engineering Corp., Clayton Mfg. Co., Clow & Sons, James B., Coal-O-Matic Div., Coatesville Boiler Works, Columbia Boiler Co., Columbia Radiator Co., Combination Boiler Co., Conco Engineering Works, Consolidated Boiler Corp., Continental Heater Corp., Coreco, Inc., Abram Cox Mfg.,
Part 04 This section contains pages 65 through 86 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Crane Co., Crocker Htg. Eqpt. Co., Crotty Mfg. Co., Crown Home Equipment, Cruikshank Utilities, Co., V.M., Davis Co., John, Davis Engineering Corp., De-Lon Corp., Delco Appliance Div., Delta Heating Corp., Deringer Boiler Co., De Soto Oil Burner Corp., Dewey Shepard Boiler Co., Diesel Oil Burner Corp. of N.Y., Dodge, August W., Dowdeswell Co., Albert J., Drill Mfg., Co., Dunkirk Radiator Corp., Eastern Boiler Co., Eastern Foundry Co., Easternoil, Inc., Eckhart Mfg. Co., Edwards Engineering Corp., Electric Furnace-Man, Inc., Electrol Burner Mfg. Co., Erie City Iron Works, Esso Standard Oil Co., Ettinger Co., J.M., Farrar & Trefts, Inc., Federal Boiler Co., Federal Radiator Co., Fitzgibbons Boiler Co., Fluid Heat Div., Foran Boiler Co.
Part 05 This section contains pages 87 through 108 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Freed Heater and Mfg. Co., Frost Mfg. Co., Gar Wood Industries, General Automatic Products Corp., General Electric Co., General Heating Products Corp., General Oil Burner Corp., General Oil Heating Corp., General-Republic Heating Products Co., Gibbons Co. M.J., Gilbert & Barker Mfg. Co, Giblin & Co., Gibraltar Corp. of America, Inc., Glore Co., Evins F., Gorton Heating Corp., Graff Furnace Co., Green Mfg. Co., A., Gurney Heater Mfg. Co., Handon Boiler Corp., Hanson-Gates Mfg. Co., Inc., Harner Boiler Corp., Hart & Crouse Corp., Hart Heat Div. of Avery Farm Machinery Co., Harvey-Whipple, Inc., Hayes Pump & Planter Co., Hayward Oil Burner Corp., Heating Systems Corp., Heatmaster Boiler Div., Heil-Quaker Corp., Henion & Hubbell, Herbert Boiler Co., Herco Oil Burner Corp., Herendeen Mfg. Co., Hersey & Son. George H., Hitchings & Co., Hoffberger Co. C., Holland Radiator Co., Homease Products Div., Hook & Ackerman, Inc., Hook Heater Co., Hook Mfg. Co., Hopson & Chapin Mfg. Co., Hudson Boiler Mfg. Co., Hydrotherm, Inc.
Part 06 This section contains pages 109 through 127 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Ideal Furnace Co., Instant Heat Oil Burner Corp., International Boiler Works Co., International Heater Co., Iowa Mfg. Co., Iron Fireman Mfg. Co., Johnson Co., S. T., Johnson Washburn Co., Johnson Bros., Inc., K & G Mfg. Co., Kanawha Mfg. Co., Kellogg MacKay Co., Kelvinator Div., Kewanee-Ross Corp., Keystone Boiler & Foundry Co., Keystone Driller Co., Kleen-Heet Inc., Kohler Co., Kool-Base Boiler Co., Koven & Brothers, Inc, L.O., Landsale Boiler Co., Leader Iron Works,
Part 07 This section contains pages 128 through 146 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Jebanon Boiler & Furnace Co., Lehigh Valley Service Co., Little Burner Co., H.C., Loline Seel Boiler Co., Lookout Boiler & Mfg. Co., Lord & Burnham, Ludlow Welding Co., Lynn Products Co., Macrae, Inc., Magee Furnace Co., Manville Boiler Co., Marietta Metal Products Corp., McAlister Boiler Works D.J., McIntyre Eng. Co., McLain Co. J.H., Michigan Tank & Heater Co., Miller Co., Molby Boiler Co., Monitor Bi-Loop Radiator Co., Montgomery Ward Co., Morheat Corp., Morrison & Co. Alexander, Motor Wheel Corp., Mott Iron Works J. L., Mt. Hawley Mfg. Co., Mueller Climatrol, Mustee Heater Co., Nable Engine & Boiler Co., Nason Mfg. Co., National Fuel Convervation Co., National Prouducts Corp., Nation Steel Construction Co.
Part 08 This section contains pages 147 through 165 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: National U.S. Radiator Corp., Nelson Mfg. Co., New York Central Iron Works, New Yorker Steel Boiler Co., Niagara Radiator & Boiler Co., Norge Heat Div., Norse Boiler Co., Novelty Iron Co., Oil Equipment Laboratories, Inc., Oil City Boiler Works, Orr & Sembower, Inc., Otto Boiler Co.,
Part 09 This section contains pages 166 through 185 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Pacific Steel Boiler Div., Page Co., Wm. H., Page Water Tube Boiler Co., Paragon Oil Burner Corp., Pate Co., Inc., Peck-Williamson, Peerless Heater Co., The, Penn Boiler & Burner Mfg. Corp., Pennsylvania Furnace & Iron Co., Perco Heater Corp., Persiro Mfg. Corp., Persson & Kellison, Petro, Phoenix Steel Boiler Works, Pierce Butler Mfg. Corp., Porcupine Boiler Co. The, Portmar Boiler Co., Inc., Preferred Utilities Corp., Prizer Painter Stove & Heater Co., Prox Co. Inc. Frank
Part 10 This section contains pages 186 through 203 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Prudential Heating Co., Putnam Co. The, Quiet Automatic Burner Corp., Quiet May Div. of Penn Boiler and Burner Mfg. Corp., Raritan Radiator Co., Raypak Co. Inc., Red Wing Oil Burner Co., Reif-Rexoil, Inc., Republic Boiler Div., Ret-Rac Corp., Rheem Mfg. Co., Richardson & Boynton Co., Richardson & Morgan, Richmond Plumbing Fixtures Div., Richmond Radiator Co., Roberts-Gordon Appliance Corp., Robot Auto-Heat Corp., Rutledge Boiler Co., Inc., Rutledge Water Tube Boiler Co. R.W., Saunders Mfg. Corp. Schwab & Sons Co. R.J., Schwitzer-Cummins Co., Scott-Newcomb Div.,
Part 11 This section contains pages 204 through 223 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Sears Roebuck and Co.,Seattle Boler Works, Seevers Mfg. Co., Seidelhuber Iron & Bronze Works, Inc., Selectrol Engineering Co., Seltzer & Co., Scharp & Van Fleet Mfg. Co., Shephard Heater Co. Inc., Shirley Radiator & Foundry Co., Silent Glow Oil Burner Corp., Smith Corp. A.O., Smith Co. Inc. The H.B., Smith & Anthony Co., Smith & Thayer Co., Smith Twin Tubular Boiler Co., Inc., Spencer Hater - Lycoming Div. AVCO, Standard Arcoil Corp., Standard Heater & Oil Equipment Co., Standard-Yne Burner Corp., Stewart Warner Corp., Stokol Stoker Co., Surface Combustion Corp., Syncro-Flame Burner Corp., Temp-Rite Corp.,
Part 12 This section contains pages 213 through 246 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: Terre Haute Boiler Works Co., Texsteam Corp., Thatcher Furnace Co., Thompson Heater Co., Timken Silent Automatic Div., Titusville Iron Works Co. The, Toridheet Div. Cleveland Steel Products Corp., Triad Sales Corp., U.S. Radiator Corp., Union Stove Works, United Welding & Boiler Works, Universal Smokeless Boiler Co., Utica Heater
Part 13 This section contains pages 247 through 266 and includes ratings for these manufacturers: V&E Products, Inc., Van Wert Stoker Mfg., Co., Viking Mfg. Co., Walker & Pratt Mfg. Co., Waltham Oil Burner Co., Waterfilm Boilers, Inc., Wayne Home Equipment Co., Inc., Way-Wolff Associates, Inc., Weatherall Engineers Inc., Weil Boiler Co., Weil-McLain Co., Weir Stove Co., Wescott Snyder Mfg. Co., Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., Wholey Boiler Works, Wigert Boiler Works, Will-Burt Co., Williams Automatic Inc., Williams Oil-O-Matic Div., Williamson Co. The, Williamsport Radiator Co., Winston Co. of Mass. Inc., Wise Furnace Co., Wood Co. John, XX Century Heating & Ventilating Co., York Ice Machinery Corp., York-Shipley, Inc., Young Boiler Co., John T., Zambelli Boiler Works
Trade Name Index
Bell & Gossett Handbook, Second Edition, 1949 Back to top
Introduction and Section I Section I, Principles of Indirect Domestic Water Heating
Section II Principles of Forced Hot Water Heating. This section includes a very complete look at radiant heating, as done in 1949
Section III Heat Loss Determination
Section IV Electrical Controls
Section V Hydro-Flo Products
Section VI Supplementary Data and Index
Blueprints (The Tom Bates Wing) Back to top
A. Hamilton Intermediate School, Seattle, WA Tom Bates found these 1926 plans for us. This schools has a steam heating system.
Addition to Elementary School 69, Indianapolis, IN Thanks to Tom Bates for scanning this 1950 plans. Warm-air heat
Circa-1950 radiant system Here are the mechancial plans for the radiant system in the Harney County Hospital, Burns, OR. Thanks to Tom Bates for sharing them with us.
Elementary School 103, Indianapolis, IN Thanks to Tom Bates for this scan of a school built in 1963. Warm-air heat
Elementary School 11, Indianapolis, IN Thanks to Tom Bates. This school was built in 1953. Warm-air heat
Elementary School, circa-1920 Thanks to Tom Bates for finding and scanning these plans, which have seen better days.
Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA Plenty of everything on this job, and a great place to learn. Thanks to Tom Bates.
Public School 68, Indianapolis, IN A 1927 steam/vacuum system. Thanks to Tom Bates
Public School 88, Indianapolis, IN This school, built in 1955, had unit ventilators.
Renton Park Elementary School, Renton, WA A 1968 primary-secondary system. Thanks to Tom Bates
Tacoma Power Thanks to Tom Bates for finding and sharing these plans, which he tells us appears to be a large geothermal heating system, circa 1950. The plans are not complete, but they are all Tom could find. Thanks.
Boiler Explosions Back to top
Boiler Explosions - The Cause and the Remedy Getting to the bottom of it in October, 1884. This article is from The Manufacturer and Builder Magazine.
Explosion Reports from the early-1930s From Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company's "Locomotive" magazine. Special thanks to Steamhead for finding and scanning this eye-opening literature.
Fallacious Theories of Boiler Explosions From The Manufacturer and Builder magazine, March, 1872. Busting the "explosive electricity" myth.
General Report on the Explosion of Steam Boilers by a Committee of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanical Arts. This 1836 report tells of a time in America when boilers were sailing through the air on a near-daily basis.
On Boiler Explosions Chilling commentary from May, 1869. This is from The Manufacturer and Builder magazine.
Steam Locomotive Firebox Explosion on the Gettysburg Railroad near Gardners, PA, June 16, 1995 Thanks to John Ewing for sharing this with us. He notes the following: The long-dead designers of the steam locomotive involved included a key safety feature, and it worked, many years later. The accumulation of deferred maintenance items, each non-critical by itself, ultimately led to a catastrophic failure. The loss of a culture of knowledge about an exacting but economically obsolete technology added risks poorly appreciated by those still using the technology. The challenges faced by a small family-owned company in operating a steam locomotive without the old infrastructure in place are daunting. I am not in the heating trade myself; I work in the technical side of the rail industry -- but not with steam locomotives! Download the report HERE
Chimneys Back to top
Chimney Data From Spencer Heater's Steamfitters Handbook, published in 1917.
The Cause of Creosote in Chimney Flues An informative article from 1922.
Thermister patent Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent for the thermister.
Coal Heat Back to top
A Century of Progress in Domestic Heating A racy brochure from the Anthracite Institute!
Grades and Size of Coal From Spencer Heater's 1917 Steamfitters Handbook
Heating the House A wonderful explanation of what was involved with caring for a coal-heated home in 1943. From The New York Times.
The Stoker's Catechism Published in London in 1906 by W.J. Connor. A Q&A book for those tasked with stoking steam boilers.
Contracts & Proposals Back to top
Faultless Furman Hot-Water Heating Apparatus Thanks to Larry Weingarten for finding and sharing this 1896 contract with us. It's wonderful to get a look at how they did business back in the day.
Letter from Mr. Hoyt to a prospect The handwriting in this October 9, 1900 request to propose on a hot-water job is a bit difficult to decipher, but it's well worth the effort. I wonder if he got the job.
Controls Back to top
Bryant Pressure Tender Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent. He adds, "We got nothin' on the old-timers!"
Bryant Pressure-Tender for Vapor Steam Systems Thanks to Terry Tekushan for finding and sharing this one with us. He writes, "I thought this would be a nice addition to the Library under Controls. It might look good next to Gerry's submission of the heat tender. This one is a pressure tender for vapor systems. Both Gerry Gill and I have seen a few of these surviving quite well in the Cleveland area. I've not seen one on a Bryant steamer, but only on the B-Line which was apparently a subsidiary of Bryant. The B-line and Bryant No-Toi" steam boilers from the 1920s and early '30s that I have fully serviced are the only boilers I've consistently measured efficiencies of 83 to 84+%. Remarkable. The ancients were clever."
Honeywell gas valve patent Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent. And thanks to Tim McElwain for these comments about the patent, "It looks like the prototype for what became Honeywell’s Series 10 and Series 20 motorized valves. The Series 10 really caught on and was numbered the V-155 Motorized Gas Valve, it was used as a DPST Thermostat operated Valve with the old T-102 Chronotherm Thermostat. In later years the V-155 was reduced to a two wire SPST valve and labeled the V-855 Series 80. This is a very durable valve and still in operation on some old systems in the East Side of Providence to this day. The only maintenance is some “FINOL” oil (trade name from Honeywell) added to the valve once a year and it will work like a charm. The series 20 version was used on some old coal systems that had the concept of power to open and power to close (often called the stalled motor principle). It was not as popular as the V-155 for gas as it was a little more complicated to install the external system that went with it. Many of our newer controls today use the principle including White Rodgers motorized zone valves and zone dampers on warm air systems. We also see it on mod motors and some vent dampers." Timmie M. McElwain, President, Gas Appliance Service Training & Consulting and Gas Training Insitute - 338 Metacom Ave., Warren, RI - 22 Griffith Drive (Office) - Riverside, Rhode Island 02915
McDonnell & Miller patent for their #11 switch Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding this one.
Minneapolis-Honeywell Diaphragm Gas Valves Thanks to Mike Zydiak for sharing this with us.
District Heating Back to top
Detroit Edison's District Heating Plant Thanks to John Shea of Detroit Steam Heat for sharing this wonderful history with us.
Electric Radiant Heating Back to top
Electric Radiant Heating Installation Overview Thanks to Warmly Yours for sharing this installation overview with us.
Exams Back to top
Operating Engineer's Examination The hand-written date on this is June 22, 1935, but it may be older. Much to be learned from this one. Thanks to Tom Riso for finding, scanning, and sharing it with us.
Famous People Back to top
John B. Pierce Founder of the cast-iron radiator industry, and first Vice-President of the American Radiator Company. Thanks to Dave Stroman in Denver for finding and sharing this with us. If you'd like to see what became of the John B. Pierce Foundation, follow this link: The John B. Pierce Foundation
For the Homeowner/Builder Back to top
20 Ways to Save Money in Home Heating Essoheat Fuel Oil published this booklet in 1941. Timeless advice.
Brass and Copper In Your Home - Radiant Heating A beautifully presented case for radiant comfort. No date, but I'd say circa 1950.
Building with Assurance In 1923, the Morgan Woodwork Organization had Crane prepare the Development of Home Heating portion of their Building with Assurance book. A bit of history, and some easy-to-follow sizing information.
Consumer's Guide to Air Conditioning Economy From a time when Marley tried to sell cooling towers for residential use. Fascinating! Thanks to John Mills for sharing this one with us.
First Step to Better Heating and Plumbing for Your Home Thanks to John Mills for sharing this terrific 1947 marketing piece from American Standard. I've included only the section on heating.
Homart Gas-Fired Boilers Thanks to Bob Kramer for scanning this hard-to-find installation/operating booklet from Sears.
Homeowner's Guide for Better Indoor Living Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing this terrific piece from Century Engineering Corporation. No date, but most likely from the late-50s.
Homeowner's Guide to Better Indoor Living Through Better Heating and Cooling The Century Engineering Corporation published this interesting piece. No date, but it appears to be the late-40s. Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing this one with us.
How to Care for Your Heating Plant From the American Radiator Company. This will give you a good sense of how hands-on a proposition owning a heating system used to be. Special thanks to Alex Marx for the wonderful scan.
How to Choose a Heating System for Your New Home A report on concealed radiant heating, published for prospective homeowners by A. M. Byers Company, makers of Genuine Wrought Iron Pipe. No date, but I'd say the 1950s.
How to Install Homart Hot-Water and Steam Heating Systems In 1957, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold complete heating systems to homeowners, and they put together this booklet showing step-by-step how to install these systems.
Ideal Heating Here is a wonderful catalog from 1908 that will give you a glimpse of that long-gone time through pen-and-ink drawings and terrific descriptions of the products and what they can do for you. Ah, when central heating was new! How exciting it all must have been.
Iron Fireman Luminous Flame A beautifully illustrated consumer piece on the Iron Fireman. Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing.
Modern Plumbing and Heating from Sears, Roebuck and Co., Philadelphia In their day, Sears had it all over today's home centers when it came to heating, as you'll see. This is from 1927. I've scanned only the section on heating.
Montgomery Ward Heating & A/C catalog Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing this interesting brochure from 1962. Nice prices on the equipment!
Montgomery Ward Heating System Estimate Request Back in the day, you could sketch your home's dimensions on this form, and Montgomery Ward would size a complete heating system for you, sell it to you, and even rent you the tools to install it yourself.
Questions and Answers for the Home Fireman Published in 1936 by the U.S. Department of Commerce, all in the interest of saving fuel and improving comfort. Thanks to Alex Marx for doing the scan for us.
Radiant Heating for The Modern Home This 1947 brochure from Kohler makes a great case for hydronic heat. The "radiant" they refer to in the title isn't floor-heating, though.
Sears Heating & Plumbing offering This circa-1940s catalog shows the broad range of products and services Sears had to offer homeowners at the time.
The Honeywell System of Hot Water Heating This is a gorgeous little book that Honeywell prepared for homeowners and builders during the 1920s. Special thanks to Alex Marx for the terrific scan.
The Modern, Low-Cost Way to Home Heating Comfort Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing this terrific brochure from G.E., which first appeared during the winter of 1949
The Proper Operation of the Home Heating Plant Simple Rules for Saving Fuel from our friends at the Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company. No copyright date on this one, but from the 1920s.
What's Ahead in Home Heating An informative brochure that explains heating options to homeowners, published in 1946 by the Delco Appliance Division of General Motors.
Furnaces Back to top
Bovee Furnaces Thanks to John Mills for sharing this one with us. It's from way back in 1916, and from his hometown of Waterloo, Iowa.
Bryant Automatic Gas Heating A nice four-pager from 1957. Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing.
Modern Furnace Heating for Dwellings, Churches, Stores, Etc. This wonderful booklet is from The Hess Warming and Ventilating Co. of Chicago, IL. Along with it you'll find a sales letter from George Hess to L.H. Burns, dated March 20, 1909, and an estimate sheet. Mr. Hess did a fine job.
Richardson Perfect Pipeless Heaters This brochure from October, 1924 tells all about the "Heat at low cost" that's available to those who choose Perfect heaters from Richardson.
The Way It Was - Home Heating in 1916 Thanks to Thomas M. Long, P.E. for scanning and sharing this one. He writes, "I don't remember where I got this, because I've had it in a file for a number of years. The reason I kept it is because we lived in a duplex about 30 years ago that had one of these gravity furnaces, although it had been converted to burn fuel oil. This was the 'central' heating system and included a square cast iron grate in the living room floor. Somehow the warm air worked its way up the stairs and managed to keep at least part of the house reasonably warm."
General Electric Oil Equipment - Serviceman's Guide, August 15, 1964 Back to top
Model Data, Part 1
Model Data, Part 2
Service Notes
Service Procedures, Part 1
Service Procedures, Part 2
Service Procedures, Part 3
Service Procedures, Part 4
Service Procedures, Part 5
Service Procedures, Part 6
Service Procedures, Part 7
Service Procedures, Part 8
Troubleshooting Thanks to Ken Secor for sharing this one-of-a-kind (literally!) technician's manual. The GE boiler was quite unique.
Wiring Diagrams, Part 1
Wiring Diagrams, Part 2
Government manuals Back to top
Steam and Hot-Water Heating Plants War Department Technical Manual TM5-645, published in June 1947, covers the inspection and preventative maintenance service of steam and hot-water heating plants.
Greenhouse Heating Back to top
American Greenhouse Construction Heating And Equipment (1927) Written by Richard T. Muller. Download it HERE
Greenhouse Construction and Heating A nice piece from the US Department of Agriculture, issued May, 1923.
Heating Greenhouses This is from Alfred G. King's 1923 text, 500 Plain Answers to Direct Questions on Steam, Hot Water, Vapor and Vacuum Heating
Grundfos Back to top
Grundfos UP Series Product Guide Pump curves, specs, and technical data
History of the Industry Back to top
A Century of Progress in Fuel Technology This article, by O.P. Hood of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, appeared in Coal-Heat magazine in June 1933.
A Look Ahead Hugh J. Barron of the Barron Steam Heating Company, a New-York-based engineering firm, made this speech to the Master Steam and Hot-Water Fitters Association of the United States on June 6, 1893. It's filled with history and his "look ahead" was remarkably perceptive.
History of the Water Feeder and Low-Water Cutoff As told by E. N. McDonnell of McDonnell & Miller to his sales people. No date, but probably written in the 1940s.
Honeywell Tells the History of Heating This is a wonderful review of the heating industry from its inception through 1960. It's told by our friends at Honeywell in their Trade Winds magazine.
National Radiator Corporation Thanks to Steamhead for finding and scanning this 1928 document, which announces the formation of the National Radiator Corporation from seven smaller companies.
Progress in Heaing and Ventilating During the Past Quarter of a Century This is a reprint of an article that first appeared in the A.S.H.V.E. Journal section of Heating, Piping and Air Conditioning magazine in January 1931.
The Story of Gas Its history, with particular reference tothe American Gas Industry. This is from the American Gas Journal, October 11, 1925. It's a fine tale with many vintage photographs and drawings.
Trends in Heating Development K. C. Richmond, Editor of Coal-HeatL magazine, questioned 38 industry leaders and published this booklet in July, 1942. He asked them to speculated about trends that would take place in the heating industry once the war was over. Their predictions make for some fascinating reading.
Humidification Back to top
Early humidifier Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this 1932 patent for a humidifier that also cleaned the air in the room.
Humidity Back to top
Humidity in House Heating The cause and control of air dryness in house heating. A nice explanation from our Canadian friends. This one appeared in 1929.
Hydraulic Separation Back to top
Hydraulic Separation paper from PHP An excellent presention of the principles of hydraulic separation from our friends at PHP.
IPEX Back to top
Manual of Modern Hydronics This excellent book from IPEX covers Residential, Industrial and Commercial radiant heating, as well as Snow and Ice Melting. Thanks to IPEX's Chuck Waters for sharing this with us.
Johnson's Handy Manual Back to top
A Practical Guide for Practical Men Thanks to Tom Riso for scanning this classic. There is much to explore here in the heating sections of Mr. Johnson's manual. This is Part 1
Johnson's Handy Manual Part 2
Johnson's Handy Manual Part 3
Johnson's Handy Manual Part 4
Johnson's Handy Manual Part 5
Johnson's Handy Manual Part 6
Long-Gone Manufacturers Back to top
B-Line Gas Boilers For Hot Water, Vapor and Steam. B-Line was out of Cleveland, OH, and there's no date on this catalog, but it was most likely from the '20s. Thanks to Phil Deets of Deets Mechanical for finding, scanning, and sharing.
Gurney This 1900 trade catalog shows the complete range of Gurney products - boilers, radiators, accessories.
Sun Radiators and Heaters Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for sharing this unique 1905 catalog with us. It's from the U.S. Radiator and Boiler Company of Pittsburg, PA and contains some very hard-to-find rating.
Thatcher Boilers and Radiators Their catalog from 1931. Good practical information near the back of the catalog.
The Complete Line of the United States Radiator Corporation Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for scanning and sharing this wonderful catalog from 1922. Check out the radiator tongs on page 62!
Management Back to top
Training the Apprentice This delightful editorial from Domestic Engineering's March 20, 1915 edition proves that times have not changed that much.
Mark Matteson's Bookshelf Back to top
Customer Service Excellence by Mark Matteson This wonderful 80-page e-booklet is from our friend, Mark Matteson, one of the most inspiring public speakers around. Visit him at MattesonAvenue.com
Lessons From 40 Years In Sales Here are 20 ideas that will increase your sales from one of the brightest guys in the business.
Sales Success Stories by Mark Matteson Enjoy this 73-page e-booklet, courtesy of our friend Mark Matteson. Get inspired at MattesonAvenue.com
National Heating Guide, Blue Book of the Industry, 1930 Back to top
Part 1 Thanks to Jim Gaynor, P.E. of JSA Architects in Pittsburgh for finding, scanning and sharing this remarkable guide. There is so much here, and he was good enough to scan it in parts to make the download easier. This part starts at the cover page and ends at page 67.
Part 2 Pages 68 through 119
Part 3 Pages 120 through 169
Part 4 Pages 170 through 209
Part 5 Pages 210 through 249
Part 6 Pages 250 through 289
Part 7 Pages 291 through 339
Part 8 Pages 292 through the last page, which is 396. Thanks, Jim!
Oil Heat Back to top
Esso Oil Burner Featuring their Economy Clutch. A nice, plain-English explanation.
Go Through The Looking Glass with Al and Alice. Join them in their search for the ideal in Automatic Heating Equipment! I think you'll enjoy this 1948 consumer piece about the General Electric boiler. If you've ever wondered how those old beauties worked, this is the place to find out. Wonderful drawings and plain-English explanations.
If fuel bills were painted on rooftops . . . A clever Timkin flyer from our friend John Mills. Thanks for sharing!
Installation of Oil Burning Equipment, 1941 Standards of the National Board of Fire Underwriters for the Installation of Oil Burning Equipments as Recommended by the National Fire Protection Association, 1941. Thanks to Larry Sperling for scanning and sharing this with us.
Kohler 22 Oil Boiler Thanks to Alan Mercurio for sharing this nice 1956 brochure from Kohhler.
Mohawk Oil Burner Nice cutaway drawing of this one!
National Radiator Company's No. 2 Oil-Fired Boiler An interesting presentation of extended heating surface in a boiler. Size matters. This is from 1941.
Oil for Tomorrow Here are some 1945 predictions from the Oil Heat Institute of America.
Oil Heat Gains in Popularity People were disgusted with coal heat after a prolonged strike in 1923 and quickly switched to oil. This is from The New York Times.
Stewart-Warner Reverse Flow Boiler Thanks to Alan Mercurio of OilTechTalk.com for scanning and sharing this one.
There Will Be Enough Oil An address by Wallace E. Pratt, Vice President and Director or Standard Oil of New Jersey to the Oil Heat Institute of America on March 13, 1944. Read across the years, this is a fascinating piece.
Timken Silent Automatic Heat A nice mailer from Timkin. This appeared in 1946.
Timkin Silent Automatic Heat Thanks to John Mills for sharing this Timkin flyer from 1948. He points out how it's interesting that they called their furnaces "air conditioning" back then.
Timkin Silent Automatic Oil Boilers Quiet as can be. A nice ad from Timkin, back in the day. Thanks to John Mills for the scan, and for sharing it with us.
Timkin Silent Automatic Wall-Flame Oil Burners A nice advertising piece from Timken. This appeared in 1945.
Williams Oil-O-Matic "Hushed Heat" A brilliant 1930s argument for converting your boiler from coal-fire to oil-fire. Wonderful photos as well. Thanks to John Mills for the scan and for sharing.
Old Advertisements Back to top
American Radiator Company's "American Ideals" This one, from 1923, features Robert E. Lee. I imagine this was a series of ads, although I've yet to come across any others.
Gold's "Mattress" Radiator Invented in 1854, it's in it's final days here in this 1898 Heating and Ventilating magazine ad.
Gold's Improved Patent Union Heater Stephen Gold invented the "mattress" radiator in 1854. Nine years later, he ran this ad for his new radiator. This one went inside a basement duct.
Heating for Delicate Women This appeared in McClure's in the early days of the 20th Century when central heating was still new. Check out the prices
Johns-Manville Improved Asbestocel - saves coal Back in the day (1924), when asbestos was still a good thing, this ad appeared. It makes an excellent case for why pipes and boilers need to be insulated.
June Comfort from Capitol Boilers Thanks to Scott Massart for sharing this with us. It appeared in National Geographic
Let the Gas Company Banish Your Heating Cares Thanks to Scott Massart for sharing this ad, which appeared in National Geographic. It's from Bryant Gas Heating.
Men can be so subborn about a thing like oil heat Ad ad for Williams Oil-O-Matic, which appeared in National Geographic. Thanks to Scott Marssart
Men may buy the coal, but women pay for it. A persuasive 1930s ad from Williams Oil-O-Matic.
Sears Take a look at what Sears had to offer folks in 1908.
The Pup's Our Furnace Man A cute ad from Bryant Heater, which appeared in National Geographic. Thanks to Scott Massart.
The testimony of a great statesman is added to the praising of Oilomatic Heat Oh, where have you gone, The Rt. Hon. Sir Robert L. Borden!
They Smile Now at their Timidity Over Oil Heat An early ad for Williams Oil-O-Matic, which appeared in National Geographic. Thanks to Scott Massart.
This Puts Heat in the Same Class with Light and Water An early ad from Williams Oil-O-Matic, which appeared in National Geographic. Thanks to Scott Massart
Old Boilers Back to top
Capitol Boilers, circa 1930 Round beauties from Captiol
Old Magazines Back to top
Domestic Engineering, July 15, 1899 Wonderful advertisements and very interesting news in this 19th-Century edition of the popular trade magazine. It covers Plumbing, Heating, Lighting and Ventilation. Enjoy.
Ideal Heating Journal Published by the American Radiator Company in 1912, this magazine has a great section on how they tested radiators back in the old days. Much more of interest in this one.
Plumber and Steam Fitter The June 17, 1921 issue. 56 pages
Old Radiant Heating Systems Back to top
A Working Method for Calculating a Floor Type Radiant Heating System This article first appeared in Plumbing & Heating Business magazine in September 1941
Actual and Claimed Advantages of Panel Heating The things we talk about today they talked about more than 50 years ago. Check out this article from the Western Plumbing and Heating Journal
Audel's Plumbers and Steam Fitters Guide #3 This is from the 1949 edition of the classic book. Here's a very complete section on radiant heating. Thanks to Larry Weingarten for finding and sharing this.
Bundyweld Tubing The lightweight radiant alternative to wrought iron and steel pipe in the days following World War II.
Byers Wrought Iron for Radiant Heating Byers sold wrought iron pipe, not systems, but they put this booklet together to promote radiant. It's really well done, with lots of installation photos.
Campanelli System Here are the complete installation instructions for the radiantly heated homes built by Campanelli Bros. of Illinois.
Hoffman Engineering News (on Panel Heating) Hoffman Specialty's Director of Engineering, Ferdinand Jehle, wrote these four interesting "Engineering News" letters in 1946.
Honeywell Control Systems for Radiant Panel Heating Here you'll find Honeywell's approach to radiant heating system control, from 1950.
I=B=R Installation Guide Number 6 - Panel Heating for Small Structures This 1951 I=B=R Guide made radiant pretty easy during those early days.
Levittown installation photos These were the first mass-produced homes. Built after World War II, they all had hydronic radiant heating systems. Note the way they laid the tubing right on the ground, and used two-by-fours to hold it in place. When these rotted they gave the slab a place to crack, and that would be right where the copper tubes passed. Today, these homes sell for more than $500,000.
Levittown Radiant Piping Diagrams My thanks to Rick Rolston who provided this rare glimpse into the inner workings of the first radiant systems in the Levitt homes. Now you know where the pipes are!
Limitations in Heat Output from Radiant Panels From LaTart and Hutchinson of the Revere Brass and Copper Company, written in January 1949. Thanks to Jim Walls for finding and scanning this one.
Panel Heating From 1946. This is when Hoffman Specialty was involved with radiant heating. The did a lot of good stuff in those early days.
Plastic Pipe: Is it Practical for Panel Heating? This fascinating article appeared in Domestic Engineering magazine during Februray of 1957. Shades of things to come!
Polyethylene, A Modern Plastic, From Its Discovery Until Today On November 28, 1990, I heard Professor Thomas Engel, the inventor of PEX plastic, speak in Sweden. The occassion was the Wirsbo-PEX 10 Times Around the World celebration. This is the speech Professor Engel delivered that day. It's a wonderful story.
Radiant Heat with Copper Tuging - A practical research program Thanks to Jim Walls for finding and scanning this one. It's a series of interesting articles by Mills and LaTart of Revere Copper and Brass. Not dated, but most likely from the late-1940s
Radiant Heating Copper & Brass Research Association published this brochure in 1949. It tells the radiant story very well, and the installation photos are well worth a look.
Radiant Heating - Floor, Walls or Ceiling? An interesting article by F. W. Hutchinson, from Heating, Piping and Air Conditioning magazine, March 1946. Special thanks to Jim Walls for finding and scanning this one.
Radiant Heating in a $15,000 Office Building Case Study No. 2 from the A. M. Byers Company of Pittsburgh, circa 1945.
Radiant Heating in a Small Residence Case Study No. 1 by A. M. Byers Company of Pittsburgh, circa 1945
Radiant Heating Serves War Plant Ernest L. Blair, industrial engineer, Stone & Webster, describes a new building heated entirely by floor and wall panels. From Power magazine, October, 1943
Radiant Heating Simplified Design and Installations The Copper & Brass Research Association published this generic and easy-to-follow brochure in 1949. It contains some wonderful photographs of early installations, including one from Levittown.
Radiant Heating Technique of Interest to Contractors This one's by Doremus L. Mills of Revere Copper and Brass, written in 1948. Special thanks to Jim Walls for finding and scanning it.
Radiant Heating with National Pipe A complete look at radiant heating from 1951.
Raydent The Pipe for Radiant Heating This 1948 booklet from Bethlehem Steel is filled with photos of radiant heating jobs. The yellow highlighter marks are mine from my first reading. Some very to-the-point information in here.
Sales letter from A. M. Byers Company Here's a letter in answer to a question as to how to install radiant heat in a multi-story building. The answer may surprise you. Byers Company made wrought iron pipe. The letter is from 1944.
Some Users Report on Radiant Panel Heating Results of a survey among owners and renters in the Palo Alto, CA area, whose homes are equipped with radiant floor panel heating systems. This is from Western Plumbing and Heating Journal, July 1952
Supplementary Instructional Manual to Instruction Manual for Steamfitter-Pipefitter Journeymen and Apprentices - Supplement No. 6 - Hydronic Panel Heating The material in this pamphlet was prepared by the National Joint Steamfitter-Pipefitter Apprenticeship Committee in 1955. Lots of very good photos in here.
Troubleshooting Radiant Heat Jobs Here's some helpful 1948 advice from our friends at Bell & Gossett
Zonolite Insulation For warmer floors in houses without basements. And for those early radiant systems!
Older Hot Water Heating Systems Back to top
A Study of Radiant Baseboard Heating in the I=B=R Research Home These tests were made during the winters of 1943-44 and 1944-45. The goal was to find a hydronic system that would work well in homes without basements.
Bell & Gossett's 1941 Catalog Here's the B&G line as it appeared in 1941.
Bell & Gossett's Air Control Booster Package Here's a product that never really took off. The circulator removed the air from the system. This is from 1966.
Bring Comfort and Convenience to Your Home with a Utica Heating System at Reasonable Prices A nice ad piece from Utica. This one appeared in 1938. Thanks to John Mills for scanning it and sharing it with us.
Clow & Sons version of the heat generator Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding this patent issued in 1915. Honeywell was not the only company with a heat generator!
D & T "All-in-One" Water Heating System This device is a strainer, pressure-reducing valve, bypass valve, and relief valve, all combined in one unit. Hot stuff for the time!
Designing Simplified for Taco Venturi Systems Very easy-to-follow instructions on how to size Taco Venturi tees. Published in 1949.
Eggleston Relief Device for Hot Water System patent This device, patented in 1905, is similar to the Honeywell Heat Generator. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing it. Gerry points out that Lewis Eeggleston went on to become a heating engineer/inventor with numerous patents for both the American Radiator Company and the Detroit Lubricator Company.
Eureka fitting An early diverter tee. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing the patent.
Flo-Control Valve Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding and sharing this 1951 Gil Carlson patent for the B&G flo-control valve.
Gravity System Design Thanks to Mike Thies for finding and sharing this chapter. He writes, "This is from the book Heating Design and Practice, 1951, by Robert Henderson Emerick. While not really about piping practice, it's the best I've found at explaining the science behind gravity systems."
H. A. Thrush & Company Catalog Here's a look at the Trush offering from 1946.
Hot-Water Heating - Prepared Especially for Home Study The International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, PA published this home-study course in 1907. It's a nice explanation of gravity hot water heating.
How Should the House Be Heated? Heating by Hot Water, which appeared in The House Beautiful. No date, but most likely late-1910s to early 1920s.
How to Properly Design and Install The Honeywell System of Hot Water Heating Here are the complete instructions for the system that changed the way the Dead Men did hot water heating. This turn-of-the-century system delivered high-temperature gravity hot water heat, without the need for a closed compression tank. It was simplicity itself!
Kriebel Hot Water System I didn't know that Kriebel made one of these. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding it.
Mark C. Honeywell's Patent for a New Type of Tee In a gravity hot water system, the hottest water is near the top of the horizontal main and tends to travel first to the upper-floor radiators. Mr. Honeywell, in 1909, patented this invention to help balance these systems.
Mark C. Honeywell's Patent for the "Unique" valve This valve, patented in 1907, gave the Dead Men a way to connect a hot water radiator with just one pipe. Special thanks to Gerry Gill for sharing this with us.
Mark C. Honeywell's Patent for the Heat Generator The Heat Generator allowed open hot water systems to operate under pressure, and at higher temperatures. This was a major advance in heating. The patent dates to October 22, 1907. Thanks to Gerry Gill for sharing this with us.
McKeown Intensifier Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding this patent. The Intensifier does a job similar to the one performed by Honeywell's Heat Generator.
Modern and Modernized Hot Water Heating An interesting article from Western Plumbing and Heating Journal, April 1937. A real call to arms!
Monoflo tee patent Here is a patent issued to August Kehm for his tee fitting, later used by Bell & Gossett for their Monoflo. Thanks to Gerry Gill for the research, and for finding the patent.
O-S Fitting Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding Oliver Schlemmer's patent for the O-S fitting, which made one-pipe hot water heating possible.
Parker's twin tee Edward Parker received this patent in 1911 for a different way to pipe a hot water radiator. Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding it and sharing it with us.
Phelps tee One of the earlier gravity hot-water-heating devices. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding the patent.
Sarcotherm Installation and Service Manual Special thanks to George Peteya, P.E., of Slant/Fin for sharing this 1955 manual. As George wrote, it's probably the last surviving copy of the first outdoor-air reset controller.
Sarcotherm Weather Control for Hot Water Heating This is probably the earliest outdoor reset control. They lasted a long time! The brochure is from 1943.
Stack Tank-N-Basement System This is one of the first attempts to move the attic expansion tank in a gravity hot water system to the basement. Thanks to Alex Marx for doing the scan for us.
Taco Catalog from 1953 Hot water heaters, heat exchanger, and hot water heating specialties from 1953.
Tank Drainer Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding and sharing this Gil Carlson patent from 1954
The D&T regulator Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding and sharing this 1909 patent for an unusual, and very creative, regulator.
The Honeywell Air Seal Generator A turn-of-the-century offering from Honeywell. Similar to their Heat Generator. Thanks to Alex Marx for scanning it for us.
The Stack No-Tank After moving the gravity-hot-water-system expansion tank from the attic to the basement, Stack introduced a system that didn't need a tank at all. Not the best idea to come along, but an interesting relic of heating history.
Thrush Flow Control Valve Thanks to Mike Zydiak for sharing this one with us.
Thrush System of Hot Water Heating H. A. Thrush & Company of Peru, Indiana published this book for contractors. There's no date on it, but I'd say it's from the late-1920s.
Unusual Hot Water Heating Method Neat stuff from 1922.
Pneumatics Back to top
Johnson Pneumatic Control Operators Manual An excellent piece from a leader in the field, Johnson Controls.
Powerplant Auxiliaries and Accessories, by Terrel Croft Back to top
Division 1 Thanks to Tom Riso for scanning this wonderful old book. Division 1 deals with Pump Calculations.
Division 10 Which deals with recooling condensating water
Division 11 Which deals with steam piping.
Division 12 Which deals with steam separators.
Division 13 Which deals with steam traps, and solutions to problems.
Division 2 Which deals with direct-acting steam pumps.
Division 3 Which deals with crank-action pumps.
Division 4 Which deals with centrifugal and rotary pumps.
Division 5 Which deals with injectors.
Division 6 Which deals with boiler-feeding apparatus
Division 7 Which deals with feedwater heaters.
Division 8 Which deals withfuel economizers
Division 9 Which deals with steam condensers
Index Which contains an index to the entire text. Thanks again to Tom Riso for sharing this book with us.
Practical Heat, Terrell Croft, Editor Back to top
Part I, Division 1 and 2 Thanks to Tom Riso for scaning and sharing this classic text on heating.
Part I, Division 3, 4 and 5
Part I, Division 6, 7 and 8
Part I, Division 9, 10 and 11
Part II, Division 12, 13 and 14
Part II, Division 15 and 16
Part II, Division 17 and 18
Part II, Division 19 and Index
Radiators Back to top
1897 American Radiator Company catalog This very rare catalog comes to us by way of Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey. It's filled with hard-to-find ratings. Thanks, Steamhead!
A History of the Development of the Radiator This article, written by Ara Marcus Daniels, appeared in Domestic Engineering magazine on January 11, 1930.
American Peerless Wall Radiators This catalog is from 1920. It contains ratings for the Wall radiators and many nice photos.
American Standard Radiators and Convectors A nice mailer with lots of information from 1946. Thanks to Kirby Slear for scanning and sharing. He notes, "You will notice the name of the individual who sold these, Harvey Mull, plumbing and heating, in RD#1 Selinsgrove. That is about 50 miles north of Harrisburg on the Susquehanna river. Harvey is the man my parents bought the house from I grew up in. That house had a nice baseboard hot water heating system."
American Standard Radinatrim Here's a 1956 baseboard panel installation manual from American Standard
Arco's Ventilorad Radiator Booster An electric heat booster for ordinary radiator. Here is the literature from 1937, along with a letter to wholesale distributors from A. R. Herske, Vice President and General Sales Manager of the American Radiator Company. Some great photo here.
Bundy Radiators for Steam and Hot Water I have no PDF for this one, but something far better. Click on this link and flip the pages: Bundy Radiator Catalog 1895 Thanks to Brian Reynolds for finding and sharing this gem.
Bundy radiators for steam and hot water : also heating specialties (c1894) Published in New York by the A. A. Griffing Iron Co. Download it HERE
Curved, Corner, 45-Degree Angle, Pantry, and Circular Radiators Bryan Waldo scanned these rare radiators for us from the 1925 edition of The Ideal Fitter (from the American Radiator Company).
Does the Color of a Radiator Matter? Good stuff from Hot Tech Topics.
Exerter radiators and footrest radiators Thanks to Steamhead for finding and scanning these. He writes, "The Exeter was a column-type radiator with non-standard dimensions and ratings. That page also includes footrests for pipe radiators - good for warming your feet after trudging home in the snow."
Gorton supply valves Thanks to Steamhead for coming up with these terrific inside views of some old Gorton & Lidgerwood valves.
Heinz Convector Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for finding, scanning and shraring this hard-to-find information.
Herman Nelson Invisible Radiators From 1930, the ratings for those radiators that are inside the walls. Scanned and shared by our good friend, Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey.
How Should the House Be Heated What can be done to disguise the radiator and register? From The House Beautiful. No date, but most likely the late-1910s or early-1920s.
How to Select and Install Trane Concealed Heaters Scanned and shared by our good friend, Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey. Classic stuff!
Mills radiators Thanks to Steamhead for finding and scanning this for us. He writes, "John Mills was a rather prolific inventor, who most of us know for the Mills boilers (still made today!) and the Mills overhead piping system. But he also came out with his own unique radiator design, which is mentioned in passing in Susan Reed Stifler's book The Beginnings of a Century of Steam and Water Heating. Check out the valve and piping arrangements!"
Murray Radiators These ratings are very hard to come by. Murray eluded me for years. And thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing the Murray patent, which you'll also find here.
Radiator output based on temperature This chart from Shaw-Perkins Radiators shows the various outputs in Btu/hr per square foot E.D.R. that you'll get at various steam pressures (including vacuum systems). Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing this with us.
Ratings for Gold, Nason, Bundy, and Reed Radiators These are some of the first radiators made. The ratings are have been very tough to come by. Thanks to Steamhead for finding them and sharing them with us!
Richmond and Model Boilers and Radiators A 1910 catalog, containing Richmond radiators. Thanks to Brian Reynolds for sharing.
Rome Brass Convectors Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for finding, scanning and sharing this rare information.
Round radiators Thanks to Scott Albrecht, Pipe Shop Repair Foreman, Planning Design & Construction, Cornell University for taking these photos.
Table of Estimated Radiation Written by Harry B. Perrigo in 1913, these four pages of simplified sizing information must have been in the pockets of many a Deadmen over the years. Thanks to Gus Stants for sharing it with us.
Trane Heat Cabinets Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for scanning this hard-to-find information and sharing it with us.
U.S. Capitol Radiators Special thanks to Mike Thies for scanning this for us.
Vento Cast Iron Heaters From the Ideal Fitter
Wallworth radiators Thanks to Steamhead for finding and scanning these pages. He writes, "These scans are from the Walworth Manufacturing Company's 1892 catalog, which I recently received. This same catalog is referenced several times in Susan Reed Stifler's book, The Beginnings of a Century of Steam and Water Heating. Walworth was selling quite a few H.B. Smith products at the time, including Mills boilers and various Smith column radiators, as well as other standard types of column radiators. This set includes Walworth vertical pipe radiators, which look a lot like Nason radiators, and a dining room radiator they also sold at that time."
Service Handbooks Back to top
Honeywell's Heating Control Handbook For the installer and service man, circa 1949. It covers oil burner, gas burner and stoker controls.
Shared Ideas Back to top
Comments from Heating Professionals on How They Price Their Services, and Why They Do It That Way Shared knowledge from 47 heating professionals
Creative Solutions to Some Tough Heating Challenges Shared knowledge from 36 heating professionals
How and When to Use Hydro-Air Systems, and How to Size and Control Them Shared knowledge from 38 heating professionals
How to Add Antifreeze to a Hydronic System, and How to Maintain It. Shared knowledge from 31 heating professionals
How to Control Staple-Up Radiant Heating Systems Shared knowledge from 135 heating professionals.
How to Deal with Solar Gain in Radiantly Heated Buildings Shared knowledge from 60 heating professionals
How to Deliver Comfort Where Fuel Costs High and Electricity is Unreliable Shared knowledge from 32 heating professionals.
Ideas on How to Control a Condensing Boiler that Serves both Radiant and an Indirect Shared ideas from 97 heating professionals
Ideas on What Type of Radiant System Offers the Best Value for New Construction Shared knowledge from 51 heating professionals
Opinions on What a Professional MUST Address Before Replacing a Residential Steam Boiler Shared knowledge from 63 heating professionals
Opinions on When (and WHY) it's Time to Replace that Old Boiler or Furnace Shared knowledge from 42 heating professionals
Opinions on Whether Aluminum Heat-Transfer Plates are Needed to Successfully Install a Staple-Up Radiant Heating System Shared knowledge from 64 heating professionals
What to Think About as You Consider Geothermal as a Heat Source Shared knowledge from 45 heating professionals
When, Where, and Why to use a Buffer Tank on a Multi-Zone System Shared knowledge from 37 heating professionals
Snowmelt Back to top
Sales letter from A. M. Byers Company A nice way to answer an inquiry about snowmelting in 1944. Byers Company produced wrought iron pipe.
Steel Pipe Snow Melting and Ice Removal Systems A very infomative booklet produced around 1950 by the Committee of Steel Pipe Research. Lots of step-by-step photos, and very generic.
Solar Back to top
Viessmann's Vitosol System Design Guidelines An excellent publication from our friends at Viessmann.
Steam Engines Back to top
Improved Steam Apparatus for Heating and Ventilating Thanks to John G. Van Hoesen for finding and sharing with us this article about a new type of heater that runs of the waste steam of a steam engine (which also drives the fan). It's from 1889.
The Choice Between High-Pressure and Low-Pressure Steam Power in America in the Early 19th Century Thanks to John G. Van Hoesen for sharing this interesting study with us.
Steam Heating Back to top
Antique air vents From a 1928 book by Alfred King.
Attaining Maximum Efficiency & Economy from Low-Pressure Steam Heating Systems Walter S. Finken sold KEK, a boiler cleaner. In this treatise, he explainse how dirty water leads to wet steam and plenty of system problems. Thanks to Alex Marx for scanning this one.
Can Steam Pipes Set Wood On Fire? William J. Baldwin answers the question once and for all in his calssic 1897 text Baldwin on Heating
Chapter 5 on Steam Heating from Audels Frank D. Graham wrote books for Audels that were so easy to understand. Here's a sample from our friend in the industry, Alan Mercurio, of OilTechTalk.com.
Controlled Air Venting of One-Pipe Steam Systems This is the article that helped me understand why adjustable air vents on one-pipe steam systems often don't get the job done. Required reading for any steam troubleshooter.
Danfoss One-Pipe Steam control valve Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent for the Danfoss 1-PS valve.
Doody System damper regulator Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding the patent for this ingenious device that combined a damper regulator with a pressure gauge, water gauge, safety device.
Dunham boiler-return trap patent Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this one with us.
Dunham Differential System Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for finding, scanning and sharing this hard-to-find information with us.
E. H. Murphy's special steam valve Here's an interesting patent from 1917. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing it with us.
E. N. McDonnell Speaks Up for Steam Heat This is a speech that E. N. McDonnell, founder of McDonnell & Miller, made on May 29, 1940 to the Heating & Piping Contractors National Association in defense of steam heat. He was a brilliant marketer.
European Heating Systems, circa 1907 Thanks to Steamhead for finding and sharing these pages from 1907. He tells us, "This is the earliest Orifice system, patented sometime prior to 1901 by Frederic Tudor. Also known as the French or German system since it was popular there. We've seen four of these in Baltimore." And thanks to Gerry Gill for providing us with Mr. Tudor's patents.
Float & Thermostatic Traps A concise explanation of Float & Thermostatic traps by Austin Roche, Hoffman Specialty's Chief Engineer. This appeared on April 19, 1952.
Gorton radiator valve One of Joseph Gorton's early ideas. Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding and sharing this 1908 patent.
Hoffman Boiler Return Trap patent Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding this patent, and for sharing it with us.
Hoffman Data Book Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing this classic book.
Hoffman Number 1 vent box and instructions The Watchman of the Coal Pile. A nice slogan for an air vent, and very revealing instructions in the box.
Hoffman Specialty Here's some of the line as it appeared in 1926, including the one-pipe-steam vapor vents and their Differential Loop.
Hoffman Venting Valves for Every Purpose Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for finding and sharing this one with us. Here you'll find a discussion of Hoffman's Equalizing Loop, which came before their Differential Loop. Great stuff. Thanks, Steamhead!
How to Lock Out Air, The Heat Thief A wonderful little book from Hoffman Specialty, 1927. Some great pictures in this one. Special thanks to Alex Marx for doing the scan.
Hubbard's radiator valve Wait until you see this wonderful invention from 1922! I wish they still made these. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding it.
I=B=R Installation Guide Number 2 - One-Pipe Steam Heating Systems Published in March, 1946, this guide was for buildings having a heat loss no larger than 92,640 Btu/hr
In-Air-Rid vent patent This is one of the finest steam products ever made. Thanks to Gerry Gill for all his hard work in coming up with the patent.
Inverted Bucket Traps A very clear explanation of how bucket traps work, what goes wrong, and how to avoid problems. Austin Roche, Hoffman Specialty's Chief Engineer, wrote this in March 1952.
It's all in the VENTING I don't have a source for this but it's probably one of the best articles I've ever read on air venting from steam systems. It helped me understand a lot when I was writing The Lost Art of Steam Heating
Marsh equipment The Marsh boiler-return trap as well as their radiator traps. Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing with us.
McDonnell & Miller 101-A automatic feeder patent Thaks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent.
Murray System An interesting piping system, offered by the Murrays, father and son. Gerry Gill, who found and shares this with us, comments, "This patent lists both the father and the son, so the heating system patent was the son's work, but both must have worked together on heating because they have many patents, but all seem to be in the same 15-year range. I like the induced chimney effect on their radiators.
Ninety People Attend Luncheon Inside Boiler From Combustion magazine, January 1930. These boilers continue to heat New York City.
Orifices for Steam Radiators A very informative article from Domestic Engineering magazine, 1931.
Piping Design for Oil Firing In this 1933 Fuel Oil Journal article, O.O. Oaks, Chief Engineer for the American Radiator Company, explains the effect automatic firing has on a steam system that was piped for coal-fired operation. Today, it would apply to both oil- and gas-fired boilers on older steam systems.
Progress Report on Performance of a One-Pipe Steam System in the I=B=R Research Home Published in June 1949, this work was was done at the University of Illinois Urbana, where the Institute of Boiler and Radiation Manufacturers once did all of their research.
Sarco Alternating Receivers and Lift Traps The return trap is like a mechanical condensate pump. This 1943 piece does a nice job of explaining how it works.
Six Kinds of Steam Heat Subtitled, "Six ways to recapture the residential heating market," an interesting article from the May, 1941 edition of Plumbing & Heating Business magazine.
Some Notes on the Selection of Steam Traps A good explanation of which trap goes where. This appeared in The Industrial Heating Engineer in January, 1945
Steam Heating Prepared Especially for Home Study A turn-of-the-century home study course from the famous International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, PA.
Steam Quality Measurement This article is from an 1871 edition of Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine. Note the highly critical comments regarding those who tended the boilers.
The Big Fault in One-Pipe Heating In 1935, John W. Schultz, writing in Fuel Oil Journal, makes a brilliant case for looking more closely at steam systems designed with coal in mind when the time comes to switch to an automatic fuel.
The Dunham Victory Line The Dunham line as it appeared in 1943. Note how the Vari-Vac system was then the Dunham Coordinated Heating "System."
The Hartford Water Line Return Connection This is a very clear explanation of the Hartford Loop. It's from the Western Plumbing and Heating Journal and it appeared in April, 1943.
The Heating Plant by H. W. Means Thanks to John Van Hoesen for finding and sharing this interesting article about how to fire a steam boiler in an elementary school, circa 1916. It urges the fireman to keep a log of the time, the outdoor temperature, and the pressure on the boiler. Wonderfully simple.
The Hoffman - A Venting Valve for Every Service The Hoffman story, as told 30 years after George D. Hoffman introduced his first vent. Wonderfully clear language here!
The Steam Loop An interesting article from The Manufacturer and Builder magazine, January, 1892. Still works today!
Thermostatic Traps A nice explanation of thermostatic traps by Austin Roche, Chief Engineer for Hoffman Specialty. This appeared on June 13, 1952.
Trane products Trane traps, vents and supply valves. Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing this with us.
Vacuum Valves for Winter Profits This William Moore article from a 1935 edition of Fuel Oil Journal does a nice job of explaining how vacuum vents once worked on one-pipe steam systems.
Warren Webster equipment Check out the patented steam riser. Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing this with us.
Webster System of Steam Heating Here's the whole Warren Webster line from 1943, along with some very clear explanations of how their system worked. After the catalog material, you will find the patent for the company's boiler return trap. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing that one.
What You Should Know About Venting Unit Heaters An article by Henry H. Aronson, which appeared in Heating, Piping & Air Conditioning magazine. Thanks to T.P. Tunstall for finding and sharing this with us.
Steam Piping Back to top
A beautiful drop header Installed by Gerry Gill and Steve Pajek. Thanks for sharing!
Another beauty by Steamhead Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for sharing another saved steamer.
Butts radiator fitting An interesting device for one-pipe steam, patened by Frank Butts in 1912. Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding the patent and sharing it with us.
Drop Header by Alex Marx Alex is not in the trades, but he sure does nice work! This one is in his old stone house in Pennsylvania.
Drop header by Greater New York Plumbing Corp. A very nice installation.
Drop Header by Jamie Pompetti This nice drop header was done by Jamie Pompetti on a job in Philadelphia. Very creative use of the pipes. Thanks to Steamhead Wilsey for sharing the photo.
Drop header photo This is from Matt "Mad Dog" Sweeney. It's the boiler in his own house on Long Island. Matt installed an entire one-pipe steam system in his house from scratch. He's proud and it shows!
Drop header photo This one is from Ron Jr.
Drop Header Photos If you've never seen a drop header on a steam boiler, here's your chance. These jobs were all done by Wallies. A drop header is easier to install than a standard header and it helps to dry out the steam.
Dunham equipment Here you'll find some good information from Dunham about some of their older equipment. Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing.
J.J. Wilson fitting for one-pipe-steam radiators Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this unusual patent from 1909
McAlear feeder Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent on one of the early steam-boiler water feeders.
Nice drop header! Done by Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey.
Osborne Fitting Patent Gerry Gill, who found and shared this wonderful patent with us, wonders how many fitters have come across these devices over the years and scratched their heads in wonder.
Osbourne lift fitting Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent. It has a very clear explanation of how a lift fitting works.
Some Usage Consequenses with Orifice Drain Devices This Tech Sheet was developed by the members of the Fluid Controls Institute in August, 2003. Thanks to T.P. Tunstall for finding and sharing it with us.
Steam piping technique An interesting approach to one-pipe-steam piping, including an air vent that looks very much like what would become the In-Air-Rid vent. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding, scanning and sharing this with us.
Sylphon Packless Expansion Joints Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this information with us.
The Mills System Here is the 1873 patent for John Mills' famous downfeed system. It changed the way we heat tall buildings. Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this with us.
Warren Webster piping technique Thanks to Gerry Gill for sharing this patent. He explains that this is a piping technique or design patented by Warren Webster of how to install the drip when a vacuum return line is higher in order to minimize noise.
Steam Vapor/Vacuum Heating Back to top
1927 proposal for a Mouat vapor heating system Thanks to Gerry Gill for sharing this proposal from the early days of steam heating. Note the nine-ounce setting on the relief valve!
Atmospheric Pressure or So Called "Vapor" Systems Bryan Waldo scanned this for us from Audel's Plumber's and Steamfitter's Guide No. 3, which appeared in 1925
Broomell Specifications from 1924 Thanks to Brian Reynolds who bought this rare document on eBay from the grandson of the architect.
Broomell System job photos Thanks to Robert O'Connor of New Jersey for sharing these photos.
Broomell U.S. Patents Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing these patents. It's a wonderful walk through heating history.
Bushing trap Thanks to Steve Pajek. This one could easily stump you if you didn't know it was in there.
Data for Heating Engineers and Architects for the Design of Vapor Heating Systems From The Trane Company, 1917
Edgar Wiley Vapor System Thanks to Steve Pajek and Gerry Gill for sharing these patents with us.
Hoffman Differential Loop patents Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding and sharing these.
Illinois Vapor Heating Systems Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing this with us.
Johnson Vapor Heating Systems From the Johnson Vapor Heating Company, Boston, MA. Not dated, but most likely from the very early 20th Century. Thanks to Brian Reynolds for sharing.
Johnson Vapor Heating Systems One of the more obscure systems from the Turn of the Century. Thanks to Alex Marx for the great scan on this one.
Kriebel Vapor Heating Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding these patents.
Milwaukee Valve Company Very good literature on Milwaukee's vapor offering from 1935. Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing.
Moline System of Heating The famous vapor system, named for the Illinois city. No date on this one, but probably around 1915. Special thanks to Gerry Gill for the hard work he put into finding the Moline patents, which are also here.
Mouat Vapor System One of the classics.
Noiseless Steam Heating System Here's a playful article from The Craftsman magazine (May 1914), published during a time when vapor/vacuum heating was just coming into its own. One of the huge advantages this system had over one-pipe steam was its quietness.
Norwall Manufacturing Company These folks made a variety of things for vaccum steam systems. This is from 1906.
Notes on Broomell system Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing this.
O-E Perfect System A turn-of-the-century vapor system, simply described and pictured. Thanks to Alex Marx for scanning this one for us, and Gerry Gill for finding the patents.
Sarco return traps Sarco made a boiler-return trap that was widely used. Here is their literature on the product, as well as the accessories that went with it. Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing this with us.
The Bishop & Babcock Vacuum Vapor System of Steam Circulation Thanks to Patrick Linhardt for scanning and sharing this with us.
The Broomell System This is my all-time favorite. Broomell was as good as you could get back at the turn of the century.
The Donnelly Fractional Distribution System This is from The Heating and Ventilating magazine, December 1921
The Doody System of Vapor Heating Thanks to Brian Reynolds and Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for sharing this hard-to-find information from 1916 with us. We'd be interested in knowing if anyone in the Boston/Providence area has seen a Doody system
The Doody Vapor System Thanks to Frank "Steamhead" Wilsey for finding and sharing this one with us. Here are his comments about this piece from 1912: "As nearly as I can figure, the "Doody Attachment" was a float-type damper regulator that worked something like the Broomell and VECO regulators. However, this one was not connected to the dry return to act as a receiver for water and air. Air was vented thru special Doody vents installed on each radiator. These were designed to allow some steam to escape to humidify the rooms." The Doody equipment could be installed on a one-pipe steam system. In this case the vents were installed in the usual radiator tappings. When used on a two-pipe system, the vents were installed in special Doody return elbows. So the Doody could be used to retrofit older installations as well as in new systems.
The Hutchinson System Very simple, once you know how it works! From 1923.
The Ideal System From The Heating and Ventilating Magazine, around 1910.
The Imico System One of the rarer vapor systems
The K-M-C Vacuum System This was a mercury-based vacuum system. The literature is from 1906.
The Mouat System A wonderful old system from 1913! With special thanks to Gerry Gill for all his hard work pulling all of this together for us.
The Richardson System This system was popular in the 1910s and 1920s. It's very simple, and you must run it at low pressure on a vaporstat.
Trane Heating Specialties for Vapor and Vacuum Systems Trane made some of the finest vapor heating equipment in the world. This catalog explains how their system works, and it shows the insides of all the equipment
VECO The very best offering of the Vapor Engineering Company, circa 1930. Always a joy to find one of these in a basement!
Wiley Water Seal Radiator Trap This is courtesy of Steve Pajek. This patent contains the very best description of a water seal trap's role in vapor heating.
System Piping Techniques Back to top
Piping a hot water zone off a steam boiler Thanks to Noel Murdough for writing this excellent piece on adding a hot water zone to a steam heating system. Once you've read it, scroll down for the wiring diragram.
TEXT BOOKS Back to top
A practical manual of steam and hot-water heating (1911) Written by Edward Richmond Pierce. Download it HERE
A practical treatise upon warming buildings by hot water (1894) Written by Charles Hood. Download it HERE
A rudimentary treatise on warming and ventilation (1858) Written by Charles Tomlinson. Download it HERE
American Society Of Heating And Ventilating Engineers Guide 1935 Volume 13 (1935) Published by the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers. Download it HERE
American Steam and Hot Water Practice From The Engineering Record. Not a PDF, but a link to the entire text. American Steam and Hot Water Practice
American steam and hot-water heating practice (1895) Published in New York by The Engineering Record. Download it HERE
An outline of ventilation and warming (c1899 Written by William J. Baldwin. Download it HERE
Barker on heating. The theory and practice of heating and ventilation (1912) Written by Arthur Henry Barker. Download it HERE
Burning liquid fuel (1922) Written by William Newton Best. Download it HERE
Cyclopedia of engineering (1910) Published by the American Technical Society. Download it HERE
Designing heating and ventilating systems (1914) Written by Charles Arthur Fuller. Download it HERE
Electric heating (1895) Written by Edwin J. Houston. Download it HERE
Electric heating (1916) Written by Edgar Andrew Wilcox. Download it HERE
Elements of industrial heating (c1922]) Published by the W.S. Rockwell Co. Download it HERE
Fans, ventilation and heating (c1910) Written by Charles L. Hubbard. Download it HERE
Fuel tests with house-heating boilers ([1909]) Written by J.M. Snodgrass. Download it HERE
Furnace heating; a practical and comprehensive treatise on warming buildings with hot air (1915) Written by William Gage Snow. Download it HERE
Handbook for heating and ventilating engineers (1920) Written by James David Hoffman. Download it HERE
Heating and ventilating buildings. An elementary treatise (1895) Written by Rolla Clinton Carpenter. Download it HERE
Heating and ventilating shops and offices (c1910) Written by Charles C. Hubbard. Download it HERE
Heating and ventilation (1902) Published in Boston by the American School of Correspondence. Download it HERE
Heating and ventilation (1922) Written by John Robins Allen. Download it HERE
Heating and ventilation (c1908) Published in Chicago by the American School of Correspondence. Download it HERE
Heating systems, design of hot water and steam heating apparatus (1913) Written by F.W. Raynes. Download it HERE
Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning Guide 1938 Vol. 16 (1938) Published by the American Society of Heating & Ventilating Engineers. Download it HERE
Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning Guide 1950 Vol 28 (1950) Published by the American Society Of Heating And Ventilating Engineers. Download it HERE
Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning Guide 1952 Vol 30 (1952) Published by the American Society Of Heating And Ventilating Engineers. Download it HERE
Hints about heating ... suggestions respecting hot-air furnace work, together with tables of dimensions, capacities, etc. (1898) Published by I.A. Shepard & Co. Download it HERE
Hot water heating and fitting; (1908) Written by William James Baldwin. Download it HERE
House heating fuel tests ([!1913]) Written by Warren H. Meeker. Download it HERE
Light, heat and power in buildings (1901) Written by Alton Dermot Adams. Download it HERE
Live steam feed water heating (1902) Written by Agustus W. Hamilton. Download it HERE
Maxims and instructions for the boiler room. Useful to engineers, firemen & mechanics, relating to steam generators, pumps, appliances, steam heating, practical plumbing, etc. ([1903]) Written by Nehemiah Hawkins. Download it HERE
Modern hot water heating, steam and gas fitting; over 150 illustrations (1906) Written by William Donaldson. Download it HERE
Modern school houses; being a series of authoritative articles on planning, sanitation, heating and ventilation (1910) Written by A.D.F. Hamlin. Download it HERE
Notes on heating and ventilation (1905) Written by John Robins Allen. Download it HERE
Practical ventilation as applied to public, domestic, and agricultural structures (1850) Written by Robert Scott Burn. Download it HERE
Principles of heating; a practical and comprehensive treatise on applied theory in heating (1912) Written by William G. Snow. Download it HERE
Progressive furnace heating (1914) Written by Alfred G. King. Download it HERE
Report of progress in warm-air furnace research (1919) Written by Arthur C. Willard. Download it HERE
Steam heating and ventilation (1902) Written by William Stanton Monroe. Download it HERE
Steam heating; a manual of practical data (c1922) Published by Warren Webster & Co. Download it HERE
Steam-heating problems = or, Questions, answers, and descriptions relating to steam-heating and steam-fitting (1886) Published in New York by The Sanitary Engineer. Download it HERE
The elements of heating and ventilation; a text-book for students, engineers and architects (1913) Written by Authur Maurice Greene. Download it HERE
The heating and ventilating of buildings ([1916]) Published by the B.F. Sturtevant Company. Download it HERE
The Ideal fitter : American radiators & Ideal boilers [1910] Published by the American Radiator Company. Download it HERE
The Ideal Fitter [1908] Published by the American Radiator Company. Download it HERE
The metal worker, essays on house heating by steam, hot water and hot air, with introduction and tabular comparisons (1891) Compiled by A.O. Kittredge. Download it HERE
The school house, its heating and ventilation (1905) Written by Jospeph Agustus Moore. Download it HERE
The Ventilation Handbook (1916) Written by Charles Lincoln Hubbard. Download it HERE
The ventilation of dwelling houses and the utilization of waste heat from open fire-places, including chapters on London smoke and fog, modern fire-places, etc (1881) Written by Frederick Edwards. Download it HERE
Ventilation and heating (1893) Written by John Shaw Billings. Download it HERE
Ventilation in American dwellings; with a series of diagrams, presenting examples in different classes of habitations (1858) Written by David Boswell Reid. Download it HERE
Warming buildings by hot water (1917) Written by Frederick Dye. Download it HERE
Wiring diagrams; heating and ventilation; miscellaneous tables (c1910) Published in New York by Industrial Press. Download it HERE
The Great Influenza of 1918 Back to top
National Archives Here's a link to a very good site on the 1918 flu pandemic. FLU. Right after this disaster, heating engineers were required to size heating systems that would heat a building on the coldest day of the year - with the windows open. And that's why old radiators are the size that they are.
Thermostatic Radiator Valves Back to top
Danfoss 1-Pipe Steam TRVs Thanks to Bill Burton at Danfoss for sharing this old literature on the Danfoss 1-Pipe Steam thermostatic radiator valve.
Danfoss RA valve engineering data This is no longer in print. Thanks to Bill Burton of Danfoss for scanning it and sharing it with us.
Design of Radiator/Convector Configurations in One- and Two-Pipe Water Installations A big thanks to Mike Thies for scanning this hard-to-find article from Danfoss. There's a heavy emphasis on one-pipe water systems in this one. Great stuff.
Tools Back to top
Starbuck's 1929 Catalog Tools for Plumbers, Fitters and Tinners from R.M. Starbuck & Sons, Inc., Hartford, CT.
Tricks of the Trade Back to top
How to Clean a Gauge Glass on a Steam Boiler This is from Spencer Heater's Steamfitters Handbook,published in 1917.
Testing Installations When central heating was new, the Dead Men would have to prove to the customer that the system would work during the winter. If they couldn't do this, they couldn't get paid. So they came up with this test to prove a system's potential. Note that on a 90-degree summer's day, the Dead Man would have to raise the temperature inside the house to 123 degrees to prove its worth. I like to think that this is the origin of the expression "sweating for your money."
Useful Kinks Some fascinating how-to tips from the 1923 edition of Standard American Plumbing, Hot Air, Hot Water Heating, Steam, and Gas Fitting., written by Mr. Clow and Mr. Donaldson, touted in the book as "The World's Greatest Authorities." Ahh, but fame is fleeting, isn't it?
U.S. Government Publications Back to top
Operation and Maintenance Small Heating Systems Thanks to Will Roberts for giving me a heads-up about this one. Published in 1990, it appears to be a revision of an earlier manual, possibly first published in 1946. It contains many nice drawings of heating equipment of the period.
War Department Technical Manual TM5-652 Subtitled, Steam, Hot-Water and Gas Distribution Systems Repairs and Utilities, here is an interesting look at these systems from April 1947.
Unit Heaters Back to top
Trane unit heaters Thanks to Steamhead for finding, scanning and sharing this Trane literature from 1928.
Unusual Equipment/Systems Back to top
Clow Gasteam Radiators These unusual radiators were actually mini-steam boilers. The next time you're watching a rerun of Seinfeld, look for them in Jerry's apartment. And a special thanks to Steve Pajek for coming up with the patents.
SelecTemp An unsual steam heating system from Iron Fireman that used small-diameter pipes and steam-driven fancoils. The brochure is from 1954. And a special thanks to Gerry Gill for finding the patents.
Valves Back to top
Early thermostatic radiator valve Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this 1917 patent from McAlear for their version of the thermostatic radiator valve.
Ventilation Back to top
The American People Starved and Poisoned An interesting article from Harper's New Monthly Magazine, published in May, 1866.
Warm Air Systems Back to top
Condensing Furnaces: Lessons from a Utility A great article from Home Energy Magazine. The author is Jonathan Beers, Residential Services Manager at Madison Gas and Electric Company. We thank him for giving us permission to post it in the Library.
Furnace Heating - A Practical and Comprehensive Treatise on Warming Buildings with Hot Air Here is a LINK to the classic 1915 text by William G. Snow.
Furnaces - Get the Right Heating System A very informative brochure, written by Jonathan Beers, who is the Residential Services Manager Madison Gas and Electric Company. We thank him for sharing it with us.
Water Heaters Back to top
Bell & Gossett's Excelso heater This was B & G's first product. Thanks to Steve Pajek for finding and sharing the patent.
Bryant patent This patent is courtesy of Joe Szakacs, who is 82 years young. Joe loves anything Bryant. He tells us that this is the first boiler Bryant ever manufactured. He also let us know that he had worked on many of these. He would periodically clean the horizontal tube passages as rust would collect. This unit has independant burner cocks, and the 1913 Pattison Supply catalog says it will heat with just one burner tube on. Joe says that this statement is true. Here's to one great old-timer finding another!
Wirsbo Back to top
Wirsbo Intallation Handbook This covers so much. Thanks to Wirsbo for sharing it with us.