This is a FREE Library. Take what you’d like, and if you want to contribute, please email the file to me
at mailroom@heatinghelp.com. And if you like what we’re doing,
please consider buying a BRICK. Your support helps us help you. Dan Holohan
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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? |
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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. |
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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 |
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Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 2
Part 2 |
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Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 3
Part 3 |
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Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 4
Part 4 |
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Amstan Wet Heat and Cooling Products, 1957, Part 5
Part 5 |
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Anode patent
Courtesy of Joe Szakacs. |
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Anti-corrosion device
Thanks to Joe Szakacs for sharing this great information with us. |
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Elno booklet
Thanks to Joe Szakacs for sharing this with us. He's taught many people with it. |
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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! |
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Asbestos ads
Thanks to Gerry Gill for bringing us back to a time when asbestos was the "Miracle Mineral." |
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Asbestos hat?
Thanks to Howard Ek for sharing this article from a time when we were, I suppose, more innocent. |
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Beacon Boiler Reference Book - Boilers between 1959 and 1972 |
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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, |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Beacon Boiler Reference Book - Boilers prior to 1959 |
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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 |
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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. |
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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., |
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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. |
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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. |
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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, |
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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. |
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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., |
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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 |
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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., |
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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., |
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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 |
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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 |
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Trade Name Index
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Bell & Gossett Handbook, Second Edition, 1949 |
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Introduction and Section I
Section I, Principles of Indirect Domestic Water Heating |
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Section II
Principles of Forced Hot Water Heating. This section includes a very complete look at radiant heating, as done in 1949 |
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Section III
Heat Loss Determination |
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Section IV
Electrical Controls |
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Section V
Hydro-Flo Products |
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Section VI
Supplementary Data and Index |
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A. Hamilton Intermediate School, Seattle, WA
Tom Bates found these 1926 plans for us. This schools has a steam heating system. |
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Addition to Elementary School 69, Indianapolis, IN
Thanks to Tom Bates for scanning this 1950 plans. Warm-air heat |
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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. |
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Elementary School 103, Indianapolis, IN
Thanks to Tom Bates for this scan of a school built in 1963. Warm-air heat |
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Elementary School 11, Indianapolis, IN
Thanks to Tom Bates. This school was built in 1953. Warm-air heat |
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Elementary School, circa-1920
Thanks to Tom Bates for finding and scanning these plans, which have seen better days. |
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Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
Plenty of everything on this job, and a great place to learn. Thanks to Tom Bates. |
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Public School 68, Indianapolis, IN
A 1927 steam/vacuum system. Thanks to Tom Bates |
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Public School 88, Indianapolis, IN
This school, built in 1955, had unit ventilators. |
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Renton Park Elementary School, Renton, WA
A 1968 primary-secondary system. Thanks to Tom Bates |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Fallacious Theories of Boiler Explosions
From The Manufacturer and Builder magazine, March, 1872. Busting the "explosive electricity" myth. |
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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. |
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On Boiler Explosions
Chilling commentary from May, 1869. This is from The Manufacturer and Builder magazine. |
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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
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Chimney Data
From Spencer Heater's Steamfitters Handbook, published in 1917. |
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The Cause of Creosote in Chimney Flues
An informative article from 1922. |
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Thermister patent
Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent for the thermister. |
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A Century of Progress in Domestic Heating
A racy brochure from the Anthracite Institute! |
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Grades and Size of Coal
From Spencer Heater's 1917 Steamfitters Handbook |
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Heating the House
A wonderful explanation of what was involved with caring for a coal-heated home in 1943. From The New York Times. |
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The Stoker's Catechism
Published in London in 1906 by W.J. Connor. A Q&A book for those tasked with stoking steam boilers. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Bryant Pressure Tender
Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this patent. He adds, "We got nothin' on the old-timers!" |
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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 |
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McDonnell & Miller patent for their #11 switch
Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding this one. |
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Minneapolis-Honeywell Diaphragm Gas Valves
Thanks to Mike Zydiak for sharing this with us. |
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Detroit Edison's District Heating Plant
Thanks to John Shea of Detroit Steam Heat for sharing this wonderful history with us. |
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Electric Radiant Heating Installation Overview
Thanks to Warmly Yours for sharing this installation overview with us. |
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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. |
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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 |
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20 Ways to Save Money in Home Heating
Essoheat Fuel Oil published this booklet in 1941. Timeless advice. |
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Brass and Copper In Your Home - Radiant Heating
A beautifully presented case for radiant comfort. No date, but I'd say circa 1950. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Homart Gas-Fired Boilers
Thanks to Bob Kramer for scanning this hard-to-find installation/operating booklet from Sears. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Iron Fireman Luminous Flame
A beautifully illustrated consumer piece on the Iron Fireman. Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing. |
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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. |
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Montgomery Ward Heating & A/C catalog
Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing this interesting brochure from 1962. Nice prices on the equipment! |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Sears Heating & Plumbing offering
This circa-1940s catalog shows the broad range of products and services Sears had to offer homeowners at the time. |
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Bryant Automatic Gas Heating
A nice four-pager from 1957. Thanks to John Mills for scanning and sharing. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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."
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General Electric Oil Equipment - Serviceman's Guide, August 15, 1964 |
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Model Data, Part 1
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Model Data, Part 2
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Service Notes
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Service Procedures, Part 1
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Service Procedures, Part 2
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Service Procedures, Part 3
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Service Procedures, Part 4
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Service Procedures, Part 5
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Service Procedures, Part 6
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Service Procedures, Part 7
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Service Procedures, Part 8
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Troubleshooting
Thanks to Ken Secor for sharing this one-of-a-kind (literally!) technician's manual. The GE boiler was quite unique. |
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Wiring Diagrams, Part 1
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Wiring Diagrams, Part 2
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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. |
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American Greenhouse Construction Heating And Equipment (1927)
Written by Richard T. Muller. Download it HERE |
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Greenhouse Construction and Heating
A nice piece from the US Department of Agriculture, issued May, 1923. |
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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 |
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Grundfos UP Series Product Guide
Pump curves, specs, and technical data |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Early humidifier
Thanks to Gerry Gill for finding and sharing this 1932 patent for a humidifier that also cleaned the air in the room. |
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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. |
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Hydraulic Separation paper from PHP
An excellent presention of the principles of hydraulic separation from our friends at PHP. |
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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. |
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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 |
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Johnson's Handy Manual
Part 2 |
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Johnson's Handy Manual
Part 3 |
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Johnson's Handy Manual
Part 4 |
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Johnson's Handy Manual
Part 5 |
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Johnson's Handy Manual
Part 6 |
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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. |
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Gurney
This 1900 trade catalog shows the complete range of Gurney products - boilers, radiators, accessories. |
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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. |
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Thatcher Boilers and Radiators
Their catalog from 1931. Good practical information near the back of the catalog. |
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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! |
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Training the Apprentice
This delightful editorial from Domestic Engineering's March 20, 1915 edition proves that times have not changed that much. |
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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 |
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Lessons From 40 Years In Sales
Here are 20 ideas that will increase your sales from one of the brightest guys in the business. |
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Sales Success Stories by Mark Matteson
Enjoy this 73-page e-booklet, courtesy of our friend Mark Matteson. Get inspired at MattesonAvenue.com |
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National Heating Guide, Blue Book of the Industry, 1930 |
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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. |
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Part 2
Pages 68 through 119 |
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Part 3
Pages 120 through 169 |
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Part 4
Pages 170 through 209 |
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Part 5
Pages 210 through 249 |
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Part 6
Pages 250 through 289 |
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Part 7
Pages 291 through 339 |
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Part 8
Pages 292 through the last page, which is 396. Thanks, Jim! |
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Esso Oil Burner
Featuring their Economy Clutch. A nice, plain-English explanation. |
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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. |
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If fuel bills were painted on rooftops . . .
A clever Timkin flyer from our friend John Mills. Thanks for sharing! |
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Kohler 22 Oil Boiler
Thanks to Alan Mercurio for sharing this nice 1956 brochure from Kohhler. |
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Mohawk Oil Burner
Nice cutaway drawing of this one! |
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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. |
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Oil for Tomorrow
Here are some 1945 predictions from the Oil Heat Institute of America. |
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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. |
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Stewart-Warner Reverse Flow Boiler
Thanks to Alan Mercurio of OilTechTalk.com for scanning and sharing this one. |
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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. |
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Timken Silent Automatic Heat
A nice mailer from Timkin. This appeared in 1946. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Timkin Silent Automatic Wall-Flame Oil Burners
A nice advertising piece from Timken. This appeared in 1945. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Gold's "Mattress" Radiator
Invented in 1854, it's in it's final days here in this 1898 Heating and Ventilating magazine ad. |
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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June Comfort from Capitol Boilers
Thanks to Scott Massart for sharing this with us. It appeared in National Geographic |
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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. |
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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 |
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Men may buy the coal, but women pay for it.
A persuasive 1930s ad from Williams Oil-O-Matic. |
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Sears
Take a look at what Sears had to offer folks in 1908. |
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The Pup's Our Furnace Man
A cute ad from Bryant Heater, which appeared in National Geographic. Thanks to Scott Massart. |
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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! |
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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. |
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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 |
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Capitol Boilers, circa 1930
Round beauties from Captiol |
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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. |
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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. |
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Plumber and Steam Fitter
The June 17, 1921 issue. 56 pages |
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A Working Method for Calculating a Floor Type Radiant Heating System
This article first appeared in Plumbing & Heating Business magazine in September 1941 |
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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 |
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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. |
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Bundyweld Tubing
The lightweight radiant alternative to wrought iron and steel pipe in the days following World War II. |
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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. |
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Campanelli System
Here are the complete installation instructions for the radiantly heated homes built by Campanelli Bros. of Illinois. |
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Hoffman Engineering News (on Panel Heating)
Hoffman Specialty's Director of Engineering, Ferdinand Jehle, wrote these four interesting "Engineering News" letters in 1946. |
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Honeywell Control Systems for Radiant Panel Heating
Here you'll find Honeywell's approach to radiant heating system control, from 1950. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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! |
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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. |
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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. |
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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! |
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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Radiant Heating in a $15,000 Office Building
Case Study No. 2 from the A. M. Byers Company of Pittsburgh, circa 1945. |
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Radiant Heating in a Small Residence
Case Study No. 1 by A. M. Byers Company of Pittsburgh, circa 1945 |
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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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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