Boys book of modern boilers

[Bob Minchin]

I am fully conversant with heating systems from 30 odd years ago when I last installed one but realise that I have been left behind by the changes in boiler technology and implementation. I understand in principle what combi and condensing boilers do but have no knowledge of their detailed workings.

I'd like to find a book which may or may not be titled as this message that would bring me up to speed. As a scientist and engineer, I don't need "Noddy's guide to.." type books or one that every turn says "I should employ a gas safe engineer".

It is more that IF I were to employ said engineer, I can understand what he is doing and be expert enough to know if I'm being taken for a ride.

Anyone recommend any books or ones to avoid please?

TIA

Bob

[Andrew Gabriel]

I guess I was in the same boat about 10 years ago. I simply downloaded and read a number of the boiler installation manuals and followed the threads here closely for a couple of years. You'll then know more about how they work than most installers do. Combined with an engineering, physics, or similar background, and you'll have no problems.

That's not to say the book you're after doesn't exist, but I haven't looked for it. It would need to be quite recent too.

[dom]

R D Treloar, Plumbing: Heating & Gas Installations

have the previous edition, it doesn't cover everything in great depth, but it is a widely-used text (judging by the big pile of them in the education section of the bookshop) designed for plumbers and heating engineers to be.

Decent explanation of how the building regs apply, common work practices etc - however it's aimed at installers, so doesn't cover boiler internals.

[geoff]

In message , Bob Minchin writes

I really doubt that such a thing exists that's actually useful

The principles remain the same, they just seem to be finding new ways for boilers to fail

and what use would it be to you?

By the time you might get to use "the knowledge" technology will prolly have moved on (or we run out of cheap gas)

All I can suggest is that if you have a "modern" boiler, read the manual and look up any bits you don't understand until you are familiar with them

[geoff]

In message , " [e-mail]" writes

Which is specifically what he was after IIRC

BTW deleting any reference to what you are replying to is an even more heinous crime than top posting

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[ARWadsworth]

I doubt that they sell it here

[TheOldFellow]

I've found many of the manufacturers are quite happy to answer a sensible technical question or two. You can narrow down a choice using the SEBUK efficiency database

ask here about reliability, and then ask the manufacturers for technical specs.

This is what I did 3 years ago when I was having my oil boiler changed.

R.

[John Rumm]

Although technology has moved on, most of the principles are much the same.

Not sure such a thing exists. The usually recommended gas fitting guides (some of the BS standards, Tolley's etc) don't really cover the boiler internals in any detail. Our wiki articles on boiler evolution, combined with some of the boiler install manuals probably give you the closest to which you seek.

boiler manuals can be downloaded from their respective makers sites. I also have a large archive of older ones, so email me if you want specific ones and I can see if I have them.

[Bob Minchin]

Thanks for all the replies.

I'll get downloading some manufacturers manuals to start with.

Bob

[Hugo Nebula]

In which case, you're probably a lot more up to date than a lot of CH engineers.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I doubt any one book could give chapter and verse because technology moves on so quickly.

I have a Viessmann which is fairly sophisticated and PDFs of the spec etc can be downloaded from their site and give a pretty good explanation of what they do - if you already have the basics of how a heating system works. I'm sure other makers do too.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Bob Minchin saying something like:

Got an email addy that works?