which book to buy?

[Deleted User]

Reja's advice is right on the mark. As a steam beginner,if buying a single one of Dan's books,I think I'd also go with "We Got Steam Heat"

I got all three books and I started reading the "The Lost Art of Steam Heating" first but after reading all three I think I'd have been better off to start with "We got Steam Heat" as it gets into concepts and definitions faster. "The Lost Art.." goes into more detail and assumes you are a heating pro and you already know the definitions an (The definitions are there if you need them I just had to look back and forth a lot to keep myself straight.) All 3 books I have found very useful and would suggest over time you acquire them all. They are easy reading and packed with information.
If you're like me,one of the things you will soon learn is that you know zero about steam heat and what you did know is probably wrong. I've had problems for years with my system and finally got tired of the run around by the "experts" and after finding Dan's books learned and straightened the system out myself. Another one of the big benefits of learning steam heating is that you can immediately qualify whether the guy working on your system is competent or not.

Get the book, read it and then study your own steam system until you can recognize the particular parts and understand their design and function. (Dan explains this all very well.)
Steam is quite easy and a very neat system once you understand the basics.

westminster

which book to buy?!?!?

Hi. We are new owners of a home with a hundred year old one-pipe gas steam system. We're looking for a book to both explain how our system works as well as help us troubleshoot a number of problems we are having with our boiler and radiators. If you had to recommend just one of Dan's books to us, which one would it be? We would love to buy them all but it's just not in the budget right now. Thanks!

sreja

I have all 3 books.

In my opinion the two bigger ons are really really really useful.
"Pocketfull of steam problems" i think is not all that useful.

"The Lost Art of Steam Heating" is the really big book and it goes into a lot of detail. It's audience seems to be a more heating specialist type. I found it very informative and invaluable.

"We Got Steam Heat" is for a more general audience, and is the more recent book. So if you could only have one, or to start with, i think that would be the 1 book i would recommend. Then if you want more details, get "The Lost Art of Steam Heating"

Definitely get at least one of Dan's books -- they are great reading material and you'll learn a lot.

Just my 2cents.

Rich L.

Congratulations

on your new home! That is exciting:)

Hands down "We Got Steam Heat" is the book to start out with. It was written with the homeowner/ non-technician in mind. A little extra bang for your buck, I think you'll find Dan's books entertaining reading as well.

Good luck with your new home, Rich L

westminster

thanks!

Perfect, thanks for the advice!