Comparing Dan's Steam Books

Trav

There have been some informative threads on this forum comparing Dan's steam-related books, so at the risk introducing a redundant topic, here goes:



I'm a new first-time homeowner with a one-pipe steam heat system, but I have virtually no practical knowledge of any heating system, steam or otherwise. (Chalk that up to years of renting, where lack of necessity to learn equaled lack of desire.) My goal now is to gain a competent working knowledge of a steam heat system, and calibrate mine to save as much money as possible on the monthly gas bill. I'm not averse to research and deep knowledge, but with this particular topic I'd be satisfied with mere competency.



Would just one of Dan's books suffice, or do they complement one another with different kinds of information to justify getting more than one? This is my sense of what they are:



The Lost Art of Steam Heating — comprehensive and technical

We Got Steam Heat! — geared toward the homeowner

Greening Steam — focused on saving money

A Pocketful of Steam Problems — a troubleshooting compendium



Without the ability to physically leaf through these books to see what they're like, I'm leaning toward getting both We Got Steam Heat! and Greening Steam, but so many folks here recommend The Lost Art of Steam Heating, even for homeowners. Any advice or recommendations?

Hap_Hazzard

It's hard for me to say

since I have all four of them. It's a little like asking me which ones I could do without. That's tough. If I had to give up just one of them it would probably be the Pocketful. It's an interesting book, and I've found it very thought-provoking, but it's not as practical as the others.



I took advantage of the "steamy deal" to get these, and I also bought the EDR book. At the time I would have traded the Pocketful book for the EDR book, but now I wouldn't. Whatever radiators you have, you can always get one of us to look up the EDR for you, and besides, it turns out one type of radiator, of which I have eight, isn't even in there.



For me the most useful part of Greening Steam has been the chapter on balancing venting, which is a very difficult yet important process, so I guess if I had to pick one book I'd go with that one, but there's so much stuff in the others, and it's so interesting and fun to read, I'd encourage you to consider going for the "deal" if you can afford it.

Rod

The Books!

Hi- I think the first thing to be said is all of Dan's steam books are written so that a  homeowner new to steam can understand them and while there is going to obviously be some over lap of information, ALL are valuable to the homeowner.

If it were me I would start with "We Got Steam Heat! as it give you as an over view of residential steam heating, what the components are and their function. It helps to know the basics and the vocabulary first before you move on to the other books. (I read "The Lost Art..." first and then "We Got...." and believe me it would have been much easier to do it the other way!)



"Greening Steam" wasn't written when I started my education on steam though now I think this would be the book I would read after "We Got...".  "We Got..." is a good introduction to the components and "Greening Steam" goes into more detail of how the individual components can be "tweaked" (adjusted) to optimize your steam system.



"The Lost Art...." goes into the whole realm of residential steam heating in depth. It's a must read if you are replacing your boiler or have major problems with your system or are considering doing an addition or major renovation as it will give you the knowledge to make sure your contractor doesn't screw things up.



"A Pocketful of Steam Problems" is a problem /cause trouble shooting booklet.



I would say the first 3 are a must and I would read them in that order..  "A Pocketful ..." is useful and nice to have.  I might also mention you can't go wrong with any of these books as they will save you many times their worth. I can easily say they have saved me a thousand times their worth since I got them and that doesn't count the info I have shared with my neighbors!

- Rod

BobC

I agree with Rod

All of Dan's books are very well written, I started out with The Lost Art of Steam Heating and that explained exactly how a steam system works and it went into the different types of systems as well. I also have Greening Steam which does a good job of explaining how to optimize systems.



After reading and understanding these books you will be very well educated about steam heat. If your practical minded and want to do some of your own work I'd start with The Lost Art because it has so much information compared to We Got Steam Heat which is a great pimer but does not go into a lot of detail.



Bob

Trav

Thanks!

Thanks for all the replies and advice. It was exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Based on my situation — new to steam, system not in need of repair, boiler practically new — I'm going to pick up We Got Steam Heat! and Greening Steam. Then down the line if I need something more comprehensive (or if these two books reveal steam heat to be a fascinating subject of study in and of itself), I'll get The Lost Art of Steam Heating.