Heating Museum → Old Steam Help Topics

Here is a nice explanation of thermostatic traps by Austin Roche, Chief Engineer for Hoffman Specialty. This appeared on June 13, 1952.

Trane made some of the finest vapor heating equipment in the world. This catalog explains how their heating system works, and it shows the insides of all the equipment.

This document is called "Trane: The Complete Line, featuring the Trane Lifetime Valve" and contains information about Trane traps, vents and supply valves. Thanks to Patr...

This booklet features one of Trane's earliest systems for producing vacuum in a steam system, through the use of a pot filled with mercury and specialized air valves.

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.

Here are installation and operating instructions from Dunham-Bush about the Vari-Vac Differential Controller Model 389 K. Thanks to Brad White for finding and sharing thi...

Here is information from MEPCO (Marshall Engineered Products Co.) about the Vari-Vac Differential Heating System. Thanks to Brad White for finding and sharing this inform...

This installation, operation, and maintenance manual from Dunham-Bush contains information about the Vari-Vac DTS-2 Programmable Timer. Thanks to Brad White for finding a...

This document contains information about the VECO vapor heating system, the very best offering of the Vapor Engineering Company, circa 1930. It's always a joy to find one...

Here's the whole Warren Webster line from 1943, along with some very clear explanations of how their heating system worked. After the catalog material, you will find the ...