Central Heating: Installation, Maintenance and Repair

Was of no help to me

Worked through it all as soon as I got it. Very clear and focused. I already know most of what it covers, but wanted a refresher on general principles and to see what has changed in recent years. I can't comment on how accurate it is, but it sounds about right. Only four stars because I haven't yet tested it in practice. The book is clearly an instant print one, and seems well produced, although some real oddities with wrong words and mis-spellings, although it still makes perfect sense. Doesn't matter for an instruction manual like this, as it still reads very well.,

Good book if you know nothing but as most people only have one type of heating source, then another book more specific to your own fuel source would be better. Covers oil gas electric. I only needed it for oil, and still had to research other publications to get all the info I needed.m

Bigger than many such books it is well written and appears comprehensive; I picked up several important points which I wasn't aware of despite having done amateur plumbing successfully for many years.

Purchased this book to find out how the central heating and water system worked within the home. Thankfully the pictures which outlined the component parts and what they did, explained enough for me to undertake the job and repair which would have been a very costly job if I had called in a Plumber / Heating Engineer. Knowing the job has been done properly and not fleeced by a cowboy has given me a lot of satisfaction. Well worth the cost and saved me over £500 which I was quoted and actually cost me in total repairing it myself £45. Highly recommended.

There's quite a lot of information in this book, but not enough, and the book contains HUNDREDS of typographical errors, some serious. In one place the caption to a photograph says the exact opposite of the equivalent statement in the text. Most of the diagrams are also inadequate, many because they are reproduced too small for absolutely crucial details to be clear to the eye, even when using a magnifier. The lack of care on the author's part, and the lack of editing and proof-reading by the publisher are a disgrace. Microsoft Word's automatic editing, which is all this book had (the tell-tale signs are there all through the book, easily visible to anyone with experience of authorship, editing, publishing, illustrating, etc.) gives this negligence away. Brailsford should be ashamed to have published such a book. Do not doubt me. I am myself a published author - a serious non-fiction work, published in USA. Having found Patrick Mitchell's book very unsatisfactory I bought second-hand George Steele's 1980s Newnes Manual on design and installation of central heating to provide what Mitchell's book fails to give. The Newnes Manual is FAR better, despite being about 40 years old. Eric Franklin

Some of the images are a bit steamy and the plot is non existent, but for my needs it was an excellent read. ;-)I can now make an informed decision about the desired system and design of my replacement central heating, so it was money well spent.

A very useful book explaining how boilers work - well described. Not sure that I have succeeded in optimising the performance of an ageing boiler but am pleased to feel more confident that I understand what is happening when I switch it on.