Looking up "boilerplate" in the American Heritage Dictionary yields the following definitions: "1. A steel plate used in making the shells of steam boilers. 2. Journalistic material, such as syndicated features, available in plate or mat form." OK, so maybe both of those could use a little updating, but "boilerplate" still remains a unique intersection of HVAC terminology and publishing vocabulary.
Our goal here is to give you an overview of what the various boiler manufacturers supply in the way of tools to make your next boiler project easier. Some have software programs, others have literature and CAD libraries. Some offer downloads, some will mail you a CD-ROM. We focus first on the opportunities to download sizing software or to use a program right there on a company's website. After that, we'll review several other websites, a few of which put their own twists on the usual information.
So take a quick look to see who might be able to save you some time the next time you have to do some boiler / hot water heater investigation. Some of these tools consider a wealth of different commercial applications, review the company's line of products, then provide some quick and targeted guidance. And when the success (or worse, the failure) of a project could rest on the ability to select the best equipment for the job, you can't always afford to fall back on some dusty boilerplate approach, can you?