David E. Watkins 
Heating Services in Buildings 

Water based heating systems are efficient, flexible, versatile and
offer many advantages over other heating systems. These advantages
(fast response, good controllability, efficient zonal heating and
largely silent operation) all require that initial design,
installation, commissioning and maintenance be carried out to a
high standard by competent engineers.

Heating Services in Buildings provides the reader with a
detailed and thorough understanding of the principles and elements
of heating buildings using modern water based heating systems. A
key theme of the book is that there is little difference, in the
approach to the design and engineering, between domestic and
commercial installations. The author’s detailed but highly
practical approach to the subject ensures there is sufficient
information for students from both a craft background and those
with more academic backgrounds to understand the material. This
approach is complemented by straightforward, easy-to-use
diagrams.

Heating Services in Buildings supports a range of
educational courses, including degree level building services
engineering; NVQ Level 4 Higher Professional Diploma in Building
Services Engineering; City & Guilds supplementary heating
course and the Heating Design and Installation Course accredited by
the European Registration Scheme (ERS).

Table of Content

Preface xvii

1 Introduction to Heating Services 1

2 Wet Heating Systems 5

3 Materials 55

4 Heat and Heat Transfer 97

5 Heat Emitters 108

6 Underfl oor Heating 140

7 Heat Requirements of Buildings 165

8 Heat Emitter Selection and Sizing 194

9 Pipe Sizing 206

10 Electricity 226

11 Controls, Components and Control Systems 242

12 Oil Firing 278

13 Natural Gas Firing 316

14 Liquefi ed Petroleum Gas Firing (LPG) 345

15 Alternative Fuels and Energy 356

16 Combustion, Flues and Chimneys 383

17 Combustion Effi ciency Testing 442

18 Circulating Pumps 454

19 Domestic Hot Water 482

20 Solar Energy for Water Heating 513

21 Water Treatment 542

22 District Heating 559

23 Expansion of Pipework 571

24 Regulations, Standards, Codes and Guides 591

25 Testing and System Commissioning 608

26 Operating Costs and Whole Life Costing 622

Appendices 631

Appendix 1 Comparative table of sheet metal gauges 632

Appendix 2 Temperature comparison at atmospheric pressure
634

Appendix 3 Mesh/micron rating 635

Appendix 4 Copper tube BS EN1057 (introduced 15/8/96, Formerly
BS2871) 636

Appendix 5 Dimensional tolerances of low carbon mild steel tube
conforming to BS EN10255, 2004. Formerly BS1387 637

Appendix 6 Hydrostatic data 638

Appendix 7 Composition of copper alloys (common) 639

Appendix 8 Composition of soft solders 640

Appendix 9 SI prefi xes 641

Appendix 10 Light gauge stainless steel tube austenitic type 304
or 316 (BS EN10312) 641

Appendix 11 Elements and chemical symbols 642

Appendix 12 Beaufort wind scale 643

Appendix 13 Comparison of BSP and NPT threads 643

Appendix 14 Properties of water 644

Appendix 15 Temperature conversions 645

Appendix 16 Metric conversion factors 646

Appendix 17 Pressure conversion 648

Appendix 18 Heat fl ow conversion 648

Appendix 19 Approximate viscosity conversion 649

Appendix 20 Viscosity-temperature relationship 650

Appendix 21 Altitude and pressure corrections 651

Index 653

About the author

David E. Watkins IEng, FCIPHE, FSo PHE, MASHRAE, Aff CIBSE, MIf L RP, is a highly experienced public health engineer with extensive knowledge of both UK and overseas public health and mechanical pipework services engineering. He has worked on numerous projects in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Americas, including a period of secondment to BAA’s design team for Heathrow Terminal 5. David is currently working as an independent consulting engineer and lectures on engineering services at various colleges and institutions.