psig vs psia, firetube boilers, safety valves, the feedwater line, steam traps, combustion, pumps, water treatment and blowdown: in your course book it's a wall of text. Here each topic fits on one page, with the drawing and what you need to remember. 80 illustrated pages.
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One topic per page: a drawing that shows you how it works, and boxes with what you need to know:
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These are real pages from the book. The table of contents is the full one: 12 parts and 75 topics.
You've read the section on psig and psia three times. You close the book...
...and you can't remember which one starts at zero, or when to add the 14.7. It was just lines of text in a row.
Here psig vs psia is one page: two zeros drawn side by side, the gauge's and the true one, and 10 psig + 14.7 = 24.7 psia worked line by line.
And on the pages next to it, every piece of plant math gets its own: BTU, sensible and latent heat, boiler horsepower and pump horsepower.
First you understand why it works that way. Then the steps come back on their own.
The license exam, boiler fundamentals, steam and plant math, safety devices, valves and piping, combustion, pumps and feedwater, water treatment, boiler operation, plant equipment, safety and codes, and the final review: 80 pages, all drawn
Picture this:
Instead of rereading half a page on the feedwater line without being able to see it...
...you open the page and find the line drawn like a plant diagram: from the pump to the boiler, check valve first, then stop valve, with the flow arrows going the right way.
And safety valves, steam traps, combustion, blowdown and boiler horsepower turn into drawings and tables you can read at a glance.
You stop memorizing and start understanding.
That's exactly what The Boiler Operator Exam Sketchbook does. It's not “just another manual.” It's 12 parts and 75 drawn topics, with the plant math worked line by line, and at the end the frequent mix-ups side by side and an exam day checklist. Because what your brain sees in order, it remembers.
Because what your brain sees organized, it remembers.
Who licenses you (your city, state, employer or NIULPE), where low pressure ends and high pressure starts, and how to study for a multiple-choice exam.
Firetube, watertube, cast iron sectional and electric boilers, the terms that sound alike, and every component on one drawing.
psig vs psia, temperature and BTU, sensible and latent heat, saturated and superheated steam, heat transfer, boiler horsepower, efficiency and simple machines.
Safety valves, the low-water fuel cutoff, water column and gauge glass, gauges and siphons, operating vs high-limit controls, flame safeguard, furnace explosions and hydrostatic testing.
Main steam stop valves, gate, globe and check valves, the feedwater valve order, steam traps, condensate return, water hammer, carryover and expansion.
The combustion triangle and air-fuel ratio, the gas train, fuel oil systems, reading a flame, natural, forced and induced draft, and manometers.
Centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, feedwater pumps and regulators, condensate and vacuum pumps, feedwater heaters, economizers and lubrication.
Hard and soft water, scale and corrosion, softeners, deaerators, sodium sulfite and phosphate, surface and bottom blowdown, and boiler water tests.
Shift change, cold startup, placing a boiler online, rounds, water level, shutdown, wet and dry layup, and what to do on low water.
Air compressors, steam turbines, cooling towers, the refrigeration cycle, absorption chillers, steam and hot water heating, HVAC basics and plant electricity.
Lockout/tagout, confined space entry, fire safety, the ASME Code sections operators meet, inspection prep, and fireside and waterside cleaning.
The frequent mix-ups side by side and an exam day checklist.
At the end of the book: Plant math worked line by line, the frequent mix-ups side by side and an exam day checklist.
Extra exam-style problems on psig vs psia, BTU and boiler horsepower, safety valve and pump problems, and heat and efficiency, each one worked step by step so you can practice the math until the steps are automatic.
Printable cards with the term on the front and a one-line definition plus a tiny sketch on the back, so you can review the vocabulary on a break or between rounds.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
PDF by email: The Boiler Operator Exam Sketchbook reaches your inbox as a PDF, and the two free books come by email too. One-time payment, no installments or hidden costs.
Boilers, valves, controls and plant math, one topic per page, to study after your shift without fighting a thick course book.
A review of the whole syllabus in the same order, with the math worked line by line and the frequent mix-ups side by side at the end.
A quick visual refresher on what you see every day: safety valves, the feedwater line, blowdown, combustion and pumps.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
30-day guarantee: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You have 30 days to try The Boiler Operator Exam Sketchbook and the two bonus books. If it doesn't work for you, email us, tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100% of what you paid. One-time payment, no subscription.
You get The Boiler Operator Exam Sketchbook as a high-resolution PDF by email, at the address you enter at checkout, to read on your phone or print. The two bonus books, Boiler Room Math Workbook and 300 Boiler Room Terms on Cards, also come by email.
A one-time payment of $27. No installments and no subscription.
For people preparing for a low-pressure boiler operator or entry-level stationary engineer license exam: maintenance and facilities staff, boiler room operators, HVAC and plant techs adding the license, and anyone retaking the exam. It starts from the basics (psig vs psia, what each part of the boiler does) and goes straight to the point, so it works for a first license and for a review. Check the table of contents above to see the topics.
It's organized around the public NIULPE syllabi (the Low Pressure Boiler Examination syllabus and the Power Engineer 4th Class reference syllabus) and checked against ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code general principles, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 and 1910.146, and standard steam properties. Everything is written in our own words.
No, it's independent study material. It covers the common content of low pressure boiler and entry-level stationary engineer exams. Your local law, license classes, experience hours and code edition aren't included: check your city or state licensing board. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by NIULPE, ASME, the National Board or any city, state or union.
No. It's a visual study aid to use alongside your licensing course, your plant's procedures, the manufacturer's instructions and your chief engineer. It doesn't give you a certificate and it doesn't count as training hours toward your license.
No. The practice questions in the book and the problems in the Boiler Room Math Workbook bonus are written for this book. They are not official questions from any exam. They're there to help you practice the way the exam asks.
Yes. It's a PDF, so you can print the whole book or just the pages you want to keep handy in the boiler room.
30-day guarantee: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You don't have to reread the same page hoping it sticks this time.
You don't have to memorize valves and formulas you can't picture.
And you definitely don't have to walk into the exam without knowing where to start.
One last thing before you decide: you don't need more hours with the course book. You need the same topics in order, one page each, with the drawing. 80 drawn pages + 2 bonus books, PDF by email.
One-time payment: US$ 27 · Guarantee: 30 days · PDF by email
YES, I WANT THE BOILER OPERATOR EXAM SKETCHBOOK FOR US$ 27📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
