>>What you call boiler and we call bojler (yep, we borrowed the word - want it back, now that it has a nice j in the middle?) in the US they call water-heater. What they call boiler is the big kettle for house heating. "Boiler room" is where all the heating related stuff, big furnace etc, is installed.
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>Worldwide, and in an engineering sense, the word "boiler" should only refer to systems that turn water into steam, and then distribute the steam (often under considerable temperature and pressure) for heating or power purposes. The term "water heater" is much better for what actually happens in most relatively modern residences and businesses, apart from those that do use steam radiators etc.

But "boiler" is only 2.3 syllables cf "water heater"'s 4.

Besides, what else around the home is called a boiler that would be so confusing. The thing specifically for boiling h20 is a kettle.

What you'd call a boiler we'd probably call "steam generator".

Besides, what is your defo. of "steam" - the white opaque vapour in a turkish bath or the invisible matter that issues from a kettle's spout and becomes the above?

I guess our term comes from a cross between the steam heating type and a "geyser" - a wall-mounted hot water generator for washing (say in bed-sits) and/or making hot drinks with.

Heh, I've just looked some up and, to add more confusion, you can get oil, electric or "gas boilers" - for the Dragans in us this would suggest they boil gas FGS!