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Re: completely sooted up heat exchanger and combustion chamber. what do you do?
This, @Joseph_4 . I like to have a chamber kit with me when I go to service a boiler for the first time, but I only use it if the existing one is unusable. This has saved many a trip to the supply house in the middle of the job.
If the burner has an old 3-wire primary it gets replaced, and an oil delay valve added if there isn't one, with a proper pre-purge interval. This brings the control system into the 21st century and makes it run cleaner.
In this situation I tell the customer that I'll do whatever it takes to make it run properly, and even though regular maintenance is necessary, they shouldn't have to spend much money in subsequent years.
What boiler and burner are you working with here?
Re: The case for dry steam this Fridays video
Thanks @retiredguy I appreciate the comment
@ethicalpaul I love you man LOL Thats awesome. Great question by the way. When there is water inside the steam system, it pulls the heat from the steam and the steam condenses.It starts a cascading effect as the more water or condensate that's in the pipe, the more the steam condenses, essentially short circuiting itself. The energy is transferred into the condensate. Now that starts problems of its own as the condensate temperature starts to increase. On a commercial system with a mechanical condensate pump, the hot condensate can flash to steam inside the pump volute, never a good idea. This destroys the impeller and since it's a gas now, the pump can't pump.
Have a great weekend
Ray
Re: Guidance on gas steam boiler sizing when experts can't agree?
all of the radiators get hot and some are too hot to touch once the system is running
It's STEAM. (And probably not vapor.) It should heat to 212 degrees. If some radiators get half-hot, that is probably air-vents, something the home-dweller may be able to replace.
We had a gas burner put in an oil boiler with troubled tankage (47' holly tree over it). We were told it would be less efficient, a generic gas burner instead of a "matched" oil burner. We were quite happy about it. True, we were on street-gas then, when gas was far cheaper than oil. (And now I know that there aren't really custom burners, just a couple angles and deflections.)
PRR
Re: Guidance on gas steam boiler sizing when experts can't agree?
Once a Conversion burner is set up, I've found them trouble free. Riellos are more finicky than Carlins, but if you take the time, they work great. Mad Dog 🐕
Re: Guidance on gas steam boiler sizing when experts can't agree?
If you compare that 729 SF of calculated EDR with the existing boiler rating of 1,250 SF, you will see that you already have a significantly oversized boiler. Even if it's been downfired a bit (do you know what size nozzle is installed in the oil burner?)
Also, the current boiler is rated for 400,000 BTUH output; the input (firing rate) is higher (3.4 GPH oil x 140,000 = 476,000 or 476 MBH).
This is a simple process, but far too many contractors just don't want to learn to do it right.
bburd
Re: Guidance on gas steam boiler sizing when experts can't agree?
Not sure what brands are being suggested, but in the Weil Mclain line the EG-75 would fit your EDR well. Honestly I could even make arguments for the EG-65 which would still give you 13% pick up factor, but I doubt you get any contractor to go there.
Whoever is recommending the 125 seems a bit crazy to me. I'm all for sizing down as the systems can run really nice (I'm firing slightly below my EDR and it's awesome), but 125 is nuts.
Whoever is suggesting the 300 is even more insane that the 125 suggestion.
It's not so much there is disagreement among professionals, there is disagreement among people who aren't doing their job correctly. So if they aren't doing their job correctly they should be discounted.
Sizing is important, correct piping is just as important. There is a picture in every manual showing what's proper, and plenty of them still do it wrong. Having the new install properly skimmed so it will run correctly is also important. Whoever does it, need to make sure all those points will be addressed, and get it in writing.
KC_Jones
Re: Guidance on gas steam boiler sizing when experts can't agree?
Conversion burners are great but only if set up properly. Unless you have somebody whom you are comfortable is competent with conversion burners, I would stay away. Much easier to mess up a conversion burner then the standard atmospheric boiler. Same reason I tell people to stay away from oil. I work with the assumption that most technicians working on these things, are somewhat incompetent. Better to have an incompetent working on atmosphere gas boiler, then an oil or conversion gas burner.
Re: New gas fired steam boiler: Williamson vs New Yorker
Installer should know how to calculate radiator heat output. Would be sad if they didn't. Doesn't say much for their competency.
Re: New gas fired steam boiler: Williamson vs New Yorker
Can't justify boiler replacement just because gas valve is leaking. That is crazy.
Re: New gas fired steam boiler: Williamson vs New Yorker
Gas leak? Why do you have to replace the boiler? Where is the gas leak? Only way to know what size boiler, is by determining the heat output of the radiators. If either of these contractors do not do that, do yourself a favor and show them the door. And not the inside of the door.