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Re: Thanks JohnNY (Gateway)
Why wouldnt work like that? ( he winces as he asks).I assume it's because in that position it will collect a lot of gunk and be blocked from "feeling" the high pressure it is supposed to protect against
Re: Problem with short-cycling, low water, and leaks
The returns could also be clogged causing slow return to the boiler.
i'll say it again. the cycle guard stops the burner to check the water level every x minutes, this could be what you see as it "shutting down on low water level"
i'll say it again. the cycle guard stops the burner to check the water level every x minutes, this could be what you see as it "shutting down on low water level"
mattmia2
1
Re: Thanks JohnNY (Gateway)
@SlamDunk I don't know how it impacts performance but the Watts install instructions state to install in the vertical position.
DJD775
2
Re: Boiler Steam Heat Setup
I would call that pretty horrible. It doesn't comply with the boiler manufacturer's requirements or good steamfitting practice. It should be black pipe rather than copper (except for the condensate returns). The steam main takeoffs should both be after the boiler riser and before the drop to the equalizer, not split to either side of the boiler riser as they are now, which will tend to throw water up into the left steam main. Also there is a reducer at the boiler steam outlet, which may not comply with the manufacturer's minimum piping specs depending on the rating of the boiler.delcrossv said:Your near boiler piping is incorrect, but not horrible.
How is the system working?
And the steam pipes should be insulated.
bburd
4
Re: Heating device ID
I think the booties are more protection from what is on the subfloor.
mattmia2
3
Re: Testing F+T traps, how reliable?
If Sarco did the testing, I would trust what they came up with. The modern testing equipment works well. The old way of using heat sticks, thermometers etc is not as reliable as the modern equipment.
Most large steam plants if they want their traps to work they just replace or rebuild them every 3-5 years or so. The labor it takes to go around and check every single trap is wasted labor.....you get nothing for it it 0 it cost you money. By the time you check them all you could have rebuilt bunches of them. That's just the way it is with commercial steam. And your traps with a vacuum return and high-pressure steam take more of a beating than a typical low-pressure system.
Most large steam plants if they want their traps to work they just replace or rebuild them every 3-5 years or so. The labor it takes to go around and check every single trap is wasted labor.....you get nothing for it it 0 it cost you money. By the time you check them all you could have rebuilt bunches of them. That's just the way it is with commercial steam. And your traps with a vacuum return and high-pressure steam take more of a beating than a typical low-pressure system.
Re: Old Boiler Dating
Probably installed or converted to oil in 1949. Coal was usually what was used for heating before wwii. If the boiler is older than that it was probably fired with coal.
mattmia2
2
Re: Problem with short-cycling, low water, and leaks
Knowing what I know today, I would take every effort to get that boiler tuned into your system. I recently changed my system so it is firing at a similar rate to the radiation as yours about -3% pick up factor, and the system is the best it's ever been.
I completely disagree with those saying change it, waste of money and time from where I'm sitting. The issues you are having have nothing to do with sizing, nothing at all. Losing water is a leak. To give perspective 99 gallons should be 10-15 years of water usage, and you say you have underground returns? That is the place to start with water usage. If they need replaced, I would not put them underground again unless there are zero other options, for me it's always been a dumb idea.
For reference to lose that much water through venting only, a Gorton #2 main vent would have to be venting steam continuously for ~340 hours to release 99 gallons of water. You wouldn't have to look around to find that, the walls dripping would tell the story. Also, since you say the steam isn't reaching the radiator vents, they can't be losing steam by definition.
After you make sure it's not surging and you aren't losing water, then you can tackle venting and balance. Start with main venting, then move to radiator venting, if necessary.
I agree with above about looking at upgrading that header and possibly separating the mains, it looks like they are tee'd together and while it's controversial around here, I believe it's better to have them fed off the header individually for balance reasons.
I completely disagree with those saying change it, waste of money and time from where I'm sitting. The issues you are having have nothing to do with sizing, nothing at all. Losing water is a leak. To give perspective 99 gallons should be 10-15 years of water usage, and you say you have underground returns? That is the place to start with water usage. If they need replaced, I would not put them underground again unless there are zero other options, for me it's always been a dumb idea.
For reference to lose that much water through venting only, a Gorton #2 main vent would have to be venting steam continuously for ~340 hours to release 99 gallons of water. You wouldn't have to look around to find that, the walls dripping would tell the story. Also, since you say the steam isn't reaching the radiator vents, they can't be losing steam by definition.
After you make sure it's not surging and you aren't losing water, then you can tackle venting and balance. Start with main venting, then move to radiator venting, if necessary.
I agree with above about looking at upgrading that header and possibly separating the mains, it looks like they are tee'd together and while it's controversial around here, I believe it's better to have them fed off the header individually for balance reasons.
KC_Jones
5