steam boilers

Steamhead (in transit)

the firing rate should be 1.45 GPH according to W-M's site. You really shouldn't down-fire past 80% of this since the boiler might be slow to make steam. 80% of 1.45 is 1.15 GPH, which should be good for about 400 square feet EDR. This is not a standard nozzle size, the next higher is 1.20 or you could run the 1.00 at 125 PSI and get about 1.15.

The vibration may be caused by the tech not readjusting the air band to allow for the smaller nozzle. Readjusting the air- and changing the nozzle, pump pressure etc- must be done by a pro with the proper test equipment.

I like the SGO boilers, and with the proper set-up yours should be able to run quietly and efficiently. Try the Find a Professional page of this site to locate a real pro near you who can straighten this out.

<A HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=367&Step=30">To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"</A>

Rich_21

Steam boiler recycling

A recently installed Weil mclain boiler was recycling constantly after running about 15 minutes. I learned that the radiator requirements for the house was for 350 square feet of steam. The boiler was rated for 542 square feet of steam. The installing contractor came back and reduced the burner tip from 1.50 GPH to 1.00 GPH. He also lowered the adjustment of the pressuretrol This resulted in the boiler vibrating enough to frighten my family. I turned the boiler off. We are afraid to turn it back on.
This boiler is oversized.
1- What can be done to correct the problem?
2- Does the boiler have to be replaced with the right size?
3- Can it ever operate correctly?
4- Can it ever operate efficiently?

thfurnitureguy_4

Its time for a seccond opinion. Steam should match the radiator load to the size of the boiler. If your boiler is too big it will cycle off on pressure before it satisfys you T-stat. Which is what it is doing now. If you down fire your boiler It will reach a point that it no longer makes steam quickly. It will simmer rather than boil. The boiler will run longer and never give the heat you want. The cooler temp can cause condensation in your flue pipe and rot out your boiler. You can add radiators, add a domestic hot water coil, Basically use up the extra EDR, or if this is not in the plans call your contractor and make him do it right. I would pay to have an independent pro. inspect/ size the system before you call the guy back. It would be a good idea to know what your talking about if you need to go to court. I'm sure if you chose a reputable contractor, and didn't force him into using the larger boiler, he will see the mistake and make good on it. Did you request and pay for a heat loss evaluation before you decided on the boiler? or did the guy just replace what was there? Best of luck.

Steamhead (in transit)

Rich, what is

the model number of your W-M boiler?

Rich_21

Book

Thank you for your helpful information. Is there a book you can reccomend where I can verify that this boiler will never run efficiently because it is oversized. If I have to go to court. I would need this information.
Thank you,