Steam /Water mess

Paul Fredricks_3

I'll have to check the hot water load. Not sure how to check the radiant load. Is there a possible rule of thumb, btu/ square foot I can go by so I can at least get close?

I'll probably start with the radiator vents. I know some don't vent and some are blowing steam.

Paul Fredricks_3

Yuck

Check out these pics. The people just bought this house and said the heat doesn't work very well. It looks like this system has been added to over the years. The Everhot is fed with a single 3/4" pipe off the boiler, and serves a radiant loop and 3 zone valves. On the Amtrol, the arrows on the circulator and the flow check point away from the Amtrol, which is why someone manually opened the flow check.

Interesting near boiler piping too. My first thought is to start over with a new steam boiler and a separate hot water boiler for the loops.

Upstairs they have room with both hot water baseboard and steam radiators. The steam units have just about every type of vent ever made. I found a couple of cast iron radiators that were made for water, not steam(the vent is on the top of the radiator, and on the same end as the steam pipe, so only one section gets warm).

What would you do?

Brad White_9

Tabula Rasa

I suppose, Paul, that there is only so much you can do working with that. (Is there anything left you can do for or to that system??)

I think it has been "done".

Is the hot water side large enough in capacity to justify a second boiler?

If it is marginal or a small load, but the occupancy followed the main house, a nice below waterline system with a plate exchanger would be my choice if I were the homeowner.

The steam piping, copper, steam leaving away from the equalizer... a nice new steamer with dropped header and new HW piping would make for an excellent "before and after" shot. The owners will feel that they got a real new house.

That is what I see from here....

Steamhead (in transit)

Paul, I'd start with the HW side

For the rooms that have HW heat only, do a heat-loss and see what you get. It may be enough for a small boiler which could also run the indirect.

For the rooms that have both steam and water, see if just one system will heat these rooms.

Once the HW is split off from the steam, it will be time for a new, properly-sized steam boiler.

Of course if that were my house, I'd make it all steam, but that's just me..............

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Paul Fredricks_3

I have to run back up there tomorrow and take another look around. I don't think there are any rooms that are just baseboard.

What a mess. On top of everything, the house probably dates back 200 years, or at least part of it does. Someone renovated and did a great injustice to this house.