hot water heat radiator systems

bob_60

I own an older house, built in 1907, in the Mid west. It had an old monster coal fired boiler in the basement. (Which is still there in all its glory, covered with good old insulation. It had been converted to oil years ago. someone in 1985 installed a small package boiler and cut the old boiler loose. There is still a ton or so of coal in the basement! My next project!) The house has large radiators on the first floor in each room, sometimes 2 in a room. There is one radiator in the hall on the second floor. I love the distribution of heat but it is quite expensive to run. Is there anything I can do to increase the efficiency of this boiler, short of replacing it with the new higher efficiency models? I thought of utilizing the stack heat in some kind of a feedwater preheater but haven't found any companies that produce such a device. The boiler is a bryant 150,000 input / 124,000 output with a grundfos 3 speed circulator pump. I have noticed the radiator up stairs half warms and I need to drain air fron it now and then as it heats. The water to the boiler is at a constant 2 psi thru the regulator/backflow device. There is a large tank in the rafters still attached to the piping system. I assune it is an old surge tank. The house is appx. 2500 square feet and insulation had been updated. Any ideas?

bigugh_4

Idea ? yes

> I own an older house, built in 1907, in the Mid

> west. It had an old monster coal fired boiler in

> the basement. (Which is still there in all its

> glory, covered with good old insulation. It had

> been converted to oil years ago. someone in 1985

> installed a small package boiler and cut the old

> boiler loose. There is still a ton or so of coal

> in the basement! My next project!) The house

> has large radiators on the first floor in each

> room, sometimes 2 in a room. There is one

> radiator in the hall on the second floor. I love

> the distribution of heat but it is quite

> expensive to run. Is there anything I can do to

> increase the efficiency of this boiler, short of

> replacing it with the new higher efficiency

> models? I thought of utilizing the stack heat

> in some kind of a feedwater preheater but haven't

> found any companies that produce such a device.

> The boiler is a bryant 150,000 input / 124,000

> output with a grundfos 3 speed circulator pump.

> I have noticed the radiator up stairs half warms

> and I need to drain air fron it now and then as

> it heats. The water to the boiler is at a

> constant 2 psi thru the regulator/backflow

> device. There is a large tank in the rafters

> still attached to the piping system. I assune it

> is an old surge tank. The house is appx. 2500

> square feet and insulation had been updated. Any

> ideas?

bigugh_4

Idea ? yes

Start at the very beginning. Do a heat loss on your "Now' home. That is as it is Now! note the windows, the insulation, the doors and all those items as the home is today. then carefully look at how to do with what you have got. Useing this site you should be able to answer your efficientcie questions. Look at the whole heating help.com site. there is enough information here to let you make some decisions your self. IT may be that there is something here that would describe your problem to a tee, with the solution right there with it.