Installing a steam boiler above the radiation

Bob W._3

In "The Lost Art..." Dan describes a system where all the steam went to the top of the building in a large vented riser and down from there (high pressure to low pressure and all that). Wouldn't the same principles apply?

matt_36

Steam boiler installed above the connected load

I have looked through old and new steam boiler installation manuals and have yet seen a schematic showing a low pressure steam boiler installed above the radiation. I'm looking at a job in a factory that has a large scotch low pressure steam boiler feeding steam throughout the plant and to a couple of air handlers with coils in them to heat an office area. They want to shut of the large boiler and put in a smaller boiler to take care of the office space. The only space available to put a boiler is on a mezanene above the air handlers. What headaches our problems should I be aware of before trying to tackle this job? Thanks, Matt

Joe Brix

Why not HW?

Any chance of converting the piping to HW? It's a 2 pipe system now right?

J.C.A._3

I'll second Joe's post.

Cut and cap it out if humanly possible, then set a H.W. boiler in its place. Make sure you can fit it in the appropriate space and with the radiation being lower than the boiler, don't forget to include a LWCO.

Sounds like a great placement for a small, wall hung condensing boiler as long as you can get the fuel there. Big radiators(steam converters) and a condenser sounds like a match made for just this situation! Chris

Unknown

This is

the 1st time I've seen this question come up . I don't see no reason why it wouldn't work , as long as the steam and condensate are flowing downward to the lowest point of the system . You'll have to pump the condensate back up to the boiler though .

t. tekushan

steam up condensate down

I've considered this very question before.

I see no reason why a traditional condensate recovery tank can't be placed in a lower position to collect the condensate which would then be pumped to a tank with boiler feed pump at the boiler's level. I wouldn't try to simplify even further by putting the boiler feed pump at the lower level through a check valve. Those check valves can leak. Use one pump to fill the boiler feed resevoir on demand (mounted at the condensate recovery tank,lower level) and the boiler feed pump at the boiler. Fresh water feed could be delivered via either tank.

Steamhead (in transit)

Or you could

pump thru several check valves, or pipe up higher than the boiler then back down into a gravity return for the remaining distance. Buildings with rooms lower than the boiler have been pumped like this for years. Dan shows a version of this in Lost Art.