Upgrade boiler, or new system?

Alex Anderson

I have a coal-fired Crane steam boiler (~60 years old) upgraded to n. gas that of course needs to be replaced. My quandary is: A new steam boiler, or a new system? Of course the radiators, pipes etc. are also 60 years old; would I be in for heartache by spending thousands on a boiler, only to start tracking down leaks, blocks, etc.? I suppose the bottom line is: What is the lifespan of the peripherals of steam heat?
Thanks, Alex

Mark Hunt

I replaced


a steam boiler in a church several years ago that was just about 100 years old.

For some odd reason, the salesman I was working for then convinced the church that ALL of the connected piping should be replaced as well.

Other than a few rotted wet return lines near the boiler, the piping was still in excellent shape and showed no signs of rot. In other words, replacing all of the connected piping was a waste of time and money. Remember, this was nearly 100 year old pipe and I am certain it could have gone at least another 100.

Who told you that you might need to replace the entire system and where are you located?

Mark H

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Unknown

yeah, really

Really, u told ya that the pipes have to be replaced? I got some 80 plus years old pipes are better than new! Promlems I had was with the return pipings and few connections where the stress was the factor.. Sounds like you had some furance company looking at ur steam system...

garret_7

I'm a homeowner, and I just replaced the boiler in my 1920s two-pipe steam system.

http://forums.invision.net/Thread.cfm?CFApp=2&Thread_ID=38526&mc=18

With the exception of rebuilding traps and replacing vents, and replacing some of the worst horizontal sections of the "wet return" which were clogged with sediment, we did nothing to the original supply and return pipes. There's a lot of cast iron left, even under all the rust.

If you stay with steam, and run on a low pressure, a few small leaks aren't going to hurt anything anyway... if your new boiler is set up well, you'll likely be running less than 1psi... not a lot of leaking can happen at that low pressure. I have a few raditor valves that spit a bit, and one supply pipe elbow in the basement that leaks... but we're talking drops of water. I just consider it free humidification.

You've come to the right place... I highly recommend Dan's books (especially We've Got Steam Heat). Also get the Lost Art if you really want to get into the details...

How 'bout posting some pics of your boiler and radiators... folks here love a picture show.

Is it two pipe or one pipe steam?

Fred Campbell

Old Steam Piping

Hey, everything above the water line gets "steam cleaned" every heating day. What's not to like? Most piping repairs to 100 year old systems are usually attributed to structure settling which changed the pitch of the pipe and caused water to settle there. I would recommend against a conversion or new system.

Christian Egli_2

60? It's a spring chicken

Here is a picture of a steam main that will soon be 100. The boiler is out of the way to leave a nice view down the pipe. Notice how everything is kind of decrepit as far as the general looks, but as we all know, it's what's inside that matters.

These pipes (like most steam pipes I look in) are spic and span clean. If you rub your finger inside, you get a little red rust coloring. That's all. As good as new.

There is no pitting corrosion unless there is puddled water. Running water dries up on shut down and cause little rust. For the rest, you'll only find water in the returns - those see some accumulation of dirt in the pockets and the horizontal parts. Easy to deal with.

A new boiler and new traps or vents (replace or repair) will get you going for another 60 years. Not bad in my opinion.