new system needed??

moo

We are gutting a small house and adding on to the second story. I love the existing (60-year-old) steam system and would like to keep it if possible. But I was told that it will be very difficult to add on to our one-way steam system, and that the high cost of steam pumps and additional radiators will make this a bad choice. Instead, an entirely new system (hot water with baseboard heat) is recommended. I hate to give up my lovely steam and lovely radiators, and it seems really wasteful and expensive to tear out all the piping and radiators (we need a new boiler anyway, though) and start from scratch.
I've ordered the steam book sold at this site, but does anyone here have experience adding on to a steam system? If that really is a bad idea, I wonder if it's possible to keep steam on the first floor and add hot water baseboard heat to the second? What options are there besides converting to a whole new system?

moo

add on to steam system or start over?

We are gutting a small house and adding on to the second story. I love the existing (60-year-old) steam system and would like to keep it if possible. But I was told that it will be very difficult to add on to our one-way steam system, and that the high cost of steam pumps and additional radiators will make this a bad choice. Instead, an entirely new system (hot water with baseboard heat) is recommended. I hate to give up my lovely steam and lovely radiators, and it seems really wasteful and expensive to tear out all the piping and radiators (we need a new boiler anyway, though) and start from scratch.
I've ordered the steam book sold at this site, but does anyone here have experience adding on to a steam system? If that really is a bad idea, I wonder if it's possible to keep steam on the first floor and add hot water baseboard heat to the second? What options are there besides converting to a whole new system?

bob young

steam & hot water

Keep the steam for existing & design new independent hot water system for addition . two separate zoned systems. it is done all the time. and treat yourself to a new burnham steam boiler .

Daniel_17

Like Bob said, keep the steam and run a hot water zone with matching radiators in the addition.

Steamhead (in transit)

Adding onto a steam system

really isn't complicated or difficult if you know what you're doing. Threading black steel pipe and hoisting it into place is more labor-intensive than working with copper, though.

When I hear "I was told that it will be very difficult to add on to our one-way steam system, and that the high cost of steam pumps and additional radiators will make this a bad choice. Instead, an entirely new system (hot water with baseboard heat) is recommended" I think that contractor is just looking for a big-bucks tear-out. And when he refers to "steam pumps" to be put in a house, I can tell he really doesn't know residential steam.

Running a hot-water zone off the steam boiler will work, but if the addition is small, running a new steam main to the addition and installing radiators will reduce the system's complexity. Thermostatic valves on radiators in bedrooms and other places to be kept cooler than the main house will save much energy.

If the addition is large enough- with a heat loss over 50,000 BTU per hour or so- consider giving it its own boiler. This way if one boiler breaks down, the other will still heat part of the house.

"Steamhead"

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