Radiant and steam boiler

Kevin Henry

Hey guys...just a quick question. I have a steam boiler and I'm considering adding some radiant heat to my living/dining area. I don't plan on doing the work myself but I'd like to have an idea of what is involved before I start searching for installers.

My main question is from a mechanical standpoint. Will the installer simply add a heat exchanger which will convert the steam to water? I guess my main question is how do we get the heat from the steam into the tubing? Sorry for such a simple question but if you don't know, it's not a stupid question!

DanHolohan

Yes,

if he's smart, he'll use a water-to-water heat exchanger below the waterline of the steam boiler. The radiant side will work like a hot-water zone.

Rich L.

Absolutly

You sure can Kevin, We do it all the time on commercial applications with a device called a steam converter. It has the water flowing through tubes and the steam from your system surrounds the tubes, gives up it's heat, condenses and returns to your boiler. the water in the tubes is heated and runs out to the space and gives up it's heat to the space as required. Very simple set up, works very efficiently. I'm not sure if such a device is available for a residential application, but I'd be suprised if it's not. Good luck.

Rich L