BurnhamMegasteam questions

Norm Harvey

The low fire baffle they are talking about is a plate installed in the burner chassis in conjunction with the properly sized end cone and nozzle.

I also felt the same way about de-rating the appliance, but my local Burnham rep assures me that it is acceptable to do so using the proper baffles etc.


Also you are correct that the baffles in the flue ways are not related to firing rate. But if you have problems with venting, they may be removed. If your having venting problems with modern equipment, its highly recommended you modernize your chimney as well, with a liner and chimney cap.


I'll hopefully have some pictures of a Megasteam tomorrow that I installed this week if your interested.



<A HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=395&Step=30">To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"</A>

Jim_83

I am a homeowner looking to replace my existing steam boiler with the Burnham MegaSteam. I have a few questions and am interested in what you have to say.

When reading the specifications for the Burnham MegaSteam it looks like the MST288 and MST396 are similar castings. Are they the same casting with some modifications to de-rate the MST396 to get the lower square feet of steam for the MST288?

If they are the same castings, can the MST288 be safely de-rated? The Burnham manual on page 27 says the boilers can not be de-rated. The text from the manual is shown below.

Do not de-rate the appliance. Failure to fire the unit at it’s designed input may cause excessive condensation upon the interior walls of the chimney. In addition, the lower input may not create enough draft to adequately evacuate the by-products of combustion.

The manual says MST288 at 0.75 GPH firing rate utilizes a low fire baffle. What is the low fire baffle? Do I have to be concerned about the low fire baffle reducing the flu temperatures too much such that I get excessive condensation in the chimney flu?

There is also a note about the installation of baffles and it looks like these baffles are different for the low fire baffle. Why is installation of the baffles optional? What is the purpose of the baffles? Are there reasons not to install the baffles beside the ones mentioned in the manual?

Thank you.

Unknown

Jim,

The MST288 and MST396 are for the most part the same boiler. The burner of the MST288 is down-fired using a 0.60 gph nozzle versus the 0.80 gph nozzle in the MST396. In order to do that a Low-Fire baffle is installed in the oil burner housing to choke down and redirect the air through the burner housing. The boiler can't be down-fired any more than it already is for risk of excessively low stack temperatures. You may have noticed that the MST288 operates without the flue baffles installed while the other sizes can use them. This is already as low as it can go. Hope this helps and thank you for your interest in the MegaSteam boiler.



Glenn Stanton

Manager of Technical Development

Burnham Hydronics

U.S. Boiler Co., Inc.

Jim_83

Yes, I'd like to see some pictures of your install.

Did you run into any problems installing the MegaSteam?

What do you think of the MegaSteam?

Mad Dog_2

Great boiler - VERY heavy duty in every way

Mad Dog

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

lchmb

IT Rocks

The boiler is an incredible, well thought out system. A true pleasure to install..

Norm Harvey

Here it is
http://www.newcastleadornments.com/MSTone.JPG



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

Jim_83

That's a nice install. It looks like you used a 3 inch drop header, is that right? Is that Teflon tape I see on the joints? Why did you use the Teflon tape instead of pipe dope?

How long did it take for the boiler to start making steam and get heat to the furthest radiator? Is the boiler loud when it is running?

Norm Harvey

Thanks!

Yes its a 3 inch drop header, and I use teflon tape as the dope has unwanted oils that can cause the water in the glass to bounce. Any nipple I had to thread I cleaned the oil from, and treated the whole boiler with TSP after the initial skimming.

As far as how long to make steam, I didnt time it, but I was satisfied with its performance. This peticular house has some issues with main vent location that still need to be corrected. That will be taken care of in a few weeks.

I do like the boiler and would definately install more.

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

Unknown

Norm

Nice installation and thanks for posting it. Just curious though why you went with a Carlin burner. Above and beyond that I'm curious what your combustion results were with the Carlin.

Glenn Stanton

Manager of Technical Development

Burnham Hydronics

U.S. Boiler Co., Inc.

Jim_83

Norm

Since you swapped the Beckeet for the Carlin, What about the Riello burner.

Brad White

Dang, Norm!

That is ONE FINE INSTALLATION my friend.

My jaw dropped. Not that the quality was unexpected.

Norm Harvey

This was a warranty replacement and there was no burner supplied, so I used the old carlin but changed the nozzle and plate to fire approriately. I'll check my testo memory tomorrow and get you the exact readings, but I remember them being picture perfect.

I did have to "modify" the carlin burner flange to fit under the inspection door and align with the bolt holes, but no biggie.

Interestingly enough,... my replacement megasteam came with an aqua-stat too! Score!

I'll get you those readings Glen



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

Unknown

Thanks Norm

I thought that might have been the case but I was just curious what the results were. Thanks.

Glenn Stanton

Manager of Technical Development

Burnham Hydronics

U.S. Boiler Co., Inc.

Dan Goodridge_4

I was also wondering about why all MegaSteams are shipped with aquastats regardless if they have a coil?

Unknown

Dan

The MegaSteam boilers are available three ways. First is less coil and no coil opening which does not come with an aquastat. Second is less coil but with a provision for a coil with cover plate installed and this comes with the aquastat. Third is with a coil and with the aquastat. Many of our distributors have elected to stock them less coil but with the provision and cover plate. This allows them to warehouse less boilers and to cover the whole spectrum. If someone wants a coil that is sold seperately. Hope this helps.


Glenn Stanton

Manager of Technical Development

Burnham Hydronics

U.S. Boiler Co., Inc.

Norm Harvey

Sorry it took so long Glen,.. I found out I dont know how to work the testo memory feature. I had to go back and read the tag.

86.2% Efficiency
401.6 T stack
61.7 Ambient temp
10.9 CO2
14 ppm CO
41.1% Excess air



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

bovide_4

I just installed one-very pleased. I installed an additional low water cutoff - a M/M 47-2 per customer request. The cycle-gard lwc switch would not make after 2 days. Any conflict between the two lwc's? The water level was above the probe of the cycle-gard.

Jim_83

Is it a good idea to have two low water cutoffs?
Was the second low water cutoff needed because the probe cutoff was not working? What has been your experince with reliabilty of the probe type lwco compareded to the float type?

Norm Harvey

The probe type NEEDS to be removed and cleaned completely at an annual maintenance.

I see nothing wrong with having 2.



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

Jim_83

Glenn Stanton

Are those firing rates correct? According to the literature I see as a homeowner, the firing rates are 0.75 gph for the MST288 and 1.05 gph for the MST396. Is it you use a 0.60 nozzle and increase the fuel pump pressure to get 0.75 gph firing rate and the same for the 0.80 nozzle firing at 1.05 gph.

Thank you.

Unknown

That's correct

The MST-288 using a 0.60 gph nozzle with 150 psi pump pressure gives you the 0.75 firing rate but with a low fire baffle installed. The MST-396 uses a 0.85 gph nozzle at 150 psi to achieve a 1.05 gph firing rate.

Glenn Stanton

Manager of Technical Development

Burnham Hydronics

U.S. Boiler Co., Inc.

Jim_83

I’ve had problems with my existing boiler not firing a week or two after the boiler was serviced. The service company has always told me the lower firing rate nozzles, under 1.0 gph, are prone to clogging. The 0.6 gph nozzle sounds small to me.

Is it true about the lower firing rate nozzles being prone to clogging? Does the higher pressure reduce the chance of clogging? Is there something I should be asking the installers of the new boiler to perform to lower the chance of the nozzle clogging?

Thank you.

Bruce Stevens

Jim

I have had issues with .50 and smaller nozzles, but there are many mobile homes out there with .60 nozzles with very few problems, just make sure you have a Garber oil filter installed just before the burner