Tapping a steam boiler?

EBEBRATT-Ed

Dan's book "How Come" tells how to do this. I would use the tankless heater plate for the supply tapping (make sure your tapping is below the water line). And put a tee in the 1 1/4" for the return. Make sure the boiler is big enough to handle the load or you will never steam.

Ed

Jim Franklin

Hydronics offa steamer

I'd like to run 30K BTU of FWH + an indirect off my steam boiler. I'll use a heat exchanger for the FHW. Trouble is there are only 3 tappings- two 1 1/4 in the bottom and one 3/4 in the coil plate. The 1 1/4 are in line so any water returning will mostly just go right back out without picking up much heat. Plus the rear 1 1/4 is my condensate retuen and it won't be fun to get a tee on there.

Can I add tappings? I don't use the tankless coil, can I replace that with a blank plate and tap it?

thanks,
jim

Jim Franklin

Thanks Ed. I found that chapter in How Come the day after I posted this, could've smacked myself in the head with the book since I've had it for > 2 years....

Regarding tapping the tankless plate, is the metal a nice soft easily drillable type? And is the gasket something I can buy at a supplier or will I need to make one? Bad time of the year to be unprepared.

jim

ed wallace

tankless plate

Hi Jim hows the boiler heating ?? the plate and gasket can be purchased at the local supply house you just need the boiler model no.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Some tankless plates are cast iron, some are steel. Either one can be drilled and tapped.

ED

Jim Franklin

The heating is good, still takes a while to initially come up to temp but heats after that are fast. Header fitting insulation bits came in, I'll get them Wed and see how it changes the initial times.

Oil co came out for the cleaning last week and said other than the crud on top it wasn't too bad. They leaned it out a touch. Only problem they found was the draft in the pipe was a bit too strong while in the burn chamber it was a bit too weak, but saw no restrictions inside to cause the difference.

I should have it running the best it can right around April :-)

jim