Steam to hot water

bovide_4

A customer wants a steam to hot water conversion. New boiler, three apartments. Wants to convert the existing free standing rads. Must keep it simple, but I see a loop system not working with the free standing rads. What is the preferred piping strategy?

Gordo2

Steam to hot water conversion

Don't do it.

Fix the steam system.

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Steamhead (in transit)

I agree

If you try to convert existing piping or radiators, you run the very big risk of leaks. Major leaks. I've seen where this has happened- it ain't pretty, and usually attracts hordes of lawyers.

Also, the existing radiation may not be big enough to work with hot-water. And a hot-water system can freeze if some tenant leaves a window open, but a steam system won't.

Our company does not recommend or perform this type of conversion, and will not work on a system someone else has converted. I suggest you take the same position.

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bovide_4

I agree - I fix many steam systems, and install new steam boilers, following the lessons of Dan's books and Steamhead's posts. I lurk more than I post here, and steam is still the most common form of heating in Brooklyn, NY. The customer wants separate boilers and gas meters, though. And the radiators: leak risk? Haven't had a problem yet, but have not converted many, though. In that case, if we go hot water, I will propose hot water radiators and scrap the idea of converting the rads. I store and reuse steam radiators anyway.

[Deleted User]

no sweat here

but we also defuncted all the old piping/radiators and ran copper, put in a/c systems with hot water coils, zone valves at the boiler, and where we removed the radiators, we imstalled little fan-assist hot water coils

Steamhead (in transit)

It might be possible

to run separate steam mains for each apartment, and install three small steam boilers. This approach could eliminate much piping work in the living areas.

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