Peerless Steamer Install

Robert O'Connor_12

I was looking for a back-flow preventer. Am I missing it? I too think the concentric reducing coupling on the equalizer shouldn't be there. I would also have re-positioned the damper and installed it were the elbow is. Not only would you save a fitting but it would give better access for cleaning and inspection of the chimney base. I noticed the capped nipple in the back, is this were the manufacturer shows the boiler drain? If so, I would use a full port ball valve for ease of cleaning/draining (this is in the code). I think conduit would be better for the high voltage instead of tie rapping it to the copper. One last thing, does the feeder manufacturer include compression fittings on its valve body? If not I'd have installed a union.


Great job!


Robert O'Connor/NJ

Jeremy

Peerless Steam Installation

Here is a little steamer we installed a few weeks ago. The old boiler was a FREED boiler out of Philadelphia installed around 1940. The old girl was a bear to get out of the basement but my helper and I managed (1785 lbs). New Peerless is a Model EC-03 with a tankless coil. The coil is feeding a gas water heater that will be removed when time permits. Installed a Hydro-level auto-feeder which the home owner really likes. Insulation will also be installed on the mains when time permits. Please advise/recommend anything you would have done different. Thanks

Steamhead (in transit)

Nice work

only thing that sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb is the blow-down pipe off the LWCO. It could be straighter....

Also, unless you were absolutely certain the owner was going to faithfully blow down that LWCO, I would have used a probe-type unit. Yes, this is a controversial subject, but the average owner is better off with something that doesn't need weekly maintenance. We have yet to encounter a dry-fired boiler that had a probe, though I'm sure it does happen....

Otherwise the job looks great and I'm sure it will work great. Keep 'em coming.

BTW, in pics 1189 and 1197, the sunlight hitting the wall looks like a jet of flame coming out of the top right corner of the boiler. Real cool effect ;-) Also, the Freed snowman boiler is probably much older than that- maybe 1910-1925?

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J.C.A._3

Great point Frank.

J.C.A._3

Great point Frank

I too have had many of the probe type LWCO installed, and VERY few failures...as of yet.


Then again, I always point out the instructions to the homeowner...and have very few that fail to have service done on their "investment". Monkey say...Monkey do? I wish. Chris

Jamie Pompetti_2

We always install a float and probe LWC! That's how the Big man like's it done!


Great looking job Jermey, you from Philly too???

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Norm Harvey

Nice looking install.

I'm not too thrilled about the concentric reducing coupling on the equalizer, I would have used a eccentric, or make it a reducing 90 instead.

Riello recommends a 10 micron filter at the burner in addition to a filter at the oil tank.

Do the 2 risers off or the header reduce to inch and a half before increasing to 2 inch again for the mains? its hard to tell by the photos. If so why?

The blow down like frank said, but other than those gfew things its a nice install, and alot of care went into it. Good job!

scrook_2

LWCO blowdown

I think it's a trick of the camera angle... 45° to the left, 90° away, then 45° (vs. 90°) down, but parallel to the plain of the sides.

Iron all the way down on the return, nice -- transitions to Cu for the hartford loop & below the water line always looks out of place to me. Love black iron steam (and gas) piping, but I'm a hopeless traditonalist!

In general, wouldn't a probe LWCO be preferable to a float to reduce makeup requirement for water blown off? (so what's a traditionalist doing advocating against float type LWCO's? (if they were good enough for Moses...) The probes do look 'funny' on a steamer though, so I guess I'm true to form afterall :-)

Steamhead (in transit)

Good eye, Norm

I missed that reducer the first time- it was trying to hide behind the flue pipe ;-)

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Jeremy

Steamer

Thanks for the feedback. I am always looking for ways to better our installations. We are located outside of Philadelphia in Pottstown. This customer does actually spend a lot of time in his basement and does blow down his system, hence the 67. Norm, I would have also preferred to use a 90 but that was what we had in our job trailer and it was getting pretty late. The mains are all 2" and they do not reduce to 1-1/2". Also I have installed many Reillo burners and never realized they recommend a 10 micron at the burner. Thanks guys. Any more I could have done??

P.S. I am not to good with a camera but I agree the pics of the blow down to make it look pretty bad. How do you make the pics samller?

Norm Harvey

Im so bad with looking at pipes and judging the sizes. (esspecially in pictures) So much so that I made sure to pick up one of these http://www.heatinghelp.com/shopcart/product.cfm?category=5-67 I use it all the time.

In the future if all you have available is a concentric coupling, use a full size 9o then put the concentric coupling on the vertical pipe rather than the horizontal.

Dont let the critiques take away from a great install. Good job.

Norm Harvey

The practice of putting the damper acting as a 90 is falling out of favor, as the velocity of the flue gass hitting a bull head tee causes flue gas to escape a bit, and also slamming of tha damper which annoys customers.

Jim Bennett

Nice....

Your piping is very neat and professional. Your pride in your work shows!

Love that header.

Jim

scrook_2

draft damper mfg's

specificily state not to put them in a tee installed in place of an ell

Al Corelli_2

Nice work.


But that equalizer is going to trap water.
I'd move that reducing coupling to a point after the turn down el.

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Unknown

Very nice install

I can't really tell , but it looks like you might have enough pitch on the pipe with the reducing coupling so it doesn't trap water ? One other thing we learned the hard way - we add a pigtail before the gauge on the steamers . These new gauges won't last a year with live steam hitting 'em . And don't worry about a 10 mic filter at the burner . As long as it gets serviced yearly and there's a filter a the tank , it'll be fine .

Real beautiful install . The dropped header looks great . I know the ECT3 requires only one tapping to be used , but you really went the extra mile .

Jeremy

Thanks Ron Jr.

Thanks Ron Jr. for the comments. Coming from a installation master like yourself, your comments mean a lot. The main does have plenty of pitch and I am sure nothing will get trapped. I definatly will start using a pigtail on our gauges. Once again, thanks