Installing pressurtrol and vaporstat together . . .worth it?

Dan_29

Yes

Daniel_3

Under pressure!

New Burnham IN7
drop header 3"
full size both risers
mains vented with gorton 1's, 30 feet a piece
474 sqft edr with this 533 sqft steamer
All rads get hot
varivalves on all, some have two
House is comfortable

Burner now short cycles near end of limit set, could be loosing pressure though. Need diagnostics performed and don't know who to call. The siphon is installed correctly, just cleaned of all sludge. Above pigtail is tee with stock gauge faced frontward and pressuretrol on top, not grounded. Can't get a pressure reading to check set points even when raising limit to 4psi. Right now diff is 1 and main is 1.5.


I'm thinking of getting a vaporstat to run with the pressuretrol and get a new higher quality gauge and raise them up per specs for honeywell install manual. Of course this is currently set higher than water line. Could the pressuretrol be faulty? Cost is an issue. I can get diagnostics done and then find out I need a vaporstat or new pressuretrol. I would prefer to find the best outcome. Thanks as always guys!

effiweefewelp1875291

Edit: Short cycling fixed. IN7 is rated for 542 sqft. steam , not 533.
Still wonder why pressuretrols and vaporstats get installed together.

bruhl_2

Woosta

Hello Daniel, you can't hide in Woosta, I know where you are!!! :-)

bruhl

Captain Who

Pressuretrol + Vaporstat

Maybe someone might want to use the pressuretrol as a backup high limit device, in case the vaporstat fails? If you wanted a manual reset function though, I guess you would have to get a pressuretrol which had this built into it or you'd have to modify it somehow.

I'm wondering how steam systems would perform if you put the vaporstat on one of the radiators, instead of the boiler. Maybe the burner would stay off for a longer time and not short cycle so much.

effiweefewelp1875291

:0 Your right, I'm caught!

effiweefewelp1875291

Hmmm. It would be interesting to try. A back-up high limit is the most likely reason being the vaporstat is the lower yet more desirable one.

Dan_29

pressure

It is interesting and fun to install both a pressuretrol and vaporstat. Nevertheless, your money would be better spent venting your mains and buying a better pressure gauge.

I have a system similar to yours in EDR (538)Weil Mclain Eg 55 and if I did not have my longest lines vented, no doubt I would have short cycling. I installed and re-installed line vents in three long distance lines and now my third floor occupant is complaining of too much heat rather than too little heat. I am balancing the steam with adustable radiator vents.

The stock pressure gauge reads up to 3o psi and is useless, but required by code on a hydronic system. The pressure relief valve will blow at 15 psi. I purchased a 0-5 psi gauge and added it to the "pigtail piping tree". It shows that my lowly pa404 pressuretrol is cutting in at .5 and out a 1.3 psi. I only get reading after one hour of boiler recovery from a thermostat set back of 5 degrees. The pressure reading only registers in the last 10 minutes of the run (when the system is (finally) pressurerized). The useless (but required by code) stock gauge barely registers a fuzzy 1 psi reading at this time.

Vaporstats are interesting and expensive to install, but only registers about 8 ounces of pressure less (cut out) than my lowly pressuretrol which makes the expense not necessary for me until my pressuretrol fails. My money has been better spent on line vents and a useful pressure gauge. I believe that they have them in 1-16 ounce formats also.

Dan R.

effiweefewelp1875291

Good idea Dan. Where did you get the gauge from?

nicholas bonham-carter

where to locate gauge

anyone have any thoughts on whether to locate the good gauge on the steam main side of the boiler or the present control side [away from the main]?nbc

Dan_29

gauge

I purchased mine from a place called Ferguson-Daddario (local supply house)now mostly known as Ferguson. Although any supply house will probably sell to you if you know what you want and let the trade guys go first. They can also be obtained on the Web.

I just attached the gauge to the existing pigtail setup (with the addition of a 1/4 inch "T") on the left side of my boiler.

Dan R.

PS: Don't be a slob with the pipe dope as I was.

bruhl_2

Dan R, is that really you??

bruhl

SpeyFitter

I guess I was on the right track before (but he says to put it at the end of the main). Has anyone out there done this before and can comment? What kind of fuel savings can you get, if any? Is it better to put the vaporstat at the end of the main? Less short cycling, better end process control?

from: http://steamheating.googlepages.com/evaluatingasteamsystem

"If you want real economy, buy a vaporstat that operates from 0-1 PSI, and is graduated in ounces. Install it at the boiler, or even better, at the end of the steam supply main. Wire it to break one leg of the thermostat wire through it, and leave the pressuretrol as is, as a high limit. Set the vaporstat as low as you can and still heat every radiator."

SpeyFitter

It looks like your 0-30 psi gauge is reading about 3.5 psi and your 0-5 psi gaurge is reading 0.0 psi. Is this just because of the angle?

Someone here also posted a source for a 0-3 psi gauge, but it only has a max. temp. of 140 F. I don't know if this is a problem or not, when you use a pigtail and extension piping too.

Dan_29

pressure

I dropped the 30 psi gauge on the concrete floor. It has not been same since. The needle is stuck at 4psi. Since the 30 psi gauge is useless to begin with, I haven't replaced it yet. When the system is on, the 30 psi gauge needle moves from 4psi to 5psi. The 5psi gauge moves from 0 to 1.3 psi (cutout) and .5 psi (cut-in).