new steam boiler q's

Robert O'Brien

1) That's in the ballpark,measure your radiation again and double check your addtion if you are not sure.
2)MBH means 1000's 95MBH = 95,0000
3)1.33 is the IBR standard for piping and pickup losses.
4)I personally like Peerless but if you ask 5 people you'll get 5 different answers and they're all right. You can't go wrong with any of them really,so go with whatever the people servicing it prefer.

<A HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=313&Step=30">To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"</A>

Mike Mumma

new boiler q's

I am researching new steam boilers for my home. With the help of a boiler Mfg. website, I have determined that the square-footage of radiation is approximately 88,488 BTU's. I have a few questions I hope you can help me with.

1) My home is 2800 Sq ft. Does this load sound about rite?

2) The Mfg. that provided the information said to compare that number to the net IBR rating of thier boilers. However, since I am looking at all options, I have been comparing differant brands of boilers. One of the Mfg. sites I visited listed the IBR numbers in double digits only, with no notation of a multiplier, while the first companys site lists IBR ratings in tens & hundreds of thousands of BTUs. For instance, one site lists IBR's of say, 90,000 BTUs. The other site lists them as 77, or 98. Do I just add three 0's after the number? Can you help me interpret the ratings?

3) On the site of the Mfg. that has no 0's in the IBR column, the column with the net IBR rating for my needs reads "net IBR, steam MBH", with a notation for the MBH as having an allowance of 1.333. What does MBH and the allowance of 1.333 mean?

4) If it is not improper for you to do so, can you recommend a brand or at least a brand to avoid?

5) Any other tips, tricks, or information you can provide or point me to would be very helpful.

Thanks to any and all for you help.

Mike

Mark Hunt

MBH

MBH stands for thousands of BTU's per hour. The 1.33 pick-up factor is the allowance for the system piping. Unless you have a heck of a lot of piping, the 1.33 is enough for your system and judging from the numbers you listed you need not worry about adding anything to the mfg's number.

If we divide your 88,488 btu's by 240(240 btu's per sqft of EDR) we get 368 sqft of EDR or Equvilent Direct Radiation. You need to produce enough steam to fill all of the radiators all the way across regardless of how big or small your house is.

Brands like Weil-Mclain, Burnham, Peerless, Slant-Fin are all good. What you REALLY need to pay attention to is the installing contractor. It won't matter how well the boiler was built if the guy that installs it is not VERY familiar with steam systems.

If you have not already, I would strongly suggest that you buy Dan Holohan's Book, "We Got steam". Read it and then start interviewing contractors. You will be surprised when you see how few of them really know steam. You read that book and you will be WAYYYYYYYY ahead of the game.

Where are you located?

Mark H

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