Near boiler piping for two takeoffs

Brad White_9

that if there are two risers off of the boiler, they should combine first into a common header BEFORE the first take-off.

If you do not, you will have colliding steam from each riser right where the take-off occurs. Major sloshing and sloppy wet steam.

What you have illustrates what not to do.

The side-take-off is odd to be sure. It forces the steam (already colliding) to make another quick decision, ("Straight or take a Hard Left?").

In a word, unkind.

My $0.02

Brad

Diar

I am replacing my current steam boiler and the two main takeoffs from the near boiler piping seem to be piped a little bit strange. From the header there is a single riser that feeds directly into one takeoff. Then there is another takeoff that forks off from the riser. Is this takeoff configuration sound? Should repipe the takeoffs to make them independent?

I've attached a picture of the piping to give you a better idea of what I am talking about. Please ignore the faulty header piping ( not 24" above water line ) and the takeoff in the middle of the header, as opposed to the end. What I'm most interested in is the takeoff piping that is feeding the two mains.

Thanks,
Diar

ps - If you need more pics, just let me know.

Steve L.

do you have another picture that shows more of the piping? You should definiatly repipe this when you replace the boiler. I'm sure which ever boiler you go with will have a diagram of how header/near boiler piping should be configured.

Diar

Here is another picture that I took previously. My digital camera is on the fritz, so I wasn't able to get a better picture of all of the piping, but please note that there are many problems with the existing piping ( equalizer going into the returns / no hartford loop ) that are going to be fixed.

I'm primarily wondering whether it is worth fixing the takeoffs, so that they leave the new header independently.

Thanks,
Diar

gerry gill

in a word..yes

and don't bother insulating the pipe if your not going to insulate the fittings..thats just plain lazy, not to mention hard on the eyes.

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

Steamhead (in transit)

Well......

if you're referring to the reducing tee with the bushing screwed into the bottom, which is fed from that lousy excuse for a header, it should be OK as long as you feed it with a properly constructed header (preferably a drop header).

That setup tells me the original boiler had one large tapping in the steam dome instead of two smaller ones. So the Dead Men who put it in installed that tee to feed the two mains. Looks like a first-class job too, with those king valves.

Not sure what size the reducing tee is, but it looks like it might be a 3-inch inlet and 2-inch outlets. If so, you could build your new header in 3-inch or larger and run a 3-inch line from the header to the tee (remove the bushing in the bottom). This way the steam going into the tee will have a velocity similar to that of the original boiler.

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

Diar

Even though I might have been lazy, my basement did drop 20F after I insulated the pipes. The other reason I left the fittings off for a little freeze protection in the basement.

However, you're right, figuring out the prepackaged fitting insulation sizes was too confusing for me to tackle easily. I'll have to either finally hunker down and itemize the insulation forms for the fittings OR insulate it with loose fiberglass wrapped with fiberglass pipe insulation tape.

- Diar

Diar

Due to the height of the boiler block, as opposed to building a drop header and feeding the reducing tee, my installer would like to knock the reducing tee out and feed the two mains directly from a new header.

Will the loss of the reducing tee hurt my system performance / balancing / steam velocity?

Thanks,
Diar

Unknown

Those are some pretty hefty valves

on the mains . Are they leaky ? Are they being taken out ?

I agree with Steamhead that it's more than likely you'll be OK with the 2 mains and that tee . But if it was me , I wouldn't take that chance . Your gut instinct is leading you in the right direction . As a rule , we always bring the individual steam mains into the boiler main - separately . Here's one we separated the mains on .

Dick_3

Diar

That's the way we would do your job, two separate main connections on the new header, and it will work just fine. Make sure the new header is per the boiler manufacturer's minimuim requirements. We'd get rid of those IPS x #125 flanged valves and pipe to the existing flanges on the two mains w/ two new gate valves, if the budget allows.

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

Steamhead (in transit)

It shouldn't hurt anything

if your installer is more comfortable doing it that way, go with it. But I'd still use a drop header.

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

Unknown

steamhead and others are

Steamhead and others are right about the valves and going the drop headers way... You can insulate those fittings using the cold water paste ( insulation paste) mixed with water and don't compact or press hard. Form into fitting shapes with cheese clothes, messy but, beauty when dried as a art work....