New Steam Boiler Spec. Questions

Phil_17

throw my two cents in too! I am an installer in the n.y.c area and when brand is not an issue intall the package NEW YORKER cgs-steam boiler it is a Burnham copy comes with a probe (ps 801) lwco.and it has a center flue for a little extra space in those tight boiler rooms.it has steel push nipples and I rely on constantly when no specs what they want or for those customers who want quality but do not want to pay for something more..This has been my "off brand" for 12 years location of all controls are well placed
hope it helps

Drew_11

New Steam Boiler Spec. Questions (long)

Hey Guys....
I want to replace my 26 y/o HydroTherm gas steam boiler this summer and have a few questions. (I've worked as a fire-sprinkler fitter, and currently as a commercial facilities engineer, I know commerical equipment, not so much residential) So any comments would be great!

Current boiler is 125000btu input/74300 IBR steam
My connected radiation is 68880 so it looks like the current boiler is pretty closely sized.

Got a price on a Weil-Mclain EG40, 125000btu/78000 IBR no domestic coil, standing pilot, probe LWCO.

1)This WM boiler is about 9000btu over my radiator load, next smaller boiler EG35 is 100000btu/62000, or about 8000 under.

Should I go slightly over size with the EG40 or under with the EG35? FWIW, the old boiler's base insulation is getting shot, so I'm underfiring it and it seems to heat the house fine.
(Live in NYC metro area, 60 y/o brick house, new windows not great insulation.)

2)Standing pilot or electronic? Energy savings worth extra cost of intermittant?

Supply house stocks pilot boilers because "more reliable, that's what the plumbers want". My old boiler is electronic ignition, and I've replaced the Honeywell S86 module twice, so electonic seems acceptably reliable to me.

3)Electronic probe type LWCO reliable, or McDonnell Miller #67 float type LWCO? Water gets pretty dirty, current 67 has been bulletproof over 26 years.

Any other affordable boiler brands to look at? Crown? Burnham? Utica? Push-nipples vs hydronic seals?

Probably will be in this house for 5-7 more years, so I don't want to spend a fortune. (Also, some recent family medical and income issues have made money tight this year, otherwise I would be happy to let a contractor install)

Many thanks for any help/suggestions!

Drew

archibald tuttle

why not fix the insulation

My inclination since I don't think you're likely to see significant efficiency gains is to think about fixing the insulation. While 'new boiler' sounds nice if you go to sell in 5-7 years, if the old system ain't really broke and seems a good match that is putting out reliable steam.

There is always the possibility that someone considering buying will want to get away from steam anyway and a 'new' steam boiler just ain't a space age widget.

I think electronic ignition is mature technology with about the same failure rate as the standing pilot thermocouple, although I don't go too nuts converting all my standing pilot units, just tend to shut the pilot off for the summer.

I don't imagine that you really save as much gas relative to you overall heating usage in a boiler as you might on a stove the runs more intermittently, so if the local supply house treats it like the automatic transmission option, e.g. several hundred dollars more and you gotta wait 3 weeks to get it, I might think twice.

Sounds like a brainy thermostat with adjustable cycles per hour and learning capability might be a better energy investment. The VisionPro folks were talking about a few threads back sounds like it has some of the benefits of the Tekmar 269, doing approximately the same thing derivatively of house response averages rather than outdoor temperature, for a tenth of the price (well alright a ninth of the price but who's counting).

Brian

PS - these guys will give the go round as far as the relative water line of the new and old boilers if you do go replacement and near boiler piping.
These guys will get all over

Dan C._4

EDR

You don't want to use the BTU rating you want to use the SQ feet of steam rating. And you really shouldn't go by the existing boiler size because you are assuming the last guy sized it correctly. You need to measure all of the connected radiation and figure out your EDR. Burnham heating helper has EDR ratings for common radiators.

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Dan C._4

sorry

didn't read closely. Did you convert the EDR to BTU's?

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Drew_11

> didn't read closely. Did you convert the EDR to

> BTU's?

>

> _A

> HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

> 329&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

> Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in

> "Find A Professional"_/A_




I used this chart...(attached)
http://www.colonialsupply.com/resources/radiator3.htm
to figure the sq.ft. EDR per radiator section x number of sections x 240 BTUH.

Also, to answer Occidental Tourist , the boiler is 27 y/o. I'm not looking for any great gains in efficency, but I rather change out the boiler in the summer rather than have a emergency the dead of winter.

I already changed out the hydronic seals once on the Hydrotherm. Do you think I can really get another 5-10 years out of the cast iron sections before they rot out?

As was stated the base insulation is shot, and I would have to take the boiler apart again to repair, so I figured, why not a new boiler.

Drew

Dan C._4

never go with the next size down always go up. Also I don't know if WM figures any piping in the steam output so if not you have to figure that too.

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