steam guys

[Deleted User]

Installer (?) probably never looked @ I&O Manual. Boiler kept flooding. Wet steam to all radiators. The usual results of failure to follow instructions..

So. The universal fix is - a boiler feed tank. But, sometimes even that won't cover for the screw ups.

Sad thing is - the boiler rep probably suggested the tank. Get a copy of the I&O Manual. Proper piping instructions are on Pages 10 & 11. Whether you do the job, or not, if done properly - the boiler feed tank can be scrapped.

trevor pierce, London Boiler Service

steam guys help

Hi guys, I have a 450000 btu wm here, the condensate tank has sprung a leak and as I have looked around I have noticed many things have been altered and I have little knowledge of steam! It belongs to a commercial customer of mine and I cant seem to find any other contractors who are willing to take care of this unit! The system has 1 pipe rads, dry return! The vent and overflow on the tank have been capped, when I run it to give them temp heat while I'm there the condensate returns get hot fairly fast! The system is setup that there is three loops that apear to come from the supply, circle around a section in the basement and go to a condensate tank/fill, wrong air vents on return lines, likely in the wrong location! Piping around tank seems new, almost as if the tank is a new addition! HELPPPPPPP! I really tried to get out of this one, oh the building consumes a huge amount of gas!

trevor pierce, London Boiler Service

few pics

will sketch drawing

JohnNY

Trevor,

Where is this job?



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trevor pierce, London Boiler Service

its in London Ontario! My father in Timmins deals a lot with steam so I have talked with him also! I may get one steam call every 2 years! Usually steam boilers used as humidifiers! I tried to get another company to help but when they get to the site they want nothing to do with it! As I looked through the IBR guide it became apparent that the tank shouldnt be there! I only know of three companies in London that do steam and none want to touch this one! I have the feeling that it was wrong from day one and has just been getting worse! My problem now is that it is sitting on my lap, these are big customers of mine! I told them I would probably need to get another company in to do this for them because my steam knowledge is limited, they were OK with this but I cant find another company and the building is without heat! My first thought has been to run condensates right back to the boiler!

trevor pierce, London Boiler Service

Thanks for the reply, read through some manuals and I see your point! So my suspician that the tank was added after the boiler install could be right! what do you think about the vent and overflow on the tank being capped off?

Brad White_185

The good news is

You have no where to go but up!

Those direct feeds without an apparent equalizer annoy me... You have such good height, use it to your advantage.

I think that a day or two of re-pipe work, maybe a dropped header but certainly a different exit strategy from the boiler, maybe up-sized risers off the boiler... any of those things especially in combination should give you nice, dry steam. Check the venting and insulation, you could turn this one around.

We do need a presumption here that the boiler is at least somewhat correctly sized to the radiation it serves and that it itself is worthy of continued duty including the controls and safeties. But the real point is, without good piping, all that does not matter.