Steam boiler questions (retrofit system)

Steamhead (in transit)

I ran into one on a consulting job in Nashville, Tennessee some years ago. It's a pretty standard Vapor system.

Residential steam boilers with low-high-low or modulating burners aren't available- yet. With rising fuel costs, we're starting to see low-high-low oil burners on some OEM residential applications, and it's likely only a matter of time before they show up as retrofits. On larger jobs, we've hooked up some low-high-low features that the original installers ignored, and saved our customers a lot of fuel- in one case they saved 40%.

If you're looking at a new boiler, I'd suggest getting the best that is now available. For oil, the Burnham MegaSteam is king. For gas, or if you want to have the factory-supported option of switching between oil and gas, the Smith 8 series is the one to have. Burnham does not offer a gas option for the MegaSteam right now, but they know we want it.

Running vacuum on an oil- or gas-fired system sometimes causes problems. If the boiler shuts off before all the air is out of the system, the vacuum can cause the air to expand and block steam circulation. We usually take the vacuum check off the air eliminator on these systems to prevent that.

Check the ends of your steam mains too. If there are radiator traps connected across the ends of the steam mains and the dry returns, these are your "steam main vents". If these traps aren't working, the system won't heat well. It's pretty easy to get replacement parts for traps.

"Steamhead"

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Bill_108

Steam Boiler upgrade

PLEASE Help! I have steam heat in my 1935 house located in Sanford, NC. I believe that my system was originally a coal fired two-pipe vapor/vacuum system. I currently have a Peerless oil-fired boiler with a pressure stat instead of a vapor stat. It seems to work best at about 3 PSI, any less and the boiler tends to short cycle. I believe I have a boiler return trap; it is stamped Marsh Return Trap. The boiler is a Peerless JW-200 and it is about 21 years old and starting to show its age. When my house has warmed up and the boiler is not running I definitely pull a vacuum in the system as the steam condenses, approx. 5-10 hg. on the guage.

Is there a gas or oil boiler that can emulate a coal fired flame or operate my system more eficiently? I currently use about 600 gallons/year in the heating season and we keep the house pretty cold; plus, the cost of oil is more than four time greater than when I bought the house. I have considered heat pumps with the steam as my auxiliary heat, but I really don't like heat pump heat and I would like to keep the steam system.

Is there a professional in my area that can sell and install the proper system for my house (zip 27330)? I am in the military and deploy often so I'd prefer to find someone reliable to do the job. That being said I usually end up following behind "professionals" repairing shoddy workmanship. I don't mind paying for the install, but I want it to be trouble-free.

Can I install the boiler myself? My brother is a pipefitter so I wouldn't worry to much about the piping aspect, but I'm not sure how to properly size the boiler, or select a boiler that would work with my existing piping/system.

Sincerely, Bill

nicholas bonham-carter

steam boiler upgrade

hopefully your boiler may have 10-20 years of life left in it if it has not been abused.
go to the peerless website and verify the recommended piping--is it exactly as specified there?
i am sure your pressure should be 10% of what it is now.the only reason 3 psi works is because of some fault in either traps, venting,supply piping,incorrect sizing,etc.therefore get a good vaporstat and low pressure gauge[gaugestore.com] and get that pressure down to orig design specs c.1920? then determin why that low pressure is not working.and what is causing any excessive short-cycling.
if you want to emulate the old coal fire you need a hi-lo burner which peerless may have as an accessory.
if you have not already done so buy dans book available on this website["lost art of steam heating"-the bluejackets guide to steam!]so you can communicate effectively with a knowlegble steam pro whose name you can find on this website.
your brother can certainly do some of the work correcting any improper piping-rebuilding traps etc.good luck --nbc