drop header

Brad White_200

I think your contractor is thinking ahead.

Any steam system has any number of features which done properly, conspire to give you an effective steam system- or to hinder it. A dropped header is one of the good guys.

Yes, insulate your pipes regardless, but if the steam "starts wet", your pipe insulation will not help that; at best it may keep more condensate from forming than otherwise would.

To focus on the dropped header itself: It is singly one of the best tools (installed only once!) to promote dry steam. It can also compensate for less than ideal height and in fact can "recover" height and separate any condensate drawn along with the steam.

Will a steam system work without a dropped header? Sure, many do benefit. But many if not most systems do not have dropped headers.

Systems with plenty of height (both "A" dimension and initial rise off the boiler), probably would not benefit perceptibly.

If in your case you have plenty of height above the waterline to work with, it may not be necessary. But if you find yourself "ducking" in the basement (AND you are not in the NBA), I would want the dropped header. That much more insurance to get dry steam from the start.

klaus

drop header

I am going to have a Weil Mclain EG-45 PID steam boiler installed. The contractor recommended a drop header as an option, As long as the boiler is installed according to manufacturer specs is a drop header a necessity or just a nice "luxury?" As long as the supply and return pipes are insulated does this also negate the need of a drop header?

David Nadle

I would take the fact that your contractor even knows what a drop header is as a very good sign.

klaus

riser height

David,

The basement has a height of 7 -1/2 feet. The elbow for the current header is 6 feet above the floor. The new boiler is 33-3/4" high and would sit on an 8" base. So there is basically 30" between the top of the boiler and the bottom of the header. The water line of the boiler is 23-13/16" above the base of the boiler and there is basically 9" between the water line of the boiler and the top of the boiler. So if I figure this correctly there is 39" ( 9" within the boiler itself plus a 30" riser) of space between the water line of the boiler and the current header. Would a drop header significantly improve steam/water separation in this case or is the 39" without a drop header enough space to help the steam dry out. I like the idea of a drop header but it adds a couple hundred dollars to the cost.

Thanks

Steamhead (in transit)

Does the boiler

need more than one riser to the header?

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David Nadle

nate, listen to Steamhead. I'm just a homeowner like you. I'm sort of surprised a drop header costs 200 extra.

If you've got room for 30" risers already I don't blame you for balking at the extra cost. However, one big advantage you might get from a drop header is a smaller footprint; less piping jutting out one side of the boiler.

If it were me I'd be honest and tell your contractor you like the idea of a drop header but you don't think it's worth $200 to you. Maybe you can negotiate.

Brad White_202

I agree

Not that we discuss price around here, I am surprised, (pleasantly), that a dropped header would only add that little to the total cost of the job. I would jump on that. It is installed once and will last as long as the boiler.

A dropped header is but one arrow in your quiver. If it were my system, I would do it.

If you must negotiate, I would see if you could throw in a gift certificate for your contractor for dinner for two at a nice restaurant.

V8toilet

What type of steam system do you have in your home? A Weil Mclain EG-45 PID is a pretty large boiler. Do the mains pitch toward your boiler or pitch away from your boiler and have a wet return pipe on the end of that main? The first type of system is a counter flow system and the second is a parallel flow system. If the contractor follows the manufacturers piping specifications and you have a counter flow system than he has to pipe the risers from the header over the top of the mains just like a drop header; so you wouldn't need to make the header a drop header if you have a counter flow system. If you have a parallel flow system than a drop header would assure you that you would get the driest possible steam you can get and make for a quick heating steam system. If you have a parallel flow system I would want the drop header.

Please read page 14 and 15 from the Weil Mclain boiler manual. http://www.weil-mclain.com/downloads/literature/eg/egboilermanual.pdf

Unknown

The added price...

(even though we're not supposed to discuss that here) sounds reasonable to me, I wouldn't recommend nickel and dime-ing the guy over it.

Unknown

Sounds like

cheap insurance to help produce dry steam . We really don't know how much extra in materials and how much more labor there will be for him to drop the header , but I'd definitely jump on that price . We keep ours deliberately simple . 2 extra 2 inch street ells is all we need to do the drop . The Weil has larger pipes so that's where the extra cost comes into play .

David Nadle

I like it when Brad agrees with me, so I'll concur ;-) If it were my system I would do it too.

klaus

V8,

It is a one pipe steam with 7 cast iron radiators. It is a 1,200 sq ft Chicago Bungalow. The brick walls of these bungalows have three courses but the space between the plaster and the brick aren't insulated. I believe the standing edr is 368 sq ft which includes pipe pickup. I believe it is parallel flow. There are two mains (generally 80" above the floor). One runs to the front of the house and the other towards the back. the mains are at their highest point at the boiler and slope down as they run away from the boiler toward their respective end of the house.

But the returns are a dry return. The returns generally are 75" above the floor ( just below the level of the mains) and slope towards the boiler but remain above the water line the whole way and at the boiler they join and then drop below the water line and met up with the water feed line.

Brad White_202

Atta boy Dave!

I knew you would get that

Brad White_202

See that???

See what Ron Jr. and his crew did, even with all of that height?

Oh, and about 25 minutes including a lunch break.

That photo was taken without lighting, just the reflection from the owner's smile.

David Nadle

That's also a great example of a much reduced footprint. That can be worth a lot if your boiler is right next to your service panel or some other obstacle.

Unknown

Sniff sniff...

that's beautiful man...