First MegaSteam! (Gordo & Steamhead)

Steamhead (in transit)

with the MST-396. We dropped into the existing header on this one, as we have done so many times before. Burnham says you can get away with a 2-inch header, but a 2-1/2" on this size boiler dries out the steam even better.

We did order the piping kit from Burnham to see how it went together, and used part of it, including the Y for the Hartford Loop.

The castings on the MegaSteam are genuinely beautiful. The entire unit is very well thought out. It really is a "plug and play" boiler since everything plugs into the electrical enclosure on the right side. And it's quiet- much quieter than the old Utica which also had a Beckett AFG. The combustion test showed 87% combustion efficiency, 351º stack temp, zero smoke, 12% CO2 (I had it up to 12.8% and still had zero smoke) and about 30% excess air. These numbers are far and away the best I've seen on a steamer.

Three things we'd wish for: Include a service switch in the electrical enclosure (there seems to be plenty of room for one), supply a 1/4" brass street ell and ball valve for the sight glass blowoff, and supply a brass pigtail instead of a steel one. We installed a brass pigtail from our stock- steel pigtails just plug up too easily- and added the blowoff upgrade for easier accessibility and so the blown-off water wouldn't dribble onto the cast-iron burner door- makes it look messy. Also, a Vaporstat option would be nice, maybe with a low-pressure gauge in addition to the 0-30 PSI gauge required by Code.

But overall, it's a great boiler. Kudos to everyone at Burnham for bringing it out. And thanks to Glenn Stanton for all you do!

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Steamhead (in transit)

With oil prices coming down

this lady decided to stay with an oil-fired boiler. The existing unit was an oversized Utica OU-400. At least it had a good 2-1/2" header.

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Robert O'Brien

Frank,

That is sweet!!! The ultimate oil steamer,they need to get a gas burner on there and have the ultimate gas steam boiler as well! You don't look too happy contemplating humping that old one out of there!

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Steamhead (in transit)

As far as I know

they haven't gotten the efficiency they wanted yet from a power gas burner. Not sure which ones they tried..... but I'm sure they'll keep on it since they know we want a gas version.

If they did offer a gas version, we would install MegaSteams instead of Smith G-8 boilers for our gas steam customers. The G-8 is a nice boiler, but it's not a 3-pass.

We got some extra manpower that day to do the humping. Gordo apparently thought I was dirty enough for a photo.....

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R Mannino

Not Happy

I thought the same thing, he doesn't look too happy does he. Bad day? It's ok the results were worth it.

Another good job by All Steamed UP.

Cheer up Frank

Ron

gerry gill

nice looking job Frank..

you and Gordo are like the steam dynamic duo!

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Norm Harvey

I love the Wye on the hartfor loop. Thats classy!

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Fred Harwood_2

Stack Temp

Steamhead, is that a net or gross stack temp reading?

Steamhead (in transit)

I knew someone would see that

it's a Gross reading where the ambient was down to something like 52º. We'd had the heat off long enough that it was real chilly down there. The chimney has a relatively recent stainless steel liner and cap, so that ΔT should be OK when the basement warms up to its usual temperature.

Good eye. We would have pulled the baffles were it not for that liner.

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