vaporstats

Steamhead (in transit)

I see a lot of these in and around Baltimore. Very simple, very well designed, and have outlasted many newer systems. This is certainly what they meant with the saying "It's Hard to Stop a Trane"!

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Flip

vaporstats

i have an old steam vapor system in my house. would i benefit by removing the exsisting pressurestat and installing a vaporstat as the are kind of expensive?

Brad White_9

Range of scale

Running a steam system at higher pressure than required is really expensive forever. You pay for the Vaporstat once.

You want to control to ounces not pounds and therein is the cost for accuracy.

You would not use a weigh station truck scale to weigh grams of hash would you? Unless you are dealing wholesale of course!

Flip

vaporstat

i agree 100%with you Brad. i guess what i wonder about is though is how the system will heat if i cycle the burner before the stat is satisfied? would it be better to keep the burner on until stat is satisfied?

Brad White_113

Satisfaction of temperature is secondary

The thermostat is just a switch that enables the boiler to operate. It is the "yes I want heat" in the equation and when satisfied it is the "no". On-Off simple as that.

However, once running, all the boiler does is say, "OK, that's nice that you want heat, but all I want to do is create and maintain pressure."


So, the boiler fires merrily along not really caring that the house is being heated or not. The only reason the boiler would 'know' that the house is cold is that all of the cold iron radiators are making it difficult for the boiler to maintain pressure. Cold radiators collapse steam and thus decrease pressure. Otherwise, the boiler does not know nor care what temperature your house is. It is on a parallel mission, symbiotic perhaps, but useful to you.

Now, take the pressure out of the equation and have the boiler fire just based on your thermostat as you suggest. Nothing will tell the boiler to stop firing except for the thermostat. That may take some time. In the meantime, what tells the boiler what pressure to maintain? Nothing. Your boiler may well fire until the relief valve pops; that relief valve becomes your pressure control in this case. Your high limit is now 15 psig. Higher pressure steam has less heating value. The high-bar is continually raised well into the "PSI" category, not the "ounces" category.

Add to this that any pressure higher than you need is wasteful and will wreak havoc with the returns, water seals, vents and your sanity and quiet enjoyment of life, what have you gained? Bupkes.

And more importantly: "Bouncing off your high limit" like that? Forget the waste of feedwater, if your relief valve fails closed, gets stuck? NASA, NORAD, the USAF and a host of other acronym agencies will track you and your boiler into sub-orbital status.

Good news: Pluto is no longer a planet so there are apparent openings, Phil.

Go get a good vaporstat and enjoy the system as intended.

My $0.02

Brad

gerry gill

what kind of steam system

do you have? one pipe; two pipe vapor; two pipe air vent; one pipe air line?....what is your boilers fuel? oil or gas?

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Flip

vaporstat

two pipe vapor, natural gas

gerry gill

you'd do better

to stage fire the boiler, this would keep it in vapor state, and you'd not build up any pressure so the pressure control you have could stay, since it would only be there as a high limit.you would need a pro for this, and it to costs bucks, but would make the gas boiler mimic the coal boiler as close as your ever likely to get.

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Mad Dog_2

You'd better make sure all others ducks are in a row first...

Header piping and quality of system condensate/water...OR...you will beat that purdy vaporstat in to oblivion after a few days...ask me, I've done it. A vaporstat should be the olive in the Beefeater Martini...Mad Dog

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Flip

vaporstat

gerry , this system was coal fired at one time. the boiler was replaced in the 60,s. i,ve got no problem getting a tech to look at your idea on staging. sounds interesting. like everyone else just trying to tweek what i have a little bit. thanks

Flip

vaporstat

maddog , the system is very quiet, no banging very little fresh water added over the winter.take a look at page 257&258 in the lost art this is my system [fig 39].

Brad White_114

Well said

"A vaporstat should be the olive in the Beefeater Martini... "

Beautiful.

Mad Dog_2

Actually had one last night at dinner too!!!!!

Ah! Mad Dog

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Flip

vaporstats

steamhead, we talked last winter about my boiler.you suggested gorton air vents at that time since then i have cleaned the mud legs. i doubt you rember but i had one rad. 2nd floor farthest from the boiler that takes a long time to heat up. well winter led to spring and then to summer then to, o my god its fall again better do somthing. whats your input on a vaporstat ? worth the money?