greening new old house

newoldhouse

Our 1980 gas-fired Weil MacLain EG-45 boiler is corroded and the likely source of water loss (an inch per day from the sight gauge) in our one pipe steam system. If we have to redo our heating system, should we downsize the boiler as much as possible (our 1900 sq ft 1920s house lacks insulation -other than attic)? My EDR calculation was 57,600 for the 9 radiators and we intend to add a 10th radiator to a front enclosed porch (9 x32) with 17 casement windows (currently heated by electric baseboard). We intend to leave the thermostat at 65 F or lower. 

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Replacing a steam boiler

Steam boilers have to be sized to the radiators they drive. You might want to buy a copy of "The Lost Art of Steam Heating', it will give a great education on steam heat. Just click on the shop tab at the top of the page.



I had my boiler replaced in 1997 and because I, and the contractor I hired, didn't know what we were doing a got a nice Burnham V75 that can supply 596 sq ft of steam installed; problem is I only have 196 sq ft of radiation. the system works just fine but it is a little pricey to run. If I had read the book mentioned above I would have saved 10-20 times it's cost over the years.



When you come up with the EDR of your radiators make sure to include whatever you are going to install on your porch. You can search this site for articles on replacing steam boilers, this article gives you a good idea of what to look for, copy this URL into your browser -



http://72.3.142.104/article/11/Hot-Tech-Tips/234/Replacing-Your-Old-Steam-Boiler

newoldhouse

books on order

We have ordered those books (Steamy Deal and the Dan's new book on Greening Steam). Hopefully we'll have time to read them before having to make these decisions...