Smith G-8 Steamer Install

Steamhead

Gordo and I replaced an older Burnham 405 with this 3-section G-8, rated 283 square feet EDR. The 405 was oversized (350 square feet) and had rotted out above the waterline. We had fixed a leaking pipe and radiator on this system a couple years ago that had apparently been leaking for a while, so the failure really wasn't the 405's fault. The installer had piped it in copper, which miraculously wasn't leaking yet. We installed a 2-1/2" header in black steel.



This is a one-pipe system with short 1-1/2" mains and 1" dry returns. It's in the Cedarcroft neighborhood of Baltimore, which has a lot of identical houses, and most of them have this very same steam system. Those cute little Hoffman #4A main vents are actually the right size for these mains.



This might be the last G-8 we install for a while, since the supply house where we got them has stopped carrying Smith. We got the last 3-section they had. Slant/Fin's Intrepid line only goes down to 421 square feet, so it would have been oversized for this house (note to Slant/Fin: How about a TR-20 steamer?).



Note Gordo's dry return drip piping artistry that kept the piping from sticking out where people could run into it. We also angled the VXT water feeder down so the owner could see the display more easily.



Enjoy!

nicholas bonham-carter

nice job--but something's missing!

nice install, and i am sure there is a good reason why i can not see a drop header.

is it my glasses, or some other reason?--nbc

Steamhead

Only needed one riser to the header

and we have more than enough riser height. I love drop headers, as I'm sure you know, but we didn't need one on this job.



The capped riser will serve as a flush-out opening if needed.

TomM

?

Sir-

What's this thing on the water feeder line? 

Pardon my naivete.

Thanks-

TomM

TomM

try again

lets try this again

jim_72

That Thing?

Backflow preventer.

Polycarp

No isolating valves

on the VXT?  My install manual made a pretty big deal about them (I presume so that you could shut off the water if the VXT fails "on" or if you need to remove the VXT for repair/replacement).  You would know far better than me.  Are they not really necessary?

Steamhead

The shutoff

is up in the floor joists. We had to relocate the pipe and it was easiest to put the valve there, only had to shut the water main off once.  

Polycarp

Thanks!

That makes sense.  I guess there might be some value in being able to take the VXT out and still be able to fire up the system with manual feed while you are waiting for the new VXT or whatever, but how often is that going to happen.

Charlie from wmass

THE BACKFLOW PREVENTER

Its use is to prevent contamination of the potable water should the pressure in the boiler be higher than that of the feed piping and the feed valve opens on a call for water. In Mass we need to put them on the feed side of the unit.

JStar

...

I always put an isolation valve either between the first bypass tee and feeder, or right after the feeder so if the feeder eventually leaks, I can just shut it down and avoid flooding the boiler. I also like to feed into the furthest point from the boiler in the wet leg of the return so that water is being flushed through the return and loop piping on a regular basis, and to give the water time to mix and acclimate to the boiler temperature.

Steamhead

The reason

we put the BFP after the VXT is because the VXT is a solenoid-type valve, which creates a bit of not-quite-water-hammer when it closes- just like a washing machine. When this hits the BFP it can make it leak. Around here the inspectors will OK it like this.

Steamhead

On this one

we can flush out that very short wet return by opening the drain at the end, and turning on the feeder bypass. Liming isn't a problem here- Baltimore's water is some of the best, it's one of the few things the city government hasn't made a total mess of.



If the feeder fails, we can just shut off the water feed line, feed manually if needed and plan when we're going to shut down the boiler to replace the feeder. 

JStar

...

I think maybe that New Jersey inspectors have way too much time on their hands to analyze every detail. They would mandate isolation valves on another isolation valve if they could.

Jean-David Beyer

I think maybe that New Jersey inspectors have way too much time

As a homeowner, not a contractor, I have found the inspectors very variable. The electrical contractors are the fussiest in terms of finding faults that must be corrected. I might even prefer that, but some of those faults are not even correct (inspector cited chapter and verse of the code, and the electrician pointed out that that chapter and verse had nothing to do with the alleged violation).



The gas inspector I had here only once, and he found no problems.



The plumbing inspectors have been here for several projects (not always the same person), and seems pretty casual. I do not know their exact duties, but there were several things they did not check that I thought might not be according to code. Now whether they were, or not, they did not check them, and it could have been done visually without moving anything.

Gordo

Sight-Glass Blow-Down Valve

Every steam boiler we install, and just about every steam boiler we work on,  gets a proper sight-glass blow-down valve.  We like to use one that allows a hose connection for drain-off.



CSD-1 codes, as I understand it, require them on commercial boiler sight-glasses.  They should be on ALL sight-glasses, IMHO.   That little bleeder valve that comes on most sight-glass fitting kits is an unfunny joke.

JStar

Blow down valve.

Piping a sight glass blow down negates the need to actually remove the sight glass for cleaning? Tell me yes, and you'll have just won me over.

Gordo

If You Blow Down

The gauge regularly, yes, it will help keep it clean.



But the important thing is to verify that the sight-glass is not "lying" to you because the fittings are clogged or the valves are shut. 



With probe-type LWCO usage increasing,  sight-glasses are increasingly being ignored or taken for granted.  Bad idea.



With some boiler designs, the sight-glass is out of the flush stream of some float-type LWCOs, leaving it to silently silt up.



As my Drill Sargent said: " What is not inspected, is neglected."

MikeyB

blowdown

I agreea w/Gordo, the blowdown is a great idea even on condensate tanks