Changing heating system

LS

My husband and I are in the process of overhauling our heating system.  We live in a house that was built in 1929, and that still has the original oil-fired boiler and a one-pipe steam heating system. 

The heating system works fine, but in order to finish the basement, we need to get rid of the low steam pipes and the boiler. We plan to change over to a hot water system, with new piping and a new hot water boiler.  We are also converting from oil to gas.

Our contractor has recommended a Triangle-Tube Mod-Con boiler.  He will also be installing the new piping.  To cut down on costs and to keep our wood baseboard intact, we are hoping to keep the original radiators - they are connected both at the top and the bottom and so don't need to modified.

Is there anything we are overlooking, or anything that we need to consider in this process?  Any advice will be appreciated.

Thank you!

CMadatMe

Missing

Your really not giving enough info to see if you are missing anything. Don't know how many zones are planned. If the plan is constant circulation which I assume you are not doing because you didn't mention thermostatic valves at the rads. I would really make sure I used a hydro separator/low loss header versus pri/sec piping. It will protect the boiler from all the junk that may have built up over the years in those old rads. Attached is a simple way to get those thermostatics on the rads for constant circulation.

djthx

Steam to Hot Water conversion valves.

Interesting link.  Can you explain how these valves help protect the boiler from radiator gunk in a steam to hot water conversion?  Also, what advantage does a hydro separator/low loss header offer in this application?

djthx

Steam to Hot Water conversion valves.

Steamhead

It is possible

to run steam pipes tight against the ceiling- all you have to do is take the runouts off the bottom instead of the top, and drip each riser to the wet return. This is covered in one of my old books, and it's a trick not too many people know. It would solve the low-pipe problem.



Also, your radiators may be of a type that will not work with hot-water no matter what is done to them- even though they're connected top and bottom. Also, a hot-water system runs at over 10 times the pressure of steam, so if there are any weak points they will definitely leak. Further, the radiators may not be big enough to heat the house with hot-water- a radiator's capacity is much less on hot-water than on steam. Did the contractor do a heat-loss calculation of the house?



What you have sounds like a Vapor system. This was the Cadillac of heating back in the day and is still one of the best. I'd reconfigure the pipes and keep the steam. At least then you'd know for a fact everything would work.

CMadatMe

Valves

The valves do not protect the boiler from the existing junk in the system the hydro separator will.  A hydro separator is simply your air removal and dirt separation all in one. It will also stops temp drops across zones. I attached a nice read for you. Enjoy.

djthx

steam to hot water conversion

Thanks again Chris for that invaluable link. 



Question:  In a steam to hot water heat conversion (using existing ci boiler & radiators and installing new supply/return lines), is it better to go with a larger impeller/waterways circulator (like the B&G series 100)?  I understand that a good dirt separator is required, but will that be enough to help keep the pump from clogging with radiator debris?    

Charlie from wmass

How did you find these valves?

I live 30 minutes away and never heard of them, I love the Wall! Don't worry Frank I am not giving up on steam, I am just amazed I never new they still made these things. I knew they had something like this back in the old days. That was not thermostatic though. Thanks for shining the light on a neighbors product.