Which book(s) to order?

Terris

I operate a bicycle shop (50'x100'x15') in a large (150'x100'x30') building built in 1910 with steam heat.  The boiler was replaced 25 years ago with a gas fired Weil-McLain no. 88, cast iron plate type, rated at 1632 BTU/hr, boiler size "BGL788".The gas control valve is an ITT AH4A122A hydramotor actuator high-low-off type.  The system has had minimal maintenance done -- I have replaced  parts like the McDonnell water control valve seat, the pilot gas pressure reduction valve,and most recently, the Honeywell C7027A ultraviolet flame sensor which was not proving flame and preventing main gas valve opening. The boiler now lights and runs like it did last winter, except that it cannot be allowed to make steam because 1/12 th of the building has been remodeled with a heat pump system, and one of the three steam lines that runs across the 150' width of the building has been cut but not plugged.  The cut pipe is now hidden above a fancy dropped ceiling, and probably not too easily accessed there, although easily accessed 30' upstream  from the cut.  Would it be sufficient to cut and cap the pipe 30' upstream and leave the open pipe?  The boiler is behind the bike shop, so I thought perhaps the rest (100') of the building, which is vacant but may be remodeled with heat pumps sometime in the next few years(?), could be isolated from the bike shop so the shop could be heated more cost effectively.  There still are a few water pipes in the vacant part of the building which have not broken from freezing, so I would like to valve off sections so to allow heating them only when it gets really cold here (typically we get about  5 days of pipe-freezing cold each winter).  The main steam line comes into the bike shop as a 6" line that tees and reduces to 3" and 2" lines as it leaves the bike shop.  Last winter the boiler cost about $15 per hour to operate it for 2 hours per day, during which time the temp in the bike shop would increase from about 45 F to 50 F,  so most of the time we just dressed really warm and did not run the boiler at all.  Is it possible to use this system cost effectively by valving it off,  or should I go with electric heat?  We only have #6 wire feed to the breaker box, so not too much power is available (40 amps?) for heat.  I would like to do the plumbing work myself , and was wondering which book would be most helpful--any besides the basic "Lost Art of Steam Heating"?  I am a chemical engineer by education so am familiar with the basic physics of steam and heat transfer.  I would also like to increase the heat exchange capacity in the bike shop by replacing one radiator that was taken out 20 years ago because it had a crack.  Two radiators and a thermostat controled fan unit , Trane size 72H (~16"x19"x9"), were taken out of the remodeled section and are available to be used in the bike shop.  Currently there only 2 radiators (one ~3' and one ~5' long) and one fan unit (Trane unit heater size 84H, ser #32088) installed in the bike shop.  If the rest of the building does get remodeled there would be many radiators and two more fan units (Trane unit heater size 43-N, serial #'s 65468 and 65469) available.  Even now these 2 fan units are available for use in the bike shop, but I surely would need expert advice as to how to remove and reinstall them correctly.  The building has concrete perimeter walls and one concrete fire wall separating the bikeshop, has no insulation, and the front wall is ~50' x 15' of single pane glass.  Above the bike shop there are vacant apartments. 

crash2009

here are the books you want

I don't know about the rest of your post sorry.  But here are the books you want

http://www.heatinghelp.com/products/Super-Deals/14/129/A-Steamy-Deal

jpf321

where are you located?

where are you? sounds like you need someone to do a walk through with you.

Steamhead

The most cost-effective thing you can do

is forget about putting in more heat pumps or electric heaters, and fix the steam. When it's working right, it will be quick, quiet and efficient.



Where are you located?

Jamie Hall

Steamhead's right...

There's nothing you've mentioned that can't be fixed, and fixed to run inexpensively, flexibly and well.  Let us know where you are located, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there weren't someone handy by to come and take a look.  While I have no doubt that you could get it going OK, having someone else who really knows steam take a look as well wouldn't be a bad idea.



For starters though, in case that pipe wrench is really calling, yes you can cut, thread and cap that open pipe and run the boiler again.  No problem.  Leave the old pipe up behind the fancy ceiling for the next chap to wonder about...  And you can valve off sections of the steam system and run them only when you need them.  That works, too.  Just be sure if you do that that any valve on a steam main has a drip to a wet return on BOTH sides of the valve.  And always use full port valves.  Review the thermodynamics of low pressure saturated steam to figure out why!

crash2009

We really need some pictures on this one

Terris, do you have a camera?  We really need some pictures on this one.  Start with a few shots of the boiler, all four sides, then the pipes that go up to the ceiling, and how they hook up to the 6" pipes, also any easy to get to shots of any steam pipes throughout the building.  Try to stand back as far as you can so we can get a good view of whats going on.  Please post your pictures right side up, as an attachment below your post. 

We will help you get this thing running.