Thoughts on steam systems opitions

clammy

Looked at badly piped boiler which is oversized also but only 10 years old .It is rated at 500 edr and the system only has about 320 edr .There is alot of work to be done pipe wise like lowering returns ,re doing venting aside from istalling a real header ,equilizer and hartford loop ,they also need a vaporstat and most likely some orifies installed in some removed wall convectors.It is basically like installing anew boiler aside from getting rid of the old one  .Through my reasearch i have found i can replace the gas orifices and lower the mainfold pressure (from tech service ) and lower the output from about 12000 to 15000 btus .Is it worth it or should i consider just replacing it ?I hate the idea of throwing away a 10 year old boiler and i don't think the repipe is a total waste it is needed either way and most will be able to be reused whent eh boiler finally gives up the ghost .Price wise as we all know won't be discussed but all the piping price is just minus the new boiler so there is a bit of a saving in the just re pipe but do you think it is worth it?Thanks for any thoughts peace and good luck clammy

Steamhead

What kind of boiler

is it?



Do you know if the system has been leaking?

clammy

Thanks steamhead

Morning Frank this is a peerless 61 06 that i spoke to you about  ,no signs of any leaks being there are no buried wet returns .I just would hate to rip out a steamer that is only 10 years old and still has some life in her .I know one day it will need to be replaced but after some proper repiping to replace should not be to bad being i would set it up so it would be easy (leaving room and unions on the header so the risers would just have to be re piped )Even with replacing the orifices and mainifold pressure i an knock about 10 to 12 mbtu off of her .Thanks for any input peace and good luck clammy

Steamhead

As long as

you make sure the stack temp is high enough to keep it from condensing, and it doesn't take forever to make steam, you should be OK. Of course you checked with Peerless first, right?

nicholas bonham-carter

repipe or replace?

what symptoms were there which prompted them to call you in in the first place?

are there all convectors in this house, or is it a mixed system, with some cast-iron radiators? could this radiation mix have contributed to some of the original symptoms?

will they contemplate an addition to the house sometime in the next few years?

can this system make some hot water for them, to use up some of the excess  heating capacity?

can you compare the cost of re-piping/down-firing with running all new pex and hot-water rads/convectors for a hot water system, using the same boiler?

just thinking out loud.--nbc

Steamhead

Uhhhhhhhh

"can you compare the cost of re-piping/down-firing with running all new pex and hot-water rads/convectors for a hot water system, using the same boiler?"



No comparison there at all. Repiping a boiler is much less involved than repiping an entire system. And if you spent all that extra money for all new system piping, new boiler controls etc.  you'd still have an oversized boiler.



What he has there is probably a Trane orifice convector Vapor system. The orifices are cast into the convector elements and are not removable. They will create a lot of noise if you try to run this system on hot-water, unless all the elements are replaced. Yet another reason not to convert it.

nicholas bonham-carter

hot water vs steam

i would certainly not advise anyone to change over without a complete re pipe, but as a cost comparison, it might make it easier for the home-owner to see the cost of clammy's steam corrections in a more favorable light.

if you give someone the choice of spending $x to repair what is there, or $4x to convert to hot water [both using the same boiler], then the lower price of the steam repair is easier to bear. [hope i explained my thoughts clearly]--nbc