Boiler Type

SewardWasRight

Bought a house late last year that had a new Peerless EC/ECT 05 oil-fired boiler (for a 1-pipe steam system). I was looking at the specs and saw that Peerless builds three variants of the 05 - each with varying specs and capacities that make a difference in terms of heat radiation. Can anyone tell me how I find out which type of 05 I have? I am not a plumber and would rather not take the boiler apart to get this answer! :) I've attached the spec sheet. Thanks, in advance, for y'all's help. 

Robert O'Brien

Firing rate

Same exact boiler,different nozzles and pump pressures

SewardWasRight

How do I find out nozzle and pump pressure?

Thanks Robert, for your reply. Then I suppose now I have a different question. How do I find out nozzle size and pump pressure? 

Steamhead

If the previous service company

left a tag on the unit, it should have the nozzle size on it. The pump pressure should be 140 PSI according to the Beckett manual, so the actual rate would be higher than the nozzle rating.



If you haven't had the boiler serviced since you bought the house, now would be a good time to do so. The tech can tell you how it's set up.



Have you tried the Find a Contractor page of this site?

SewardWasRight

Nozzle Size = GPH?

Thanks, Steamhead. I will check for a sticker. I have not yet had it serviced - been waiting for the warmer weather which, fingers crossed, seems to be creeping into the vicinity day by day. I will check the Find a Contractor page.



In the meantime, by "rate", I am assuming you mean the amount of fuel oil that gets pumped thru the nozzle per a certain period of time? In the Peerless specs, there are three GPH rates for the model 05 - 1.75, 2 and 2.5. Is this what I should be looking at? Thanks.

Steamhead

Yes

but the actual nozzle size will be smaller than the firing rate. Nozzles are rated at 100 PSI, which was the standard for many years, but many manufacturers are now using higher pressures for better atomization and cleaner burning.



Whoever works on your boiler needs to use a digital combustion analyzer. You cannot set a flame accurately by eye. If they don't have this equipment, don't let them touch your boiler.



Where are you located?

SewardWasRight

Burner indicates 175/200

I located a sticker on the burner housing that seems to have come from the manufacturer (not the plumber/installer) which indicates a gph rate of 175/200. The plumber has the plate on the side set to a "3" which, according to the Beckett Installation guide indicates the 175/200 rate (so he did not vary from that or change it).



Anyhow, here is my next issue: not knowing whether it is set at 175 or 200 places me within two separate columns on the manufacturer's specs. That makes it difficult for me to pinpoint my system's input, steam output, Steam MBH, and the Steam Sq Ft number. So, I assume I would have to wait for a plumber to open it up and, during the servicing, let me know what the exact firing rate is?



My mission here is determining if (and by how much) my boiler is oversized. I've done the total EDR for the house and I am assuming that this Steam Sq. Ft column - once I know my firing rate - is the one I need to focus on to determine this. Is this correct?



Thanks, again. 



P.S. - I am in Brooklyn, NY.

Ron Jr._3

What was the sq. ft. number ?

An EC-5 is a pretty big boiler by today's standards . I used to install steamers in Brooklyn brownstones and the bigggest we put in was a 4 ( mostly the Peerless JOTs , almost the same block as the EC ) . Not saying your house is the same as ones we worked in , but for some reason almost every steam boiler we come across is oversized .  



You're right . Focus on the sq. ft. of steam number and fire the boiler as close to it . I'd even go lower if it's within the range of the boiler's specs . IMHO , sq. ft. numbers and heatloss calcs are very liberal .....



Got any pics of the system ?

SewardWasRight

Total EDR

Hi Ron. Thanks for your help. The total EDR came to 439. The two numbers in the sq. ft columns for this boiler are 663 and 750. So, as I had suspected, it is oversized - which accounts for the cycling the boiler does until it reaches my desired temp.



Now, the house is 4 stories, so it can take a lot of steam, and it looks like a number of radiators have been removed over the years. I figured if I knew what I was dealing with, I could decide either to get a smaller boiler or add enough radiators to make this one work.



I've done some room calcs where I need radiation, and have figured that if I add the amount of radiators that this house needs my total EDR would be closer to 550.



Now, if I were at the 175 firing rate (as opposed to the 200 rate), that would be better and it would make sense to keep what I have with some minor cycling.



Now another question: would it be possible to fire the boiler lower than 175 to bring it closer in line with the potential 550 sq ft I am looking at now having?



Thanks.

(I don't have any pics of my system on this computer - I'll try to upload some later.)

Steamhead

It might be

" possible to fire the boiler lower than 175", but if you go down too far it will take forever to make steam. Also, combustion efficiency may suffer. That's one reason a digital analyzer is mandatory.