Owner

stevelaw

I have an existing 50 year old or so oil-fired steam boiler (cast iron radiators) that is operating with no problems.  I have been advised that it might be a good idea to replace it with a more efficient system and that matching the boiler to the existing radiator system would be a better starting approach, at least to a first approximation, rather than sizing the boiler to the building itself.   Is there a simple procedure for doing this?

Rod

New Boiler

Hi- Yes you size the new boiler to the total EDR of the connected radiators .(see attached chart)  You mentioned "building"so that assumes this is larger than a normal residence. When you get into larger steam systems you should investigate areas like 2 stage firing to possibly  reduce fuel costs. You need consult a good stem pro for info on this so you might want to take a look in the "Find a Contractor" section at the top of this page. There are some very good steam pros listed there. (Scroll down past the zip codes section to the " State" section as it is more reliable.)



i also recommend that you get several steam books that are availbale in the "Shop" section of this website. Here are a couple of links:

http://www.heatinghelp.com/products/Steam-Heating-Books/25/61/We-Got-Steam-Heat-A-Homeowners-Guide-to-Peaceful-Coexistence

http://www.heatinghelp.com/products/Steam-Heating-Books/25/68/Lost-Art-Of-Steam-Heating

These books are easy reading and written for someone ( pro or homeowner) who is new to steam heating. They are crammed full of facts and illlustrations and in a couple of evenings of reading will put you lightyears ahead in your knowledge of steam heating and will save you a lot of money. My copies have paid for themselves at least a hundred times their cost!

- Rod

Greg Maxwell

Steam system

Get someone over to look at it who knows steam. The wrong guy could cost you more than you would save if done wrong. You need to look at piping, insulation, and a load of other things beside just sizing. What was the efficiency on the boiler when you had it cleaned last?