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Help with near boiler piping!!

Technical33
Technical33 Member Posts: 7
in Strictly Steam
Need some help with the information on the correct way of tying existing steam lines in to my new boiler steam header. How would you guys tie in the two existing steam lines to the #6 tee on the piping diagram? The existing steam lines are about 1' to 1-1/2' in front of where the header will be and about a 1' above.   

Comments

  • JStar
    JStar Member Posts: 2,752
    ...

    Double the number 6. Pipe two tees into the header.
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,511
    More Info Needed

    What type of system is this? One pipe, two pipe, counter flow?



    How high is the header piped above the water line?



    Can the boiler be lowered?



    Two Tee's can be used and rotated up to 45* vertical, if necessary.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Technical33
    Technical33 Member Posts: 7
    Thanks. One more ?

    I've been told the new horizontal piping coming from the existing pipes to the header should be slanted down towards the header for the condensate, is that true? 
  • Technical33
    Technical33 Member Posts: 7
    Info

    One Pipe.

    Header not piped yet but it will be piped as per the dwg. that I attached on my first post.

    Boiler cannnot be lowered.
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,511
    Pipe Slope

    Is the system counter flow or parallel flow?
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Technical33
    Technical33 Member Posts: 7
    Pipe slope

    Counter Flow 
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,511
    Counter Flow

    If you have a counter flow system, then it does not pipe with a hartford loop as in the diagram you're using.



    Use the counter flow piping arrangement in the attached survey and make sure that your "A" dimension is at least 28".
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Technical33
    Technical33 Member Posts: 7
    Not sure

    Maybe I'm wrong about the counter-flow because my system does has a hartford loop. if you look at the diagram I posted I drew in the existing steam piping mains. I just need to know that best way to pipe those two lines into the header on the new boiler which is not installed yet. I'm a home owner and I've been getting so many different ideas on ways to pipe the near boiler piping from contractors in the area, so I thought I would reach out to the pro's on this site for some advice. 
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,511
    edited August 2012
    The Diagram...

    Doesn't show what type of system you have. I see what you added, but that doesn't clarify it either.



    Look carefully at the drawings that I attached. You'll notice that in a counter flow system the mains rise upward as they leave the boiler and head out to the radiation. They must pitch upward at least 1 in. in every 10 ft. of run. That is to allow the condensate to drain back down the main counter flow to the steam. A counter flow system has NO condensate return (wet or dry) to the boiler. The main IS the return. Because there are no returns, there is No Hartford Loop.



    A parallel flow has the mains pitched the opposite of a counter flow: they slope downward going away from the boiler and drop into a return line.



    You will save yourself (and your system) a lot headaches and $$ in the long run by getting a good steam pro. This is not a DIY project. Most HVAC guys are cluless about steam. A home owner trying to do it himself could be a ticking time bomb.



    Where are you located?
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,511
    Pipe Slope

    "I've been told the new horizontal piping coming from the existing pipes to the header should be slanted down towards the header for the condensate, is that true?"



    Not if it's parallel flow. Everything in the horizontal main should slope away from the boiler.



    I misread your earlier post about the height of the mains above the boiler. I thought you stated the height in inches, not feet. That's what happens when I don't use my reading glasses. :~)



    You should have no problem running the mains horizontally above the header and then turning vertically down into the Tee's in the header. Again, I'm referring to parallel flow. There should be no condensate in that part of the piping.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Technical33
    Technical33 Member Posts: 7
    Pipe Slope

    Thanks for the clarification on my system I now know I have a parallel type system because my mains do not carry the condensate back to the boiler there are separate pipes at the end of the mains that carry the condensate back to the boiler through the Hartford loop.

    Just so I'm clear, you see no problem adding another tee in the header to pipe the mains into separately? 
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,511
    2nd Tee

    Not only do I not see a problem adding the 2nd Tee, I see problems if you don't. You do NOT want to connect both mains through one bull-head Tee; you'll have issues if you do.



    There should be a separate Tee in the header for each main connected to it. It would also be a good idea and practice to use two risers off the boiler to feed the header. If you do this, just make sure that the Tee's for the mains are NOT placed BETWEEN the riser connections on the header: they should be between the riser Tee and the Ell that connects the equalizer.



    See the attached thread and the links in it for header details:



    http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/142101/Drop-Header-Questions
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Technical33
    Technical33 Member Posts: 7
    Thanks

    Thanks for all your help!
This discussion has been closed.

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