sheet metal guy goes steam

robert borders

have an weil mcclain EG55P  that has failed for a good customer. i do hot water but need a couple of tips to keep me in the right direction, please. he told me that he likes to shut the radiation off on the 2nd floor? could this have caused the heat exchanger to break inside the boiler? this is a grand old home in keokuk iowa overlooking the dam on the mississippi with a national register plack at the front door built by an officer directly after the civil war in 1876  2 story brick. Only if this home could talk. it is an honor just to work there. obviously, he doesnt need the 2nd floor much if he has no radiation going although he made a comment, "Its warm enough in our home w/o the 2nd floor heated" Do i put the same size back? do i even consider splitting it into 2 boilers? there are 2 supplies and 2 returns tied in at the boiler. Going to see what i can come up with come monday morning oct 15 2012. any suggestions would be appreciated and welcomed~! sincerely Bob Borders Bob's Htg 319-795-0822 Oct 14 2012 Sunday

nicholas bonham-carter

Broken steamer

Don't put the same size back in without measuring the connected radiation. That will determine the size of the boiler. Do a search here for edr, and it will show you sizing tables, and procedures.

Take some pictures of the boiler and radiators, and post them here, so we can see what sort of system you have.

Did the boiler crack, or has it corroded out.--NBC

nicholas bonham-carter

Broken steamer

Don't put the same size back in without measuring the connected radiation. That will determine the size of the boiler. Do a search here for edr, and it will show you sizing tables, and procedures.

Take some pictures of the boiler and radiators, and post them here, so we can see what sort of system you have.

Did the boiler crack, or has it corroded out.--NBC

Dave in QCA

keokuk steamer

Keokuk, Iowa is a great old town!  I lived for many years in a town north of there about 40 miles, Mt. Pleasant, then moved to Des Moines, and now the Quad Cities.  Here is a link for some of the great old houses in Keokuk http://www.historickeokukhomefsbo.com/Home/more-historic-homes 



As for the boiler, sad that it has failed but a new and proper install will bring the system back to what it should be.  Some questions, is the system a one-pipe or two-pipe system?  What is the size of the current boiler?  Just trying to get a feel for the size of the house.  I agree 100% with nbc, you have to do a survey of the radiators to properly size the boiler.  Then, there are other options as to set it up so that it will operate properly when the upstairs radiators are turned off.   (I am guessing that about 30-40% of the radiator is on the second floor.  The upper floors seldom had as much radiation as the floor below.)