fail to learn and u will learn to fail

chase

Hello all. Newbie with a lot of questions. Willing to do the research if I'm pointed in the right direction. First things first, I am planning on buying an older home that current has a peerless pinnacle oil boiler for a one pipe steam system. Model # WBV-04-150-S with beckett burner. Maybe 12 yrs old. The seller has agreed to pull the under ground storage tank. He wants to replace the 550 gal tank with a 250 gal tank and store it in the basement. Here is my chance to convert to gas. My current boiler doe htg capacity or gross output is btu/hr 178000 water 177000 steam. IBR 1.5 gal/hr. Net 554 sq.ft steam. At the bottom there are other numbers. IBR 133000 btu/hr steam. Ratings 155000 btu/water. Any explanation on these #s? The house is approx 1800 square feet according to the listing. So my question is where do i began looking for a replacement gas boiler for this steam boiler and system? Does my current boiler ratings needs to be sized to the new gas boiler? I believe the oil boiler is over sized. Can I select a lower rated gas boiler in btus? Would a modulating boiler be a better choice? What brands have the best efficiency? Also there are cast iron rads. Any info would be appreciated. One more question. I would like to install a rad in the attic. Is this Possible?

nicholas bonham-carter

Sizing a boiler

Get a copy of "the lost art of steam heating" from the shop here, and it will detail the procedure for sizing the boiler, by measuring the radiators, not from the heat loss of the house.

A good selection of steam boilers could be pex supply.com. Alternatively, you could have a gas burner installed in the current boiler. Post some pictures of the current boiler piping, so we can see if there are any potential problems with the installation. How well does the present system heat?

The book will also describe how another radiator could be put in the upstairs, using a hot-water loop.--NBC

SWEI

WBV

Is a wet-base boiler.  On the off chance it's not oversized, a gas conversion may be called for.

Rod

Steam Info

 Hi- A bit of confusion here- The Pinnacle is an oil hot water boiler only and the WBV-04-150 is an entirely different model and can be used for steam or hot water. I'm assuming that the boiler is a WBV and is used for steam on a 1 pipe steam system (?)

As others have mentioned you can switch over to gas by just swapping out the burner and if chosen properly most probably the replacement gas burner could be used in a future replacement boiler when that becomes necessary.

Unfortunately modulating burners aren't generally available for residential steam boilers. However the wet based /gas power burner boilers are considered quite efficient.



Sizing a new boiler- You size the boiler to the total amount of EDR of the radiators. DO NOT use the specs from the old boiler as these very likely are way oversized. I'll put some links below that may be of help to you.

Attic radiator- Yes , this is possible but there is a bit more to it than just hooking up some piping.

- Rod



The following links are to articles/videos that may be of help to you. Also browse the "Resources" and "Systems" sections at the top of this page as there is a LOT of good info available there.



Video on the Importance of Boiler Piping Configuration

http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/107/Steam-Heating/118/Steam-boiler-near-boiler-piping



Replacing a Boiler Article

http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/236/For-Homeowners/1490/How-to-have-a-boiler-replaced-without-getting-steamed



Steam Heating Primer

http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/321/Steam-Heating-Basics/128/A-Steam-Heating-Primer

Boiler Ratings Explained

http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/364/Boilers/143/Boiler-Ratings-Explained

chase

oil to gas conversion

ok rod. I assumed iron rads where for steam heat and baseboards where for hotwater system. Correct? thanks for the links. pictures will follow. By replacing the burner on my current boiler seems to be the wrong idea. I think the boiler is oversized already. How will replacing the burner be more efficient?

Rod

How to Determine Radiator EDR

Actually both types of radiator, cast iron and baseboard, can be used for either steam or hotwater. The first thing you need to do is calculate the total EDR of your radiators. I’ve attached a work sheet to help you with that. Once you have calculated the total EDR you will be able to tell if in fact your present boiler is oversized and by how much. If you look at the rating table for the WVB-04

http://www.peerlessboilers.com/Products/ResidentialBoilers/SeriesWBVWV/tabid/118/Default.aspx#dnn_productratings

 you will see several outputs listed  which means that even in its present state, using an oil burner, could be down fired to 471 sq/ft of steam and possibly lower

    Efficiency wise it considered by a lot of the pros on this board that a wet based “oil” boiler, with a gas power burner, is more efficient than a standard atmospheric gas boiler due to the fact that with a wet based boiler, the water surrounds the burner flame. Once you determine your existing radiators’ total EDR then you will have better idea of what path you can take.

- Rod





                    

chase

wbv-04-150-s

back with pictures. this is the current set up. any suggestions on the conversion from oil to gas is appreciated.

nicholas bonham-carter

Gas conversion

First measure the radiators for their total EDR, and compare that figure (in square feet) to the boiler ratings. If the boiler is grossly oversized, then it may be impossible to find a new gas burner with the correct output for the required EDR. If it seems close, then looking at the manual for the boiler, will guide you in the choice of a peerless approved gas burner.

How far below the waterline is the wet return? If a replacement boiler has a lower waterline which make the wet return dry, then there could be problems.

Insulating the steam header, and mains will contribute greatly to efficiency.--NBC