Can I Adjust My Pressuretrol?

dubbsi

Hi Everyone,



First, I want to say how grateful I am to have this resource online. My wife and bought an 85-year-old house this past spring with one-pipe steam heating, and it's currently in the midst of its first New England winter with us as the homeowners.



I bought "We Got Steam Heat" and plowed through it earlier this week, so I have a small grasp of what we're dealing with, but there are a number of issues with our heating system, so I suspect I will be posting on the wall every so often.



Anyway, my question regards my pressuretrol (pictured). It's currently set at 3psi (main) and 1.25 (diff). I know I should lower the pressure. However, on the plastic covering, there is a sticker with this note: "The Main Scaleplate has an installed safety stop. DO NOT ALTER." Can I remove the plastic cover and lower the main pressure to 1.5 psi, or will that turn off the boiler? We're about to go into a deep freeze for a couple of days, so I don't want to accidentally turn off the heat.



Thanks in advance.

Mark N

Pressuretrol

There are 2 adjusting screws on top of the pressuretrol. One for the main the other for the differential. That looks to be the same pressuretrol that is on my Burnham IN-4. I have mine set to main=1, and diff=0.5

dubbsi

Well, I'm a dope

Thanks, Mark, for that quick and easy solution! I'll definitely never have to ask that question again.

Mark N

Glad to Help

Your welcome. Everyone is a beginner at some time. Pick up "The Lost Art of Steam Heat" if your interested in how it all works. If you're so inclined lots of good info under the Resources tab in the Library and under the Systems tab under Steam.

Jamie Hall

And just to add to your confidence

the installed safety stop is to limit the maximum pressure you can set the pressuretrol to, not the minimum!