Steam Boiler

4Johnpipe

I'm looking for a fan assisted steam boiler. The one supplier I reached before closing today said they have no such product. Has anyone on this site heard of or use one that is recommended?

Steamhead

Couple more questions

Oil or gas?



What size?



Why do you need fan-assist (adds complication and more service calls)?

nicholas bonham-carter

Fan assisted boiler

Are you maybe thinking of a power burner in a wet base boiler?--NBC

4Johnpipe

Questions

I am looking for a natural gas boiler 187K BTU's input. The issue is the existing chimney is collapsed or collapsing. The building is old and poorly insulated.

Steamhead

If the chimney just has a bad lining

and the structure is otherwise OK, the best bet would be to have it lined with stainless steel. This does not add any moving parts to the installation that will cause trouble down the road.



If the basic structure of the chimney is failing, I'd still have it rebuilt and properly lined even though that would probably cost more. The reason is the same- fewer moving parts requiring service. Who needs to have to respond to a 1:00 AM no-heat call caused by a bad power vent?



But if you absolutely have to abandon the chimney, there is only one gas steamer with built-in power venting I know of- the Burnham Independence. Unfortunately, we've replaced a lot of Independence boilers in the last several years due to rotting out above the waterline- I'm not sure if this is because of a problem with them, or simply because there are so many more of them.



If the existing boiler is in good shape, Field and Tjernlund both make power venters that you can use with it. These come with safety interlocks that MUST be wired in correctly to avoid CO getting into the building.



Also be aware that there are limits to where you can exhaust a sidewall-vented boiler, such as clearances above snow lines and from doors and windows. The place to start is whatever Gas Code is used in your area, possibly NFPA 54 or the International Gas Code. Some places also restrict where you can exhaust such a boiler with respect to property lines.



If this sounds like a lot- it is. That's why I like chimneys.

Charlie from wmass

Burnham IN PV

Power vented steam boiler side wall vented. Of course with a Fields power venter all boilers can be side wall vented.