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Burnham IN4 steam boiler piping

lizardguy
lizardguy Member Posts: 6
in Strictly Steam
Had a burnham IN4 steam boiler installed last year. Now im seeing the piping is backwards and not high enough above water level. I had the contractor who installed it back in today and hes arguing with me that its fine that the return cones down, and then the returning condensation comes back across the boiler riser pipes, which would explain why the thing sounded like a freight train at times last winter. I showed the guy right in the burnham manual the way burnham says to pipe it, and also states in correct piping will make alot of noise and could make the boiler not run as efficiently possible. Is this going to turn into a battle?

Comments

  • JStar
    JStar Member Posts: 2,752
    Boiler

    Can you post a few pictures? We'll be able to tell you exactly what is right or wrong with it.
  • lizardguy
    lizardguy Member Posts: 6
    Pictures of the boiler piping

    Here are some pics of the piping
  • JStar
    JStar Member Posts: 2,752
    Piping

    You are correct that the piping is NOT correct. The equalizer/drip back to the return should be located after the main take-off. The way it is now, you are not going to produce dry steam and may lose a considerable amount of steam capacity going out to the system. It needs to be redone.
  • RobG
    RobG Member Posts: 1,850
    edited July 2014
    What A Shame

    It looks like the installer actually TRIED to do it right. It's a shame that it needs to be re-done. If he had only followed the instructions things could have turned out much differently.



    I bet there is a bullhead tee off the main just out of the photo.



    Rob
  • Danny Scully
    Danny Scully Member Posts: 1,441
    Looks familiar

    Hey that boiler looks familiar! We hope you received our estimate, let us know if we can help in any way.
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    Wow

    Not even a nice try….Had to be a moonlighter…
  • lizardguy
    lizardguy Member Posts: 6
    Causing issues?

    Other than the hammering noise from the incorrect piping are there any orher issues that this can create? Parts wearing excessively, using too much gas to cycle, efficiency etc?
  • vaporvac
    vaporvac Member Posts: 1,520
    See above...

    I think Jstar addressed a couple of those issues above: wet steam, loss of steaming capacity = inefficiency and possible lack of heat at certain rads.

    I might add that not only is the equalizer incorrectly placed to separate the steam and water, it's not even piped correctly ie. copper  with hoizontal mid-section. I don't understand as it could have been done properly so easily. My guess is he doesn't actually knows team systems or how they work. I'm just a homeowner like yourself, but even I can see that it's wrong.



    The placement of the equalizer is clearly shown in the instruction.
    Two-pipe Trane vaporvacuum system; 1466 edr
    Twinned, staged Slantfin TR50s piped into 4" header with Riello G400 burners; 240K lead, 200K lag Btus. Controlled by Taco Relay and Honeywell RTH6580WF
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,577
    Bad piping

    The risers coming off the boiler may also have been reduced in diameter to a size too small. With the present arrangement, the steam and water exiting the boiler are being unsuccessfully forced to go in opposite directions, which they will not do.

    Contact your local Burnham rep, and see if they will honor the warranty with the boiler piped in this way. What sort of warranty was offered by the installer on his contract?

    You probably will have an unstable waterline, which puts abnormal thermal stress on the sections of the boiler. Was the boiler ever cleaned (skimmed), following the install? Draining and refilling 20 times does not count.--NBC

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