Near boiler piping opinions

vr608

Hey folks,

As I mentioned in a previous post , I recently had my boiler replaced with a new one, a Peerless 63-03. Needless to say, after reading the posts and articles on this site for several months now, I was anxious to get a system that was piped correctly and took into account most of the great info I've learned. In hindsight, I wish I was clearer up front with my installer about my specifics for the piping. I had my sights set on a dual supplied 3" drop header rather than the single 2" standard header that was piped.

When I did ask about it during the piping (I know, I know, should have been clearer on this from the start), I was told it wasn't necessary and would just increase the risk of leaks (insert eye roll here). I've debated the possibility of simply repiping the system myself, but before I take on an unnecessary project, I figure its best to hear people's opinions first. I really wish that some folks in the trade weren't so easy to dismiss homeowner's opinions; it would seem that for some people, the longer you do something one way, the more skeptical you are to information learned elsewhere, especially the internet. My installer kept mentioning that you can't use information from the internet, since if something breaks, nobody is there to pick up the tab. He's only partially right, of course, thanks to the wonderful contributors to this site!

Back to the boiler: overall, to my eye it would appear that the piping meets the manufacturer specs, which from what I've learned is a pretty low bar relatively speaking. The boiler does function well, 1000x better than the rotted out Weil McClain PEG-50 that it replaced, and the steam is significantly drier based on my rudimentary listening to the radiator vents (no more gurgling and spitting). In addition to the boiler, I now have an indirect DHW zone, as well as secondary hot water loop that serves an addition.

Pictures attached, I welcome your feedback!

Fred

Well, it is a small boiler so, while it still would have been nice to have both risers tie into the header, it probably will be fine piped this way and it does look like a typical install that meets the manufacturer's minimum guideline.
In one picture though, it looks like the header may be slightly pitched back towards the riser and not towards the equalizer. Is that just the angle of the picture?
Also, I can't speak to the piping for the hot water loop but I can say I don't like that copper pipe laying right on top of the boiler. Why couldn't they have raised that up out of the way?
Maybe others will speak to the HW loop.

Steamhead

You can get away with 2" steam piping on this model. I would have used 2-1/2", but that's just me.

Is there an aquastat that keeps the boiler from steaming unless the main house is calling for heat?

vr608

Fred said:

Well, it is a small boiler so, while it still would have been nice to have both risers tie into the header, it probably will be fine piped this way and it does look like a typical install that meets the manufacturer's minimum guideline.
In one picture though, it looks like the header may be slightly pitched back towards the riser and not towards the equalizer. Is that just the angle of the picture?
Also, I can't speak to the piping for the hot water loop but I can say I don't like that copper pipe laying right on top of the boiler. Why couldn't they have raised that up out of the way?
Maybe others will speak to the HW loop.

Fred, the header is actually perpendicular to the equalizer, so I think its just the camera angle. As for the copper pipe on the boiler jacket, yeah, I asked about that and the installer shrugged and said that they needed some support somewhere for the water supply. I'm sure if they thought harder they could have found a more suitable location, whatever.

Steamhead said:

Is there an aquastat that keeps the boiler from steaming unless the main house is calling for heat?

Yes, there is an aquastat for both the DHW and the HW zone, along with circulators for each.

I'm glad to hear the responses are pretty much in line with what I was thinking, i.e. fairly standard setup. Again, the steam is much drier than the old system, but I won't be able to fully tell until the next heating system begins. I don't anticipate any problems with the steam side, and hopefully my HW zone will be adjusted soon such that it does not heat unnecessarily per my other post.

KC_Jones

Did they or you skim the boiler after the install? It looks like the skim tapping is plugged in the picture (to the right of the sight glass).

Fred

KC_Jones said:

Did they or you skim the boiler after the install? It looks like the skim tapping is plugged in the picture (to the right of the sight glass).

@KC_Jones , it looks like they put the skim port on the side, under the Pressure relief valve. It's only 3/4" but that is what Burnham does also and it works well.

KC_Jones

According to the peerless manual the skim port is next to the sight glass on the opposite side and it's 1 1/4". I saw what you are talking about, just doesn't make any sense to me to go to all that effort when using the actual skim port would have been simpler and probably cheaper.

Fred

KC_Jones said:

According to the peerless manual the skim port is next to the sight glass on the opposite side and it's 1 1/4". I saw what you are talking about, just doesn't make any sense to me to go to all that effort when using the actual skim port would have been simpler and probably cheaper.

I can't disagree, unless that HW Loop is in the way, but at least he has someplace to skim.

ChrisJ

Can you get a good picture of where the boiler connects to the chimney for us?

vr608

KC_Jones said:

Did they or you skim the boiler after the install? It looks like the skim tapping is plugged in the picture (to the right of the sight glass).

I think they did a poor job of skimming the boiler, it definitely needs to be skimmed more thoroughly in my opinion since there is visible residue in the sight glass. As for the skim port location, the observations are correct, I'm not sure why they chose to use a different location. The default location by the site glass appears to be a more optimal location (in terms the water line) but I think its not nearly as accessible as what is piped.

ChrisJ said:

Can you get a good picture of where the boiler connects to the chimney for us?

Good question. That part is actually an outstanding issue, the chimney liner needs to be reinstalled (pre-existing issue apparently, so my cost, of course) so the chimney is still open and the vent pipe isn't screwed together yet.

ChrisJ

vr608 said:

KC_Jones said:

Did they or you skim the boiler after the install? It looks like the skim tapping is plugged in the picture (to the right of the sight glass).

I think they did a poor job of skimming the boiler, it definitely needs to be skimmed more thoroughly in my opinion since there is visible residue in the sight glass. As for the skim port location, the observations are correct, I'm not sure why they chose to use a different location. The default location by the site glass appears to be a more optimal location (in terms the water line) but I think its not nearly as accessible as what is piped.

ChrisJ said:

Can you get a good picture of where the boiler connects to the chimney for us?

Good question. That part is actually an outstanding issue, the chimney liner needs to be reinstalled (pre-existing issue apparently, so my cost, of course) so the chimney is still open and the vent pipe isn't screwed together yet.

Could be worse,
I had to have my chimney torn down. Well, ok, I had the option to run an A-vent up the side of the house which I hated the idea of, or, tear the chimney down and run a B-vent.

It does stink, but it will be nice knowing you have a good safe flue in the end. That is worth something in it self.

vr608

ChrisJ said:

Could be worse,
I had to have my chimney torn down. Well, ok, I had the option to run an A-vent up the side of the house which I hated the idea of, or, tear the chimney down and run a B-vent.

It does stink, but it will be nice knowing you have a good safe flue in the end. That is worth something in it self.

Yea, the venting is one aspect of gas heating that I really dislike. If electricity wasn't so expensive here in NJ, I would have loved to install an electric steam boiler, if one exists that put out the equivalent KW that I need for my house.