How bad is this piping job - Steam Boiler

Steamowner

Background:
32 year old boiler
Major water hammer partially due to pitch issue in main because house settled in on corner
175,000 BTUs 1,400 sf house

Send off pipe is in between the two risers and not near the equalizer.

Thoughts? I'm leaning towards getting a new boiler thats a lot smaller and then have the near piping done correctly.

JUGHNE

Are these one pipe or two pipe radiators? Pictures are welcome!

Steamowner

JUGHNE said:

Are these one pipe or two pipe radiators? Pictures are welcome!

One pipe.
Pictures of the rads? Here are two.

If this helps there are five medium sized rads, as in the pictures, two large ones and two very small ones. I asked a plumber for an estimate for a replacement boiler because of a $1,900 rebate and he estimated I would need 105,000 BTUs. He measured the rads but some had enclosures so he just did his best.

JUGHNE

That is good that he looked at the radiators and measured them. That puts him ahead of many others who might have only looked at the nameplate of the boiler.

However as a homeowner you can calculate the EDR of all of your rads. Is it correct that you have a total of 9 radiators? You just need the height of each from floor to top, how many sections in each, (like slices in a loaf of bread) and how many columns, (looking from the end of rads). There is an easy way to calculate the EDR of each.

Steamowner

Yes, I have nine but four of them have covers that are nailed to the wall. That is a whole other conversation but we have young kids and they look a lot better with covers.
I'll have to take the covers off this weekend.
So am I right in thinking a new boiler/piping is the way to go?

KC_Jones

Is it failing or are you just looking for a performance/comfort improvement? Is a new boiler and piping the way to go? Honestly that is a question you have to answer. Is it in your budget? We don't discuss pricing, but getting it done CORRECTLY isn't a cheap proposition. If it was mine and the boiler had as much age as yours I would probably just replace the whole thing and have all the piping fixed. If you get quotes make sure it is sized properly and your contract is VERY specific about what they will do especially the piping! If you are unsure about your contractor ask them for pictures of 1 or 2 of their recent STEAM installs and post them here. We can tell you in a minute if they know what they are doing. It's better to find out before you write those checks. Where are you located? We may know someone in your area that is good with steam.

JUGHNE

If the lids of the covers would come off easily then you could get the info needed from the top view.

As far as boiler replacement, you have to consider how much oversized it is and consider how old it is. Many here might not consider 32 years to be very old. I maintain one steam boiler that is going on 40 and another approaching 60 years old.
Also if you have sagging mains/house that piping needs to be corrected with piping changes.

Where are you located?

Fred

That's a Burnham boiler. I have one the same age and I intend to let it run until it starts to leak (which will probably be in the dead of winter and I'll then kick myself in the **** but I do have back-up forced air) Has this boiler been properly maintained over the years? Have you had to add excessive amounts of water (that can be damaging to the boiler block)? I noticed that the risers out of the boiler and into the header don't actually don't have any swing joints. That alone could have put undue stress on that section of the boiler block. It may have some stress fractures. That is another unknown. The near boiler piping, with the union in the header and another one in the riser up to the main would make it reasonably simple to correct the piping and install a larger header, swing the riser to the main over and tie it into the header after the boiler risers and before the equalizer and add some swing joints (from the boiler risers into the new header). Having said all that, if the contractor that looked at your rads and calculated the EDR requirements is anywhere near close, in his estimate, this boiler is well over-sized and you may benefit from a smaller boiler. Is that fuel savings enough to prematurely replace the existing boiler? It's anyone's guess. At a minimum, I'd address the sagging pipes and eliminate the hammer. That has to happen regardless. After that, you can decide when to replace the boiler and the near boiler piping

Steamowner

I'm 15 miles west of Boston. I know from reading here that JA is popular on these boards. I had initially been in contact with him and Consolidated to get a system analysis when I moved in.
I wouldn't say the boiler is failing. I'm looking for comfort/performance upgrade.
No it hasn't been properly maintained. I bought the house two years ago. The previous owners were elderly and it's taken me two years to learn about steam heat and what to do. At least I insulated the pipes.
I have had two leaks in the main. I'm guessing this is from excessive water

JUGHNE

Depending on how long the 2 leaks in the main were there and if there is an auto fill valve then there may have been a lot of fresh water added to the boiler without anyone knowing. Did the leaks look old, that is a lot of staining on pipe or floor?

If you have to remove the rad covers completely, I would take pictures of them from both ends. Going at an angle from each end would give you a permanent record of sections & columns.
Also a close up of the air vent (make & model) would be good info. for you and installer.

It is also a good time to check with a level if the rads are sloped towards the inlet valve to insure drain back of condensate water. Shim up if needed, Dan's favorite was checkers under the legs.