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Steam boiler with baseboard in the basement

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acl10
acl10 Member Posts: 349
edited December 2017 in Strictly Steam

The whole house is steam but in the basement there is hotwater baseboard coming out of the steam boiler. The return on the other side of the boiler goes up above the water line in the boiler as you can see in the picture and then comes back down near the back wall like a double upside down L is that correct? I figured the reason they did it like that was so tha when the circulator pump is off the water from the baseboard doe


snt flood the boiler and the upper part of the L is clear until the pump goes back on.

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  • acl10
    acl10 Member Posts: 349
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    More pictures



  • AnthraciteEnergetics
    AnthraciteEnergetics Member Posts: 77
    edited December 2017
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    Maybe they tried applying a Hartford Loop concept to it. The water wont come in and flood the boiler, its like holding your finger over end of straw with water inside. I have a hot water loop going up to the 2nd floor fed off my steam boiler. No check valves or unique piping of any kind. The water stays there when the pump shuts off, no problem at all.

    I dont see the bypass that is typically used to temper the water before going into the pump. Maybe this loop acts to cool the water before going into the pump, or he put the pump on the return (not normal, but possible). You cant have boiling temp water go into a pump unless it is under some pressure (more than a few psi), it will boil (cavitate) and ruin the pump.
  • New England SteamWorks
    New England SteamWorks Member Posts: 1,505
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    Might be as simple as: Raising the return up made for easier access to solder!
    New England SteamWorks
    Service, Installation, & Restoration of Steam Heating Systems
    newenglandsteamworks.com
  • acl10
    acl10 Member Posts: 349
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    the pump is on the supply side. That is the return line
  • acl10
    acl10 Member Posts: 349
    edited December 2017
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    The pump pumps the water into the baseboard and it returns on the other side of the boiler through the upside down double l loop
  • AnthraciteEnergetics
    AnthraciteEnergetics Member Posts: 77
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    Could be then to keep water in the loop when you drain your boiler. Is there a similar high point on the supply? It wouldnt be a required feature, especially with fin tube baseboard and as long as the pump impeller is below the water line when boiler is refilled.
  • acl10
    acl10 Member Posts: 349
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    image

    cdn.net/5021738/uploads/editor/yr/h8jdrj0uodet.jpg" alt="" />

  • acl10
    acl10 Member Posts: 349
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    Pictures of the pump side from the boiler
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,062
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    Does the supply to BB go under the floor?
    Are you having problems with it?

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