water line for new steam boiler

stevenknaub

Hi, two boilers ago, I had what I think was my home's original Losch Steam Boiler replaced with a Keystoker Boiler. Then about 11 years ago, I had a new Burnham Independence IN-4 installed. I have just read on your site that it is very important to install the new boiler ensuring that the water line of the new boiler is maintained at the same elevation as the original boiler.
Just how important is this, and if I can't determine the original water line, is there some measurement I can take from the existing mains and / or the wet returns to arrive at the proper height for the water line?
Hope you understand and can assist!

Jamie Hall

It's critically important. That said, without the original boiler you might think "how on earth"... !

It's easy, but requires detective work. The idea is to find all of the places where dry returns or steam mains drop vertically into a wet return. All of them. Be sure to check in the darkest, dampest, hardest to reach corners of the basement! Once you have done that, all that needs to happen is that the new waterline needs to be at least that high, and preferably a few inches higher.

And you're done.

Don't forget to check in the old coal bin...

nicholas bonham-carter

Or you can drop the wet return to below the new boiler waterline.—NBC

EBEBRATT-Ed

And if you already installed the new boiler and you get any water hammering in your returns because the water line in the boiler is too low, don't give up. Their is a fix for it called a "false water line"