Is My Plumbing Correct. Gas steam Boiler

NYCHomeOwner

I'm 28 years old and i know a little plumbing and i learn everything my self by doing research. It that T connecting the Top pipes incorrect? I was told that its a bull nose connection at the T and it will cause banging. The house is 1660 sqft and the boiler is a crown 103btu. Also where is the Hartford loop suppose to be exactly at the water line? Any info would be great. Thank you all in advance. I customized all the pipes my self from a picture i got from the crown boiler contractor online.

KC_Jones

The mains should be separated and brought into the header like I poorly marked up.

Fred

Yes, that riser to the mains is into a bull Tee. Each of those two mains should have been carried down individually into the header. It likely won't cause much hammer but it will affect the steam distribution into each of those mains.

The Hartford loop should be a couple inches below the normal boiler water line (when boiler is idle). It looks like it is ok, from the pictures.

It also looks like your wet returns are under the floor. If you start to use a lot of make-up water, in the boiler and don't see obvious signs of a leak, those buried returns are always suspect.

delta T

Yes, the tee is incorrect. You need to feed each of the mains (the two pipes that tie together at the tee) separately off of the header (the horizontal pipe above the boiler).

There should also be a swing joint between the riser and the header. Look at page 14 of the installation manual (That is a model BSI103 yes?) to see the piping guidelines:

http://www.velocityboilerworks.com/documents/bermuda_installation_manual.pdf

The top of the hartford loop should be 2" below the normal water line of the boiler.

Other considerations for making your system work well are ensuring you do not have any sags in your piping, and that you have adequate main venting.

I would suggest purchasing the book "We Got Steam Heat" from this site for some good homeowner information on how to do some basic improvements to your system and make it more efficient. If you really want to dive into the world of steam, get "The Lost Art of Steam Heating". It will tell anything and everything you want to know about steam heating.

NYCHomeOwner

You think it will be fine if i put it that close to the equalizer? The way you have it would be the easiest way for me and I'll do the same to the other side and have an elbo running into each pipe on top at that 90 degree angle. I was thinking about doing this set up, I'll post a pic. Let me know what you think and if it's pointless to put in this much work.

delta T

Wow we all jumped in at once!

KC_Jones

Being relatively close to the equalizer should not be a problem, being too close to the other main can cause minor issues. You want distance between riser and main and between each main. If you drop into the equalizer right after second main I don't think that will cause an issue, if it would I am sure someone else will chime in and correct me.

Fred

it has always been recommended that there be at least 15" between the main and the equalizer but most don't seem to adhere to that requirement and it doesn't seem to create any obvious issues.

NYCHomeOwner

You guys are great and extremely prompt. I never did this before and its extremely interesting i thank you all for the info. If you see any other things you would suggest i would greatly appreciate it all the expert knowledge. Also, do you think my vxt water feeder needs its own transformer?

EBEBRATT-Ed

I would say yes on the transformer

NYCHomeOwner

Do you know what kind of transformer I'll need for my vxt24?
Not great on the electrical end.

EBEBRATT-Ed

I looked up the VXT24 and it draws 10va. You may be able to use the boiler transformer but using a separate transformer is a sure thing

KC_Jones

I'm running the boiler, VXT, and my thermostat (Honeywell VisionPro) off the factory 40va and it's not an issue.

NYCHomeOwner

I guess I'll run it through factory. Thanks

JohnNY

NYCHomeOwner said:

Also, do you think my vxt water feeder needs its own transformer?

No. The transformer gets power from the low water cutoff and does not require a dedicated power soutce. You need three wires between the two devices. I include Hydrolevel's VXT-24 on all my steam boiler replacements in New York.

NYCHomeOwner

NYCHomeOwner

NYCHomeOwner

Update to the correct recommended piping. Thank you guys. If you see anything else wrong let me know.

Fred

Looks much better. I'm assuming you have (or will put) a vent on each main and that each has a dry /wet return back to the boiler.

NYCHomeOwner

Thank you guys. Yes i have the Main vented with a new vent valve. Since i been doing my research i seen how crucial it is to vent that Main well and the rest of the radiators.

ethicalpaul

Pretty quick improvement, congrats! Do you get your pipes from a local plumbing supply?

NYCHomeOwner

No, I actually borrowed my friends rigid pipe threader and went that route. First time was a beech but i got used to it. Not easy for a 1st timer but i also had to put in a little elbow power into it. I must say engineering this system on my own was a mission but with the help of this site and everyone on it made me very confident.

& yes the pipes come from a local plumbing store by my house.