In 11 header/pressure

fire21m

Hello y’all,
 So just bought an 137 year old house that has a 5 year old Burnham in11 natural gas, steam boiler. When we move in the pressure was set to 5 psi with a 1.5 diff. My understanding is that it should be around 1-2 psi with a .5 diff, please explain what the settings should be. We get heat through out the house in all rads and no banging. I have steam cleaned the system and replace all vents. I’m not an expert hit why I’m posting, but the header on this thing doesn’t look right, let me know what you think. And no I did not do the insulation, needs replacing. 

EBEBRATT-Ed

Your right about the header. It was installed by an idiot.......I am trying to restrain myself.

Sorry, but your boiler needs a serious repipe. I am suprised it heats at all

SteamCrazy

Wow it's amazing what we see in some of these post. There goes the saying doing something stupid and get you rewarded in a small way.  Bad piping, cranking up the pressure, and reward (somehow) no noise or issues. Don't feel bad not not alone... I myself had bought a home with bad piping with similar results. But my fuel bill was outrageous..  

Jamie Hall

It is sometimes truly amazing just how forgiving steam heat can be...

Try a pressure setting of 2 psi for a cutout and around 1 psi cutin. It would actually be better lower, but without knowing exactly what kind of pressuretrol you have that's as good a place to start as any.

STEAM DOCTOR

How big is the house? In11 is a big bag of potatoes. 

fire21m

UPDATE: It has a Honeywell Subtractive pressurtrol , is 4200 sq ft, 3 floors old Victorian. I set the pressure to 2 with diff to 1, seems to be working okay. But the amount of gas it’s using is more the what the manual says it should be using. 

JUGHNE

So has the gas meter been clocked and is it using more than the name plate?

Jamie Hall

Has anyone done a complete combustion test and adjustment? Gas pressures, draught, carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide, that sort of thing?

fire21m

Had to have draft and carbon tests down before we moved in ( Leander required). I think I have to have the header rebuilt. But I don’t know what’s it’s supposed to look like, had two heating company’s come in an both had completely different ideas. Makes me wonder if they know what to do. At 2 psi and 1 psi diff Not all the rads are getting hot fully now. 

fire21m

JUGHNE: yes it was clocked. 

KC_Jones

STEAM DOCTOR said:

How big is the house? In11 is a big bag of potatoes. 

Agreed, in addition to not piping it correctly I would speculate it wasn't sized correctly.

You are getting mixed signals from the contactors because some don't know what they are doing (very confidently I might add), and it makes it tough to sort through the BS and know who's knowledgeable.

Where are you located as we might know someone in your area that does know what they are doing. That piping has to be burning excess fuel.