Steam question

Snowmelt

Went to a new customers house. Residential but I never as this set up.
1 pipe system 2 take off. Then the odd thing was under 5 feet of linear pipe of supply it teed back to the return. Boiler was leaking roughly 12 years old . They already have a contract for the boiler replacement with Sears so it’s a Utica boiler. I believe the pipes are three inch.
Please give me any info on this set up.

Snowmelt

mattmia2

Looks like they didn't read the manual and hooked it up to the header for the old boiler. Make sure sears abates that aircell if that is what it is.

neilc

counter flow drips ?

mattmia2

Or is the header in that back corner with the equalizer connected after the mains tee off? It is hard to see that is going on back in that corner. If that is the case those may just be drips for the main or a section of the main that can't drain elsewhere.

Snowmelt

Yes counterflow , ca someone explain how that works ….. also the two vertices pipes in the front is the return. Should they go in the return separately instead of together ?

Snowmelt

The 45 I the back corner is actually the riser , it’s 3 inch going on a 45 then elbows to the right of the boiler. Then looks like two more elbows to two take off then reducing to 1-1/2 to the opposite side of boiler then goes down to Hartford loop.

Net question is since it’s a drip system is that why it’s 3 inch?

neilc

Snowmelt said:

Net question is since it’s a drip system is that why it’s 3 inch?

exactly,
steam going out, over condensate returning on the bottom,
need wiggle room for that,
and to confirm, there are no other wet returns ?
there could be, just asking

Snowmelt

You can’t see it but the two pipes in front going down is teed into the mains going out .

Snowmelt

mattmia2

The drips should go in to the return separately below the water line. The way it is now steam can travel from one to the other and potential do things like trap a pocket of air somewhere/close a vent that shouldn't close yet.

Snowmelt

That’s what I thougt. Luckily that looks like an easy fix,

EBEBRATT-Ed

Yes, the two drips can be connected together but only below the boiler water line not above it as it is now

neilc

are those the only 2 returns for the system?

I don't think you have the same worries with the return drips connected high there,
as long as there's good working main vents at the ends of the 2 supply mains, steam will push to the venting.
these are not steam extensions, or dry returns, where a high connection would matter.

other than the boiler leaking,
what issues are you trying to solve for there?

Snowmelt

Boiler is leaking, not my ob but I’m going to assist on a new install,it’s a Sears Customer so there installing a Carrier which is Utica ..

Snowmelt

Another question would be an I use both risers and make a drop header if I have the space ?

Jamie Hall

Snowmelt said:

Another question would be an I use both risers and make a drop header if I have the space ?

Yes-- do. It can help a lot. Remember that you need to go high enough with the risers -- 24 inches sounds good -- but then you can come back down as low as you need to with the drop header -- just clear the top of the boiler! Also you don't need to come all that far over with the horizontal sections from the risers -- a foot is probably quite enough. Remember riser, riser, steam main(s), equalizer -- slope to equalizer. But you already knew that!

Steamhead

Snowmelt said:

Boiler is leaking, not my ob but I’m going to assist on a new install,it’s a Sears Customer so there installing a Carrier which is Utica ..

Actually it's probably "Utica Heating" which is a rebranded Dunkirk. How much do you want to bet they will want to reduce the size of the steam outlets?

mattmia2

neilc said:

are those the only 2 returns for the system?

I don't think you have the same worries with the return drips connected high there,
as long as there's good working main vents at the ends of the 2 supply mains, steam will push to the venting.
these are not steam extensions, or dry returns, where a high connection would matter.

other than the boiler leaking,
what issues are you trying to solve for there?

It probably will work ok because it is so close to the boiler but why do it twice if it doesn't.