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Non tankless steam boiler for hot water?

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mark8142
mark8142 Member Posts: 1
in Strictly Steam
Can a steam boiler that heats the home, and is not a tankless unit, be used for hot water for a one family home in NYC? How many BTU’s should the new boiler be?
Mad Dog_2

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  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,433
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    Yes -- always assuming you have steam heat. There are tens of thousands of such installations in New York.

    The BTUh rating of the boiler must be matched to the installed radiators in the building.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    Mad Dog_2
  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 7,103
    edited October 2023
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    Yes, and add up all your hot water requirements.  Up until the 1970s, most homes just had a 5 gallon Domestic Coil in the Steam boiler (No stand alone water heater). My father always took "A Navy Shower"...under 1 minute start to finish.  Me and Bart and My sister would lounge under the hot water for 20 minutes.  After that, Papa would shut the Hot water in the mechanical room...Shower time was OVER!!The old timers were happy with it for one shower and to wash dishes.  The later generations demanded longer showers, added bathrooms, Jacuzzis.  But yes, you can absolutely be fine with a coil.   Mad Dog 🐕 
    Consulting by Mad Dog & Matt Jr.
  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,158
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    Many coal stoker boilers also come with domestic hot water coils
    as well so they are very common.

    I hate navy showers unless I am very late for an appointment.
    Mad Dog_2
  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 7,103
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    I can do a Navy Shower, but as Bartleby The Scrivner said: "I prefer  not to!"   😉 Mad Dog 🐕 
    Consulting by Mad Dog & Matt Jr.
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,479
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    In Korea our mountaintop radio site had power but no running water. Water came from a nearby mountain spring and our Korean laborers had to haul 5 gal jerry cans of water up from base camp (no road, a 90 min hike up a mountain path). We drank the water from the stream and used the carried water for showers and dish washing.

    We had a 20 gal pot on top of a diesel stove and an open 55 gal from of water next to it. Showers were taken from a 5 gal bucket hung from above a cinder block shower stall, a couple of gallons of hot and then a couple of gallons of cold also add 2 gal cold water to the simmering pot of hot water for the next guy.

    It gets mighty cold in Korea so in the winter you would freeze your butt going back up to the Quonset hut with just a towel but that wind from Siberia dried you off quick. All in all it was great place to spend 13 months - no officers!
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
  • Jells
    Jells Member Posts: 566
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    What I have in a 4 family is the DHW running through the steam boiler coil first before going into the 75 gal gas WH. This allows far faster recovery of the tank during cold water season. The boiler is off during the non-heat season but the tank has an easier recovery with the warmer water supplied. No real efficiency gain, but no cold showers either!
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,616
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    @mark8142

    To answer your question if you have steam heat you can use a steam boiler for heat obviously. If the boiler does not have a tankless heater or an opening for one for making domestic hot water you have two choices.

    1. Use an external tankless coil (made by Everhot) this is usually a poor choice unless you use very little hot water.
    2. Install an indirect hot water heater tank.


    The boiler should be sized for the steam lod of the radiation installed in the building.

    Nothing needs to be added for the hot water load unless you have something special like a hot tub

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