What is wrong with this steam boiler piping

exqheat

109A_5

Header won't drain into the equalized properly. Header may not have the proper distance above the water line. A drop header may have been a better choice. However if you are not having any issues I would not worry about it. Is the main parallel or counter flow ?

Steamhead

I'd still repipe the problem at the left arrow. Water backing up there may cause banging, and corrosion may accelerate.

mattmia2

it isn't right but it probably works fine on that 60-80 year old boiler with plenty of space above the water line.

ethicalpaul

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1893781#Comment_1893781

Although, if it isn't banging, it isn't backing up, or at the very least if it is backing up, it's not causing banging. Is it banging?

EdTheHeaterMan

I think this is a trick question:

What is wrong with this steam boiler piping?

No Text, No explanation, No other information, Just a picture.

And being the proverbial Irishman that always answers a question with a question…. My reply:

"☘️ Whit aire ya talkin' 'bout? ☘️"

So without context to the question, You need to tell me more about what is happening on the job.

EBEBRATT-Ed

If the header is level and if it doesn't bang leave it alone the condensate is going back into the boiler. After a cold start very little condensate in a hot header.

exqheat

I was concerned as well about the constriction created by the smaller coupling going up to the system piping?

mattmia2

I'm not sure I see a reducer between the main and the header, but it is normal for the header to be bigger than the main, the header slows down the steam velocity so that entrained water droplets can drop out but once those droplets are gone the steam can move faster.

ethicalpaul

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1893904#Comment_1893904

True that is what the larger header is supposed to be for, but if you watch my videos you will see that:

1. there are very rarely any drops of water that appear even inches above the boiler.
2. they are not "entrained" but rather, just get randomly splashed up there. Even on my ridiculous experiments with a 5/8" supply, I never once saw a drop that would stay entrained. They just don't.
3. they fall out of the steam without any need for larger headers—they just hit the wall of the pipes and are then captured

exqheat

Everyone should be following this link. It's a good refresher for those that can "see the steam".

Intplm.

If it's not banging then, as mentioned above leave it alone.

If it is banging you should install one of these, an eccentric coupling to drain the condensation out of the header.

mattmia2

or a nipple the size of the header and a reducing ell or a nipple and ell and reducer in the vertical…

109A_5

Not convinced an eccentric coupling is best practice. An eccentric coupling would probably be better than it is now. I think an elbow would drain the best.

exqheat

I was concerned as well about the constriction created by the smaller coupling going up to the system piping?

ethicalpaul

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1894424#Comment_1894424

I think you said that before. I'm not sure I see it. Can you provide a zoomed-in screen capture showing it or draw an arrow on the photo pointing to it?

EBEBRATT-Ed

I like to think of the elbow at the end of the header like a waterfall. You wan't the thing oversized so the water just drops out of the header.

Of course a full size elbow will work.

It can probably be downsized and still work. Most of the condensate the elbow sees is on start up anyhow.

exqheat

seems this union is too narrow?

ethicalpaul

The union itself looks fine, appears to be a 2" (or 3"?) from here.

But are you saying maybe the union has a bushing in the top of it and a very small nipple, like about 1"?

The photo isn't clear enough for me to know but yeah that wouldn't be ideal. Given the tiny tiny equalizer on here I guess this wouldn't shock me.

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1894515#Comment_1894515

There isn't enough light to tell but there isn't anything where I would expect the end of a reducer would be either so I think the union is the same size as the ells and nipples.