American Radiator Company Boiler in Basement of Old School House

Bret_In_Montana

Hello,

My name is Bret and I am the president of a non profit that just administered an asbestos abatement grant in the basement of an old school house. It's funny because for the last 20 years, the basement has been off limits due to the hazard, but when I was a kid we ate our lunches down there.

Anyway, there is a big old boiler that was covered in asbestos insulation. With the removal of the insulation, it exposed this really cool old boiler. I can't seem to find much information about this specific one, and wondered if any of you had any insight. I know the building used to heated by coal (I can still see the shoot), and has long since moved to more modern technology, but the boiler will probably be down there forever.

The school house was built in western Montana in 1898, and we'd love to know any information about this old thing.

Thanks!

jesmed1

That appears to be an Arco Ideal sectional S-36-7 steam boiler. You can find it listed in the table on page 24 of this 1912 Arco catalog. And there's a good amount of text in the catalog describing the innards and working principles of the boiler.

https://heatinghelp.com/assets/documents/526.pdf

Bret_In_Montana

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895742#Comment_1895742

Wow! Thanks so much. That's a really cool catalog.

Steamhead

I've been to Montana- where exactly is this?

What heats the building now?

Bret_In_Montana

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895750#Comment_1895750

Clancy, Montana. The old red school house was built in 1898. It's heated with natural gas now.

It now houses the Jefferson County Museum, the library, and the health dept. But in the early 90s I went to second grade there, and Clancy folks older than me did most of their schooling there.

Steamhead

I see, you're just south of Helena. For those not familiar, Helena is Montana's capital city.

So, you have a gas-fired steam boiler now?

Bret_In_Montana

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895759#Comment_1895759

I'm absolutely clueless about heating systems and unfortunately will not be a very useful member of this forum. The "new" boiler room is a couple doors down, and has a couple smaller grey boilers that heat the building now.

Kinda look like this, but smaller. None of the ducting associated with the old boiler is used anymore.

bburd

That old beast was converted from coal to gas at some point, before it was abandoned in favor of the new system.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Nice new boiler room.

Are those Bosh boilers?

I can't imagine what the blue pipe tied into the yellow gas line going to the boiler is.

I will guess a backup propane supply?

JUGHNE

Very impressive room/painting etc.

Does anyone see any concern about no swing joints and colliding bull head tee in the header, also no drip legs on gas piping?

HVACNUT

Where's the bell tower?

Steamhead

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895801#Comment_1895801

I think they're Vie$$mann.

HVACNUT

I'd like to know how they're vented. The breach in the wall is extremely low for any chimney vented appliance. Power vent? Custom chimney?

Grallert

He said "kinda looks like this but smaller" I don't think the picture is his boiler room.

Bret_In_Montana

To be clear guys, that picture of a new boiler room is just some stock photo I pulled off the internet to describe what the new boilers kind of look like.

@HVACNUT, the bell tower was removed in 1935 following damage it received from an earthquake. That earthquake was a 6.2 and the high school just north of us in Helena fared quite a bit worse.

pedmec

i was gonna say that boiler don't look like its installed in the USA.

And my back is hurting looking at that old boiler

mattmia2

that explains why it looks like it is hot water but it seems to be missing some stuff for both steam or hot water.

mattmich

» i was gonna say that boiler don't look like its installed in the USA.

Ya that is off… look at the vent line to the chimney that basically crawls along the floor.. I don't think that would fly here. I've been staring at that picture for a few minutes, looking for telltale electrical outlets, because it grabs me like it should be in Germany. Can't tell.

But the risers are tiny, and look at the way the header necks down with that square piece of pipe that's probably a flow meter of some sort.

If you look carefully you can see the drip legs coming back behind the risers.. they have blue downward arrows on them and are also insulated.

I still think it's steam, but it'll only work if the water quality is really good. Paul would approve :)

cheers -m

mattmia2

that type of vent would be ok with a power burner which that boiler has. not sure how those viessmans are set up, might be a hx that turns around and flows down. could just be a water tube or fire tube boiler of some sort too.

i'm fairly certain that viessman only makes hot water boilers.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@JUGHNE

I didn't really like the no swing joint thing either.

Anyone have a comment on the "BLUE PIPE" tied into the gas pipe?

mattmia2

whatever the blue pipe is, it looks like it is welded.

techforlife

Steam? I think I see circs guys.