Need Contractor

Steamhead

The ones I know for sure that use push-nipples are Burnham, Columbia, Dunkirk, Slant/Fin and Utica. Can't remember if Peerless does or not, and Smith and Weil-McLain use gaskets.

Go to the Find a Contractor page of this site and follow the instructions to locate a contractor near you.

When selecting boilers, remember that the 1.33 pick-up factor is already figured into the ratings. If the boiler you're looking at has a rating very close to your 542 square feet, it would make sense to go one size larger- especially with that 96-foot-long 2-1/2" main.

That original 950-square-foot boiler would have been coal-fired. They specified the larger boiler as it would have had a larger firebox and grate, and the owner would not have had to shovel coal as often.

I like electric ignition, since you never have to worry about the pilot light going out. Recent model EI systems are very reliable.

Make sure you have properly-sized vents at the end of that steam main. I would use two Gorton #2 vents on a main like that- this will get the steam to the end of the main quickly. Gortons are made in Cranford, in North Jersey, so if you can't find someone near you who carries them you can run up to the factory!

www.gorton-valves.com


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Chris NJ

Need Contractor

Hi guys. I need to replace my 30 year old Crown steam boiler. Need to find a competent (key word here) contractor who does work like I have seen posted on this forum (jobs almost too pretty to be in a basement) by some of whom I consider the best in the business. I live in Trenton, NJ.

Also, on a replacement unit, which manufacturers still use steel push nipples since i would prefer them to gaskets. Any recommendations? Fuel will be Natural Gas and I am leaning toward an atmospheric unit with a standing pilot instead of electronic ignition. Any thoughts here?

BTW: House has 542 SF of radiation with a 2.5" main (continuous loop 96 feet). Using a pickup factor of 1.33 I figure I need a unit capable of at least 750 SF of steam. The original architects books spec'd a boiler of 950 SF but I think they way overdid it, considering the house was built in 1922.

Chris NJ

Steamhead:

Thanks for the info. The first thing I did was to check the find a contractor, but there is no one listed in a 30 mile radius.

BTW: The main has 2 vents, one located about halfway on the run and another about 2 feet before the end. I am using Hoffman 75's on each of these.

JohnNY1

Try Gateway Plumbing and Heating in Maplewood, NJ.
973.762.1000

Steamhead

Vents

I prefer to put both vents in the tee near the end of the main. This keeps the full venting capacity available until the steam has filled the main.

The Gorton #2 vent has a capacity four times greater than the Hoffman #75. Two of these at the end of your main will help distribute the heat in a hurry!

You may have to go beyond a 30 mile radius to find a steam man, but it will be worth it.

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