Something old, something new

Mark Lee

The project of installing the new boiler in the mansion is finally complete. The owner wanted a system that fit with the age and character of the home, and, well we got a little carried away. Every thing was piped in iron, the water feed to the system and expansion tank was piped in brass. Rising stem gates, gate valves for boiler drains, even numbered brass valve tags.

We kept the old 4" lever-style shut-off valve on the main supply and re-installed the original motor with new pulleys and cables, just like its old coal days.

I wanted the housekeeping pad, and it only seemed natural to tile it, and add a threshold with a floor drain in the center.

The customer loves old gauges, and donated some he had collected over the years. A local wholesaler had some NOS temperature gauges that completed the look.

All modern componets, auto-fill, zone relays, etc, were mounted in another room, out of sight.

It's piped with the house and radiators as the 'Primary' loop, and the boiler as the 'secondary'. An thermostatic three-way tee gives low-temp protection, and a two-stage thermostat provides for constant circulation. The numbers are beautiful. The third pump is for the indirect tank, installed outside the room.

It was a lot of fun, but do I ever have an appreciation for those 'dead men' who worked every day of their trade with steel pipe!

Tim



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