Some advice please

Dave DeFord

or the parts pertinent to my one pipe system. I have a few questions.
1. It would appear as if a hartford loop is "required" for safety reasons. Since my boiler doesn't have one I'm thinking I should have on intalled. Is this right?
2. There is no equalizer. Since I have about 40" of "A" dimension and it seems that the equalizer is to prevent condensate from backing up into the mains would it be necessary to install one? The pressuretrol is set to cut out at 1.5 psi and I don't have any water hammer.
3. I would like to compute the EDR for my radiators. It would appear from Dan's book a 3 column radiator has 1 center column and 2 "side" columns like the one pictured in the book. Is this right? Also do you mesure the radiators from the floor or just the radiation surface?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dale

hartford loop

If your boiler heats quickly and quietly and the gauge glass doesn't bouce much or you don't go off on low water consider yourself lucky. When you have the unit serviced have the internal passages cleaned if the stack temp is too high other than that keep flushing the low water cut off as recommended. 1.5 psi cut out is fine, the hartford loop is needed more with wet returns, some boilers don't have much wet return and with the large A dimension you may not need the equalizing effect.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Measuring radiators

Yes, measure them from the floor. Leg length changed a bit over the years and I think some models were actually made with either "tall or short" legs, but the difference won't matter and you should find a height within an inch or so of what you measure.

Most of the common radiators were quite standardized both in physical size as well as EDR per section so you're fairly safe just using the "typical" column or thin fin tube radiators EDRs in simple tables. Flue-type rads--they will have "solid" ends--and the very latest highly compact tube models are different.

Yes, you came up with the proper number of columns in your radiators for looking at the tables.

If the measurements you see in the tables seem way off from your radiators try to post a picture and dimensions.

Dave DeFord

Thanks for the help...

I have just two types of radiatiors - the older style rounded top models and the newer "hot water" type with thin tubes. I'll be able to handle it from here with the help of Dan's book.