The Hartford Loop

confused heating student

It was recently explained to me that the Hartford loop was a safety feature to prevent a steam boiler from loosing water if a return line was broken below the water line of the boiler in the early 1900's. Most boilers were coal fired and couldn't be shut off with a switch. I posed the question of what happens when the water is boiled off and turns to steam and the condensate is all over the floor and not back in the boiler? My TEACHER in class said that the low water cut-off would stop the boiler from firing. WHAT!! I didn't know we were that advanced in the early 1900's. Please someone have an answer for me so that I can know what's really going on. Thank you.

DanHolohan

The low-water cutoff

arrived in 1923.

confused heating student

low water cut off

How did the low water cut off stop the boiler and what kind of fuels were used in the northeast back in 1923? How did they stop a coal or other fuel fired boiler from exploding if the water in a gravity style boiler had a leak in the return at ground level? Water wouldn't make it back to the boiler and therefore explode. How does the hartford loop prevent this from happening??

DanHolohan

The LWCO

followed the invention of the oil burner.

In the days of coal, there were only dampers, which could deny air to the fire, but not cutoff the burner.

The Hartford Loop just bought them time. The boiler couldn't suddenly lose all its water, as it could in the days before the Loop came along. Someone would usually have a chance to notice the problem and not add water to a dry-firing boiler.