Steam help

jbplumber

Today I went on a call about a steam boiler with a bad case of water hammer. I discovered a rather new burnham boiler with some poor piping. The hartford loop was 14 inches higher then the water line, the hartford loop nipple was all most 8 inches long, The water feed was piped in to the wet return before the hartford loop, with a McDonnell #101 water feeder. The sight glass was so dirty that you could not see the water line with out shinii=ng a flashlight on it. I am only familar with the McDonnell turnip type water feeder with the blow down valve on the bottom. The low water cut off on this boiler is a honeywell ring guard LWCO. I drained the boiler to a point where I could prove that the LWCO was working and it was. Questions is the water feeder and LWCO ok for this boiler, How do I clean the sight with out a blow down, I know that the hartford loop needs to be 2 to 3 inches below the water line, what about the water feed should that not go in to the wet return but to the bottom of the boiler instead. Thanks In advance J.Lockard

jbplumber

Still seeking

your help thanks J.Lockard

Dave Meers

water hammer

Hi Jim,

Sounds like some shaky near boiler piping. You are right about the Hartford loop needing to be moved to below the waterline. That long nipple is also a big no-no. Make that as short as possible. Check the rest of the near boiler piping with the manufacturer's instructions. Verify pipe sizes and methods. Undersized pipes can cause wet steam which can cause water hammer.

You are also right about the water feed connection. Pipe to the boiler side of the Hartford loop.

Make these changes first, chemically clean or skim the boiler after pipe changes to remove any oil from the waterline. Oil on the waterline can cause all kinds of different problems, including water hammer. Put in a new piece of gauge glass with new rubber washers and brass rings. Then see what is going on. Fix the stuff you know is wrong.

Describe the water hammer. When does it happen? At start-up, mid-cycle, or toward the end. These are all clues that help us pinpoint the problem. Let us know.

Best regards, Pat

Jim Thorpe

Penthouse air handler -100%MA

I have 6.5 psi of steam at the boiler. At the penthouse I have 6 psi no load.Once coil is saturated i have less than a pound. My question is,is the piping size correct. From the header to the coil approx 150ft 2" pipe vertically

patrick linhardt

pipe size

Hi Jim,

Depends on the capacity of the coil. Can you find the rating in btu's or square feet of radiation (EDR) or pounds per hour of condensate.?

Please advise.

Best regards, Pat

Jim Thorpe

Penthouse Air Handler

Pat: thank you for the fast responce, I couldn't locate BTU's and carrier couldn't do any thing with the model and seriel #'s can you sugest a formula for calculating EDR.

Thanks Jim!!

Dave Meers

pipe sizing

Hi Jim,

It is hard to determine an output from an existing coil without factory data. If you know the square footage of the area that the coil is heating, we can estimate the capacity of the coil, and apply a safety factor because we are just estimating. Let me know.

Best regards, Pat