Steamhead

thfurnitureguy_3

Steamhead, I got your messages and have been busy (work in the way of steam, go figure) I removed the condensation pump and the stand pipe from the system. I also added a new guage (0 to 15 lbs ) I thought that I would see some pressure in the system at the end of the cycle. However there is still none. It works fine. Main venting has solved the slow radiator problem. Can I assume that the lack of any pressure buildup could be a sign of an under fired boiler? If you remember I would like to remove some of the appartments off my loop and place them on their own $. If I turn off radiator in the vacent appartments should I should see a rise in pressure? I realize that pressure is not what I want. But is it a way of knowing how far I can go with my down size. As always thanks for the Wall

andy kowalski

adding on to steam heat

I am in the process of adding a 1000 sq foot addition on a 1910 home.The home currently has steam heat and the customer would like to have steam in the new addition ? Can you add on to the old system with new radiators to supply heat to the new space. And if you can what should I look for in the old system to make sure it is properly sized.

EBEBRATT-Ed

With steam heat loss is secondary. The boiler must be capable of generating enough steam to supply all the existing radiation plus any new radiation in the addition.

You need do look at the boiler net rating (and is it fired to full capacity) The EDR load of the existing radiation. Then with an accurate heat loss calc from the new addition you can select and add this radiation load to see if it will work. Watch out for piping pitch to an extended addition and becareful not to throw the existing system out of balance. All existing vents will have to be looked at. Depending on the size of the addition and it's exposure you may be better off with a seperate unit. A hot water zone off the existing boiler may be feasible if it can handle the load.

Ed

andy kowalski

pricing

thanks for the imformation on what to look for when adding on to a steam system.I have 1 more question to ask,how do you determen a price for adding a new system to a 1000sq foot addition and should it be in its own room in the new addition. i am familiar with pricing forced air but have no clue about steam i will always add the price of what it should cost in my estimate for a compleat job i just dont want to under estimate the job for steam to be added.

Steamhead

Yes, you could try that

but make sure the rads that you shut off don't fill with water. Sometimes the valves don't shut off tightly enough. Open them back up after your test.

If you don't want the rads to heat up the vacant space, remove the air vents and replace them with 1/8" plugs. If the air can't get out, the steam can't get in. Leave the shutoffs open if you do this.

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Steamhead

Andy, what I'd do

if you want to run everything on one boiler, is figure on running a separate steam main to the addition. Then you won't have to mess with the existing piping except at the boiler.

Use the tables in Lost Art to size your pipes according to the radiation load, which should be based on a heat-loss calculation of the new addition. Add this to the existing radiation to see if the boiler will handle it.

After you've mapped out the piping you'll know how much pipe and fittings you'll need. I think the Dead Men figured half a day per radiator on a one-pipe job.

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