Modernizing an old steam system

steve pajek

do a heatloss on your newly insulated house, and adjust the radiation accordingly. You may have to purchase some new radiators but their total cost shouldn't be that much considering the size of your home. After you've done that then size your new boiler to the connected load. If this is a one pipe system I would consider adding Paul vents, air lines, and a vacuum pump to really make your system efficient.

Ian Cooke

Advice on modernizing an old steam system

We have a small (900 sf) house which appears to still have its original 1925 one pipe steam system in place, snowman boiler and all. We have been seriously remodeling the house, including going from 0 to 100% insulated. As a result we've also reduced our heat load by 75% or so. My wife hates baseboards and likes radiators, so were thinking of keeping the steam, but losing the snowman.

Here's the question: we want the modernized steam system to be both comfortable and reasonably efficient. So it seems to me that the right thing to do is reduce the radiation to match the new heat load and then size the new boiler to the new radiators, which will leave us with some very small radiators.

My wife is worried that we won't get enough heat out of the small radiators. I've had three contractors look at it, and they either say (without doing any calculations) that the radiation is fine as is or that they have no interest in horsing around with trying to take sections out of my existing radiators. I've reduced one myself (to fix a leak) so I know it can be done.

Should I shrink the radiators, leave them alone, or do something else entierly?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

gerry gill

i would put in a new boiler,

vent the mains well..and control how much steam gets into the radiators by controling the speed they vent at, either with adjustable ''heatimer vents'' or thermostatic controlled air vents...and i'd probably leave the radiators alone..i could see removing a radiator or two, but i wouldn't bother trying to make them smaller..

thfurnitureguy_4

I have a system that has warm rooms and radiaters that don't heat fully IE some of the section are not hot when the t-stat is satisfyed. The speed of the vent is what will let you use, or not use, all of the radiators radiation. The problem will come if you have lowered the need for the size of the boiler that you have, it will short cycle on pressure. The size of the radiators are not going to be the problem if you use a TRV. Is the boiler short cycling now after you did the upgrade on the insolation?. Have you adjusted the speed of the vents or installed TVRs?

Scott Kneeland

radiators

Gerry has said it all. the only thing that may need to be done if short cycling is a problem is down fire the boiler a little to produce steam slower. I wouldn't down size the radiators and open that can of worms. You need to remember one thing, if you take sections out of a radiator and break or it leaks it's your doing if we do it its our problem.

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Dean_7

> We have a small (900 sf) house which appears to

> still have its original 1925 one pipe steam

> system in place, snowman boiler and all. We have

> been seriously remodeling the house, including

> going from 0 to 100% insulated. As a result we've

> also reduced our heat load by 75% or so. My wife

> hates baseboards and likes radiators, so were

> thinking of keeping the steam, but losing the

> snowman.

>

> Here's the question: we want the

> modernized steam system to be both comfortable

> and reasonably efficient. So it seems to me that

> the right thing to do is reduce the radiation to

> match the new heat load and then size the new

> boiler to the new radiators, which will leave us

> with some very small radiators.

>

> My wife is

> worried that we won't get enough heat out of the

> small radiators. I've had three contractors look

> at it, and they either say (without doing any

> calculations) that the radiation is fine as is or

> that they have no interest in horsing around with

> trying to take sections out of my existing

> radiators. I've reduced one myself (to fix a

> leak) so I know it can be done.

>

> Should I

> shrink the radiators, leave them alone, or do

> something else entierly?

>

> Thanks in advance for

> your suggestions!

Dean_7

steam

From one home owner to another who has steam heat. Buy "We Got Steam Heat", "The Lost Art of steam Heating", and "Every Darn Radiator". At least the first two. If you have steam heat you should have these books. It's money well spent. And what uou learn from them will scare off the hacks.

Mad Dog_2

You could vent the oversized rads very slowly

using Hoffman D's or even some TRV's (Thermostatic radiator valves)so they don't get too hot. Forget trying to remove sections unless you do this for a living - ain't easy! The pic of thye copper clored rad is is my home. This was the only original "fancy" rad in the home, and I was able to remove about 8 sections from it - successfully. What you can consider is replacing a few of the really large ones with either a Burnham Classic or a very modern 21st Century looking Steamview radiator (see my post on the "look of 21st century steam." I'll try to post a pic of the Burnham classic. Mad Dog

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steve pajek

mad dog

Where did you get those escutcheons for your radiator. Nice!!!!