Boiler Identification?

Steamhead (in transit)

Those 1940s-1950s A-S gas boilers were designed to work with gravity.

Matt L.

Can someone explain this system I have, seems very old, gas fired, hot water boiler, two (2) large pipes from front and rear top half of the boiler,(which I believe may be the supply), and two (2) large pipes into the front and rear bottom half of the boiler, (returns)? there is a steel expansion tank above, but there is NO circulator at all, and I believe this may be a two-pipe, direct return system as there are bottom connected, cast iron radiators with valves for control, there are no flow checks, air scoops or vents, just bleeders on the top of the radiators.

kevin coppinger_4

sounds like......

a good old fashioned Gravity hot water system to me.....kpc

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Matt L.

Thank you very much for the help, I will replace it soon with a new more efficient boiler and install a circulator and diaphram type tank with a scoop , etc. and of course.. pumping away on the supply side !!

Steamhead (in transit)

Matt, when you do replace the boiler

Make sure the circulator is sized properly. It's way too easy to over-pump this type of system, which results in impaired heat transfer to and from the water.

The only thing the circ does in an old gravity system is move the water thru the boiler. The rest of the system circulates itself.

Choose the proper circ from the link below. Don't be afraid to not use the circ that came with the boiler if it's not the right size- unless you use a newer style boiler that requires primary-secondary piping. In that case, size the secondary circ to the system as shown below.

http://www.heatinghelp.com/newsletter.cfm?Id=125