steam boiler piping opinions - pics attached

ed wallace

from what i see the boiler needs to be repiped in black iron the header pipe is to low installer never read the install manual

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George_14

new steam boiler piping opinions - pics attached

I had a new steam boiler installed in my house last year and I'm looking for a second opinion on the piping of the boiler. After it was first installed we had problems with needing to feed it water every couple of days
and the heating bill was outrageous (much more than the 30+ year old boiler that was there previously). The installer did come back to skim it a few times he said that should help (it was surging too). I also had a couple of
small leaks in the radiator valves fixed. The heating season did not last long enough to tell if the problems are fixed but I figured I would get a head start by sending out some pics to see if there is anything drastically wrong with the piping. I had a tenant in the apartment last season so it was hard to figure out if the problem was fixed (I think he just stopped using the heat due to the bills). I have a new tenant this year and I am trying to avoid any new surprises.
I plan to insulate the pipes and put new radiator vents in this fall.
My two concens are:
1) Copper header pipe and 90 degree angle in the pipe (should it be a straight riser to the horizontal header)
2) It looks like the Hartford loop pipe connects into the vertical pipe above the water line of the boiler (could that be my water problem?)
I have attached pics of the piping.
Thanks for any opinions or advice.

Steamhead (in transit)

boiler pics

Let me guess...this installer was the low bidder, right?
Two things right off the bat 1) the near boiler piping is installed incorrectly and with the wrong material, and 2) The barametric draft regulator is installed incorrectly.
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Steamhead (in transit)

Repipe it

that's a hack job thru and thru. Not only is it copper without a proper header, but the pipe size is reduced coming out of the boiler and the equalizer piping is undersized. And yes, the Hartford Loop is too high.

And the barometric draft control is at the wrong angle too.

First thing to do is get out the installation manual for that boiler. Then get a real steam man to redo it according to the manual. Try the Find a Professional page of this site.

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David Sutton_6

Sir ...

That boiler is the old 68 ser. Wiel-mclain boiler. the pipeing on that needs to be redone, try the find-a-pro ad on this site and have that poor boiler put into proper shape and you will enjoy a fine winter with out the worry....David

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Mark Hunt

Well it's not the worst I've ever seen

but it's in the top two.

It would be easier to number the things that are right about the piping job than it would to number the things that are wrong.

The number of things that are right is 0.



Mark H

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Christian Egli_2

Set up for trouble

There is no header in your set up.

All the copper parts are wrong and need to be replaced with a steam drying header. That will solve most of the problems you mention. It should not be a big complicated job to get done, just that it has to be thought out properly.

You also have a barometric damper on the flue that seems poised to leak dangerous flue gasses into the home. That should be addressed immediately.

Just a little work and you should be in good shape. The recycled copper makes it worth it.

Check, test or replace your traps and make sure you have proper main vents. That's the key to top performance, which steam heat delivers.

Mark Hunt

Link to


the INSTRUCTIONS.

Mark H

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George_14

I was afraid of that

Thanks for your responses, did you guys see the other pics that I attached? Some of them show the piping a little better. Anyone have a ball park estimate of what it would cost to fix?

George_14

thanks!

Thanks Mark for linking the instructions!

Mark Hunt

Well


I gotta' say that the original installation company will NOT admit that anything is wrong so they will not do anything for you under a warranty. Sorry, but I have seen this WAY TOO MANY TIMES.

I would suggest that you try the "Find a Professional" feature here on HH.com. If you get a hit on a pro listed there, have them look at the job and give you a number.

Where are you located?

Mark H

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George_14

I'm in Newport Rhode Island. Do you think I should ask the original installer to do it per the instructions? or is that asking for more trouble?

Mark Hunt

George


You could ask, but I doubt they would get it right even when shown a picture.

There are contractors in your area.

Try the "Find a Professional" section here.

Mark H

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Unknown

George, u will not

George, u won't be gettin any prices from this wall. As others been saying, no way around it, you will have to repipe the whole thing. Get ahold of ur installer ( the lowest bidder or what?) , tell him that he'll be gettin a bill from the REAL boiler pro for doing the repiping. Let us know the result....

George_14

Thanks to everyone that responded! The original installer was not the lowest bidder he was the guy that could get it done quickest (no surprise). The previous boiler died on me and I had a tenant in there and needed to get it installed quick, the other good steam pros I knew were booked up for a few weeks. The boiler died on me in the middle of winter. The other bummer is this guy came recommended to me from my oil company which is also a pretty young company. I'm going to contact these other steam pros in my area and see what they say. I wanted to ask you guys first because I knew there were a lot of good installers on this site that would give me an unbiased opinion. I will keep you posted. Thanks again.

David Sutton_6

Good luck George!!

Its not that bad, luckly the copper can be ripped out pretty easy, and properly piped...Look forward to hearing from ya...David

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