Steam Heat

Seth_5

Does anybody out there know if turning down my steam heat boiler 5 degrees will save me money? I always hear people telling others to turn down the T-stat. But the thing is, is that if I do that, then it just takes longer for the boiler to heat the water up again to create the steam. (In turn using more oil) It seems to me that I would want the steam to stay in the pipes as long as I can. It takes about 45 minutes for my boiler to start to heat the first convector when the boiler has been off for a long period of time, is that normal? Also, I have one of those programmable t-stats, I dont even think that saves me money either because I could turn the heat off all night, but then when it comes back on, it takes FOREVER to start to create steam again. (and again using a lot of oil even before the 1st convector heats, wasting oil) Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

BD Brannan_2

Setback T Stats

SG,
I think you have answered your own question. I'm not a Pro but a HO with a gas steamer, and from what I've gathered on the Wall and from Dan's excellent books (which, if you don't already have them, you should get them) steam systems don't typically benefit from a setback for the very reasons you suspect.

bd

Steamhead (in transit)

SG, if it takes that long

to get heat to the first convector, your system needs attention. A steam system should respond faster than that. You probably have air-venting issues that hold the steam back. Correcting this will save a lot of fuel.

Where are you located? There should be some good steam men in your area. Try the Find a Professional page of this site. Once your system responds as it should, you can use a setback thermostat for even greater savings.

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Christian Egli_2

45 minutes is a long boring wait

Have your mains been stripped of their insulation?

Check pipe pitch and insulation, but, in agreement with Steamhead, air venting is a big issue here most likely.

JK_4

Air venting

Air venting is the most common cause but you should contact a qualified steam specialist in your area to evaluate your system

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Tim Gardner

turning down the thermostat will save

money. The less heat you use the less steam you need.

I use a programmable thermostat to set the temperature down when I'm not home and at night (steam boiler). I set it to come up wll before I actually need heat in order to give it time to come up to temperature.

But the phyisics is clear: it takes more energy to maintain a higher temperature than it does to bring it up to that temperature intermittently unless your system is seriously messed up.

Seth_5

how long?

How long should it take for the first convector to heat up?

Seth_5

How Long?

Thanks for the all the advice Guys. How long should it take for the first convector to heat up? Its ony about 15 to 20 feet aweay from the boiler.

Steamhead (in transit)

Sequence

Once the boiler has fired up, you should get steam at the boiler outlet in 5-10 minutes if it's a newer boiler. The mains should fill completely with steam in 1-2 minutes from the moment the boiler starts producing steam. You should get steam coming into all convectors at about the same time, a few minutes after the mains are full.

Is this a one-pipe or two-pipe system?

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Seth_5

Single pipe system

Steamhead (in transit)

Are there

vents at the end of the mains?

Measure the length and diameter of each steam main and tell us what vent is on it.

Are the mains insulated?

What kind of boiler do you have?

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Seth_5

Yes there are vents at the ends of the mains. There are 2 mains with one vent on each. I took them off and blew through them and it was pretty easy to move air through them. I can also hear them hiss for about 3 seconds and them go off while the boiler is running. This happens once every 20 minutes maybe.

I am at work right now so I cannot measure anything but will do so when I get home.

The mains are insulated.

My boiler is an old GE. Its original to the house and is about 70 years old. Has a newer gun though with a newer blower. Just the cast iron boiler itself is old. There is still an original tag on it with a 5 digit phone number for service.