replacing old steam boiler

Steamhead (in transit)

This type of system is covered in chapter 15 of "The Lost Art of Steam Heating". The system illustrated therein under "The Boiler Return Trap and the Alternating Receiver" is a Dunham, but your Trane works pretty much the same way.

The Direct Return Trap is sort of a pressure-powered pump that makes sure the water can return to the boiler properly. The check-valve arrangement is as it should be for the DRT to work properly.

The slow radiator may have a bad trap on it. I've never seen Trane traps with adjustments on them- these must be real old! Post some pics if you can. I'll bet you can get replacement trap elements from Tunstall or Barnes & Jones, even on something this old.

Check the ends of the steam mains and dry returns for proper vents. Measure the length and diameter of the steam mains and we can tell you what's needed. Note that the steam main may be vented to the dry return with a radiator trap.

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Flip

replacing old residential steam boiler

with natural gas prices going through the roof this winter and getting a monthly gas bill twice what it was last year even though the outside temp. was not that much different for the same period I am starting to look at replacing my boiler with somthing more efficient.
let me give some background. I own a 5200sq.ft. brick duplex side by side 2500 each side each has its own steam boiler. the house was built in the 1920's. both sides have a two pipe system both sides heat well through out with the exception of our master bed room is always alittle cool unless i crank the stat up.the castiron radiators are in good shape they have Trane traps on them that have a small removeable fitting on top to access an adjusting screw.the steam supply and condensate return lines make a loop around the basement from the boiler room and back to it. the pipes are well hung and in good shape with the supply line being well insulated. the boiler on the south side was replaced in the 60's i belive theunit on the north side may be original.i ran the EDR numbers for both sides and came up with 67,680 and then added 50% to come to 102k i have clocked my gas meter to check the rate that the boiler is firing but need the heat content number from our gas supplier to finish the calculation.both sides have several windows with alluminum storms and good insulation in the attic. so i am thinking the exsisting boilers are 50% efficent at best. most of what i have seen on line are claiming at least 80%. so do i want to size a replacement by the input rating the DOE rating or the I=B=R rating ? I do also have a piping question. as i mentioned the steam supply circles the basement feeding the radiators on the first and second floor then it returns to the boiler room where it drops to the floor and connects to the bottom of the boiler. this line is insulated the whole way. this is where the question comes in and i am going to try and send some pictures to make it clearer, if you can picture the return line circling the basement with the supply catching all the radiator returns the returning to the boiler room where it drops to tie into the supply line that ties into the bottom of the boiler as mentioned before.there is a check valve between the condensate return line and what i will call the insulated supply return line with flow towards the boiler.between that check valve and the condensate return there is a tee with a 2" riser to just above the top of the boiler there it connects to the bottom of a device labeled TRANE DIRECT RETURN TRAP it also says NUMBER 2 on the tag. off the top of this trap is a 3/4" line that is piped to the top of the boiler.and also a 3/8" line that runs about ten feet to tie into the uninsulated condensate return line before it enters the boiler room.this piping concerns me, should any changes be made? please feel free to ask any questions you may think of.

Steve Garson_2

Flip:

Not sure what your question is, but I just replaced my 70 year old steam boiler with a new one and haev measured fuel savings over over 32%.

Bob W._3

Also, click on Hot Tech Topics and read all the steam articles, including sizing and replacing boilers. Lots of good stuff there, including how to properly size a replacement boiler.