Steam boiler capacity

Steve Paul_4

Bob is correct.
Most of what you read about steam balancing is intended to be a "Good Start". Generally, the radiation in the room with the thermostat should vent slower than the other rooms even if they are larger. This time delay is to give the small radiators a chance to get hot.Sometimes you have to experiment.

Mike Minnich

Steam boiler capacity

I recently read "We got steam heat", but I have a few questions. My piping is in the Hartford loop arrangement. I installed new air vents everywhere. Hoffman 75's on each end of both mains, and adjustable 1A's on each radiator. I use a programmable thermostat, located on the first of two floors. (11:00pm to 7:00am lowers temp from 68 to 60 in attempt to save on oil). In the book, it says to vent radiators based on size. If I vent the downstairs radiators at a high setting, the thermostat becomes satisfied before the upstairs radiators get warm. In other words, the small, partially heated radiators are not warming the upstairs rooms. They only get hot when the system is heating from 60 degrees to 68 degrees, when the boiler is running for a good bit of time. I did notice that the visible risers are not insulated. Will this make a difference? Someone must have removed the insulation, because the piping in the basement is very well done.

The boiler is a Peerless TW-3 with the following specifications:
Max wp steam=15 psi
IBR Burner Capacity=1.25 gal/hr
Gross Output=147,000 steam
Net 458 square foot steam
Net IBR=110,000 steam

The burner is a Beckett AFG, rated at 0.5 to 3.0 gph.

The downstairs radiators have a combined volume (just general volume, length x width x height) of approximately 235 cubic feet, and are of the six tube hot water type. The upstairs radiators have a combined volume (again, just general volume) of approximately 125 cubic feet, and are of the three column steam type.

Does this boiler seem large enough for this heating task? I did notice two sharp kinks in the oil feed line (1/2" O.D.). This has me thinking about the burner firing at capacity. I was not at home any of the times that I had the unit cleaned, but should the service technician have noticed those kinks? They are withing plain view, 1.5 feet from the pump. I bought the materials to replace the kinked sections, but will the burner have to be set-up again?

Or, is the combination of uninsulated risers and mixed radiation types conspiring to provide me with poor heating performance upstairs? Maybe an option would be to replace the upstairs steam radiators with hot water radiators so that they allow easier passage of steam.

If you read this far, you are very patient. Any input on any of these matters is, was, and always will be appreciated. Thanks.

Bob W._3

I will suggest a few simple fixes. I like Hoffman 1A's but they don't work in all situations. Get some Gorton C's for those upstair radiators and turn the 1A's on the downstairs radiators down a bit. Also, measure and post the length and diameter of your mains. You may need more venting that a single Hoffman 75 on each main. Try these fixes first before considering more expensive ones. Its a question of balance (apologies to the Moody Blues).

lchmb

on another note

The kink in the oil line should be repaired. I would however suggest you have someone else deal with it. If you have never worked on a system, it will be necessary to shut your oil tank off, repair the line and then bleed the oil line out. You also need a flaring tool to do this. I generally do not replace section's of an oil line but instead run a new coated line that is sleeved for protection. It may also be necessary in your area to pull a permit for this (depend's on where you are)....