Borderline boiler capacity

mel rowe

Thanks Boilerpro. That's pretty much what has been done to date, and we are still working trying to balance the system enough to get steam to all rads. Fortunately we are having an unusually mild Jan. in Mich. and the system hasn't been really tested for its capacity to heat the entire house under worst conditions. I'm just looking ahead to really cold weather and wondering if the boiler output can be improved by checking and adjusting the burner.

mel rowe

Trying to help a friend with big time problem with uneven heating. Boiler was making hardly any steam. He got the near boiler piping replaced, to correct several problems, including prior inability to properly skim and clean the boiler, because of the way it was piped. After cleaning out massive amounts of sludge, now the boiler makes steam, but doesn't seem to be enough to handle the attached load, because of a large addition to the house and much higher EDR, which I calculated. However, they tell me they can get the house warm enough overall, even on the coldest days, so we are working to balance out the system, to get heat to the last rads. If this proves to be inadequate, is there any leeway to get more heat out of the existing boiler? It is a Weil-McLain EG-40, 25,000 btu, 317 sq. ft. boiler.

Boilerpro_3

I have seen several boilers

that are "undersized" by conventional standards and the systems work very well and with low fuel bills. I have installed some this way,too. The formula is: Insulate the mains, Install big main vents to let the steam favor the mains, and on one pipe, install adjustable rad vents and adjust them down to the smallest sizes (so steam will favor the mains) or (on two pipe) throttle the radiator valves to balance the steam flow..like balancing a forced air system.

One pipe systems are likely to have the greatest limitations to tolerating undersizing, however, two pipe, with proper balancing should be handle substancial "undersizing" (down to the calculated heating load of the structure) because by throttling the steam flow, the boiler can no longer "see" the rest of the radiation. This is the same principal used by many orifice valve Vapor systems and is being done successfully (using orifice plates) in thousands of apartments out east.

Boilerpro

[Deleted User]

Doubtful....

Most manufacturers have a pretty good handle on thier appliances as it pertains to burner input. Over firing genrealy doesn't generate more steam, just higher fuel bills.

If its one pipe, consider installing non electric Thermostatic Radiator Valves, which will shut down those radiators that aren't necessary, thereby extending system capacity to the outlying radiators that are still in need of heat. I've done this on systems that were undersized by a factor of 50%, and other than first of the season start up (pick up loads) it works quite well.

ME

grindog

danfoss

try bigger main vents and danfoss valves on all the radiators. turn down all danfoss valves that are not being used to allow more heat to enter other rooms