Homeowner Nightmare

Brandon_4

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John Doll

Oversize steam boiler with bad hot water loop

We recently completed construction on an addition in our home. Unfortunately, our steam boiler went a year before we were ready to build and we had to replace it last winter. We had some preliminary architect's drawings and provided them to our heating contractor to approriately size the boiler. We now have a 175,000 BTU system for a 2500 sq ft home. Another complication is we could not find a general contractor that had good references and would run new steam lines. So, we had to settle with a hot water loop off the new big boiler.

Roll the clock forward 1 year and we have a nice new space and one additional steam base board radiator. The new steam unit keeps spitting water out of the vent (hot but clean) and doesn't seem to get as hot or heat up as quickly as the other radiators even though it is the first unit off the header. I also have water hammer and hissing. These problems did not exist last year and are prevalent throughout the house. I know I need to insulate the pipes and I am wokrign on it. However, there seems like something else is out of balance. Any thoughts?

The hot water loop has a number of issues that I diagnosed after reading Dan's homeowner's guide. (Thanks Dan) Inititally there was no aquastat installed and the loop is still missing the bypass line. Obviosuly, the informed reader will guess that I have flash boiling and noise in the line. The other issue is that the hot water base boards heat up even whent he pump is not running despite having two check valves on the hot water loop.

My contractor has been working with us and I have spent a number of days at home working as a plumbers assistant. My contractor is now open to paying a qualified plumber to help resolve the isses. Any recommendations for someone in Central New Jersey that can help?

Unknown

found the problems

Found the problems, u are have a PLUMBER doing the job where you need a real steam boiler pro as well hot water specailist with electrical knowledge of making the system works... Posting pixs will help us help you...

gerry gill

i'm a plumber,

and i resent the way you put that.

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gerry gill

John,

is that steam baseboard unit installed as a one pipe radiator? its much better to install those in two pipe fashion..how long is it? are the other original radiators one pipe radiators? if so, picture yourself as the steam..given the choice between going into a 1 1/4'' or 1 1/2'' pipe or squeezing into a 3/4'' pipe, which way would you go?

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Unknown

I am a plumber, too

I am a plumber too, there are very few like us, Gill. That can do and understand steam, hot water heating as well piping the systems correctly. As you said in other threads, there are plumbers doesn't know jack about hdyronic systems.

John Doll

All of my radiators are one pipe units. The new baseboard we are having trouble with is eight (8) feet long. It is actually 2 fin units combined at the center. The plumber said it was the biggest unit available. The room it is in was a sun porch that we converted to an all season (although not yet) and has alot of windows

John Doll

pictures

I wasn't sure what to capture on photo so I took a few shots of the boiler and a close up of the hot water loop. Let me know if there is something that I can take a better shot of. Thanks for any help you can provide. I agree that my main issue is that I have a knucklehead working on the system.

gerry gill

its not adviseable

to pipe fin tube, or fin pipe, or even cast baseboard as one pipe..the recommended lenght of cast base is 10 feet when piped two pipe fashion..is that what they really did? did they pipe 8 feet as a one pipe unit? they will probably have to redo it if thats what they did..no wonder it spits.

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John Doll

yes

They really did pipe eight feet of baseboard onto a single pipe unit. I took a picture of the junction of the two units. I wanted to make sure I was properly describing the issue and unit. What is the best way to resolve this?

Unknown

the pixs help

The pixs helps help a lot. Gill is right on all acounts regarding the baseboard raditor. The 3/4 " copper fins radatior isn't the way to do it with steam... Wondering why they didint put in seprated hot water loop for the sun room? Of course, u'll have to repiped the hot water loop/by pass as you mentioned in ur 1st post. Or can you install used standing cast iron with trw in sunroom? By the way, they make cast iron base baord radaitor in any length u needs and piped in accordily...

John Doll

The baseboard is not standard 3/4 copper fin. It is 1 1/4 cast iron. I asked for the nicer cast iron baseboard and I am waiting for an answer. They did not run the new unit of the hot water loop because the control is in a separate area of the house. They actually were able to use an existing riser off the header that had been capped. Know any qualified plumbers in New Jersey? Thanks again for your help.

gerry gill

can you have a drip (drain)

added to the end of the fin pipe and dropped to a wet return?

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TK03

Circulator

Is the arrow on the circulator pointing away from the boiler. On a circulated loop off a steam boiler you always pump away from the boiler.

Steamhead (in transit)

Fin-tube and cast-iron

don't mix well on the same system. Their thermal behavior is very different. For this to work well, remove the fin-tube and use a good old-fashioned cast-iron radiator.

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