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Preventing flooded boiler

clammy
clammy Member Posts: 3,103
If you feeder is adding water while your system is running i think i would check to see if i could find the systems origianal water line also how old is the system meaning the house and what type of system is it single or 2 pipe .The reason i ask is i have seen quite a few boilers which took on water while operating because some one ripped out the old boiler tossed in a new one and did not replacte the original water line which meant the system lost it loop seals and the returns no longer held as much water as they used to ,find a real steam pro from the find a pro listing and pay him and have your system looked over and see what they suggest i know if i had steam i would do all i could to reframe from a reciever and pumps gravity rules keep it simple peace and good luck clammy
R.A. Calmbacher L.L.C. HVAC
NJ Master HVAC Lic.
Mahwah, NJ
Specializing in steam and hydronic heating

Comments

  • Diar
    Diar Member Posts: 50


    I am getting my current leaking boiler replaced with a Weil Mclain 480 ( capable of ~1250 sq ft steam net with 36 gallons for water content ). I have been told that there is a strong possibility that I will require a feed tank if the boiler has flooding problems due to the automatic water feeder putting water into the tank due to low water conditions.

    Since I assume that the size of the system is matched to its water content, I'm unclear why I would have this problem. Beyond performing a condensate return timing test ( which I haven't been able to get somebody to do ), is there a way / rule of thumb that I can use to determine whether I should need a feed tank or not?

    Thanks,
    Diar
  • clammy
    clammy Member Posts: 3,103
    boiler flooding

    If you feeder is adding water while your system is running i think i would check to see if i could find the systems origianal water line also how old is the system meaning the house and what type of system is it single or 2 pipe .The reason i ask is i have seen quite a few boilers which took on water while operating because some one ripped out the old boiler tossed in a new one and did not replacte the original water line which meant the system lost it loop seals and the returns no longer held as much water as they used to ,find a real steam pro from the find a pro listing and pay him and have your system looked over and see what they suggest i know if i had steam i would do all i could to reframe from a reciever and pumps gravity rules keep it simple peace and good luck clammy
    R.A. Calmbacher L.L.C. HVAC
    NJ Master HVAC Lic.
    Mahwah, NJ
    Specializing in steam and hydronic heating
  • gerry gill
    gerry gill Member Posts: 3,078
    gwgillplumbingandheating.com
    Serving Cleveland's eastern suburbs from Cleveland Heights down to Cuyahoga Falls.

  • I agree totally

    Properly sized , you should not need a tank . What kind of steam system is it ?
  • Diar
    Diar Member Posts: 50


    one pipe steam that was driving 1300 sq ft EDR. I cut it down to 1100, since I don't heat the attic. Thus I'm getting a 480 ( 1250 sq ft ) instead of a 580 ( 1600 sq ft. ). I figured that the larger boiler was overkill, but I'm not sure. If I take 1100 sq ft and multiply by 1.5 ( the pickup factor for old oversized piping ) I get 1650 sq ft, which is the gross sq ft steam from the 480. However, if I take the original 1300 and multiply by 1.5, I get 1950, which would require the 580.

    My old system heated pretty well and it was a 778 which was underfired at 3 gallons of oil per hour. According to Weil-Mclain that would generate 1050 sq ft steam. I expect/hope that the 480 will fired at 3 gallons per hour is more efficient than my old boiler fired at the same rate.
  • clammy
    clammy Member Posts: 3,103
    location

    Where are you located and who ever told you you need a tank should be beaten it's single pipe use the listing above and find a pro peace and good luck clammy
    R.A. Calmbacher L.L.C. HVAC
    NJ Master HVAC Lic.
    Mahwah, NJ
    Specializing in steam and hydronic heating
  • Diar

    What's the next size smaller boiler , and what is the Sq. Ft. EDR ? I believe you want to match the connected load of the system directly to the net load of the boiler . The pickup factor will give you the gross output .
  • Diar
    Diar Member Posts: 50


    Hi Ron,

    All the numbers that I mentioned previously are gross ratings, which I like to use ever since I figured out that the boiler sq ft ratings are net ratings. Since its a large old system which may have had more EDR than it currently is installed, I used a pickup factor of 1.5 instead of 1.33.

    Thanks,
    Diar
  • Diar
    Diar Member Posts: 50


    So on a system replacement it is important to replace the original water line, even if the new boiler's water content is smaller. The new boiler should actually have a 32" water line according to the manual and the old boiler actually had anywhere from 29-32 inches, ( 29 being where the auto water feeder left the water line ) and 31/32 being where I was told to keep the water line. Do you think this all that is required to prevent flooding on my setup?

    Thanks,
    Diar
  • Diar
    Diar Member Posts: 50


    I'm located in the boston area. I am working with an installer that does not believe a feed tank is required. However, it surprised me that one of the most highly recommended installers in the area, an oil company which originally was only going to install a 580, but then finally agreed to install a 480, but only with a feed tank. It was indicated to me that they could play with the water line in the 580 to prevent flooding, but that they couldn't on a 480.

    Thanks,
    Diar
This discussion has been closed.