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Peerless 63-3L Install by All Steamed Up, Inc.

Gordo
Gordo Member Posts: 856
The old steam boiler didn't die in the usual way.  When we took it apart to haul it away, the sections themselves were in pretty good shape.



What happened was the boiler was installed directly on a dirt floor (?).  A thin coat of cement was added later (?).  Or, alternatively, the heat from the boiler caused the thin coat of cement to fail, exposing the burner tubes to the dirt and moisture.



The burner tubes rusted out and flames were burning directly into the dirt.



The CO readings, not surprisingly, were off the scale.



No Hartford loop or equalizer line, of course.
All Steamed Up, Inc.
"Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc

Comments

  • Hap_Hazzard
    Hap_Hazzard Member Posts: 2,846
    Amazing what can happen in a year.

    Surely they wouldn't let it go more than a year without cleaning and inspecting the burners, would they?
    Just another DIYer | King of Prussia, PA
    1983(?) Peerless G-561-W-S | 3" drop header, CG400-1090, VXT-24
  • Jean-David Beyer
    Jean-David Beyer Member Posts: 2,666
    Gas boilers and furnaces do not need maintenence.

    My title here is wrong, of course. But it seems widely believed by heating contractors. I cannot understand this. Perhaps it is as difficult for contractors to find qualified technicians as it is for me. But I would think boiler manufacturers would train technicianc in their own products, and contractors would pay for this training if the manufacturers would not. I imagine I am wrong about this.



    I had an old GE boiler in my house. The burner in it quit (after about 25 years), and was replaced with a Beckett flame retention burner. Perhaps they inspected the inside of the boiler when they did that. I had a service contract and they came out once a year and changed the filter and nozzel. A couple of times they measured the flue temperature and told me the efficiency. Mostly they did not. At some point, possibly 10 or 15 years later, it would not run right and they pulled the burner out for the first time. Took two guys. They literally lifted big chunks of stuff out and threw them into the trash. They then vacuumed it out some. And put it back together. It then worked correctly. The boiler had never been inspected in the meantime because it was too much trouble. They never inspected it in the next 10 years either. Sometimes they looked at the color of the flame, sometimes they did not. They mostly judged the combustion by looking at the top of the chimney. If it was white (water vapor), it was OK, and if it was gray or black, it was not OK. Pathetic.



    When I switched to a gas mod-con, the installing contractor did not want to follow the instructions for maintenance. They allowed only 15 minutes for annual maintenance. Gas boiler do not require more. Yet the Installation manual requires a lot of things they would not do. So I got a new contractor who does pretty much what the manual says, though they will not test the pressure relief valves. No one around here will do that. The new contractor sends a tech and a helper and they take an hour to an hour and a half. They come with a kit of parts including a new igniter, all new gaskets, and a cylinder of boiler treatment (Sentinel X-100 and test kit). At my insistence, they now bring a digital combustion analyzer and use it.
  • gerry gill
    gerry gill Member Posts: 3,078
    we know that didn't happen overnight.

    its truley amazing that it wasn't caught at some point, and more amzing that it was still providing heat say last month...but they got the right crew on the job now and you'll have another life long customer!
    gwgillplumbingandheating.com
    Serving Cleveland's eastern suburbs from Cleveland Heights down to Cuyahoga Falls.

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    edited January 2012
    Wait till you see the After pics

    Gordo took this series and I'm sure he'll post them as soon as he can.



    We were called in to look at an uneven-heating issue. This system has a long "circuit main", 55 feet or so of 2-inch pipe that wraps around the basement. Originally there was no main vent, at some point someone had drilled and tapped the end of the main for 1/8" pipe and mounted a cute little Hoffman #4A vent on a 1/8" nipple and a 3/4x1/8" reducing coupling. Right idea, and the vent was working, but it still took 15 minutes or so to get the steam to the end of the main.



    We enlarged the hole to 1/2" and installed a Gorton #2. Now the last rad, in the kitchen, heats quickly. Problem solved. Then we tightened all the valve packings and rearranged the rad vents according to the sizes of the rads. The house heats evenly, possibly for the first time ever.



    When we tested the boiler, we found high CO which led us to the rusted-out burners, and advised the owner that it was time for a new boiler.



    This job only has 187 square feet of radiation or so, which made it too small for the available power-burner boilers. So we went with the 63-03L, which still has enough capacity to add radiation to the two small second-floor rooms that do not presently have rads.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    edited January 2012
    End-Of-Main Gorton #2

    Here is a photo of the new end-of-main vent, our favorite, the venerable Gorton #2.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    The nice thing about the Peerless 63 series

    are the HUGE outlet tappings, 3", for such a small boiler . 



    Because they are so large, the end sections have to be rather voluminous.  This helps create an almost old-fashioned style "steam chest".



    For the 63-3L size, the instructions call for one 2" riser and header.  All Steamed Up, Inc. installed a 2-1/2" riser and header.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    This Boiler

     has a separate tapping and supplies a 3/4" by 1/4" bushing for mounting the pressure gauge.  The gauge has an "internal siphon" to protect it.



    What All Steamed Up, Inc. does is to plug that hole and mount the gauge off of the pigtail with a 1/4" brass tee, 90, and nipple. 



    This allows the gauge to be removed easily and the pigtail tested by blowing into it.



      
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
  • gerry gill
    gerry gill Member Posts: 3,078
    nice looking install guys!

    we use alot of the peerless steamers also..they are pretty nice..
    gwgillplumbingandheating.com
    Serving Cleveland's eastern suburbs from Cleveland Heights down to Cuyahoga Falls.

  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    Thanks for the Kudos

    I can see why you like Peerless.



    We also like the large return tapping .  Since the other side of this install is effectively blocked, we used the full 2-1/2" return size on the accessible side to make flushing the boiler easier.



    We should also mention that we poured a new concrete slab for the new boiler to rest upon.



    The customer also took our advice and had his chimney inspected.  The chimney was subsequently re-lined based on that inspection.



    One thing about this series of boilers: On paper at least, they are listed as one of the most efficient atmospheric steam boilers out there.  However,  combustion testing doesn't seem to bare that out.  It is mainly due to the very high excess air reading.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
  • Dave in QCA
    Dave in QCA Member Posts: 1,785
    Nice!

    Thanks for posting this and taking the time to tell the whole story that the job entailed.  It is always great to understand the whole picture and be able to see the before and after pics. 

    Thanks, and Great Job!
    Dave in Quad Cities, America
    Weil-McLain 680 with Riello 2-stage burner, December 2012. Firing rate=375MBH Low, 690MBH Hi.
    System = Early Dunham 2-pipe Vacuo-Vapor (inlet and outlet both at bottom of radiators) Traps are Dunham #2 rebuilt w. Barnes-Jones Cage Units, Dunham-Bush 1E, Mepco 1E, and Armstrong TS-2. All valves haveTunstall orifices sized at 8 oz.
    Current connected load EDR= 1,259 sq ft, Original system EDR = 2,100 sq ft Vaporstat, 13 oz cutout, 4 oz cutin - Temp. control Tekmar 279.
    http://grandviewdavenport.com
  • AaronH
    AaronH Member Posts: 59
    Please Explain The Copper

    Please Explain The Copper tubing in the return - I'm getting ready to repipe my near-boiler plumbing and am curious why you switched to copper for that short run? 
    2001 Weil McLain SGO-3 Steam Boiler/Beckett AFG oil burner. Vaporstat running at 1.0psi max. Single-pipe, counterflow system (w/near-boiler drips) connected to 8 radiators heating 1400sq/ft (2 stories) in Central NJ, built in 1915. Bock 32e Oil-Fired H/W heater w/Wayne burner. Lots to do and getting there slowly.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    No steam will ever reach that piping

    so copper is fine- and won't corrode from the return water like steel can.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • Dave Stroman
    Dave Stroman Member Posts: 764
    Dropped header?

    I was surprised not to see your typical dropped header.
    Dave Stroman
  • jpf321
    jpf321 Member Posts: 1,568
    did something similar on ....

    my aunt's boiler .. in fact I used the gauge tapping for my pressure-trol tree and the other tapping for my vaporstat tree ...

    1-pipe Homeowner - Queens, NYC

    NEW: SlantFin Intrepid TR-30 + Tankless + Riello 40-F5 @ 0.85gph | OLD: Fitzgibbons 402 boiler + Beckett "SR" Oil Gun @ 1.75gph

    installed: 0-20oz/si gauge | vaporstat | hour-meter | gortons on all rads | 1pc G#2 + 1pc G#1 on each of 2 mains

    Connected EDR load: 371 sf venting load: 2.95cfm vent capacity: 4.62cfm
    my NEW system pics | my OLD system pics
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,592
    Nice

    Another beauty by Frank and Gordo!





    Keep them coming, I love looking at before and after pictures of jobs.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    This Size Didn't Need a Drop Header

    For the Peerless 63-3L, the  pipe sizing instructions call for one 2" riser from the boiler and a 2" header. This is the minimum, of course.



     We used one 2-1/2" riser off the boiler and the header was 2-1/2".



    We determined that this was more than enough to provide nice dry steam to the connected load without using a drop header.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    edited January 2012
    I Also Like Your Nice Skim Tapping Valve!

    Nice work, indeed!



     My friends, please remember to install a proper sightglass blowdown valve to make sure the sightglass is kept cleaner and telling you the true water level.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
This discussion has been closed.