Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Recent Install Pics

Motty
Motty Member Posts: 8
Hi all,

Here are pics of a Williamson Thermoflo GSA-125 that I installed a couple days ago. I'm looking for constructive criticism/feedback please. Thanks

MK

Comments

  • gerry gill
    gerry gill Member Posts: 3,078
    I like it.

    clean and neat.
    gwgillplumbingandheating.com
    Serving Cleveland's eastern suburbs from Cleveland Heights down to Cuyahoga Falls.

  • jonny88
    jonny88 Member Posts: 1,139
    ? for gerry

    in dans books he says the 90 for the equaliser should face down.i tried it on my last steam boiler with a drop header and it worked great however i was always taught to pipe it the way motty did,with the 45.thanks motty for posting as it is a great way for us to learn.
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,576
    piping pics

    nice to see new piping!

    it may be a trick of the lens, but is that header smaller, instead of larger, than the riser from the boiler? also may be the camera, but it looks like the boiler is floating an inch above the floor!

    are the returns well under the waterline?--nbc
  • The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)
    edited October 2012
    Yes, neat and clean.....

    I would suggest using unions after the auto feed and the manual feed valves to help in diagnosing a leaking valve.  Also, a 3 inch header is probably not much more cost than a 2 1/2.    Of course, if a GSA 125 is only 125,000 input than a 2 1/2 inch header is probably already one size larger than minimum, which is plenty.  Oversized headers really  make the installation perform exceptionally well.  That Williamson looks like a rebranded Weil McLain.
    The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)

    Chicago's Steam Heating Expert





    Noisy Radiators are a Cry for Help
  • gerry gill
    gerry gill Member Posts: 3,078
    I like straight down also.

    But the 45 would be the next best thing..it will slow down the return of the water a tad bit, but as long as to much doesn't back up into the header, it should still be a good steam seperation device.
    gwgillplumbingandheating.com
    Serving Cleveland's eastern suburbs from Cleveland Heights down to Cuyahoga Falls.

  • Motty
    Motty Member Posts: 8
    thanks for the input guys...

    the riser is 3", header 2", equalizer 1.5"... the boiler is in fact a bit elevated, its resting on cement blocks.... and yes Williamson is made by weil mclain so the tappings are identical.

    cheers

    mk
  • Vinnie Smedick_3
    Vinnie Smedick_3 Member Posts: 7
    Nice job

    I noticed you ran the relief valve down with black pipe. I did that last year on a job and the inspector made me remove it and run copper tubing. I asked why and he stated that if water leaks into the black pipe it could sit and rust and create a blockage. One other thing I thought was absolutely ridiculous was he made me put in a backflow preventer on the boiler feed. I asked why would I need that on a steam boiler and he said it's code on all boilers. I said there is no possible way with the water level 2' below the shut off valve it could possibly back into the potable system, he said it's code do it or I'll fail you. What do you guys think about that?
  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
    Is

    it an optical illusion, or is that header offset pitched back at the boiler?
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,576
    Back flow preventers

    There is a provision in our code for having a water tank, with no permanent plumbing connection, but that would cost more than the back flow itself.

    They are good for the manufacturers, and the plumbers who inspect them on a yearly basis.

    Even my other hot water system runs all the time with the fill valve turned off.

    You just can't fight city hall!--NBC
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    The reason for that

    is if the boiler is under pressure but the water supply is not, you can get backflow. This is true even at the ounce pressures we find in steam systems.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • Vinnie Smedick_3
    Vinnie Smedick_3 Member Posts: 7
    Backflow preventer

    I get your post steamhead. But as I stated the water supply is manually operated. Wouldn't one know if there were no water psi in there home? Wouldn't they contact someone about that before deciding to add water to a boiler? Some codes are just plain dumb! Done by dumb people whose only job is to make life more difficult for the people who actually know what they are doing, who read Dan's books, who attend classes on a regular basis and are proud to be future dead men!
  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
    Pride

    You can feel proud, the next time you read an article about someone leaving a hose in a duck pond with no backflow protection on it, and it siphons into the public water supply when the main is being worked.
  • Dave in QCA
    Dave in QCA Member Posts: 1,785
    edited October 2012
    Hartford Loops and Silly Regulations

    I just read this thread and have been sitting and thinking.  You know, I would be pretty darn sure, given human nature, that back in the day of the dead men, there were two camps.  One thought that the new regulations that required one of those stupid Hartford loops on ALL boilers was just about the dumbest thing to come down the pike.  Then, there was also the camp that realized that if the Hartford Loop saved lives and property, even though thousands of boilers without Hartford loops had never exploded or caused the house to burn down, that the extra measure of safety that the Hartford loop provided was a good thing.



    I think it was Will Rogers who said, "I'm all for progress, it's change I don't like!"



    On that note, a year and a half ago, I was angrily arguing with the water company about the new regulations for back flow prevention.  I learned that one alternative to the backflow preventer is with the use of a air gap device.  I considered installing that, but eventually decided not to.  With the installation of a new boiler coming soon, I may change my mind.  It would be nice to save the annual inspection fee and the as well as the eventual breakdown of the backflow preventer.  But either way, I am assured of no one accidentally getting contaminated water out of their faucet as the result of some freakish plumbing mishap.
    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
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,576
    More dangerous situation

    The hose in the pond should be more protected than the boiler. How many suburban garden hoses are there doing the same thing in a mud puddle?

    As far as steam boilers are concerned, the possibility of old water from the basement level syphoning out when the mains are shut off (how often is that) is remote, while the hose in the pond is on the same level as the ground foor plumbing, and is therefore a real danger.

    Whoever will be in office in the Whitehouse next could create many more jobs, by making sure every house has a back flow preventer.

    The air gap method really provides a reservoir tank as well, so there would be added benefit for steam boilers.--NBC
This discussion has been closed.