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stetbacks with steam

Eastman
Eastman Member Posts: 927
What is the complaint?  Wouldn't a low mass, high temperature, single stage system love recoveries?



Arghh, you can't edit the thread title!

Comments

  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,576
    Steam recoveries

    The system can handle the load if properly installed, but there seems always to be a bit of temperature overshoot at full throttle. You can set lower temperature as a constant and be comfortable, whereas with setbacks a higher temperature seems necessary to warm things back up. Naturally if you are away for a few days, then reducing the temperature make sense, but for only part of one day, the fuel burned to recover may equal the fuel saved at the lower temperature. Do a search here for setback, and you will have lots of opinions!--NBC
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,476
    Pretty high mass

    Steam systems are usually high mass, my boiler weighs close to 500 lbs and the radiators and piping several times that. It takes some significant energy to get all of that up to temperature.



    My system goes down to 60 at night and up to 63 at 6am and then up to 66 at 4pm. I don't know if this is more efficient but I like a cool house at night and a warm bathroom in the morning; I used 435 therms of gas last year for heat. I'm usually sitting and reading as the sun goes down so i appreciate the extra warmth as it cools down outside.



    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
  • saikosis
    saikosis Member Posts: 75
    Warm?

    If I walked into a 63 degree bathroom first thing in the morning, "warm" isn't the word I'd use!
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