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My New Boiler. How does it look?

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HF
HF Member Posts: 2
in Strictly Steam
New homeowner, and brand new to steam heat (one-pipe). Have been reading through a bunch of posts on here, and ordered one of the steam books that's been recommended (hasn't come in yet).



I had a new boiler installed a couple weeks ago. Crown 103k btu. Picture is attached (hopefully). Please give me some feedback about how it looks.



Everything seems to run quiet, with occasional expansion and contraction noise when pipes rub against something.

But here are a couple issues that I'm experiencing:

1. Each main horizontal pipe in the basement is about 30ft long, with one new Gorton #1 vent at the end of each. The venting seems ok, all the radiators heat up evenly. But at the end of a long heating cycle main vents seem to get too hot and don't open until they cool off, which creates a vacuum and causes radiators to suck in air.

2. In the picture, next to the water boiler, you can see the return line turning up and then turning horizontal. It runs all the way around the basement, and has a small pitch back to the boiler everywhere except about a 3 ft section between the two drops from the end of each main pipe. The horizontal return pipe is within an inch or 2 of the normal water line (don't know for sure, but it was similar position to NWL with the old boiler). It looks like that pipe was replaced some time ago with copper, and I'm not sure if it was done correctly. Do I have a wet or dry return? And should that pipe be dropped lower to the floor if it is a wet return?



Thanks for all the help this forum has already provided, and for any feedback I can get.

-HF

Comments

  • ALIGA
    ALIGA Member Posts: 194
    edited December 2013
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    looks good

    you should now insulate all the near boiler piping and the mains.



    you should also purchase a 0-3psi gauge to better monitor pressure on the system.



    one comment: i personally dont like how the water tank exhaust joins into the boiler exhaust. do you have a close up pic on that. hopefully the experts will chime in.
  • Dave in QCA
    Dave in QCA Member Posts: 1,786
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    Looks Good

    Usually, it is advised for the wet return to be a bit lower, but the proof of the pudding is in whether you are getting any water hammer. Since you are not, I certainly would not worry about it at all.



    Regarding the radiators sucking air at the end of the cycle, that is pretty much a normal condition and they would do that even if the main vents were open. As the steam condenses and draws a vacuum, the air is going to enter any where it can. It's ok. The Gortons are very slow to reopen and as long as they are open by the next cycle I wouldn't worry about it.



    The install looks great! Nice drop header!
    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
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