boiler main tie in

BillyFris · March 2020

Boiler main tied in between the two boiler risers instead of between the second riser and the drop pipe for equalizer. I know this is not correct. What are the reasons or problems this piping arrangement will cause. Thanks

neilc · March 2020

With the system mains located between the boiler risers, the 2 boiler risers send steam in a collision course torwards the wrongly located(between the risers) system main takeoff, and that is wet, collided, mixed up steam, heading up the system main(s),
instead of,
the 2 boiler mains flowing in a same direction, harmoniously, to the drop to the equalizer, allowing steam to allow its wetness to drop out, and dryer still steam to find its way up the system mains, which are to be located after the boiler risers, and before the equalizer drop, and the header condensate continues on to follow the equalizer back to the boiler.

EBEBRATT-Ed · March 2020

It's not the correct way to be piped. But some systems will work that way. It depends on the boiler, the steam load etc. If the system works decent and the boiler is older I would maybe not change it until the boiler is replaced. If you having issues replace the piping

JUGHNE · March 2020

Got any pictures?
Extra height of the steam main connections and pipe size can make a lot of differences.

Fred · March 2020

My mains are tied into the header, between the boiler risers. The piping is original, 118 years old. Boiler is 37 years old, mains are large, as is the header. Not any problem at all. Very quiet, nice dry steam, etc. I have multiple mains and I suspect that, by itself reduces the typical issues with this configuration and steam colliding from different directions. It will get changed when the boiler dies but not until. My current boiler is oversized and I think that helps minimize problems with steam distribution into each of the mains. If I right size the boiler, I suspect, with this current pipe configuration, balancing the steam distribution into each main may be a bit of a problem.

nicholas bonham-carter · March 2020

Older boilers had a larger steam chest, which allowed some incorrect hookups to work, but with today’s slimmed down boilers, the piping is much more important.—NBC