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Header and Riser Steam Velocity Tables, for Residential and Small Commercial Boilers

ted_p
ted_p Member Posts: 65
edited August 2020 in Strictly Steam
Hi all,

Here's the tables I've put together to date, for residential, and small commercial steam boilers. I've uploaded them in .pdf format, so they can be viewed and printed using Adobe Reader and similar programs.

Here's a sample of what they look like:

This is the list of the ones that I've uploaded so far. I've tried to group similar, and identical, boilers together in one file.

Burnham Holdings manufactured boilers:
  • Burnham: Independence, MegaSteam, and V8H
  • Crown: Bermuda, Kingston, and Freeport 2
  • New Yorker: CGS-C Series, and CL Steam Series
ECR International manufactured boilers:
  • Columbia: CGEID Series, CSFE Series, and CSFE Series IV
  • Dunkirk: PSB, and ESC V
  • Pennco: 16 Series, and KSC V
  • Utica: PEG-E, and Starfire SFE V
Peerless: Series 63 & 64, Series WBV, Series EC and Series SC

Slant/Fin: Galaxy, and Intrepid

Smith Cast Iron Boilers: 8HE Series, and GSX Series

Weil McLain manufactured boilers:
  • Weil McLain: EG Gas, and GOLD SERIES
  • Williamson: GSA, and OSB
  • Union Steam: GSA, and OSB
The Slant/Fin Intrepid and Peerless Series SC are combined in the one file, because their tables share the same, peculiar, table structure, due to their use of two different-size risers on the same boiler.

Comments, corrections, and suggestions are welcome, particularly recommendations of boilers you'd like to see added.

Tables for larger commercial boilers to follow.

Ted
ratioethicalpaulttekushan_3ChrisJ

Comments

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    Thanks for doing this!
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    ratio
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,695
    Pretty pretty pretty good
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
  • Dave0176
    Dave0176 Member Posts: 1,177
    Thanks. It also brings to light that some boiler manufacturers would benefit if they increased the tapping sizes to at least 3”
    DL Mechanical LLC Heating, Cooling and Plumbing 732-266-5386
    NJ Master HVACR Lic# 4630
    Specializing in Steam Heating, Serving the residents of New Jersey
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/dl-mechanical-llc

    https://m.facebook.com/DL-Mechanical-LLC-315309995326627/?ref=content_filter

    I cannot force people to spend money, I can only suggest how to spend it wisely.......
    ted_p
  • ted_p
    ted_p Member Posts: 65
    edited July 2020
    Dave0176 said:

    ..... It also brings to light that some boiler manufacturers would benefit if they increased the tapping sizes to at least 3”

    Agreed. But just wait until you see the tables for the commercial boilers, which I'll be uploading shortly. The steam velocity in risers of many of those is over 60 fps, with the manufacturer's recommended piping; a few go well north of 100 fps. :s

    ttekushan_3
  • ttekushan_3
    ttekushan_3 Member Posts: 958
    Excellent work!
    terry
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,695
    ted_p said:

    Dave0176 said:

    ..... It also brings to light that some boiler manufacturers would benefit if they increased the tapping sizes to at least 3”

    Agreed. But just wait until you see the tables for the commercial boilers, which I'll be uploading shortly. The steam velocity in risers of many of those is over 60 fps, with the manufacturer's recommended piping; a few go well north of 100 fps. :s

    So lower velocity is good, I guess to reduce/prevent carryover right? But how high is too high? It depends on the design of the boiler I guess.

    In looking at my soon-to-be-new boiler, the Peerless 63, the manufacturer thinks that anything less than 34.5 feet/second is fine. I know that Dave and other installers never let that happen, but does anything bad happen at 34.5 for that boiler I wonder?
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
  • Dave0176
    Dave0176 Member Posts: 1,177
    edited August 2020
    So lower velocity is good, I guess to reduce/prevent carryover right? But how high is too high? It depends on the design of the boiler I guess.

    In looking at my soon-to-be-new boiler, the Peerless 63, the manufacturer thinks that anything less than 34.5 feet/second is fine. I know that Dave and other installers never let that happen, but does anything bad happen at 34.5 for that boiler I wonder?


    @ethicalpaul
    Probably nothing bad is going to happen, however there will most likely be water carryover. But if you pipe to the minimum manufacturers specifications it should work. The boiler manufacturers do this to keep the boiler install as cheap as possible but on the ragged edge. To me it’s stupid to siphon water outta the boiler run it through the header and down the equalizer back in the boiler.

    There’s like three types of installers. Ones like myself and others on this forum, the ones who usually try to do the cut and slide, and the ones who don’t read the manual and pipe every steam boiler with one two inch riser and header, because they’ll tell you that’s how they were taught and don’t need anything else. Lol
    DL Mechanical LLC Heating, Cooling and Plumbing 732-266-5386
    NJ Master HVACR Lic# 4630
    Specializing in Steam Heating, Serving the residents of New Jersey
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/dl-mechanical-llc

    https://m.facebook.com/DL-Mechanical-LLC-315309995326627/?ref=content_filter

    I cannot force people to spend money, I can only suggest how to spend it wisely.......
    ethicalpaul
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,367
    Excellent job!

    Thank you.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • motoguy128
    motoguy128 Member Posts: 393
    Pretty cool.
  • Erin Holohan Haskell
    Erin Holohan Haskell Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 2,276
    We've shared @ted_p's tables here: https://heatinghelp.com/systems-help-center/category/rules-of-thumb

    Thanks for the great resource, Ted!
    President
    HeatingHelp.com
    ted_p
  • ted_p
    ted_p Member Posts: 65
    Thanks Erin! :)
    Erin Holohan Haskell
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,459
    @ted_p Really nice work Keep up the good work
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons