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Question about bullheaded tees (and Dan Holohan's book)

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greg556
greg556 Member Posts: 19
in Strictly Steam
Hi-- I am reading Dan Holohan's book "The Lost Art of Steam Heating," and there seems to be a contradiction, at least an ambiguity I would like some clarification about. In chapter 4 is a section titled "Avoid Bullheaded Tees." The first example is the obvious one, where a pipe comes out of the header and connects to the main at a T. But then Dan says there are other ways to bullhead a tee, and he has a diagram of a header bullheaded into a vertical pipe, where up goes to the main, and down is the equalizer. Fine.

But later on in the book, in Chapter 7 is a section titled "Counter-Flow" that has a diagram of the header going down onto a horizontal pipe. Left is the equalizer, and right is the mainline. Isn't this a bullheaded tee just like the vertical diagram in chapter 4? (I have attached pictures of the two diagrams here.) What is the difference between these two tees? Is one a bullhead one not? Why? Here are the diagrams from the book:




The reason I am asking is this: we had a new boiler installed last winter, and the piping is exactly what is shown in the second diagram. Here is a picture of it:



Is that a bullheaded tee? If not, why not?

Thank you!

Greg


Comments

  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,525
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    Very observant, @greg556. Thanks for reading and asking. Counterflow is a very uncommon system and there’s really no way around bullheading that particular tee. 
    Retired and loving it.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,520
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    And yours is piped right if the pipe sizing is right
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,061
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    Although they look to be in the bullhead configuration, steam is flowing to the right and cond water flowing back to the left down to the wet return.

    Steam will not flow to the left, only pressurize the wet return/equalizer.

    We do not have the same fluid trying to turn corners and flow in opposite direction.

    IMO
  • jumper
    jumper Member Posts: 2,246
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    DanHolohan said:

    Very observant, @greg556. Thanks for reading and asking. Counterflow is a very uncommon system and there’s really no way around bullheading that particular tee. 

    Is counterflow that bad? If there's room to pitch & support the main adequately then it is a "quick & dirty" design that seems foolproof.
  • greg556
    greg556 Member Posts: 19
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    DanHolohan said:

    there’s really no way around bullheading that particular tee. 

    Hi Dan, thank you for responding! I am enjoying your book very much; it should be required reading for all heating specialists (and apparently is not). I think I have figured out how to avoid that bullheaded tee. Wouldn't this work? It could be the same arrangement as the takeoff from the header, rotated:



    Thanks, Dan.

    Greg

  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,525
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    Thanks. That would work, but I don’t think you’d gain much, and for the reason @JUGHNE gave. 

    Counterflow mains can’t run as far as parallel-flow mains, which limited their use on most jobs. 
    Retired and loving it.

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