Replies

1. 
   jjmcgough | Oct 19, 1999 07:05am | #1

   *
   Skip the Great Deal Gio.

   Steam heat and steam boilers are a different breed. Normally, with hot-water heat, you would size the boiler to the heat loss of the structure and then start adding/subtracting/zoning the radiation. With steam, you SIZE THE BOILER to the existing radiation/piping.

   Bass-ackwards, I know, but that is the way it is/was.

   Why not "optimize" your existing dinosaur with modern controls to lower your heat bill or convert to hot water and get a boiler sized for the heat loss? Add thermostatic radiator valves and take advantage of the zoning benefits of hot water heat vs. 1 zone steam?

   I will tell you this young man: if you mess with a properly operating steam heat system YOU WILL PAY OUT THE NOSE unless you do a thorough assesment of the piping and radiation. Do you REALLY want to upset "this dinosaur and the old guy who engineered it" in OCTOBER? You might want to give him a call at home and have him come over for a couple of beers and take a look/see.

   OR you could go to Amazon.com, plug in Steam on the search and buy a DIY manual for $30.00?

   Need blankets? JCPENNEY.COM

   Jeff

1. 
   Nick_Pitz | Oct 19, 1999 07:12am | #2

   *Gio - I second Jeff's opinion. What I know about steam boilers you could fit on the head of a pin. But my father knew them fairly well and he explained the general principles to me. Steam systems were very carefully designed according to the specific application; length of pipe runs, size, etc., by people who were trained in steam heat. Add to that the fact that older systems were lower pressure and designed to run for longer periods of time, versus higher pressure modern boilers that reach temperature quickly.Unless you know someone who knows how to engineer steam systems, stick to your old boiler or convert to hot water.

1. 
   Gio | Oct 19, 1999 10:21am | #3

   *Thanks for the info - I suspected it wouldn't be so straightforward. Unfortunately, conversion to hot water isn't an option for me since I've got a 1 pipe steam sytem ie. the radiators only have one pipe coming into them, and I'm not into changing all the radiators or doing anything major right now. The existing boiler will probably last a bit longer - its already lasted about 100 years....I guess I'll have to do a bit more research into making the existing boiler more efficient. So much for the great deal!

2. 
   Gio | Oct 19, 1999 10:21am | #4

   *
   I've got a 2,000 sq foot, 2-1/2 story home with an archaic steam boiler. I was recently offered a used (around 10 year old) boiler at an amazing price, and have to act quick before I lose it. Is there a general rule for sizing a boiler as per sq footage/volume vs. btus or steam production? What are the problems associated with either oversizing or undersizing a boiler?