I have a three story brick building here in Maine, with a one zone, one pipe steam radiator system. I have been advised that I need a new boiler which I will do after this heating season.
My question is this: I have the money to upgrade. Is there a better, more efficient, less noisy (clangy) route to take? Two pipe steam or hot water? I would need to see a payback to do it of course.
Many thanks.
Replies
Steam heat can be great if it is tuned properly. Anybody that tells you to switch to a whole new system is either a: dose'nt know how to balance a steam system or b: is trying to make a bunch of money of you.
Post your Q here as well : http://heatinghelp.com/
The Q&A section is called the 'wall'.
These guys are as avid about heating systems as we are about carpentry.
Agreed on heatinghelp.com, a properly tuned steam system will heat a house with ease. The trick is finding a plumber who has experience with steam heat systems, a vanishing trade.Otis
vanishing trade it is.
I was turning that way in the early 90's, but then the market turned & I followed the money & the work.
Still dable now & then in the commercial field, but getting more rare with each passing year.
“We need to be a country of tall fences and wide gates.”
Fred Dalton Thompson
What is the reason for a new boiler?
I am assuming it is it's age. I had it installed in 1976 when I purchased the building.
That 30 year old boiler is probably not that efficient. My only exerience with steam was in my last house, a two story colonial. After changing the original locomotive sized boiler, and putting adjustable vents on all radiators, we had a pretty comfortable and balanced system. It was also a one pipe system.
After adding to the house, we decided to convert to a hot water system with 4 or 5 zones, in order to have more control over the system and achieve greater efficiency. The big job was repiping the entire house and eliminating the big old iron supply pipes. That part can be the biggest cost factor involved, but if it's in the budget you'll end up with the most efficient system. In my case we re-used the old narrow line cast iron radiators which we liked the look of . It was fairly easy to tap into the side opposite side from the original pipe, to add the second pipe.
If it has been well maintained, you won't get much better efficiency from a new one.
First off, make sure all air vents are working. Then make sure all rads are sloping to the pipe. Make sure all pipes have no sags, and insulation is a good idea.
If this is a gas fired atmospheric boiler, the combustion efficiency of your old boiler will be the same as a new one.
Make sure the system is working properly before you look at a new boiler.
And set the pressure to 2 psi max. The lower the better.
Edited 1/12/2008 11:31 pm ET by rich1
I just replaced my 30 YO steam boiler, single-pipe steam system, with a new boiler from the same manufacturer (Utica). I swear it is the exact same thing that I bought 30 years ago! Not changed one little bit (aside from a better low-water protection device). So I'm sure that the efficiency is exactly the same as the old one.
I run it at 1 pound pressure, and it heats the 23-room house with no problem.
I did manage to plumb the immediate piping around the boiler better this time, and eliminated a LOT of the hammering and banging that I had had for 30 years. You have to follow the manufacturers exact recommendations for the plumbing that's tied right to the boiler!
Bob
I've read that the clanging is most common in 1-pipe systems, due to the fact that the condensate returns to the boiler via the same pipe that brings up the steam.
The steam and the condensate 'fight' each other, the pipes expand and contract in weird ways, thus the clanking. Not very efficient as the condensate cools the steam and impedes its flow; the further a radiator is from the boiler, the greater the losses.
Certainly, with steam, 2-pipe performs best. With hot water, of course, it has to be 2-pipe. Don't know about pipe sizes, length of runs, BTU requirements, $/BTU to install and run...others will chime in.
Edited 1/12/2008 9:49 pm ET by Pierre1
I would think that an advantage of hot water over two pipe steam is that you can use plastic pipe -- much, much easier to retrofit. But probably you'd have to change out the radiators.
A point to think about: Almost certainly the existing piping is insulated with asbestos and you'll be facing a hefty abatement bill.