Q.
Can I turn my summer/winter boiler off during the summer?
A.
You should contact your service company. PB Heat sells thousands of cold start boilers that do not run unless there is a call for heat. However, if your boiler is in a damp environment, it probably should not be turned off. The low limit and the differential can be turned all the way down. A small amount of heat will keep the inside of the boiler dry.
Q.
Where should the water level be in my steam boiler gauge glass?
A.
When there is no call for heat and the system is cold, the water level should be even with the normal water line. Marking this line with a string, tape or marker is a good idea. (WBV = 26-1/2”, EC/ECT/SC/SCT = 32-1/4”, LC/LCE = 46-1/2”, TC = 50-1/2”, 63/64 = 25-7/8”, 211A = 40-1/2”).
Q.
What’s the correct setting for my water boiler limit control?
A.
We cannot answer that question. It must be higher than 130°F on non-condensing gas boilers and 150°F on non-condensing oil boilers. Your heating system was designed to operate at a certain temperature, and we do not know what that is. You may have to experiment. You could start with 180. If the heating system heats the house on the coldest day of the year, you could try setting it lower, if possible. If the heating system does not heat the house on the coldest day of the year, and if the burner(s) cycle(s) on and off, you should try a higher setting.
Q.
Can I use a power venter on a natural draft boiler?
A.
We do not sell or spec power venters or draft inducers. They should be sized and installed according to the manufacturer’s requirements. On the WBV/WV and EC/ECT there should be -0.01 to -0.02” W.C. draft over fire.
Q.
What is the draft hood outlet size and automatic damper size on my GM boiler?
A.
The draft hood outlet and automatic damper (if used on GM-07 and 08) are 1” smaller than the flue collar for natural gas GM boilers in the United States (GM-05 = 7”, GM-06 = 8”, GM-07/08 = 9”). On all LP GM’s and Canadian GM’s they are the same size as the flue collar (GM-05 = 8”, GM-06 = 9”, GM-07/08 = 10”).
Q.
What size should my chimney liner be?
A.
Ideally, it should be the same size as the boiler flue collar. If that size liner will not fit inside the chimney, you might be able to go one size smaller. For gas boilers, there are vent sizing tables in the National Fuel Code, NFPA 54. The liner manufacturer should also have sizing information. These resources should tell you if the smaller size liner will work or not.
Q.
My customer would like me to install an Automatic Water Feeder to their steam boiler so that they don’t have to go to the basement to keep adding water. Is that okay?
A.
- A boiler that needs to have water added to it frequently to keep running indicates that there is a leak in the system. Water can leak out as steam through faulty vents or as liquid through a hole in the condensate return pipes. Either type of leak must be repaired to prevent corrosion damage to amounts of water fed into the boiler to replace leaking water also brings fresh oxygen, which as rust eats away at the iron. Boilers have been known to fail in as little as a year or two because of oxygen corrosion caused by excessive make-up water.
- Most Automatic Water Feeders (AWF) can hide leaks because there is no way to see if water is being added to compensate for the leak. Boilers without AWFs will shut-off on low water when there is a leak. The lack of heat will cause someone to see that there is a problem and call to have it corrected.
- There are newer-style AWFs that have built-in devices to measure the water that is fed into the boiler. As long as someone, either the homeowner or the contractor, is monitoring the amount of make-up water, this type of AWF does offer some protection against oxygen corrosion.
Q.
I am quoting on a new steam boiler. My customer has recently installed new energy efficient windows and new attic and wall insulation. Will a smaller boiler work better than the same size boiler that’s there now?
A.
- The only factor that matters in sizing a steam boiler is whether the boiler will generate enough steam to fill all the radiation connected to it. The heat loss of the building, including how well insulated it is, doesn’t matter at all. The best way to size a boiler is to measure the surface area of the radiators, which is usually very simple.
- There is a one-page radiator chart in all of the Peerless Color of Heat Manuals. Following the instructions you go to each radiator and count the number of columns or tubes, measure the height of each section and count the number of sections. From the chart you can see how many square feet of steam (surface area) is in each radiator, add them altogether, then look on the Peerless brochure for the boiler with the same net square feet of steam.
- Before quoting on the boiler installation, it is a good time to look at other items in the steam heating system that might need to be fixed or replaced. Many homeowners assume that replacing the boiler will solve all problems they may be having.
Q.
A lot of the new high-efficiency gas boilers, like the Pinnacle Gas, recommend Primary/Secondary piping. I’ve never really understood the concept. What does it mean?
A.
-Instead of the supply and return to/from the heating system being directly connected to the supply and return on the boiler, they are connected to each other to form a heating system loop. Two closely spaced tees (within four diameters of each other – usually 6 inches or less) are installed in the heating system loop with the side outlets pointing towards the boiler. The tee closest to the system return is connected to the boiler return. A circulator and check valve are installed in the boiler return piping. The boiler supply is connected to the tee closest to the system supply piping. Now you have two loops connected to each other at the two closely spaced tees. The boiler loop has a small amount of piping, so the circulator only has to overcome the pressure drop through the boiler. This is important on the high efficiency gas boilers, as their heat exchangers only hold a couple quarts of water and they have a high pressure drop. If the circulator is not big enough, the flow rate through the heat exchanger will be too low and water can flash to steam. Also, the water in the heat exchanger may heat up too quickly and the boiler will shut off, causing short cycling.
Depending on the flow rates in the heating system loop and the boiler loop, the water in between the closely spaced tees can flow forward, backward or not at all. All three possibilities are acceptable.
If primary/secondary piping is used, the heating system circulator(s) can be sized without worrying about the large pressure drop through the boiler.