We're putting together our brewery and have located our steam boiler about 10-12 feet from our brewhouse. My engineering partner suggested we could do without the condensate return and pump as the condensate can just drain downslope back to the boiler. Anyone have experience with this or is anyone a closet boiler expert and can comment? Seems logical to me, if the run is short and downslope, that the condensate will naturally drain back to the boiler but what do I know? Thanks.
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Steam boiler without condensate return pump?
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Wouldn't your condensate line have to be higher then the water level in the boiler for that to work? So you would eliminate the tank and the pump, or just the pump?Joel Halbleib
Partner / Zymurgist
Hive and Barrel Meadery
6302 Old La Grange Rd
Crestwood, KY
www.hiveandbarrel.com
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he wants to remove the whole thing, pump and box. Seems like you're right, though, about the water level, which is slightly higher than the condensate-out ports on the brewhouse._______________________
Chris Burcher, Wolf Hills
Abingdon, VA
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It is very possible (with the right steam traps and non-returns) to run without a condensate return pump.
However, you must still have a condensate return tank (vented to atmosphere) next to the boiler with a feedwater pump to supply the boiler (and a float/make-up city/filtered/treated water supply to the condensate tank).
Without this differential pressure setup, your feed (steam) line will be exactly the same pressure as your return line. Your jackets/coils will fill with condensate and the system won't work at all.
Pax.
LiamLiam McKenna
www.yellowbellybrewery.com
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Unless your boiler is below the level of your steam traps. Then the water could gravity feed back to the boiler. That's how a radiator system in a home works.
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For this to work correctly you would need a Hartford loop assembly. I have attached a link that shows the basics of it.
BJ Knoke
Hub City Brewing Company
"The Largest Microbrewery In Stanley, Iowa"
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Reading that link reminds me to leave boiler work to the experts.
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Liam's right. I had a boiler set up this way and it worked fine, but it had a condensate return tank that was open to the atmosphere and a pump that fed condensate into the boiler chamber. There was no need to gravity feed the condensate tank because the pressure from the steam was enough to push the condensate back to the tank (I actually had it piped so that it went up 7 feet and then went over to the tank and dropped into it, and no problems). Personally, I wouldn't attempt the Hartford loop without some close professional supervision.
--Gabe
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