(Under3wr Hartford Loop on Steam Boilers
Building Inspection, Diagnosis & Repair Info

Hartford loop piping schematic for a steam boiler - adapted from ITT's The Steam Book - (C) InspectApedia Daniel Friedman The Hartford Loop on Steam Boilers

The Hartford Loop, also referred to in some texts as an underwriter's loop, used on steam heating systems is a critical safety feature that minimizes the risk of total loss of water in the steam boiler.

This article gives a definition of the Hartford Loop used on steam heating systems, explains why the Hartford Loop is necessary to protect against steam boiler damage, and gives a bit of the history of the development of the Hartford loop.

We include sketches and photographs of the Hartford Loop piping arrangement on steam boilers and list inspection & defect points of interest.

We have added sketches and an explanation of Henry Gifford's Gifford Loop, an improvement to the original Hartford Loop design.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?





ADVERTISEMENT





Hartford Loop safety piping arrangement on steam boilers

Definition of the Hartford Loop - what is a Hartford Loop & Why is it Important on Steam Systems?

Hartford loop piping schematic for a steam boiler - adapted from ITT's The Steam Book - (C) InspectApedia Daniel Friedman

Invented in the U.S. in 1919 by the Hartford Steam Boiler and Inspection Company in response to an unacceptable rate of steam boiler damage, loss, and even explosions, the Hartford Loop is a piping arrangement at the steam boiler condensate return line that allows condensate to re-enter the boiler but prevents complete loss of steam boiler water should a leak develop elsewhere in the condensate return line.

Hartford loop piping schematic for a steam boiler - adapted from ITT's The Steam Book - (C) InspectApedia Daniel Friedman

Today the company refers to itself as the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company (founded in 1866) - not to be confused with the Hartford Fire Insurance Company (founded in 1810).

[Click to enlarge any image]

As you can infer by looking at our drawing at above left Boiler Without a Hartford Loop, a leak anywhere in the wet return portion of the condensate return piping that is below the boiler water line risks siphoning out all of the water from the heating boiler.

Our illustration at above right titled Hartford Loop shows where the Hartford Loop is located on a steam boiler. Above the drawing is adapted from ITT's The Steam Book.

The 2-inch Rule and the 24-inch Rule for Hartford Loops & Steam Headers

Steam boiler hartford loop improperly piped (C) Daniel Friedman

The boiler manufacturer may provide additional steam piping specifications - as we continue below.

The risk of steam condensate return water leaks was and can remain significant because of the corrosive acids that form in steam and other heating boilers and because not coincidentally, the more likely place where such leaks would develop is in the last and lowest run of the condensate return line along or close to the floor approaching the steam boiler.

Steam condensate return leaks © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com

In our discussion of steam condensate systems we illustrate a chemical injection system intended to reduce this corrosivity.

At below right our image is adapted from the piping schematic for a Weil McLain steam boiler - Weil McLain Model 78 (2014)

Hartford loop piping schematic (C) InspectApedia

Boiler manufacturers typically specify that a Hartford Loop piping arrangement and a wet condensate return line are required for steam boilers.

In addition to the installation of Hartford Loop to prevent total boiler water loss from a leak in the condensate piping, [the wet condensate return line] a steam boiler specification will maintain at least 24 inches from the steam boiler water line to the bottom of the steam header.

See GAUGES, STEAM BOILER

And if a separate condensate receiver is used, a feed pump to move condensate back to the boiler must be energized by a boiler-mounted condensate return pump controller.

See CONDENSATE RETURN PIPES, PUMPS, STEAM adapted from Weil McLain 78 boiler instructions.

Hartford Loop Prevents Pushing Condensate Back Up the Return Line

A separate worry for Hartford-loopless steam boilers has been suggesteed by Steam Boiler Gurur Dan Holohan - paraphrasing

The Hartford loop is needed to prevent steam pressure in the condensate return line from forcing the liquid condensate (water) out of the boiler and back into the return piping system - something that could be a serious problem resulting in boiler water loss and boiler damage or destruction.

The “wet” gravity return line, which returns the condensate from the system, rises up from the floor to join with the equalizer at a point about 2 in. below the boiler’s lowest operating waterline.

[Steam boiler installers ...] didn’t always use this piping arrangement. They used to bring the return directly back into the bottom of the boiler without the benefit of either a Hartford Loop or an equalizer. When they piped a boiler this way, however, the slightest steam pressure would push water out of the boiler and into the return. [Emphasis ours - Ed.]

They solved this problem by using a check valve in the wet return (that’s the pipe below the boiler waterline).

Before long, though, they found the check valve would fill with sediment and get stuck open.

That caused the water to back out of the boiler again, so they developed the equalizer pipe to replace the check valve. ... - Dan Holohan,PM Mag, online, un-dated, retrieved 4/7/2017 cited atReferences or Citations

Dan continues to point out that leaks at the return line were catastrophic for steam boilers and adds that the low water cutoff valve (LWCO) was not invented until E.N. McDonnell invented it in 1923.

Really? The pressure in a residential steam heating system is normally less than 0.5 psi.

At WATER PRESSURE MEASUREMENT (not specifically a heating system article) we describe how to compute the pressure exerted by water at the bottom of any vertical column of water - say a condensate return pipe, for example.

Even without a Hartford loop, and assuming for argument that the steam boiler is in a building basement and that the normal or "safe" water level in the boiler itself is at most 4 ft. above the floor, we can calculate that

The pressure of a column of water is about 0.433 psi per foot of column height.

The pressure of a 4 ft. height of water in the steam boiler and also in the riser of the condensate return pipe wherever it mounts to upper floors, measured at the bottom of that column of water, will be

Water pressure in the steam system at floor level (WPfl) = 4 x 0.433 psi = 1.732 psi.

If my calculations are right (I'm not a boiler engineer) we have about 1.7 psi of resistance to water leaving the steam boiler and 0.5 psi or less of steam pressure trying to push water out of the boiler.

So I think that for low-pressure residential steam systems the greater risk is not steam pressure pushing much water out of the boiler, but rather a leak anywhere in that close-to-floor-level condensate return line. (However the risk of boiler water push-out at high pressure steam boilers would be another and still more serious matter entirely. )

Leaks Do Occur in the Condensate Return Line

Leak in steam heat condensate return line at the boiler (C) Daniel FriedmanDo leaks actually occur in the wet return portion of a steam heat condensate return piping system? You bet they do.

Depending on what's done to manage steam boiler chemistry, the condensate may be quite corrosive. Our photo at left shows two leaks at the condensate wet return at a boiler located in in the U.S. in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Watch out: at CONDENSATE RETURN PIPES, PUMPS, STEAM we explain that a leaky condensate line such as the one shown in our photo at above left can be lead to

dangerous BLEVE EXPLOSIONS.

You can check the water level in your steam boiler quite easily by using

the built-in STEAM BOILER SIGHT GLASS.

The Hartford Loop is also discussed

at STEAM HEAT DEFECTS LIST

and at STEAM TRAPS

History of the Hartford Loop & the Hartford Steam Boiler & Insurance Company

Comment: the Hartford Steam Boiler & Inspection Company

2017/04/07 Nancy

Quick correction. The loop was invented by the The Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance and Inspection Company (Where I work - we're 150 years old!). The Hartford Insurance co. is a different entity all together.

Nice job with a basic, easy to understand explanation!

Reply: The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company is not the Hartford Fire Insurance Company

Thanks for the clarification, Nancy. Indeed it's easy to be confused about Hartford Insurance and Hartford Fire Insurance companies. The Hartford Insurance and Hartford Boiler company were of a piece.

In sum it would be fair to say that the Hartford Loop was invented by and a key feature of The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company founded on June 30, 1866.

While the Hartford FIRE Insurance company was and remains a different company.

Munich RE, parent company of the HSB group, publishing as the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company at www.munichre.com/HSB/hsb-history/index.html
says

The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company was founded on June 30, 1866. Our first president considered HSB as “the first company in America devoted primarily to industrial safety.” “Hartford Standards” quickly became the specifications for boiler design, manufacture and maintenance.

...

Insurance incentive for boiler inspection

The Polytechnic Club spent much time debating about an idea that combined insurance with a boiler inspection. They reasoned that inspections would increase boiler safety and the insurance would function as an incentive to inspect and a guarantee of a quality inspection.

Though the insurance offered financial interests, it was secondary to safety and loss prevention – a totally new concept for an insurance offering.

Under that premise, The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company was founded in 1866.

Separately at the Hartford Insurance Comany's website www.thehartford.com/about-us/hartford-history one sees that the company was founded as the Hartford Fire Insurance Company.

The Hartford was founded in 1810 in Hartford, Connecticut. A group of local merchants gathered in a Hartford inn and, with working capital of $15,000, founded the Hartford Fire Insurance Company. ...

In 1810, we started as a fire insurance company, employing our own fire department to protect customers. Fifteen years later, we wrote the first insurance policy for an institution of higher learning – Yale University.

The Gifford Loop - a variation on the Hartford Loop on Steam Systems

On steam condensate return pipes an alternative to the time-honored Hartford Loop is a much newer alternative invented by Henry Gifford of New York City, whose patent was filed in 1999 and granted in 2002.

You can see that Gifford is essentially adding a drip leg on the steam main at #13 in the sketch. This allows condensate in the steam main to return directly to the top of an equivalent of the older Hartford Loop.

Hartford loop piping schematic for a steam boiler - adapted from ITT's The Steam Book - (C) InspectApedia Daniel Friedman

[Color in the above sketch was added by InspectApedia]

In Gifford's design, the bottom surface of the inside of the top of the "Hartford Loop" - now a "Gifford Loop" - is level with the top of the water inside the boiler rather than 2" below it as in the Hartford Loop design.

Gifford's invention is designed to reduce the variation of water level in the boiler that occurs in systems using the traditional Hartford Loop for condensate return.

The Gifford patent, given below, is worth a read for a nice description of the Hartford Loop and how it functioned as well as an explanation of Gifford's alternative, show above as one of the illuostrations from his patent application.

...




ADVERTISEMENT





Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Where do we put the makeup water where there's a Hartford Loop?

Where do you tie in makeup water On 2019-07-30 by Anonymous

by (mod) - on the boiler side of the loop

Typical would be on the boiler side of the Hartford Loop.

Why does the wet condensate return line need to be plumbed in below the 2” boiler water line

Why does the wet condensate return line need to be plumbed in below the 2” boiler water line into the equalizer? Why not gravity feed the condensate plumbing too the bull head of tee in the equalizer so no back flow can exist by shear gravity? On 2018-03-22 by Mark Gettings

by (mod) -

I'm not sure I have a clear picture but it sounds like your plumbing arrangement would defeat the Hartford Loop and would permit the complete loss of water from the boiler to siphonage.

Is it just latent heat lost in a Hartford Loop or is Sensible Heat Lost too?

Is it just latent heat lost in a Hartford Loop or is there a certain amount of sensible heat lost as well? On 2018-01-31 by Bill

by (mod) - Types of boiler heat loss and special heat losses ascribed to the Hartford Loop on a steam boiler:

Bill

From my research I have not found the basis of your question.

Speaking very generally however I can "make up" an answer: it is only condensate, not steam, that moves up through the Hartford loop and into the steam boiler.

So there would be no state change (water to steam or steam condensing back to water) inside of the piping that comprises the Hartford loop.

Therefore only sensible heat would be lost out of hot condensate and through the steel piping and into the air surrounding the boiler.

Now Bill, if you have a resource that discusses energy or heat losses ascribed to the Hartford Loop I would much appreciate knowing that citation so that we can research further.

The question is not particularly useful except perhaps as part of a heating exam to see if the students understand where the Hartford Loop is placed and what it contains. (Good luck on your exam).

For other readers:

Latent heat or latent heat loss refers to heat given off during a state change, such as from water to steam.
Latent heat is "hidden" energy that is added or removed to change the state of a substance without changing its temperature.

Sensible heat, or sensible heat loss refers to heat given off due to the temperature of a material, such as hot water, or more properly the temperature difference between a substance and its surroundings, since if for example water heated to 100F were surrounded by air at 100F there would be no heat transfer from the water to the air.

When sensible heat is exchanged the measurable temperature of the body or substance changes, increasing or decreasing depending on the direction of heat or energy movement.

Be sure to read DEFINITION of HEATING, COOLING & INSULATION TERMS - for more details.

Quoting NRCAN,

Definition of Stack Losses

Stack losses represent the heat in the flue gas that is lost to the atmosphere upon entering the stack.

Stack losses depend on fuel composition‚ firing conditions and flue gas temperature. They are the total of two types of losses:

Dry Flue Gas Losses – the (sensible) heat energy in the flue gas due to the flue gas temperature; and the

Flue Gas Loss Due to Moisture – the (latent) energy in the steam in the flue gas stream due to the water produced by the combustion reaction being vaporized from the high flue gas temperature.

They are addressed by assuming typical fuel analyses and a few reasonable assumptions that simplify calculations. - retrieved 2018/01/31, original source: Boiler System Energy Losses, Natural Resources Canada, www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/industry/technical-info/tools/boilers/5431

Heating experts discussing heat loss from a heating system such as a boiler also describe:

Radiation and convection heat losses: two forms of heat loss or movement from the hot surfaces of a boiler to its cooler surroundings.

Also see:

What's the right steam pipe configuration at the boiler?

Hartford loop piping schematic for a steam boiler - adapted from ITT's The Steam Book - (C) InspectApedia Daniel FriedmanWhat's the term they call the 2 steam pipes that form an H above a steam boiler. in other words the pipes from both sides of the burner connected together? THANKS,Walter - 9/25/11

Reply: steam pipe header

Walter: sorry we couldn't give an instant reply; sometimes the volume of reader questions is considerable and takes some time to get thorough.

I am guessing you are referring to the steam header or manifold piping that allows steam to enter more than one steam supply line or riser.

A second piping configuration that will be along side, not above, the boiler is the Hartford loop - a loop of piping sort of like an upside down trap that prevents water from siphoning out of the boiler should there be a leak in the condensate return line.

See details in our HARTFORD LOOP article. - Daniel Friedman

 

Need help with steam boiler parts identification

Wow, what a great web site. I am trying to identify a vessel on the side of an old National steam boiler/furnace.

It is about 12-18" tall, about 8" diameter and is attached to a manifold in the side that is about 12" off the floor. It is heavily rusted.

The boiler is an old coal fired converted to oil. Can I send you photos? Thanks, Stephen strentsch@yahoo.com or strentsch 10/4/11

Reply:

Sure Mr. Strentsch,

This NORA steam heat training document is also an excellent reference for identifying parts and piping methods for steam heating systems:

Use the CONTACT link found at page top or bottom to see our email and send along some sharp photos and we'll be glad to take a look.

I'm not sure which "National Steam Boiler" you've got and there were and are several companys with similar names who might also help.

National Boiler Service - (Crown Steam Group)

National HVAC Manufacturing Company

If your boiler's an antique dating from the 1920s, check out this catalog from the National Boilers and Radiators - produced by the National Radiator Company

NATIONAL BOILERS & RADIATORS CATALOG [PDF] (1920) (Archived copy at the Internet Archive, free PDF download) - National Radiator Company Catalog No. 26 - local backup copy saved as National-Radiator-Co-Catalog-26.pdf (1920) and we also have a backup of a later National-Radiator-Co-Catalog-35.pdf (1926).

 

My steam boiler doesn't have a Hartford loop.

An inspection has revealed my burner (installed in 2014) does not have a Hartford Loop, and one should be installed. Can you give me s ballpark figure for cost of installation? On 2016-08-31 by Eileen

Reply by (mod) -

Eileen:

Watch out: The "Hartford loop" is a loop in the condensate return piping (that means water coming back to the boiler from radiators) in a steam heating system.

It's a useful safety feature as we detail above on this page, as it protects from loss of water out of the boiler should the condensate line piping spring a leak.

A modern steam boiler ought also to have a low water cutoff control and probably an automagic water feeder to keep water in the boiler, but while those might keep the boiler running if there's a leak we still don't want water to leak out of the boiler itself.

There MIGHT be piping arrangements combined with safety controls that some steam boiler manufacturers accept.

Take a look at the data tag on your steam boiler. Make a note of the boiler manufacturer and the boiler model and serial number.
Then give the manufacturer a call to ask this question. Let me know what they say.

(Use the page bottom CONTACT link to send us photos of your boiler and its piping and its data tag if you like and we an comment further)

 

Thank you to our readers for their generous comments

by Firetube Boiler Co

firetube boiler said:
I like to work online and now I open your blog. I think your blog's title and content are good articles to gain knowledge and are very useful On 2018-11-07 -

by Distributor Boiler UAP

Distributor boiler uap said:

You’re in reality a just right webmaster. The web site loading pace is amazing. It sort of feels that you are doing any unique trick.

Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve done a wonderful process on this subject On 2019-01-30 -

The loop was invented by the The Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance and Inspection Company (Where I work - we're 150 years old!). The Hartford Insurance co. is a different entity all together. Nice job with a basic, easy to understand explanation! On 2017-04-07 by Nancy

Reply by (mod) -

Thanks Nancy, for your important clarification.,

I will edit the article above and add a distinction between the Hartford Steam Boiler and Insurance Company - as the company describes itself in historical articles - and the separate Hartford Fire Insurance Company.

The new material should be here in 24 hours - at the end of the article above.

Wow, what a great web site. Stephen strentsch@yahoo.com or strentsch 10/4/11

...

Continue reading at CONDENSATE RETURN PIPES, PUMPS, STEAM or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

Suggested citation for this web page

HARTFORD LOOP at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to STEAM BOILERS

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Share this article:

Search the InspectApedia website

Need to make a private comment? Email editor@inspectApedia.com. We welcome email with your website content critique, corrections, suggestions or questions. Email is monitored daily but our workload may prevent an immediate reply. For immediate results, we hope you'll first try asking your question using the search box just above.

Citations & Reviewers

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

  • Weil McLain Model 78 Boiler Manual, Boiler for gas, light oil, Gas/Light Oil fired Burners, Installation, Start-up, Parts, Maintenance instructions, Part No. 550-141-705/0600, Weil-McLain Administrative Office, 999 McClintock Drive, Suite 200, Burr Ridge, IL 60527 Tel: 855-248-1777
    Consumer Inquiries: 800-368-2492

    Technical Services: 800-526-6636 Technical Support for Contractors Only.
    If you are a homeowner and are experiencing a problem with your Weil-McLain equipment, the first step you must take is to contact your installer or locate an HVAC contractor in your area. Website: http://www.weil-mclain.com
  • The Steam Book, 1984, Training and Education Department, Fluid Handling Division, ITT [probably out of print, possibly available from several home inspection supply companies] Fuel Oil and Oil Heat Magazine, October 1990, offers an update, (see next item in this list). ITT Fluid Technology, 1133 Westchester Avenue
    White Plains, NY 10604, tel +1 914 304 1700 fax +1 914 696 2950 www.ittfluidbusiness.com
  • Principles of Steam Heating, $13.25 includes postage. Fuel oil & Oil Heat Magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004.
  • Holohan, Dan, "Top 10 facts about the Hartford Loop" [web article], Radiant & Hydronics, Plumbing & Mechanical Magazine, Main Office 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700 Troy, MI 48084-3333 USA Phone: 248-362-3700, website: pmmag.com, retrieved 2017/04/07, original source: http://www.pmmag.com/articles/96529-top-10-facts-about-the-harford-loop
  • Holohan, Dan, The Lost Art of Steam Heating, [Book for sale at Amazon], Dan Holohan, 516-579-3046 FAX
  • Principles of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, technical editor of Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 ($12.+1.25 postage/handling).
  • "Residential Steam Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
  • The Heat Efficiency of Steam Boilers, Bryan Donkin
  • Steam Boiler Operation, Principles & Practice, James J. Jackson
  • The Steam Book, 1984, Training and Education Department, Fluid Handling Division, ITT [probably out of print, possibly available from several home inspection supply companies] Fuel Oil and Oil Heat Magazine, October 1990, offers an update,
  • The Lost Art of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, 516-579-3046 FAX
  • Principles of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, technical editor of Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 ($12.+1.25 postage/handling).
  • "Residential Steam Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
  • Installation Guide #200, The Hydronics Institute, 35 Russo Place, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
  • The ABC's of Retention Head Oil Burners, National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, TM 115, National Old Timers' Association of the Energy Industry, PO Box 168, Mineola, NY 11501. (Excellent tips on spotting problems on
  • McDonnell & Miller Controls - XYLEM Global Headquarters, 1133 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604, Tel: +1-914-323-5700, Fax: +1-914-323-5800
  • In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested

    CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.


ADVERTISEMENT