3/8" steam return (?)

bluemoon

I'm hoping someone can tell me how this works (it seems to). I was inspecting a heating system for a prospective home buyer & found the 1st floor freestanding radiators had been replaced with 1-1/4" baseboard supplied by the old radiator riser on one end with a Hoffman #500(?) vent teed on the opposite end....the bottom of the tee is reduced to 3/8" copper & extends down into a tapping on the steam MAIN. The 3/8" has a trap (loop) in it by design. I turned on the heat & from a cold start the baseboard heated . Is this some method of installing baseboard to steam that anyone has seen elsewhere?...it's a first for me but it seems it was working in the short time I tested it.

Charlie from wmass

Not how I would like it, but it is better than nothing to drain the condensate.

Steamhead

Actually, Dan describes this on page 100 of "The Lost Art of Steam Heating". It works!

Charlie from wmass

I have never used less than 1 /2" for a return.

Steamhead

Gerry has, on his mini-tube system. In this application, all you're handling is a trickle of condensate, so as long as it works properly................