Have to repipe a repipe of a steam main

Dave0176

Got a call for poor heating of certain radiators, river sounds, marballs sounds spitting air vents, water hammer etc.

I went to the basement and found this concoction....... The main needed to be moved to make way for the basement being converted into a garage to clear the new garage door. The main starts as 2-1/2, he reduced down to 2" which is ok being only three remaining runouts then reduced at that 180 point back to the boiler to 1" then back up to 1-1/2 for the dry return. Can't make this stuff up.

I guess most plumbers really know nothing more then hot water heating. Lol

Paul S_3

That's a bad one ,its crazy what people get paid for....
Paul S

BurntFingers

I'll bet that basement is 95 deg. F or better, fun to work in!

Steamhead

I think you're right- obviously that guy didn't bother with eccentric reductions- no wonder it banged.

Dave0176

Repipe a success, done the way it should've been done. All three of the those runouts had to be repiped as the previous contractor downsized all of them to 1". All we're 1-1/4.

EzzyT

Nice clean work

Paul S_3

Nice work Dave

Steamhead

Agreed. That's as good as anything we've seen on the Wall.

Dave0176

Thanks guys, one knucklehead job repaired and on to the next in this same house done by another knucklehead. It's the job I showed pics of a while back, we will be replacing the boiler on Saturday with the proper sized unit.

This knucklehead decided to install a Willimamson GSA 200 (Weil McLain EG-55) 521 sq ft steam, house has 305 sq ft of connected load. On top of that the near boiler piping looks like Moe, Larry and Curly did it lol.

Here's a little quiz, can anybody point out how many mistakes there are.

Abracadabra

1 - no swing joints
2 - header should be bigger
3 - left/right mains should come to header seperately
4 - Counterflow? If so steam should enter mains from on top not bottom. Can't really tell wth is going on with the returns in the 3rd pic. I don't get the drip that's at the point where steam takeoff hits the main.

Paul S_3

No swing joints , about 4 bull headed tees, no drip on relief valve, dry returns tie above water line, they bushed down supply outlets from 3inch to 2 inch

Fred

How bout we say A BUNCH! and leave it at that?