Best Of

Did I read that correctly? You drained some water but fired up the boiler while the site glass was still full?

Keep draining until it is at a normal level, then try again.

If you go local with a typical HVAC company it wouldn't surprise me when you post the pictures here with copper header pipes, a bullhead Tee and an incorrect Hartford loop. The next question that is typically posted here are….what are my options to have the HVAC correct problems X, Y, and Z.

One solution is to tell the HVAC guy exactly how you want it installed….as if saying "follow the manual" isn't sufficient. And whether the tech says it out loud or internally he will say "Okay homeowner, I've been doing this for 50 years. I'll do it how I've always done it."

Then you'll spend countless hours stressing about it, learning what should have been done differently/correctly and then spin your wheels trying to get it fixed or paying another company to fix it properly.

Often times the 30% difference for having a qualified steam pro to do the work will be the same cost as a poorly installed system that needs additional fixing or may even be cheaper in the long run. And no headaches.

Pay once, cry once.

Let me offer some other thoughts.

Most engineers have hissing vents.

Systems are all different, and each radiator is usually a different size, is at a different temperature and has different vent openings. Some radiators' steam is more wet than others. And the vents are at all different temperatures.

A large radiator with a small vent may never see its vent close. Its steam will have condensed and cooled before it reaches the vent. That vent may stay open; it may only see steam on the coldest days. A small radiator's large vent may get hit with steam and close its vent quickly every time it heats.

The vent condition, orifice size, steam moisture content, radiator location and condensate production will all affect the sputtering of vents. You have to work with the system and find the venting arrangement that gives you the best performance in the typical conditions.

This is where the "art of steam heating" comes into play. Good engineering isn't just math and charts. Anyone can do that.

Size your vents strictly from a chart and they will probably deliver some surprises.

The most important consideration for having clean water is to stop adding fresh water! Fresh water has plenty of oxygen which causes corrosion and makes rusty/muddy water. It sounds counterintuitive but the more clean water you add, the dirtier your boiler will be.

Find and fix those leaks! Before I knew better I had a leaky radiator. It was on the top side between sections so it only leaked steam so I didn't really care as it didn't make a mess. During the cold spells I was adding a couple gallons of makeup water weekly. I thought this was normal. I always had muddy water no matter how often I flushed it.

I fixed that radiator and now I only have to add makeup water once or twice per season!

RectorSeal 8-way also helps considerably. It has some magic chemicals in there but it is really good at adjusting the pH of the water. A pH of around 10 will essentially stop corrosion inside the boiler so the water stays clean much longer.

Every now and then I drain a bit out of the boiler drain and float LWCO and it comes out completely clean. No sediment at all.

Just be aware that the directions on the 8-way are more for commercial boilers. Use 0.75-1oz per gallon of water in your boiler. The 8-way will also do some cleaning so you may find your boiler water getting cloudy. That is all the scale and junk that has built up over time. After the first year or two of using 8-way in my boiler it stays nice and clean and clear.

Diablo Cast Iron toothed blades are the best thing that happened to me…ever...dont tell my wife.