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Re: Radiant Panel?
That is the smart WiFi plug it plugs into. Here’s how it looks in the app.
Re: New Century House with Two Pipe Steam - Questions
Good advice. With the exception of the later installed cast baseboard, I'd suspect bad traps for the non heating rads.
You'll need exact info off the trap body to get the correct elements. You'll want to get a 6 point socket and a breaker bar to get them open. Remember: one wrench on the cap, one on the body. You REALLY don't want to stress those return pipes.
That boiler will probably outlast us all.
Re: New Century House with Two Pipe Steam - Questions
Wow. Just wow. Not only is it a vapour system — and an early one — but everything is still more or less there! You must get LAOSH, and you will find your system, or at least the basics for it, in there.
I would suggest, in this order:
First, check all the traps. Any radiator which isn't heating the trap is suspect. If you find a radiator where the outlet from the trap is close to steam hot, that one is suspect too. Replace any traps which you even think are bad. Both Tunstall and Barnes & Jones make innards to fit them.
Second, you can try to get the valves to move — and WD-40 is as good as anything — but if the don't, don't fret it. If the traps are working they are in the nice to have but not critical category.
Third, buy a good low pressure pressure gauge — to 0 to 3 psig — and figure out where to put it. And put it. Best bet is going to be to put it on a T off of whatever pipe connects the vapourstat (which is set properly, by the way) to the boiler. Clean out that connection which you are at it. That will tell you what pressure you are really at, at which point you decide whether the vapourstat need to be replaed.
Now. Take a deep breath and find you system, or one as like it as you can, in LAOSH and study it. Go down to the basement and study the piping. Go back and study the diagram and texts some more. Until you begin to think you know how that thing worked.
You are going to be the expert on it, so take some time to really be the expert!
Don't do ANYTHING other than those three steps above until you are feeling pretty good about the system. Then work on bringing it back to its former glory.
One further thougth. That boiler. What condition is it in? If it's in good shape, leave it for the time being. Yes it is using more fuel that a new one might. But… for now leave it. However, when you do have to replace it, take care: the water line on that boiler is quite high off the floor, and you must match that water line with any new boiler — which may put it on something of a pedestal. Do it.
Re: Am I being dense?
Other side of that door is a bilco door. House was built in 1850, my floor joists are trees cut in half with the bark still on. Lots of old cool stuff. Lots of previous owner not cool stuff.
Re: Am I being dense?
If you look at the piping there are about 4 different ways to pipe a hot water system
- Series loop. The supply come out of the boiler and goes only to one radiator. It comes out the other end of the rad and goes to the next ans so on until it gets back to the boiler. All the rads are in series. It usually is used in smaller homes like a 5 room ranch
2. Monoflow the supply leaves the boiler and circles the basement in a loop and returns to the boiler (you could have 2 loops) The supply and return to each radiator tees into the same main pipe and uses special tees. This system was popular in the 40s, 50s and early 60s
3. Direct return. The supply main leaves the boiler and runs around the house. A supply pipe for each rad tees off the main. The main stops at the last radiator. Then you have the return main that leaves the return from the boiler it runs around the house and tees off to the return on each rad.
4. Reverse return is similar to direct return except the first rad connected to the supply is the last rad connected to the return
Post a few pics.
Re: New Return Pipe Noise During Renovation
The test neilc requests is easy to do, you just need an appropriate size screwdriver.
Turn the thermostat up, the boiler should come on. Shut the power switch off at the Red arrow (the boiler should go off), this power switch shuts off the 120 VAC to the transformer (Yellow arrow) that makes the 24 VAC system voltage.
Remove the pressuretrol cover (I think you already had it off) remove one wire from the pressuretrol's switch inside by unscrewing a screw, you may only need to loosen the screw and slide the wire out from under the screw's head and not totally remove the screw to disconnect the wire. Bend the disconnected wire slightly so the bare wire can't touch anything when you let go of it. Turn the boiler back on with the power switch, the boiler should not fire if the pressuretrol is wired in correctly.
Turn the boiler back off with the power switch. Reconnect the disconnected wire, put the cover back on the pressuretrol, turn the boiler back on with the power switch, set the thermostat back to normal.
109A_5
Re: Am I being dense?
or replace green valves with these reversible ported shutoff valves….
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Webstone-80613-3-4-Press-Full-Port-Ball-Valve-w-Drain-Reversible-Handle
Red ones doesn’t hurt as @psb75 pointed out but removing may be cleaner.
PC7060
Re: Am I being dense?
Have someone install new shutoff valves below the green handled return drains. Leave the old red ones in as redundant. Purge zones.
psb75
Re: Am I being dense?
What’s on the other side of that creepy looking door? Is that where you hide all the trolls?
No you can’t. Water will take the path of least resistance and run in the pump outlet up to the purge valve. A centrifugal pump is unlike a positive displacement pump. There is a path for the water to travel backwards through the pump. Closing those valves above the purge valves will prevent water from going from the feed that enters the system just under the circulator pumps from going the long way around thru the radiators and purging the loops.
The only thing those valves are good for is for swapping out a bad calculator pump. The flo-check on the supply and that valve on the return will keep the water in the radiators when you drain the boiler to replace anything between the flo-check and the return. Boiler gauge, relief valve, circulator pumps, and the like can all be serviced with the water in the radiators staying put. Not a fan of that design. Looks more like a mistake than an intentional design.
Re: New Return Pipe Noise During Renovation
OK with your 4:55 Pm post the pressure was still approaching 10 PSI. Glad to here things are better. Pressuretrols are notoriously dysfunctional, I'd keep an eye on it and see what it does.
109A_5