Best Of

After reading your reply 63-04 you say ,well I doubt I would have risked a 2 inch header , as stated I get beaten all the time by the all 2 inch header installer yeah it’s much cheaper but it ain’t better . As for wanding and cleaning ah yeah chemicals ain’t gonna do it . If piped properly and clean the water line shouldn’t bounce more then 1/2 inch durning the cycle . I would suggest your boss be the one who deals w it he sold it and he did the 2 inch header and should have honestly cleaned after the first steaming and then one or two return visits to ensure it’s clean . It s really part of the job which most shrug off and state that’s the way steam is well I’m here tell ya that ain’t the way it’s suppose to be . It looks from the eq drop that skimming wasn’t gonna happen when you pipe your eq drop in front of the skim port it’s highly unlikely it was in the thought pattern and really over looked . It’s a pet peeve of mine to make sure the skim port can be used other wise it serves zero purpose . The use of the standard boiler drains are crap I usually throw them in my brass scape and install full port ball valve for reverse flushing and removing all the crap the always returns when a new boiler is installed . It isn’t some thing that happens w just about every steam boiler ,multi returns visits to get the system clean,again personally the most common issue w mis behaving steam boiler is bad piping ,not cleaned . This is really the second half of the job and the one most don’t price in until beaten badly then they learn . Just like undersized header and wet steam there common and a lot of system will operate but as I always say never what they should be and the biggest thing the in knowing your successful in your install is when customer never knows weather the heat is on or off they just know that there comfortable . This what we all should aim for being we are all in the indoor comfort business ?
Peace and good luck clammy

I just saw you're in Mahwah. So are we. I work at Bolkema Fuel.

I agree that installs should be done to best practices. We're learning on the job here. I've asked for training and my boss just says "get it done". I've told him our training methods are like that of a mother bird. She pushes the babies out of the nest and says "fly baby bird".

Since the boiler is less than a year old, and we've drained the system a few times, do you think there's any reason to skim and wand the boiler?

Hi All, just got a house and I'm getting obsessed with the steam system. Everything I've read is telling me if I need advice to post here.

This is the thing that stuck out to me most when evaluating system - for my main vents I have two Vent Rite #33s on mains that are both about 60' long of 2inch pipe. From the way they're mounted it seems like these were a cheapo / quick fix option and I want to replace them.

People suggest Gorton #2s here, but my issue is that I am working with a 1/8" hole and not much headroom - so I think to install those I'd need to use a 1/8" inch nipple into a 1/2" reducing coupling on the background main, and a 1/4" to 1/2" similar on the foreground one, assuming I cant budge that existing coupling. Its odd to me, looks like they went from 1/8 -> 1/4 -> 1/8 again. I am pretty confident I could do this myself if everything goes smoothly.

Overall my system is working pretty good. I notice some sputtering and hissing from the radiators which is a little annoying at night and I want to do what I can to fix what's gotta be an issue on the mains before I replace the radiator vents.

Is this a sensible approach? My main concerns aside from my own incompetence is whether there's enough room for the Gorton to be properly distanced from the pipe, and whether it's bad for the vent to be mounted on an 1/8" hole when the aperture on the vent is 1/2" - makes me worry about velocity hitting the vent being bad for it.

Bonus pic of the boiler as well.. thanks for reading and/or for any advice !

You are quite correct. There should be no pressure -- and certainly no steam -- in the dry returns. This suggests, though, that there are two separate problems. One is that somehow steam is getting into that dry return. A connection which shouldn't be there, a failed open radiator trap, a pair of drips to a wet return which isn't actually wet (too high -- above the water lien), a blown water seal (too much boiler pressure)... several possibilities.

It is likely that the presence of steam closed the main vent on that dry return which allowed the pressure buildup-- but... is there one? Is it functioning?

Go back to basics and take a look at everything -- and think like steam (which should be in the mains and radiators and nowhere else) and air (which has to get out of the radiators and then out of the dry return) and water (which has to get out of the radiators, into the dry return, and then through a drip to the wet return or boiler.

Thank you sir! The main vents are working. When the system starts from a cold start the main vents let air out as the system fills with steam. When the steam fills the dry return they are closing.

I believe one or more of the upstairs radiator traps are letting steam past, filling the dry return and causing the system to stop working.

What are "drips" to a wet return?

Where would the "water seal" be that could be blown?

Thanks!

What size boiler ? Is that a 3 inch riser or was it reduced? Was this boiler skimmed ,from the drop on the equilizer blocking the skim port i would think not . I see no provision where left to wand the boiler or drain all contents out of the boiler . Possible you have some carry over condensate from the boiler being possible dirty . Are you using a vapor stat as a pressure control or still the pa404 . As other may have asked is the a good low pressure gauge aside from the zero 30 gauge . I usually add nothing and just flush wand and skim boilers I ve installed , some times it takes 2 or 3 times to get all the crap out and at last I’ll add surge master when I’m sure it as clean as it can be just for the o2 and for slight corrosion protection and a great indicator of make up water when it ain’t green they have been adding make up . Follow what other have stated and if there using water seal type traps and graduated supply valve then it gotta be a vapor stat and and low pressure other wise you will be just chasing your tail like a puppy . Usually no part of a steam system I replace has any copper except the water line feeding it . Full port tees w bushing and ball valves for flushing and draining other wise it just glam .
Peace and good luck clammy

The boiler is a peerless 6304. The riser/header is 2". We didn't skim it. We did put in Surgex. No vapor stat yet. Need to get the right pressure gauge. The boiler was just put in last year. Do you think it needs to be wanded?

We flooded the system twice, once with cleaner, and flushed out what we could with a hose. I think all the sealer we added to the old boiler is out of the system.