Inefficient 1 Pipe Steam System

John S.

Since you bought Dan's books and are obviously willing to do a little homework of your own...

why not check if your boiler is sized properly to start. Adding up the connected load (total sq. ft. of radiation) can easily be done using the Lost Art.

Next, if you could take & post some pictures of the near boiler piping as well as the 're-routed' pipes the, we might be able to help.

There's a few pages in the Lost Art as well that deal with using baseboard with one-pipe steam. Steam velocity, radiator size and pitch play an important role in determining how well those baseboards heat.

Lastly, you may just need to 'balance' the system. This means venting some radiators more than others. There's a great e-guide to doing this that can be found here:

<a href="http://www.heatinghelp.com/shopcart/product.cfm?category=2-138">Balancing Steam Systems Using a Venting Capacity Chart</a>

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Kelly E. Street

Inefficient 1 Pipe Steam Heating System

Dan,

I bought the old house I lived in as a kid. It has steam heat with the big radiators in the old part of the house and the cast iron baseboard ones in the newer part. Before we bought it, my mother had a new furnance installed. It is still steam, but it just doesnt seem to work as well as it did. I did notice that a pipe had been re- routed, but I don't know if it is the cause of the problem.

The problem is inefficiency. Half of one of the baseboard radiators will be hot, and the other half cold. Or, the radiator in the Kitchen will put out heat, but not the radiator in the dining room. I have tried putting in new air vents, but they haven't made a difference as far as I can tell. Our heating bills were outrageous last winter, so we really need to get it fixed before we start to use it with the increase in rates this winter.

I have researched contractors in my area, but can't find anyone who knows much about a steam system, much less a one pipe system. I bought 3 of your books hoping I could fix the problem myself. I realize, however, that I need some advice specific to my seemingly unique situation. I hope you can help!

Thank you for your time,
Mr. Kelly E. Street
Bluffs, IL
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