one riser no steam

John McKenzie

We have a four story Brownstone with one line which never seems to get steam. This line must have had problems for a long time or even from the very beginning. because, someone has drilled and tapped the top of the pipe to receive and air-vent.

This line reaches an elevation of 40 feet. and I was wondering. what is the weight of the air in a two inch pipe 40 feet high? And, can two pounds of steam lift it out of one air vent at it's apex?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

John

Bob W._3

In order to properly vent that riser you would need two Gorton No. 1's. What is the vent on the riser now? If you remove the vent and run the boiler does the riser get hot (be careful not to get burned by the steam). I would perform this test first.

mel rowe

I'm new to this also, but I don't think the wt. of air in the riser is relevant. I would first be concerned about whether the riser is getting steam, and if so, is the riser adequately vented to allow steam to displace the air. With that length of riser, it probably requires riser venting. The pros here can better suggest how many and where, but sounds like, in total, you will need at least the equivalent of a Gorton NO. 2 main vent.

Steamhead (in transit)

What size pipe

is that cold riser? Also, is the steam main in the basement properly vented?

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John McKenzie

Reply to steamhead

Pipesize = 2"
I'm unfamilliar with the term "cold-riser", sorry.
Steam main in basement appears to not have any vents.

Thanks to everyone who replied.
You've been most helpfull.

John

John McKenzie

Reply to Bob W.

In the process of performing that test now. I want to be clear about my observations. I did try this last season and had to force the boiler to cycle for more than 30 minutes before any heat appeared.

Bob W._3

John, steam guys like Steamhead would be the guys to suggest fixes if you can't get steam through that riser. I do have a few questions. Is this a 1 pipe steam system? If so, do you know if you have or had main vents on the mains? Your reply to Steamhead indicates that there are no main vents. If not, what size are the mains and how long are they? We can compute the amount of venting needed and you can get main vents installed. The theory is fairly simple. Vent the mains well so steam gets to the riser runouts quickly. Vent the risers IF there is still a problem getting steam to the radiators. If you can't vent the risers, go with faster vents on the radiators as a less expensive option. Vent the radiators more slowly if possible, however.

Steamhead (in transit)

The cold riser

is the one that's not getting any heat! If the pipe size is reduced as it rises thru the building, vent it with a Gorton #D vent, this way you only need the existing 1/8" pipe-thread hole. If it's 2-inch all the way up, use two Gorton #D vents.

But first, vent your mains. This will make a big improvement in the system's heating-up speed and balance, and save you a bunch of fuel. Measure the length and diameter of each steam main you have and we can tell you what you need.

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STEVE PAUL_3

I would check to be certain that the runout to the riser (the pipe connecting it to the main)is not back-pitched or trapped. If it is trapped. the water will prevent the steam from passing through..