Steamhead

Steamhead (in transit)

will open when they cool off, and if there is still a vacuum they will suck air in. This might not be a problem if the system doesn't completely cool between cycles, as in colder weather.

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William Faust

main vent results

We now have main vents excluding the spot that needs drilling. Very warm weather last two days, so boiler was cold. Ran it this AM.

We have always had hammer in our East riser which is fed by the biggest main. This riser has the most connected radiation; 185% of the next-greatest load. Anyway, the hammer is noticeably reduced, almost not there. I did not expect this result, but it's a nice outcome. Additionally, as you knew, heat hits the rads more quickly.

Question: I know that the vents expel air when the mains are filing with steam, but do they also suck air in later?

Short-cycling still there. Will replace all rad steam traps or guts thereof before next heating season. Will also skim boiler if I can get that damn skim plug out.

Fred Harwood_2

suck

Question: I know that the vents expel air when the mains are filing with steam, but do they also suck air in later?

Yep. Especially immediately after the boiler shuts down and the condensing rate exceeds the residual supply. Your mains vents may not open immediately, which will appear as suction at your radiator vents. One thing to consider, is to mount your mains vents on bare pipe above the end of the main, so that it cools quickly. Has anyone experimented with schedule 20 pipe for mains vent mounting?? Less mass, quicker cooling, IMHO.

William Faust

vents

My system is 2-pipe, so I don't have radiator vents.

Dumb but honest answer here from a HO, but I'm not sure whether I used schedule 20 pipe. When I purchased my vent manifold nipples and fittings from my plumbing supply house, I simply specified black pipe and malleable black cast iron, respectively. Schedule 20 is thinner?

Steamhead (in transit)

The standard

is schedule 40, and that's probably what you got. Schedule 20 is thinner, we've never used it.

"Steamhead"

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William Faust

Steamhead

Frank - You might get a chuckle out of this story. My younger son, age 8, helped me install the main vents (thanks again for your advice). His job was to hand me manifold parts and a pipe wrench when needed. When we fired the boiler and heard a manifold's vents emitting air, he made a funny look on his face and made little huffing and puffing sounds from his nose. That's actually just about what the vents sounded like because they don't all vent in unison. So it's sort of a little organ concert of sorts with the vents being the organ pipes.

William Faust

Incidentally...

most of the vents are about 12" above the main anyway. One is a little lower at 6 to 7", but I will later improve that to 12".

Unrelated Question: I bought an aerosol can of a penetrating oil named "Aerokroil" by Kano Laboratory in an effort to loosen my boiler's skim plug. Have you ever used this stuff? If not, I'll let you know if it appears to help.

Kevin O. Pulver

Never used it Bill

But some guys swear by it. It's often called "Kroil".
Gibbs is another big name. I like P.B. Blaster.
www.enginads.com has lots of threads about that stuff as the deal with restoring stuck antique engines.
Kevin

ttekushan_3

I use it all the time.

> But some guys swear by it. It's often called

> "Kroil". Gibbs is another big name. I like P.B.

> Blaster. www.enginads.com has lots of threads

> about that stuff as the deal with restoring stuck

> antique engines. Kevin

ttekushan_3

I use it all the time.

I even put it on my cereal in the morning. OK, not really.

But its a darn good penetrant. Not a miracle worker, but darn good. Its smell is also quite tolerable to those in the working vicinity.

-Terry