strange steam

ttekushan_3

check the union elbows at the radiator outlets. They may be orificed. If not, then the inlet valve may have orifice plates or the hand valve may have an adjuster on its side. If the valves were replaced, then the latter valve's restriction is lost, and if the former, the orifice plates were discarded. (howz steam suppozd to git tru THAT?). The dry returns fill with steam and close the return main vent. Then the steam stops. Not good, but simple enough to rectify. Lower the steam pressure as much as possible given the controls at hand, crack the inlet valves enough to let steam in but keep it from the radiator outlets and see what happens. Might tell us a lot.

Very low pressure and dry steam make these systems work great and very efficiently. The harder part is reconstructing the original flow rates after years of "improvements."

-Terry

joel_19

strange steam

I just looked at a steam system that had a new boiler put in afew years back and it doesn't work very well at all (naturally). It's piped basically like a 1pipe steam at the boiler BUT each rad has two pipes.

They do not have steam traps just a hand valve to controll incoming steam. The risers to the rads are small like 3/4. It seems like a vapor piping set up with those small pipes and no traps.

However there is no Crane vapor stuff in the basement at all?? We may junk the whole thing but it's got my brain going,could/would someone have junked all the important stuff on the boiler swap?

Or is this a completely different animal??

sorry no picks at the moment.

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Daniel_3

There are such systems that exist.I would not junk anything until you find out more info.A Kriebel system could be there in that basement. It could be a condensate drip one pipe system as one side supplies while the other drips. Vents on the radiators? With pictures it will be more clear.

Steamhead (in transit)

It's either Orifice Vapor

or there's something in those return elbows- check valves, water seals, etc. that isn't immediately obvious.

Don't even THINK about junking the whole thing! That system was the Cadillac of heating in its day, and when properly configured, will still be one of the best out there.

Take some pics of the piping around the boiler and of some radiators. I've seen knuckleheaded Vapor systems that couldn't vent any air because the venting devices were removed, and that of course hobbled the system.

Also, have you found any names or trademarks on any of the system's hardware?

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