Jet of steam from radiator

mike jones_2

Does ne1 have a better near boiler piping diagram for a basic 1 pipe steam gravity system than this? the pics usually posted here are just hard to decipher since the angles are limited by the small boiler rooms. we are looking for some general parameters common to most simple systems. This seems to be a highly technical cause of wet steam even in new systems.


http://burnham.com/PDF/htghelper.pdf
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tms

jet of steam from radiator

OK, I'm purely a layperson here, so please forgive my ignorance. My apartment in a very old 3-unit brownstone has a single pipe steam radiator. When the heat is cycling on, a visible jet of steam blasts out of the air valve for a minute or two, while hissing. It faces the window so I'm not so worried about safety, etc. On occasion there's so much steam that a drop or two of water drips onto the floor, but not enough to cause any damage. The heat itself is fine and more than adequate.
Is this jet of steam normal/acceptable for an old radiator or should I be worried? I've only had hot water systems in the past. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Brad White

Call me Ishmael......

Symptoms versus causes...

The vent is probably defective but the cause may well lie elsewhere in the system. Replace the vent and it may well suffer a similar fate in short order.

If the system (near-boiler piping and distribution) produces wet steam, there is not a whole lot that can be done short of changing that. If that piping is acceptable, the mains may not be insulated- that can help keep steam from condensing prematurely. The pressure may be too high and this can exacerbate a number of other conditions.

Now, once the above problems have been solved, you have a shot at getting that vent replaced.

There is something nice about a steam radiator on which to place one's mittens.

ttekushan_3

steam, little water

Having just serviced a system with water carry-over, with wet soaked floors around the vents, the few drops of water indicate to me that the steam is probably of good (dry) quality. I'm guessing that a new vent will solve the problem, and that it will hold up just fine.

-Terry

As a side note, the boiler that I serviced was carrying water over at the very beginning of the cycle. Maintenance replaced leaking nipples on the float type water feeder/LWCO. When reinstalled they switched the long (top) nipple with the short (bottom) nipple, thereby raising the water level a LOT. This boiler tends to a high water line in this system as it is. The switcharoo on the height of the water fill pushed the water line right up into the steam outlet after shutdown!