What is it?

Steamhead (in transit)

The device you removed was a vent that was designed to hold vacuum. This may be the only vent in the system, if so the Hoffman you installed is probably undersized.

The other device is a Boiler Return Trap, a.k.a. Alternating Receiver. It is essentially a pressure-powered pump that sends water back to the boiler if the boiler pressure is too high for straight gravity return.

Check Chapter 15 of "The Lost Art of Steam Heating". The system shown therein is a Dunham, but this Sarco setup works the same way.

If the boiler has the usual Pressuretrol on it, change it to a Vaporstat for proper regulation. Also, check the ends of the steam mains- they may have radiator traps crossing over into the dry return. These act as main air vents but route the air to the dry return. If these traps go bad, the system won't heat well.

More pics please!

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Dannyt&c

What is it?

Found these 2 things on a steam system. We removed the Sarco thing off the return and installed a hoffman main vent because the system returns went into a vacuum and then would bang. There is a new smith steam boiler there and I don't know what was there previous.

George_35

i think i have that type of system in my house i have two rads that r off of the mains were they loop back. what kind of valves should i use on this rad the mains do not have air vents. thank you.steamhead could u take a look at my post please.peerless boiler install.

Dannyt&c

I arrived on this job and water was shooting out of the sarco main vent. The boiler had been recently installed by someone and nobody could stop the banging. I noticed the hartford loop was from the old boiler and was above the water level with a long nipple and it really banged. Repiped return in copper and lowered 2 inch below water level. Then installed a hoffman 75 main vent on the return. We ran the system and found it to be successful, do you think that sarco should stay on?

Steamhead (in transit)

Might be

but why don't you take some pics of the boiler area and some radiators with all the associated piping, and post them here? That way we'll know for sure.

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Dannyt&c

Steamhead, also check the top of the boiler, One of the tappings is plugged and the other is feeding the header that had 3 tappings.

Steamhead (in transit)

In all those pics

I can't tell what make and model the boiler is. Have you compared the existing piping with the manufacturer's specs?

The Hartford Loop is much improved. It should stay quiet now. I would have used black steel down to the Loop connection, but there shouldn't be any torsion in that piping which would break the soldered joints.

On Vapor systems with only one vent, I like to use the Gorton #2, in multiples if needed. It vents over three times faster than a Hoffman #75. Did you get a chance to see how the steam mains are vented?

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George_35

peerless boiler install

here r the pics

Dannyt&c

The Boiler is a Smith 19A-4 firing 2.00gph. I didn't check the manual for the recommended near boiler piping, but I know the rear tapping should have a riser and my concern was if the rear section cracked because the water level dropped in the back, I being the last one there would get blamed and was debating on telling anyone. The boiler is about 1 year old and installed by another employee of the oil company I work for. I don't think there are anymore vents on the system.

After we finished the job we ran the boiler to heat the house and left for lunch. When we came back everything was fine and no noises at all.
thanks for your posts.
dan

Steamhead (in transit)

According to the I&O manual online

for a 3-5 section 19A, one 3-inch riser is enough. So you should be OK there as long as the riser to the header is 3-inch minimum, as is the header itself.

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Steamhead (in transit)

How about

a shot of a convector with cover removed, showing how the pipes connect to it? That vent may or may not belong there....

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George_35

you can see the piping in gif 22 it is the back of convector
,you should see the dry return and the main running above it.BTW steamhead could you please read my post entitled peerless boiler install.there r pics there as well

Steamhead (in transit)

So there is

a trap on the convector's return connection?

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