Water in steam supply line

Steve_177

I have a radiator on the second floor and two on the third (just above the second) that only work when the pressure is over 1.5 lb. The working is preceded by about 30 seconds of water hammer (you can feel it in the supply line to one of the the third floor radiators), then all three radiators heat effectively. I checked the steam traps, and they seem to be working fine...does anyone know a way to get rid of the water that seems to be collecting between the second and third floor? The folks that I usually have come out and service the boiler said they could use CO2 to "blow the water back", but I'm not so sure about it - it sounds fishy to me, and not a very permanent solution. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks.

Brad White_185

CO too?

Any attempt to "blow water back" that you buy into rings of perpetual employment to me. Whatever is causing the water collection has to be found and corrected or it will repeat.

You cannot scold water to your will any more than you can argue with a cat.

I think you have that one nailed!

I suspect a pitch issue where some settlement may have occurred. The line may have to be wedged or dropped. A drip leg express to the wet return may also be in the offing but that is getting ahead of ourselves.

If the pipe is not insulated, that could contribute to water creation but if it is a pitch issue, it will happen regardless. It may well be that uninsulated piping allows the sudden collapse of steam which creates hammer in it's own right. That vacuum is about 1700:1 which is a lot of collapse energy.

Insulate and much of this (if it is condensing hammer) will go away.

The pressure may arguably be too high but I cannot argue with your perception and practical success. Still, excess pressure is the motive force for dynamic water hammer.

A few thoughts anyway, all my $0.02

Brad