How close to the boiler should the pipes be insulated?

Jay Beuoy

Our house had a new boiler put in to replace the old one. We moved into the home in Decemmber and have had problems. How close to the boiler ought one insulate the pipes? There is quite a bit that is not insulated from the boiler and past where it tees into the larger trunk.

Long Beach Ed

All of it

Ideally, all steam pipes should be insulated right up to the boiler. The returns should be insulated too, though most are not.

Don't expect to find the bigger insulation at Home Depot or a place like that. It's strictly professional stuff.

George_36

Main Vents

I spoke to a heating specialist about locating another main vent. I know the location of only one.
I have one pipe gas steam.

He told me to look for pipes that are below the waterline and try to follow them. He also stated that at some point they are probably below the floor.
There is a main vent in the electical closet with a 3/8" hole and a vent with a small hole connected to it. He stated that I should buy a coupling that is 3/4" on one side and install a 3/4" size vent.

Is he correct? Any advice is appreciated.

Long Beach Ed

George...

To know the venting needed, we'd need a drawing of your system with pipe sizes and lengths. Generally, the end of each main should be vented before it drips down into the return. But there can be many different configurations.

The vent size, tapping size, etc are a function of how much air capacity is in the system. A 3/8 in hole with a vent in it may be okay, as long as the vent is a good one and is working properly.

If there is more than one main, look for the end of it and see if there's an old vent hidden there too.