Replacing a Broomell System - Venting Question

Nogginhed

Hi, Folks. Great site.
We are replacing the boiler in an old house that orignally had a Broomell system. The receiver was still there but the top of it was missing - it was just an open vessel of water, the condenser was missing and the air pipe was gone. This will be the third boiler in this house - we're converting from oil to gas and we're not reusing the receiver due to it's condition.
Anyway, most of the radiators in the home (over 900 sqft EDR worth) still have the Broomell Quintuple Valves and the little p-traps. Three radiators have radiator valves and Hoffman 8C traps.
There are two steam mains - one 3" and one 2-1/2". They start out separately in the boiler room, then go in opposite directions around the basement and meet in the middle of the opposite wall. There, a 1-1/4" comes off the bottom, above the water line, and runs across the middle of the basement and into the boiler room where it dropped straight down into the wet return. I'm assuming that this just drains any condensate that might show up in the mains - the mains are pitched down toward this 1-1/4" pipe. I think you'd call it the main drip.
There's also a 1-1/2" dry return that all the radiators tie into. It runs across the basement, into the boiler room, and emptied into the top of the Broomell receiver.
There are no vents anywhere except for on the three radiators that have the Hoffman 8C traps - they each have a Hoffman #40.
Sorry for the lenght, but I want to get this right. My questions are:
1) Should I put an air vent on at the end of the dry return?
2) Should I put air vents on the mains before they drop into that 1-1/4" drip?
3) Should I remove the Hoffman #40 air vents and plug them?
4) Am I missing anything?

I read the Lost Art of Steam Heating, which answered a lot of my questions. I would have been lost without it.

Thanks so much for your help.

gerry gill

to your questions

#1 yes, put lots of air vents on the return pipe..if you have a 3/4'' tapping use four gorton #2 main vents..#2, yes vent the mains at the drip location..#3, yes remove the hoffman vents from the rad and plug the holes..that was done by someone who knew not what he was doing..if you can, install two stage firing to the boiler to keep the pressure low..very low..

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