two pipe steam with traps and air vents

Austin_2

hi
i have been in the heating busines for 20 years. i have dan's book of steam. i went to a church and the radiator had traps and air vents. i thought if there were traps then there should be no air vents. what kind of system am i working on?
also, what is the math to adjust pressure controls. can you give an example equation please w/#'s involved.

Brad White_200

I have seen one system

like that, but while the vents were not on each and every radiator, they were on most.

All I can suspect was that using the vents were a way to speed things up. They were of a newer type than the traps so I suspect an after-thought. (Working around other issues? That would not surprise me.)

On the whole, absent one radiator that had neither trap nor vent, the system worked better than I would have thought. I suspect by this that the vents did no harm.

I would be interested to hear if this is, in fact, a particular type of system though.

nugs

Cut in + differential = cut out

It's not common to find vents on trapped radiators. I suspect that they were installed because someone couldn't or wouldn't repair the traps.

Austin_2

but if you have two pipe and the traps stay open then steam would go into returns and trouble some of the vents
are very old and i have to put my ear cloes to the vent
to hear them work and the same with main vent and then
steam came out

RonWHC

Careful.

Some Honeywells have a subtractive differential. Main minus Differential = cut in. Main setting is cut out.

Jamie Hall

for example

Vapourstats. However, it will say on it... somewhere... whether it is subtractive or not.

gerry gill

are there any original traps

and inlet valves? i'm looking for a name to identify the system..trane,dunham,etc...bet those air vents weren't supposed to be there..

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"