boiler blowdown, vapor orifice, F&T traps

Walt_8

I just read "We Got Steam Heat" and have some questions. It's a two pipe system with what I assume are vapor orifices on each radiator (they just look like elbows). The house was built in the twenties. The system basically works well but I still get some banging and I'd like it to work efficiently. My questions are: 1) The boiler was replaced last year. At the start of this season the water was very dirty. I got it clean with the help of the heating contractor. I now take about a cup of water from each of the 3 drain valves every couple of weeks with very little sediment. However, the boiler (Utica boiler) instruction book says ...Fill to the water line, light burner, allow 5 pounds of pressure to build up, attach a hose from a drain line to the sewer, shut off the gas and completely drain the system, repeat the blowdown. OWNER SHOULD BLOW DOWN THE BOILER AT LEAST ONCE EACH MONTH DURING THE HEATING SEASON. Is this necessary? The heating contractor thinks this is overkill. Is what I am doing enough? 2)There is a steam loop and a condensate loop in the basement. If there are F&T traps they are behind the wall in the finished section. But it seems that the loops are complete with no end of main. Could this be? There is only one main vent above the boiler. Would it help to have another vent installed on the other side of the house? 3)The vapor orifices (if that's what they are) haven't been cleaned in at least 25 years. All the radiators heat all the way. Should they be cleaned? How? Should they be replaced with traps? I'd do this after the heating season.

Jamie Hall

since the heavy guns

here haven't answered yet...

Boiler blowdown. In my opinion, a gallon or two a week throught the LWCO(s), as much to keep them clean as anything else, should be fine -- unless you either have really cruddy water or you are actually consuming a lot of steam (not heating usage). I agree with the heating contractor.

It is entirely possible for the lops to have no end -- it is also possible that there are no F&T traps; most vapour systems, for instance, didn't use them. If the main vent above the boiler is big enough, no need for another one -- unless there is a specific venting issue (slow heat) somewhere. Then one might help.

The vapour orifices shouldn't need cleaning, nor -- if they are sized properly (probably are, unless a radiator has been changed) and you are running on low pressure -- 8 to 12 oz or less (that's OUNCES not pounds per square inch!) you should be fine; no need to change them or replace them with traps. The dead men knew what they were doing.