ugly, but works well...ever try these?

[Deleted User]

swears by them

Timco

No, not me! These new danfoss trv's for 1-pipe steam. Work very well, but I hate the way they look...not very period.

Tim

billtwocase

vent

makes that beautiful old radiator look like crap. Might as well box them in if they look like that. peace

Timco

Well, how else does one apply a TRV to 1-pipe? I am only aware or 2-pipe TRV's that replace the valve...

Tim

bob young

NEVER USED IONE BUT THEY GOT IT.

THERE IS ONE AVAILABLE THAT REPLACES THE INLET SUPPLY VALVE.

nicholas bonham-carter

TRV alternative

i still think that TRV's should only be used as a last resort; after maximising main line venting, and keeping the pressure below 16 oz.[timco i am sure that you have covered these bases!] the dead men were pretty good at selecting the right rad for each room and its exposure, so all we need to do for balancing the heat is to recreate the original system conditions. so often i see that the building owner is hoping that these TRV's are going to compensate for a lack of maintainance, but not so!! --nbc

World Plumber

Balancing temp

I was ready to convert to hot water. I have hot water TRV's for all the radiators. I even have 4 of my radiators piped back to the basement from the top oppsite the inlet. When it got cold there was as much as 40 degree difference in the house with the hot rooms being turned off at the supply valve and large temperature swings. I attended Deadman's Steam School. Dan convinced me to keep the steam and add venting. I measured my piping and with the help of the venting charts started drilling, taping and adding vents. Now there is only a 1/2 degree variation between rooms and never more than a 2 degree temperature swing no matter how cold it gets. Oh did I mention the gas bill plumited and the house is cozy and warm for the first time in the 25 years I have been here.

ttekushan_3

TRVs, steam savings, sunshine, steampunk.

hey, worldplumber, those are great results! And typical. Steam's fine, its the knuckleheads out there!

Looking at the bright sunshine coming in that window in the photos its no wonder a TRV is welcome. I'll take all the sun I can get in winter months, but rooms can certainly overheat. I'll bet the room is fine at night or during a snowstorm, but enough bright sun can really get things cooking! [edit:I see by your post below that everything is not fine. Boy do they need control! But still, the TRV's are very helpful in sunny apartments. The one pictured will always be appropriate considering solar heat gain.]

I humbly propose a Danfoss Steampunking. I haven't devised anything yet, but for all who've never seen something Steampunk'd:
Wiki page on Steampunk
and an interesting UK site: Brass Goggles

So we ought to be able to come up with a way to "periodize" a Danfoss valve!

-Terry

Timco

This is 34 units, 3 buildings, one boiler. All buildings are HOT (some 90* readings in units). I pitched the tekmar steam reset to the HOA, but they said maybe next year. So, instead of just opening windows or leaving the rad off, (most valves will close, but leak steam and the rad fills with water and leaks through vent). Many individual owners are calling asking for a solution to the heat in their unit, and I offer this after explaining how the tekmar was not accepted. Problem still is that the building as a whole is too hot, and several units would need to install these for everyone to have less heat. Boiler runs at right around one pound steam, which does the 3 buildings fine. As ugly as that thing is, it really worked well in comparison to the neighbor's rads which run full bore until the vent closes, which many do not and there are rags around them and buckets under the vents. Some were turned upside down to get them to close. This is the problem with 34 different owners.

Tim

bb_11

what about...

... rooms that are over heating, or not used? Why not TRVs to save energy. They work, and work well.

I agree that venting is important, but why waste BTUs in rooms that don't need the additional heat?

Most steam systems designed by the dead men were over sized on purpose. That was so the window could be opened in the winter to let fresh air into the building.

I don't think that proper venting will keep the temperature down and stop over heating.

One dumb question. If the system was set up correct, why does venting need to be added now. (Assuming someone has not taken vents out)

bb

Stephanie Custis (yes, Mark's wife)

I don't know

about their efficacy, but may someone at Danfoss will read this and consider the suggestion that aesthetics would be greatly improved by making them all black.

bb_11

Danfoss

has various color options, but they are currently only available in Europe.

bb

nicholas bonham-carter

condo association & maintainance

in any building that is condominiumised, which has steam heat, specific mention should be made in the condo bye-laws to the fact that the heating system is a common element, like the roof. it therefore needs to be maintained as a single element, so you wouldn't have some rads closed off, sucking water out of the system. there must be that provision for paying the gas bill, so why not the maintainance?

even a carefully located visionpro stat with some averaging indoor sensors, could start to solve these problems. i am going to assume that the thermostat is set for 70 deg, so how is it that some units are 20 deg. above others? if it were my bldg, i would re-check the pressure, with a good gauge, and the waterline. if a boiler has an eratic waterline, constantly tripping the LWCO it can play havoc with maintaining an even temp. and i would increase the venting to get the steam throughout those undoubtably long horizontals, as quickly as possible! i would also double check the boilersizing, maybe it was oversized when replaced.there could be a quick 10-15 % reduction in fuel use in this for them, but they will have to pull together.--nbc

Dave Stroman

Tim, I have used them before. I thought they worked well and the HO dod not say anything about the apperence.

Dave Stroman

Charlie from wmass

They work and in big old buildings they work well. I like how they look as they save money for the owners of the system. My first time installing trv's was in 1991 and we installed them on an old beast of a system with a cinverted Smith mills boiler originally coal fired changed to oil. The oil bill dropped 30%. that kind of savings makes themlook real pretty. This boiler was running a tankless for the domestic on it and they still had that kind of savings. New owners came from Cali and ripped out the steam and put in sanyo wall units or some such product cut holes in the 1800's era stone walls so they could have ac and be rid of the "ugly" radiators all together.

bb_11

Usually not a good idea to for 1 PS since the condensate needs to drain out of the rad. If the temp is satisfied in the room the valve is closed and no way for condensate to drain.

bb

bob young

amark fig. # 90

like i previously said, amark type 90 one pipe steam inlet valve has provision to remove condensate on single pipe steam radiator. AND LOOKS PLEASING TO THE EYEBALL, TOO. !!

Timco

Thank you for that PN, Bob. I will look up my closest supplier tomorrow...

Tim