Main steam line vent location

Whit

On my steam system, there are no vents on the main steam lines  (two longest horizontal runs) but vents on the dry returns (well above the boiler water line) near the boiler. (Guess they were depending on the radiator vents to get the steam out to the farthest reaches of the house) Is this significant?

There has also been one radiator removed (by previous owner and now gone MIA along with the radiator) which has probably unbalanced the sytem considerably, not to mention the loss of heating capability.  Would the removal of one radiator essentially off balance the system enough to be considered an "over fired" condition? (Measuring the marks left on the floor, I'm guessing the missing unit was about 46 to 48" long, 19 to 20 inches tall and 6 inches deep based on a like unit in the livingroom)

The boiler is a late model Weil-McLaine Gold oil fired unit with DHW coil in use.

When we puchased the house 2 years ago, during the home inspection prior to the purchase, we fired up the unit and the vents in the supposed dry return showered myself and the inspector with scalding hot water. (Who ever "winterized" the place was clueless, the system was WAY over filled) Lowered the water in the system, and the first year went o.k. This heating season, the boiler is now loosing water and has to be topped off every day in really cold weather when the system runs frequently. Checked for evidence of steam going up the flue, doesn't appear to be escaping in that direction but have two supply valves that now hiss anytime the steam is up. (Will be replacing those within the next week.) Any other thoughts on where the water may be going? Would a leaky supply valve at the radiator cause that much water loss?

All the steam lines and returns appear to be original installation (circa 1925 with no obvious evidence of steam/condensate leaks (peeling/damaged insulation))

In the first photo,you can see the main steam supply is not insulated from the top of the boiler cabinet upward @ 36"  Ti the left and right of the wye are the vents in the dry returns

Second photo shows a slightly lower view of photo 1

Third photo, lower still

Unknown

Bad Boiler Piping

Hi- In answer to you questions:

1. Your main vents are fine where they are now located as long as they are working. You might want to extend them up more to get them more out of the condensate so they won't get flooded.

2. You will lose water through leaky steam valves.



Make sure when you are adding water that you bring the boiler water to the boil as this drives off dissolved oxygen in the added boiler water. Dissolved oxygen is harmful to your boiler as it can be very corrosive.



The biggest thing I see wrong with your boiler is the piping. The near piping on your boiler is producing wet steam which is why your returns are so wet. Wet Steam also causes a lack in the boiler efficiency which is costing you on your fuel bills. You should check your boiler's I&O manual (Installation & Operating manual) for the instructions on the proper piping configuration. If you don't have the I&O Manual they are usually downloadable from the boiler manufacturer's website. There are also some very good books on steam available on this website in the "Shop" above. Here's a link: http://www.heatinghelp.com/products/Super-Deals/14/129/A-Steamy-Deal



You may also want to take a look in the "Find a Professional" section at the top of this page. Scroll past the "zipcode" section down to the "States" and look there to see if there is a steam pro located local to you. (the "zip code section has new software and it still has some "bugs". In the future you might want to post over in the "Strictly Steam" section as most of the steam guys hang out there so you may get a faster answer that way.

- Rod

Unknown

I agree with Rod,,,,

Some proper near-boiler piping is required here,,, most definitely. :-)

Whit

Verifies my suspicions

Rod, Dave,

    Thankyou for your replies. It verifies what I suspected. I've been reading through the Lost Art of Steam Heat and comparing it to what I see in my basement. Some of it agrees and some doesn't agree with good practice. And I have been blasting thru @ 175~200 gallons of oil every 3 weeks when daily high temps only get into the 20's, extended burner runs (10 to 20 minutes, 2 or 3 times a day) without producing any heat on the main floor, and sporadic domestic hot water. (Not to mention a lot of complaints from the wife) I'll also be replacing the original Weil-McLaine burner (now hard or impossible to get critical parts for according to my oil company) with a Beckett unit.

     I've looked for steam heat specialists here in the Boston/Brockton Massachusetts area. Hard to find so far but will contact some local supply houses here and see what I can turn up. Will have to wait for the end of the heating season tho.

     Again, thanks for your replies.

Unknown

Steam Pros

Hi - Look in my earlier post about using the "Find A Professional" function at the top of the page.  There are some really good steam guys listed in Mass. If there isn't one right next to you give a couple of the nearest ones a call an see if they work in your area and if not, could they perhaps recommend somebody to you. You also might want to take a look at what is called "Off the Wall" in the "Resources" section at the top of this page. Look in the "Library" Dan has a lot of good articles on steam there. You can also use the "Site Search" in the upper right hand corner of this page as this will help you find different topics that are listed off the wall.

- Rod

Unknown

Rod sounds like a good-guy,,,,

and is very knowledgeable,,, I couldn`t agree with him more! :-)



Steam heating is "tricky",,,, and knowing the tricks sets apart the "good from the bad" contractors to show improvements.



We NEVER stop learning,  but mistakes we see, assist in the process.



Good-Luck!

Whit

Reply to Dave

When you stop learning, that only means one thing. You've died and don't know it yet

Whit

Reply to Rod

Rod,

    Thanks for the alternate way to search for a contractor. Found one in Dorchester (Suburb of Boston, not too far away) Will contact them and see what we can put together. Shouldn't be too difficult as the system DOES work, just needs some fine tuning that this home hanyman doesn't have the tools or expertise to accomplish.

   This site ie worth ite weight in gold & platinum!