New to steam more issues then i can count

Newsteam

I just bought my first house which has a one pipe steam system.  I have no idea what to do with this system.  I have a whole list of issues with it and dont know the cures.....Starting from the beginning loud clunks throughout the single level house i tried placing some small spacers under the end of the radiator which does not have the inlet..... Heat is not balanced in each room so i changed all the vents to the varivalves since the old ones were not matched and some seemed to spew steam constantly...... Now the banging has slowed down allot but every other night the vari valves spew water out not just a couple of drops either the bedroom was flooded prob close to 2 gals of hot water before i realize it.  My  main air valve gorton #1 spews steam anytime the system is on so i have a new one on back order.  The pipes in the basement have no insulation on them should they? How should i check for the proper pipe slope back to the boiler? I do not have an automatic water feeder is this something i should look into if not how often should i add water to the boiler?  Any ideas on the spitting of water should i junk the 200$ worth the vari  valves i did my research and couldn't find many bad things about the varivalves before i bought them.....Please help I dont have the money to put a new forced air system in right now but i can work on those so i may have to.....people say if i get the steam working right ill love how efficient it is and how warm it stays but I'm getting worried to go through a northeast winter with this heat thanks in advance

Sil

I am no pro...

But I came to these boards a few weeks ago with water hammer / spewing valves / water level issues and with the help of many on these boards I have been able to fix my issue at realatively low cost (I tackled the work myself... so the only costs were pipe and supplies from the hardware store).



The real experts will want to see pictures of the boiler and the piping around it.



I changed vents, including the main vent and spent a roll of quarters getting all my rads pitched... but they did not fix my problem. Ultimately, replacing the return line (about 30' of pipe) fixed all my issues.



What I would do (if you can) is if your return has a valve near the hartford loop, I would empty the return. Then I would remove the main vent (I assume its near the end of the main near where the return begins. Then i would put a garden hose where the vent was (with the valve near the boiler still open. Turn the hose on and see if it seems to take a long time for the water to show up at the valve. If so, there could be a clog in the return which is backing up H2O to the rads and then you will have your spitting problem.



But take anything I say w a serious grain of salt as I am not expert. Others on this board will chime in.... study their every word... and you will likely resolve your issue and love the steam heat.



Good luck!

jpf321

where are you located?

I would buy the "steamy deal" books available on this site. then I would have anyone on this site willing to look at your system come in and have a look. also read all posts in this forum going back to about october 1st.



oh yeah and post a few pictures of your boiler room from both near and far.have a look at my pictures as examples of what is important.

will smith_4

System issues

From the way you describe this system, I would recommend finding a good steam tech and having them go over your system head to toe. Not having an auto water feeder just isn't an option. Does your system have a low water cut-off? Either being the case, you should have someone who knows what they're doing correct the issue.

Having said that, post some pics if you can of the near boiler piping-both supply and return. Make note of the size of the boiler tappings, and whether or not they were reduced. Give us the distance between the center of the gauge glass and the bottom of the steam header. What are the cut-in/cut-out settings of the operating control?

One thing you should definitely do is insulate all the supply piping you can.

All the best-  

Jamie Hall

Getting it right

will probably be cheaper than anything else you can possibly do!



As Will said, get insulation on all the pipes in the basement.  You'll be amazed at how much that will help.  Second, check, if you can, the pressure the system is running at; it sounds like it may be quite high.  Post a picture of the boiler controls and we can help you find the pressure controller (pressuretrol) and give you some thoughts on adjusting it.



Third, you say you do not have an autofill on that boiler.  I do hope that there is at least a low water cut off.  If there isn't, you have a real honest to goodness safety issue here, and should get a pro. in to add one!  If there is no autofill, that is not quite so critical (although it should be added for a homeowner) -- provided you pay faithful attention to the water level in the boiler.  It should be about half way up the gauge glass on the front of the boiler.  It can be a little lower when the boiler is running, but never ever less than an inch or so above the bottom of the glass.  Nor, when the system is off, should it be closer than an inch or two to the top of the glass.  How often to add water?  Often enough to keep it in that range.  I realise that that's not a helpful remark -- the helpful remark is that without an autofill, you should check the water level both with the system cold and with the system running at least once a day, if not twice.  Morning and evening.  Oh and do not add water if the water level is near the bottom of the glass!  Wait until the boiler has cooled some.



If there is no low water cut off, you are out of code everywhere.  I can't tell you not to run the boiler, period, although I'd like to.  If there isn't a low water cut off, though, you should get that fixed As Soon As Possible, like Monday... (this being Sunday).



And do get the books, as jpf recommended.



There are a number of real pro.s in the northeast who can help, and they are reasonable (I've worked with some).  Check the "find a professional" tab on this site, searching by the State you are in.

Rod

Steam Issues

Hi-  Welcome to the world of steam heating!  It sounds like you have the typical neglected steam system. On the plus side steam systems are pretty "bullet proof" (That's why they last so long)  so it shouldn't be too hard to get it straightened out. You haven't told us where are located. You might want top check the "Find a Contractor" section at the top of this page, scroll down to the "States" section and see is a pro is located near you. There are some very good steam guys listed above. Getting a steam pro to look at it would be the fastest way to get your system straightened out.

As others have mentioned, we need more information about your system

before we can figure out what might be causing your problems. 

 Questions:

1. What is the make and model of your boiler? (There should be a info plate attached to your boiler)

2. Do you have the Installation & Operating manual for your boiler?

3. At what pressure does the boiler shut off?  (Residential steam systems run at  2 PSI

or lower)

4.The water in the sight glass on the boiler, is it dirty?

5. Does the water in the sight glass "bounce" a lot? How much does it move up and down "Bouncing"

Please post pictures of your system. Take them at high resolution and stand back from the boiler if possible so that the pictures take in the boiler and the piping connected to it.

Take pictures from the different sides of the boiler as we need to be able to trace where each pipe leads. We can blow the pictures up if we need more detail.



Radiator Vents-  Unfortunately the Vari Valves aren't the best type of valve to use in your situation. They are very aggressive,high capacity vents which will vent the air from the radiator very quickly. Fast venting has a tendency to pick up water. Radiator vents close when steam reaches them and most have a float which shuts the vent if water reaches it,  Vari-Valves don't have a float and just react to steam reaching them.  The Hoffman 1A or the Vent-Rite Adjustable are probably a better choice of radiator vent. For the moment just turn the Vari- Valves to their minimum setting. (They don't turn off -they just have a adjustable  minimum - maximum setting)

Radiator Inlet Valves- On single pipe steam systems- These must be fully open or fully closed.

Radiator slope - You mentioned you have already checked the radiator slope. You can get into trouble with too much slope, Just slope the radiator enough to "encourage" the water to drain towards the inlet pipe. It's a good idea to check the radiator slope with a bubble level as old houses settle.

Automatic Water Feeders- There are pros and cons to using these. A lot of experienced steam people won't use them. Having one is a convenience, not a necessity.  Steam boilers (when not spitting water out radiators use very little water. When you do add water to the boiler make sure the boiler is brought to the boil as this will drive excess oxygen from the new water. This excess oxygen can cause corrosion and shorten the life of the boiler.

- Rod