Noisy/Uneven system needs help!

RinTin

I recently bought a home and am trying to tune up my system, it seems

the previous owners neglected it a bit. After doing some research on

steam heat i realized that i have multiple problems including venting,

insulation, and, more than likely, a dirty system. My system does work

fairly well but it is noisy and i think i am using more fuel than i

should for less than optimum output.



Venting:

I know that my

main air vents are not sized properly but before i enlarge and raise

them i was hoping for some pro opinion on their location. In the photos i

provided you can see they come right off a t or 90.



Insulation:

I need to add some insulation but wasn't sure about the best type to use and how close to the boiler to go with it.



Dirty system:

How do i clean it?



Piping:

I

posted a photo of the piping near the boiler because upon my research i

did not come across any diagrams that resembled my setup and i am not

sure if it is proper.



I greatly appreciate any advice.

Thank you,

Rin Tin

Jamie Hall

Hmm...

Those "vents" look to me like radiator vents, not main vents -- nowhere near big enough.  It's not a hopeless location for vents, although offsetting from an elbow is better, but I would very much suggest an antler type design with a significant offset on the horizontal branch of the antler, to help protect the vents.



As to insulation on steam lines, the closer to the boiler the better.  There are several sources for 1" fiberglass insulation, specially made to go neatly around pipes and elbows and such.



I have to admit that I've never seen near boiler piping quite like that.  Do you have the make and model of the boiler?  If so, perhaps someone can find a manufacturer's piping diagram for it.  The way it is arranged at the moment looks to me as though it is an open invitation for wet steam in the whole system, which will indeed make for very inefficient heat and considerable noise.

BobC

for a start

That near boiler piping is not right, no header or equalizer. Take some more pictures of the piping and get far enough back so we can see what the layout is like. The pressuretrol should be set ay 0.5 on the outside and the inside dial should be set at 1.



Is this a single pipe steam system? How long is the main and what size pipe is it? We have to know the volume of the header from the boiler output around to that vent's location, then we will know what size vent you should have.



That elbow should be removed and replaced with a short nipple and a new elbow, a longer pipe (15" at least should be screwed into the elbow so it goes back along that pipe. Then another elbow and a short nipple that you can screw the new vent on. make sure that new pipe has a little slope so the condensate can flow back to the boiler. You will have to see how much room you have available to see how long those short nipples should be.



Is the water you get when blowing down the LWCO filthy? If it does not run pretty clean after draining a gallon or so you may have to drain the boiler and refill it a couple of times to get the crud out. take some pictures of the boiler drain and any skimming port you might have on it. That cap on the low pipe would be one option for draining but there should be something else with a valve on it down low.



Bob

crash2009

blowdown/drain

Bob, wouldn't this be the skimmer and blowdown/drain?

RinTin whats the manufacturer and model #

picture wont post

Charlie from wmass

not a skimmer

that is the lower try cock used to confirm or deny the function of the sight glass.

RinTin

more info/pics

i appreciate the responses and apologize for the delayed response on my part. the system is a one pipe and the boiler is a bryant gas 446-4 series A. the riser length is at least 50 feet and the pipe size is 1.5 on the return (where the main vents come off) and at least 3 where it comes out of the top of the boiler.



the water is filthy that comes out of the lwco for at least  several buckets. i tried to drain the boiler with the the two spouts on either side of the unit. one only drained with a trickle and the other didn't drain at all.



thank you,

rin tin

Charlie from wmass

The only way to drain boiler

is through those lower blue handle valves. As a professional I keep a bucket handy and remove and replace clogged valves. As it is very cold and I have no idea what your skill level is I can say a small wire or piece of solder can be poked into the throat of the open valve to clear it but be prepared for it to not close fully when you are done. as a stop gap you can make sure you have boiler drain caps on hand before you start.

RinTin

model number correction/ main vent antler

the model of the boiler is actually bryant 4-446 series A (had the dash in the wrong place). also, does anyone have a picture of the antler set up for the main vents and what size vent should i use? gorton 2?

crash2009

antler

http://www.heatinghelp.com/images/posts/4848/resize_MAINVENT_ANTLER.jpg

Steamhead

Measure

the length and diameter of each steam main and we'll tell you what you need to vent it properly.

RinTin

length and size of mains

one of the main runs is 10'4" of 3" pipe and then reduced to 1.5" pipe for 10.5' and the second main is 22' of 3" pipe and then reduced to 1.5" pipe for 14.5'



i was thinking of using gorton valves. is there such a thing as overventing?

nicholas bonham-carter

over-venting

just as you can "never be too thin, or too rich", there is no such thing as over-venting in my book!

however for several returns, the venting must be of similar capacity. i tried to achieve as low a back-pressure as i could, even though my system ended up with 18 gorton #2's on 6 dry returns!--nbc