No Main Venting

Annie

Our one-pipe steam system does not have main pipe vents?  Does this raise my operating costs?  I have a 4 family house.  How much does it cost to install a main vent and is it easy enough for my husband to do?  What type of vent should I be looking for?

nicholas bonham-carter

are main vents needed

yes!!! there is no good reason to pay your fuel company to squeeze the air out of the little radiator vents.

the place to start is looking for where they would have been installed originally. depending on how they were removed, they would be from easy to reinstall to difficult for professionals only. take some pictures of their original location, and we can better advise

another thing which can be done by the homeowner is supply pipe insulation. are yours insulated?.--nbc

Annie

Main Venting

Yes pipes are insulated and most are enclosed in soffit.  There are some exposed areas but have never seen area where they would have been originally.  My husband is a handyman by trade and is really able with plumbing.  Can you provide some pointers and some sizing requirements for valves?  Thank you!

nicholas bonham-carter

vent selection

the most popular main vent is the gorton #2. i don't know whether your main splits before it returns as the dry return near the boiler, but if so, you would need 1 vent for each.

the gorton website has good diagrams. if you show us pictures of the vent location, we can give better advice, for him.--nbc

Steve_175

Main Sizes

Can you measure how long each main is and it's diameter. With that info we can tell you how many vents on each main you will need.

Also if you have a riser that goes up thru the house you may need a vent at the top of that riser but it depends on the layout of your piping.

Gill has a good explanation here.



http://www.gwgillplumbingandheating.com/webapp/GetPage?pid=415

Annie

Pics of Main Vent

Brought in a plumber today and he told me my main is pitched wrong.  I wasn't expecting that one!  Nonetheless, he says he cannot guarantee that putting vents on the main will help the situation because of the pitch of the main pipe.  Strange since I don't have banging or gurgling issues. 

Charge for adding vent - $700-$800 - he says he'd need to cut pipe.  One cannot tap into pipe?  Although they are very old pipes.  So maybe this is why.

Your input is greatly appreciated.

Jamie Hall

please see also...

Annie, please see also my reply to your other thread.  As to whether or not one can tap into the pipe, well... that's a difficult question.  Sometimes you can, sometimes not.  It depends a lot on the particular situation, and without looking at it I can't comment on it.

Annie

Thank you!

Thanks for your input.