Near Boiler Piping??

Steamhead

Vent the short main

with a Gorton #1.



On the long main, does the "2nd split" leave the main toward the beginning, or the end?

BeerGuy

2nd split

This splits off at 18', so just under half way

Steamhead

OK

vent the main itself with a Gorton #2. Fire the system and see how the steam distributes- if the 9-foot spur is OK, no need to vent it. But if it's slow, vent it with a Hoffman #4A.

BeerGuy

Bigger problem on the 9' spur

Someone added, or changed out the old rads.  These 2 off the spur have inlets on the bottom and a standard valve, no orafice.  Will they still work if we change out the valve?  They don't heat well now.

210glen

Best thing you can do

Steam is cool, I love working on it and imaging the hard work that went along with it to install. The answer is clear, a hydro air system, now that old home with charm will have the benefits and comfort of a new home, Resale of home with Central A/C is a big Pius. I was at a 1890 home a few months ago that for years needed a new power plant "steam boiler", a year or so earlier on a service visit I advised  hydro air instead of replacing their steam boiler, well they took the advise and installed a hydro air system and both Mr. and  Mrs. are comfortable like they used to be in their prior newer home. The Mrs. cant believe this old house is still the same home, its better! They even left a few old steam radiators for nostalgia in the bigger living areas and, enjoyed removing them for extra room in smaller rooms " no more burnt leg on the toilet in one of their bathrooms was funny to here"         Steam is cool but,  not as cool as Central A/C and, zoning your home for efficiency.  Now you can run a System 2000 boiler and see that oil truck disappear. Now  having the charm of the old home is as comfortable as new. If you do stay with steam the Mega steam is the best choice like you decided, Their will be cycling your not used to with your V boiler due to the anti surge control, its part of the design. Not to worry you will get used to it. Good luck

Steamhead

Nope

if you want A/C, keep the steam and install mini-splits. That way you don't need bulky, obtrusive ductwork and all the cutting-up of the house to install it. Plus you don't have to think about ducts being a breeding ground for primordial life forms. 

Steamhead

The bottom supply connections

should work, and the vents don't belong there. Why they don't heat well remains to be seen, but whatever the problem it's fixable. 

BeerGuy

Did you hear that? It just clicked...

Got my copy of "The lost art..." yesterday and flipped right to chapter 15.  Here was my epiphany.  Please sense check for validity. 

It's all about the coal...  It was designed to run on constant heat.  The coal would heat the water up to 212 and steam would expand through the whole system forcing most of the air out through the trap in the return line.  The steam would condense in the radiators creating a slight vacuum.  This would close that strange looking trap on the return line and the water would boil at a lower temp, so it would still create steam.  This also explains the check valve at the end of the return, it was there to keep the condensate from flowing back up into the return line.



Now that it is oil fired there is no constant heat.  It cycles on and off.  The suggestions to vent the main and replace the trap on the return line are essentially turning the vapor/vacuum system into a straight up vapor.  By this I mean rush the steam to where it needs to go at as low a pressure as possible, but don't expect the modern vents to seal off and create a vacuum as they will just let the air back into the system.  This wouldn't work well with an oil fired burner anyway because it is not a constant source of heat and the intermittant fireing would leave some air in the system, which would expand to fill the space of the vacuum.



If this is right then there is probably no need for a check valve at the end of the condensate line. 



Does this make sense?

crash2009

Yea, it's all about the fuel

  All they had back then was coal.  The heat was turned on in the fall and stayed on all winter.  There was no "On Off" 20 times a day. 

Todays fuel is the main reason that we have to do everything we do.  All this extra piping near the boiler, generous amounts of main venting, pressure controllers, etc., have to be the way they are to allow for the difference in fuel between 1911 and now.  

Some, if not all of todays problems can be attributed to the difference in fuel as well.  Water hammer at the beginning of the cycle for example, in the coal days you would hear it once a year, or maybe a second time if you let the fire go out.  Back then, I would be inclined to let it go.  Today you hear it 20 times a day.  I understand it can be very annoying.

Glad to see that you have seen the light.  It takes most people years to figure out what you did, in an hour.