Stumper

will smith_4

I'm working on a system which I think was originally a Marsh design, 2-pipe vapor. It's been "tweaked" into being a combination 2 pipe <em>and</em> 1 pipe system, with some predictable water hammer issues. There is a component in the piping that I have never seen before-I'm thinking it's a type of return/differential trap, but I can't find it in any of my literature, so I'm really not sure.

Anybody seen this before?

will smith_4

whoops

Rotate image to the left...

Steamhead

That's a new one on me

is there a name on it? Do any of the system's original hardware- valves, traps etc- have names on them? How does it connect to the system?



I'm thinking it might be an old mercury-pot air seal, as used on the original Trane, Morgan and K.M.C. systems to form a vacuum. If it was a Morgan, the air went up a riser to the second story and back down to the mercury pot.



Where is it located?

moneypitfeeder

That's not "my" Marsh!

Hello, I have a 2 pipe Marsh vapor system with a 1 pipe rad  in the attic. That my friend doesn't look like the Marsh systems I have seen, but it's really intriguing! Can you get a photo of the bell end of it? And are there any discernible marking on it or are they covered by too much paint?Lastly can you provide a little info as to where this is piped into? Its hard to tell what we are looking at is it going from a really small main to a dry return, that has a silver air vent piped into it? Dee

will smith_4

Name that DooHickey

I couldn't find any stamping at all on that device, but it does look like it has been painted over a few dozen times. It's physically located at the end of two returns-if you look all the way up, you can see a main vent to the right, and a plug on the left. I don't know which is supposed to be there-I do know that when I cycle the boiler, I can hear condensate at this point just hanging out. I'm going to call my customer later this morning to see if I can go over and hit that thing with a wire wheel/grinder  to see if I can find some info on it.

I just hope that there aren't other doohickeys that used to be in the piping that have been removed because someone else didn't know what they were there for- and therefor didn't matter...

On the plus side, I've gotta say that having Steamhead stumped along with me me makes me feel a little better-I'll get more pics.

All the Best-

Will

JStar

My guess.

Return trap.



Where does that pipe with the vent go? To the boiler? Does it pick up any other piping?

Steamhead

Wouldn't be the first time

that's what I like about this business- we're always finding something we haven't seen before.



What part of the country is this system located in?

will smith_4

Stumper

We're in the suburbs of Chicago with this system. The line with the main vent drops right into the wet return.

The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)

With that system.....

I'd expect your either up north on the coast, over in Oak Park, South In Blue Island, or way out along the Fox River.   Not too many burbs old enough to have a system like that.

Steamhead

And

you've just found the one you want to look at it- Boilerpro!

will smith_4

I'm guessing you're from around here

The house is in River Forest. We're heading back out next week to go through the system as a whole-there are water hammer issues in various areas of the home. We can already see some obvious problems- some radiators have been re-piped in copper tubing with clearly visible sags for example. There are also 1-pipe rads out there,(in addition to the 2-pipe with traps) so I'm really curious as to the original type of system this was. I've been wondering if it might have been a 2-pipe with air vents that has been "upgraded" at some point with traps.

Thanks for your thoughts on this one folks!

Steamhead

Those merc pots were also used

on one-pipe systems with air-lines- think Paul system without the ejector. Check out chapter 15 of Lost Art- they're in there.