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I need to reduce the size of the existing 2" iron pipe heat mains in a basement to 1".

What are the effects of doing this?

Rod

Sizing a Pipe

Hi- What sort of system, Steam or Hot Water, is this and what part of the system is the pipe located?

Jamie Hall

Rod's question

is more than relevant -- it's critical. 



If this is a steam system, it is unlikely (to say the least) that you can do it at all. 



If this is hot water, you may or may not be able to, depending on -- as he says -- where in the system you are doing this.  What will happen is that the head loss in the pipes will increase -- by a factor of roughly four.  Depending on exactly how the system is piped, this could result in a loss of circulation in some of the loops.  In any event, you'll want to recheckt the pumps and flow rates.

icesailor

Square Pipes:

I was taught, "Pipes increase as do their squares" That means it takes 4-1" pipes to equal the capacity of a 2" pipe.

Whomever installed the 2" pipe in the first place would have gladly used 1" pipe if he could. 2" pipe is a lot harder to thread than 1.