Quick question about Gorton #2s not making any noise

a2shutt

Hi, I just installed 4 Gorton 2s and 1 Gorton #1 on my steam mains a few days ago. I was down there today and the boiler was making steam...but the vents were making absolutely no noise. I tapped on the side of one and it make a little hissing noise for just a moment, but then it stopped.



I'm worried that these vents aren't working because I'm getting complaints about cold. I hadn't had anyone complain for a while, and then I installed these new vents...



Should I be able to hear these vents operate?

Jamie Hall

Well...

not in my experience.  In fact, it's hard to tell even that air is coming out, although if one can reach the vents one can sort of feel the air.  Sort of.  Of course the system I supervise is a little strange, in that it is a vapour/Hoffman system, and the only time the vents see steam is if the pressure gets too high and the differential loop trips... so I may not have a good view of things.



However, new vents shouldn't cause cold, unless they aren't venting at all.  And it would seem to me (I'm an optimist) that it would be unlikely for all four to be bad out of the box.  Can you feel along the steam mains (I presume these are at the ends of the mains?) to see how far the steam is -- or is not -- getting?

Long Beach Ed

Checking vents

If you wet the back of your hand or wrist and put it near the vent hole you may feel the venting air.  Or use a cigarette or lighter -- the air will deflect the flame. 



Or take the vent off and blow through it while it's right-side-up.



A properly sized vent in a well piped steam system shouldn't make any hissing air or steam noise. 



Many vents will "click" when they close to steam as they contain a sylphon that snaps closed when hit by steam.  The Gortons don't make this click because they use a bi-metal strip that when heated, slowly curls to a plug that blocks the vent opening. 

a2shutt

vents

I'm getting plenty of steam at the end of the main. I have a plug in the end of a tee in case I need to add more vents, so I pulled that and got a nice blast of steam.



How you both described it is exactly what I have...just a very, very slight air movement. I'm going to assume that everything is working properly, and try to approach the cold apartment issue from a different angle.



Thanks to both of you!