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Master Venting and Buried Steam Mains

I am working on number of buildings that have little or no existing master vents. I am sizing and specifying the master vents using the 'Venting Volume' method as described by Frank r. Gerety's book 'How to get the best from one pipe steam '. I am having an issue with the fact that some of the buildings only have partial basements meaning that some of the end of steam mains are buried. In these building with partial basements and buried end of steam mains, should I still be installing master vents at the end of steam mains that are exposed (i.e. not buried)? I am afraid that if I install master vents on some of the steam mains that are exposed and not on the buried mains that I will make heating imbalance in the building even worse. Does anyone have a thoughts or solutions to this problem?



Thanks.

Comments

  • MikeyB
    MikeyB Member Posts: 696
    Venting

    Could you vent the sections of the mains you can see, and then install vents on top of the risers that would take care of the rest of air that is in that section of the main that is not visable and the vertical riser/risers that branch off the end of that main? How did you get a copy of Franks book? I hear its a great book.
  • GleeSteam
    GleeSteam Member Posts: 2
    Buried Mains

    That is a good idea. However, I don't have but good handle on the number of risers that are served by these buried mains. Someone gave me an extract from the book that deals with master venting. Unfortunately, I don't actually have the whole book!
  • MikeyB
    MikeyB Member Posts: 696
    edited January 2013
    Venting mains

    Check out Gerry's and Steve's Venting Capacity Chart located in the "Shop" section on the top left then click on Steam Heating books , they give you all the info you need for sizing up Air Vents, good stuff
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
    Master-venting

    The risers could be drilled for big vents as they come out of the floor. If the building is tall, then additional main vents could be drilled into the tops of the risers. Make sure in that case that the radiator vents are slow and sure, like Hoffman 40's. That way the risers will fill with steam before the radiators start to fill for simultaneous steam arrival.--NBC
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