Unusual piping

JStar

I've never seen this before. Every radiator is installed off of a cross tee that ties into the dry return. My first reaction is that the steam will fill the return at the same time as the main, and possibly disturb the distribution balance. The house was built 1927. Any info on this arrangement? We're scheduled to fix some near boiler and venting issues next week. I'll take notes on which way the steam travels.

DanHolohan

That's a new one on me.

Have you seen beneath the insulation?



Steam: endlessly fascinating!

Rod

Knuckleheading is Genetic?

It sounds like you may have found positive proof that "knuckleheading" is genetic and passed down from generation to generation!

JStar

Steam

I did not rip any insulation apart, but may do so when we go back next week. There are also a few risers where the Cross is capped off on the bottom, and another unusal pipe on the dry return. I'll snap some more photos later.

DanHolohan

Thanks.

This one is fascinating. 

JStar

Update

Most of the radiators really are connected between the supply and return through cross tees. It appears to cause no distinguishable system issue. The returns never got hot until the mains were hot. All radiators heating at the same time.

Rod

Interesting!

Thanks for sharing this us. Strange!... Are the tees connecting the main to the return pitched so that the condensate runs off into the return?  I'm wondering if this was thought of as a sort of an individual drip line per radiator setup(?) It sounds sort of like a parallel  /counterflow main combined!  Where are the mains vents located?

- Rod