Main vents on two pipe radiator?

Jeffrs

Hello all. Thanks for all the help to previous posts had made before. I am preparing to order main vents for my system but wanted to ask this question first. I have one pipe throughout the house, except in my kitchen has 2 pipe radiator. There is a vent on the radiator but doesn't appear to have a trap. This radiator is usually the last to heat, most of the time it doesn't get hot all the way across it unless coming up from a large set back.

The radiator is on its own main and it is the longest run at 29ft with a long return from the radiator running back to boiler.

So what is the proper solution to this radiator?

Should I:

1. Just leave it the way it is and add a couple main vents to the main?

2. Remove the return, pitch the main the correct way and make it into a one pipe radiator and then add my main vents?

Or

3. Add a trap no main vent on this line and put mains on the other 1 pipe parts of the system?

Or

Do you guys have another option that you would think works best?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks you guys tons.

nicholas bonham-carter

Open vent test

Try firing the boiler from cold with the radiator vent removed, and time the arrival of steam. Be ready to shut off the boiler when steam arrives. If it is quick to get steam, then you could put on a gorton d and try timing it again.how is the main venting? Make sure there are slow vents on the other radiators, and fast ones on the mains.--NBC

Jeffrs

No main vents

There are no main vents. I'm looking to install them and I want to know if I should be installing a main vent on this run since the radiator on the run uses 2 pipe instead of one. There's currently a Gorton D on this radiator, but there's D's and C's all over the house. I think this was the previous owners band aid to no main vents.

My plan is to install main vents on the mains and replace the vents on the radiators based on their size, not location and not try to vent the whole system thru the radiators like the previous owner to the house did.

So basically can I? Or should I put a main vent on the above said main even though that goes to a 2 pipe radiator?

Thank you again for all the help.

Mark N

Main Vents

Add the main vents as soon as you can. Do you have to modify the piping to add them? The system won't heat fast or balance properly without them. As for the kitchen rad. Does the main that serves this rad come right off the header? Or does it branch off one of the other mains? How does the return from the kitchen rad tie into the return? Does it tie into a wet return or the overhead dry return? If it ties into the overhead dry return did they use a loop seal or tie directly into it?

Rod

How is the Return Line Configured?

Hi - This is where having Dan’s book “The Lost Art of Steam Heating” http://www.heatinghelp.com/products/Steam-Heating-Books/25/68/Lost-Art-Of-Steam-Heating comes in handy as we could then reference the page numbers which would explain your options on two pipe radiator. Two pipe radiators don’t necessarily have to have thermostatic traps, they either need their own individual return line leading directly to the wet return or if connected to a common dry return some sort of device, trap, loop seal, or orifice to prevent steam from entering the common dry return.  The question is how is the present return line from this radiator run? Is it an individual return or does it connect to a common dry return line?

     As for the main vents-  All steam mains (and long radiator laterals)  will benefit from having main vents installed.

- Rod

Jeffrs

It does return to the wet loop

The main comes off the header, makes a run towards the kitchen radiator. About half way down the main is a tee off to a one pipe radiator in the bathroom adjacent to the kitchen. The return makes a complete run back to the wet loop at the boiler and it is on its own return. So from what your saying, it sounds like its setup as it should be. So I should install main vents on this section correct?

Rod

Pitch

The steam main going to the 2 pipe radiator, which way is it sloped - towards the radiator or towards the boiler?

- Rod

Jeffrs

Sloped back to the boiler

It slopes downward back to the boiler.

Rod

Main Vent

Hi- Okay, I just wanted to determine how the condensate from the midway radiator got back to the boiler. I would put a main vent close to the end of the main as this would benefit both the radiators on this main. Keep the radiator vent on the 2 pipe radiator as you need a means for the air to escape that radiator. If after you have installed the new main vent the steam distribution between the two radiators is uneven, try using radiator vents with a smaller orifice.

- Rod

Jeffrs

Thank you!

Awesome thank you for all the help. I will be ordering main vents this week.