Piping advice needed

garybr328

I have a 1905 home in NC with a two pipe steam system that I intend to keep alive as I kinda like it.  I am at a point of fixing a few leaks/replacing some pipe and insulating.  I bought the Lost Art of Steam Heating book and love it.  As I pour through it is appears I may have some major problems at the ends of the steam mains AND near the boiler. To me it looks like a system that has been junked up over the years.  The current boiler is a 2004 Weil McClain PEG 55.

The first thing I see is that the ends of the steam mains for the left side and right side of my house are joined together with a loop of sorts which Tees to a dry return back and finishes as a wet return with a check valve before entering the boiler.  The thing that doesn't seem right is that the return is pressuized with steam and each main is also piped UP to a thermostatic trap where the condensate drains to a different dry return for the radiators (the dry return is higher up than the steam main). Please see the attached picture.  To me it seems I need to break the loop joining the two mains and install a single F&T trap which then drains to the existing dry return OR I need to do the same by repiping the thermo traps so that they are not going into the dry return for the radiators that is ABOVE each steam main.

The second thing deals with near boiler piping.  The condensate return line on the Hartford loop returns condensate  ABOVE the normal water level for the boiler.  I also am questioning how what looks like the original F&T traps are piped.

I have attached drawings I developed of the steam side, the condensate side and piping near the boiler.  Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

JStar

Steam

Congratulations on having one of the best steam systems ever made! Glad to see that you are taking an active interest in repairing it. You will be very happy with the end results.



Those traps are called crossover traps. They allow air to move out of the steam mains and into the dry returns, where it will then be released through the air vents. Do not disrupt this arrangement.



The return has a Direct Return Trap. It is a device that was required for coal-fired systems, but they serve no purpose in a modern system. We usually keep them attached, though, for historical integrity.



It does look like you have a lot of near boiler problems, that should be fixed. This will ensure the prodcution of dry, efficient steam.



http://www.heatinghelp.com/files/articles/1337/320.pdf



Wander off the wall, and search for Webster in the site search bar. You can find some good info here.

garybr328

piping advice needed

Thanks for your help and fast reply Joe.  It makes sense on the air escaping.  What about the direct connection of each steam main to the dry return via the TEE as shown in the bottom of the picture?  That dry return heads directly back to the boiler with no other devices connected to it except for a check valve just prior to entering the boiler.  To me it appears is that dry return would basically be fully charged with live steam up to the point that the return becomes wet and it also would be placing the same PSIG on that return as the steam leaving the boiler.  Doesnt it need a trap as well?  Any thoughts? Thanks.........

Jamie Hall

That dry pipe

will be charged with steam.  However, as I read your diagram there don't appear to be any radiator returns attached to it, so there's no harm.  What it may do is get steam to the radiators a little faster and more evenly.  However... you will definitely want to insulate it.



The check valve on the wet return should not be needed; if it give you any trouble, get rid of it.



But... before you do, make sure that the pressure is correct.  This type of system needs very low pressure -- on the order of a few ounces (say 8 as a maximum), not pounds.  You will need a vapourstat to control the boiler, if you don't have one.