Two Pipe Steam Piping Boiler Overfilling

[Deleted User]

We are working on a two pipe system that another contractor installed, the boiler floods during warmer weather which is the problem we are trying to correct.  The steam piping comes off the top of the boiler and wraps around the basement in two loops and ties back into the boiler, no traps.These two loops have air vents at the ends.

Each radiator has a trap that is piped into a separate pipe that runs along each loop and feeds back into the same return line in the boiler room. Someone posted that this line should not have an air vent. Is that correct, I believe there is a problem with the condensate returning as the condensate line never got very warm during operation.

Jamie Hall

Nothing fundamentally wrong

with that piping, at least that I can see from the diagram -- except on thing.  You basically have two mains, each with a vent at the end, and a dry return system.  Usually the two mains would drop below the water line before they hooked together, but that's not really a big deal.  The way you have drawn it, however, it appears that the dry return is connected to a drop at or right near the boiler to the "steam main out".  The end going down to the Hartford loop is fine.  The end going up to the "steam main out" isn't.  I hope this isn't true; if it is, it is very very wrong and the system will perform poorly.



The boiler overfilling probably is not connected with something about the piping, though.  Which is not to say that your shouldn't check all the pitches to make sure that the pipes drain back to the boiler with no sags or low spots!  There are a lot of other possibilities.



The dry returns shouldn't get hot anyway; the fact that they don't just suggests that, for a wonder, the radiator traps are working properly (assuming the radiators work at all) -- at least they aren't failed open!



Since you are actively working on the system, I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy of "The Lost Art of Steam Heating", available from the "Shop" tab above.  It has a lot of good information.

kevin_58

boiler overfilling

I see a problem, They tied the steam return and the condesate return above the water line they should be tied in below the water line.

[Deleted User]

Thanks

Thanks for the feed back, most all of our steam work is commerical/ industrial work the residential is a lot different. I have a copy of the Lost Art that I reference, I gave my first one away to an apprentice. Some times I post problems and get help from more experienced people. I found the piping type in the book but completely missed the tie in location.

Thanks again

[Deleted User]

Thanks

Thanks for the feed back, most all of our steam work is commerical/ industrial work the residential is a lot different. I have a copy of the Lost Art that I reference, I gave my first one away to an apprentice. Some times I post problems and get help from more experienced people. I found the piping type in the book but completely missed the tie in location.

Thanks again

[Deleted User]

Thanks Kevin

Thanks Kevim