HeatTimer varivalve - wow!

Si_zim

I am a very light sleeper and have been trying to find a vent for the master bedroom which is very quiet. Boiler is set to 16oz cutout - seems to produce steam which only has a little moisture from what I can tell (will start another thread on that sometime)

Anyway- I've bought pretty much every vent out there and they all seemed to have issues.

Hoffman clanks, Gortons chirp and can hiss and MOM hiss.

I was reluctant to try the varivalve based on negative comments here but gave it a try last night (admittedly mild after recent vortex) and have been pleasantly surprised. No noise at all and so far no spitting or water issues.

Will keep you posted on this.

I have the vent only slightly open- trying to mimic a Gorton 5



PS: based on another recent thread I do wonder if my Gortons need a boil in vinegar despite being new. Maybe they come with some corrosion from testing and sitting and don't quite seal properly. The varivalve was shiny out of the box

Si_zim

Yeah - they spit. Other ideas...

All was going pretty well - the vent is nice and fast... and very quiet. But after a long set back there is some spitting towards the end. You were all correct on that front.

I guess if you dont have any setbacks it will be a very good vent. Probably swap back to Gortons to protect the carpet.



Back to the drawing board for me. I need the temp overnight to be about 65 for sleeping comfort - so right now I am just leaving it at that first thing in the morning so there is no hissing to wake us up. A bit chilly when getting out of bed but its worth it for better sleep.

Schedule something like this:

7pm: 70F (Return)

11pm: 65F (Sleep)

6am: 65F (Wake)

8am: 62F (Leave)



Any hissing can happen between 6pm and 7pm as it heats from 62F back up to 70F.

Still not sure if the setback is worth it... maybe leaving it at 65F all day is better.



On a separate note - I assume there are still millions of steam installations out there. Don't you think there would be a market for a single vent with the following few simple properties (maybe computer modeled or with the input of a fluid dynamics expert):

1. Does not hiss or chirp - closes quickly but quietly. Maybe with replaceable silicone o-ring, some airflow modelling to try to separate water from the mechanism etc

2. Does not spit... need some kind of float or other mechanism and a way to drain it well

3. Adjustable in place - like varivalve slider or MOM replaceable orifices

4. Body is removable and can fit to straight or angle adapter

I have a few other ideas from lying awake after a hissing vent woke me up.

Just lack time, expertise and equipment ;-)

With the current 3D printing boom you would think it would be easy to create a prototype body in ABS for a few tests. Anyone up for a challenge or forming a kickstarter?

Mark N

Vents

Don't blame the vents. I've lived in a steam heated house for 25 years. I had Heat timers for many years and never had any issues with them. They were replaced with Gortons when I had a new boiler installed 5 years ago. My vents have never made a sound. I never used a set back. The thermostat is set to 70 at the beginning of the heating system and stays there till spring. In 25 years I've never had hissing vents, spitting vents. gurgling vents, or banging pipes.

Si_zim

Need a setback

Cant sleep at 70F unfortunately... its too warm.

But yeah - the more I look at it setback is probably the root of most problems with hissing etc

Mark N

Happy Wife

I keep the heat at 70 for the wife and daughters. A happy wife is a happy life. I wear a shorts and tee shirt in the house all winter. Just find a temp you are comfortable with and leave the thermostat alone.

jumper

throw a blanket on radiator

If the issue is comfort rather than economy, cover the rad in bedroom.

ChrisJ

TRV

I maintain 71F all day and night but keep my bedroom between 65-67F using a TRV. Keep the door mostly or completely closed and let the TRV do its work.



Now my experience is different than Mark's. My Gortons do chirp slightly after the main vents close. Once steam hits the radiators they are quite. That is unless we see what is considered extreme lows in our area which is below 0. At -3.5F my Gorton's did hiss some near the end of the cycle which according to my 3 PSI Wika was only 2oz of pressure. I suspect the hissing was from the steam hitting the vents and closing them, and then them cooling and letting more air out, but not being fully open. It takes quite a while to squeeze all of the air out of a radiator especially at the end.



Personally I thought it was kind of cool to watch and hear and being the system practically never runs that hard I don't think it really matters.



In our house, when the Gorton's start chirping that cues the 2 cats and mini Chihuahua to all run to a radiator cause the heats coming. The chirping isn't loud, but is noticeable if you listen for it.