slow moving steam and trust issues

jdp

I am at a loss right now. I have a one pipe steam system with two main vent pipes. One line heats up really slowly. I added a gorton #2 valve to both mains but there was no improvement with the slow line. I've had two different companies out to check my issue; one robbed me and the other suggested that the piping near the boiler may not meet the manufacturer's specs and will be a costly repair. Don't know who to trust with my system. If the piping near the boiler is really incorrect, is there a work around? Should I increase the venting capacity on the slow line? Is there anything else I should be looking at? Any help would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks.

[Deleted User]

Check vents

I don't know how common it is, but one of two Gorton #2's I ordered was completely and permanently closed, so just like a plug instead of a vent.  I would remove it when cool and try blowing through it while in the vertical position.  It should offer virtually no resistance, like blowing through a 1/4" pipe.  You can also try reversing the vents to see if that has any effect.

Other than that, the guys that know what they're doing may want to know the length and pipe diameters of the two mains.  And you may want to post photos of your boiler and near-boiler piping so they can evaluate that.

Pumpguy

We can't

really say anything about the piping until we see what it looks like.  Please post pictures, the more the better.  Try to move back and show as much detail as possible.  

jdp

follow up pics

Below are some pics of the boiler and the main vents. I have a Utica boiler model PEG187CDE. Other than the slow moving steam in one of the mains, there are no other known issues. The system is pretty quiet; no water hammer. The latest heating guy says the pipes' pitch look ok. There are no blatant issues other than the possible suspect piping near boiler. I did the piping for the values; not sure if it's correct. The silver valves were on the mains originally; I added them to the slow steam pipe in addition to the Gorton. Not sure what you need to see so let me know if additional pics are needed.



Thanks.

jdp

the values are ok

I checked the valves and can easily blow in them.

BobC

Whats the difference

between the two mains?



How long is each one and what size pipe?



How many radiators feed off each main?



What kind of air vents are on the radiators and are they the same type on the radiators on each main?



Check each main with a level to make sure they are pitched the same and then stretch some string along each one to see if there is a dip in one main. Check the radiators to be sure they have some pitch towards the steam supply pipe. Also make sure any horizontal radiator runouts have good pitch.



Also make sure that all returns don't tie together till they are below the waterline of the boiler.



In general you want to vent the mains fast and the radiators slowly, that way steam should get to all the radiators at about the same time. Try timing the steam travel on each main to see if it just seems to die at a particular point.



The boiler is piped wrong and should be fixed at some point but lets see if we can detect a difference between the two mains first. Once we know whats diffent we can suggest a cure for the uneven heating.



Bob

EBEBRATT-Ed

Piping

BOB C is correct the boiler is piped wrong...but I have seen worse....should be fixed at some point.. how is the boiler water line when it is steaming? Steady with a slight bounce or violently bouncing?

You could shut the boiler off and pull a vent off then start the boiler see if that slow main heats then....don't get burnt!!

Another possibility is that the slow main has more radiation attached to it....more load.

jdp

more info

How long is each one and what size pipe?

On the slow moving line, the pipe leading to the main is 2in and about 6ft. The fast line is 1 1/4 in and about 12 ft.



How many radiators feed off each main?

On the slow line, there are 7 radiators. On the faster line, there are 8 radiators. The slow line feeds the first floor radiators and the fast line feeds the second and third floors.



I did notice on the boiler that the side that feeds the slow main gets heated slower than the fast main and just takes much longer to get moving. Other than getting the piping corrected, are there other steps that can be taken?



I found the manufacturer's piping schematic for my boiler and it's pretty different from how my boiler is piped; pics below. The pipe on the right is the feeds the slow main.



Still working on checking the mains with a level; i think I need a bigger one.



Thanks for the help.

jdp

more info

--how is the boiler water line when it is steaming? Steady with a slight bounce or violently bouncing?



There is a lot of bounce when it gets going.



--You could shut the boiler off and pull a vent off then start the boiler see if that slow main heats then....don't get burnt!!

I tried this and it didn't make much difference in the how quickly the slow line got heated.



--Another possibility is that the slow main has more radiation attached to it....more load.

The slow line has 7 radiators and the quick line has 8 radiators.



Thanks for the help.

nicholas bonham-carter

A question of slope

It looks like the bigger, slower main is not the same pitch as the smaller one. A magnetic level would be fine for checking the pitch. It helps to put arrows on the pipe with a sharpie showing the direction water will flow from the slope. On one of my dry returns, I had arrows pointing at each other, and I knew I had a problem, and where it was.

You are lucky that, the pipes are bare, making it easier to check them. When you have found and fixed the problem area, put some insulation on-even 2 in fiberglass bats are better than nothing.--NBC