New steam heat owner - a few questions

mrdaniel

Hi everyone,

I am a new homeowner of a 100-year old house house with a steam system, and I've been reading Dan's books and this website to educate myself. I've found I have a few questions:



- There are multiple references in the book to the importance of clearing out the low-water cutoff weekly in the winter (and, I think but am not totally clear, that this also helps reduce the potential clogged wet return, for efficiency purposes). Our system doesn't seem to have a blowdown valve anywhere I can see and we don't have an electronic low-water cutoff, we have the one with the float. Is this normal? Given that this is something the book recommends doing weekly, do I need to figure out an alternative?



- There's multiple references to how the main air vents eventually need to be replaced to keep the system running efficiently (same for the radiator air vents). My question is, how do I know if they've reached that point? Our system seems to be running relatively smoothly in that it is quiet, but our heating bills do seem astronomical to us (however, we don't have a good point of reference, since we moved into a much larger space moving here.) Same goes for the radiator air vents. I can take the time to clean them all in vinegar as a preventative measure, but I just don't know what exactly is my cue that they've reached a point where they need cleaning/replacement. Given the prior history of homeownership, I doubt it's been done in a while, but, one never knows.



- I have been working on insulating the pipes and had a question about all the piping around the boiler. There are so many twists and turns around here that my plan had been to just wrap this section in fiberglass batting instead of using the clamshell insulation I've been using everywhere else. But then I've been reading on here that those first pipes are among the most important to insulate well, and that fiberglass wrap is significantly less effective than the clamshell... so I'm wondering what people do. I hardly have a section there that is more than a couple inches before there's an elbow or a T or a nipple or something. Is the recommendation to cut the clamshell to all those short pieces, etc?



Thanks so much in advance!

Daniel

nicholas bonham-carter

When to clean main vents?

This would be one use for a good low-pressure gauge, (0-3 psi). During the venting phase as the boiler is starting to make steam, and is pushing the air out of the way; the back-pressure of venting will show the resistance of the main venting. Add main vents until the pressure is as low as possible (2 ounces).

If the boiler is oversized for the radiation, the pressure may creep up to the cutout point of the pressuretrol, which should also be set as low as possible, (a vaporstat is better for this purpose).

In my experience, the lifespan of good quality Hoffman 40 radiator vents is very long, as long as the main venting is generous.--NBC

[Deleted User]

blowdown valve

I'm not an expert and hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if you have a float-type low water cutoff there should be a blowdown valve for it.  Could be a lever for a ball valve or crank for a gate valve?  Maybe post a few pics of that part of the system.

mrdaniel

replies

@GunnyJim - how embarassing! As I went to snap some pictures, I looked more carefully and I DO have an electronic low water cut-off. So perhaps that explains it. I looked at this before, but guess I got it wrong.



That said, shouldn't I still have some way to clear any clogging out of the wet return?



@nicholas - Thanks for your reply - though it's a bit too complex for my level of familiarity with the system. I guess I'm just looking for a way to assess whether or not I need to invest more in determining whether or not I should be cleaning/replacing my vents, since I don't know the history of maintenance on this property and know that these things are often neglected. Dan's book explains that this can be a source of improving efficiency, but I don't know how you know if you're at the point where you need it. I had the same question about the radiator vents. I've learned that replacing them can help, but how do I know whether or not it's time? Perhaps I am overthinking it? Perhaps I need some way of trying to figure out whether my energy use is about right for my building or not.

Double D

It must be a modern style boiler

Maybe it would still be a good idea to post pictures of the boiler and the piping around it. Stand back far enough to get everything in the picture from different angles. Also post pictures of the vents and their locations. Manufacturers that put probe type low water cutoffs on their boilers also gave suggestions on where to put blow down valves in the piping around the boiler. Posting pictures will give someone the ability to show you where they can be installed. The make and model number would also help.

[Deleted User]

Radiator vents

Short of having a flowmeter and a pressure-regulated air source, you can get a good feel for the radiator vents just by blowing through them.  If you can get a newish one, then you can compare that with the ones you're worried about.  If you can't blow through it or you can tell it is clearly letting less air through, you need to clean it or replace it (or maybe use it where you need a slow vent!).



My system is extremely low pressure.  When the steam starts pushing up in the cycle, I lick the inside of my hand and put it over the vent.  If I can sense the air from the vent, and the radiator gives off appropriate heat, that's all I need to know.