Pressuretrol Question Again.

ROG

Hi guys I have steam heating system in my newly purchased multifamily home. This will be our first winter in here, we have 3 floors, 2 radiators in attic, 4 on 2nd floor and 6 on 1st floor "12 in total".

Before I turned the system on last month I drained it and refilled it up to the middle of sight glass.

The house gets hot pretty quickly but with loud hammering noise, water leaking from the air valves. Anyhow I ended up replacing most of the air valves.

Now recent problems I have:

one of the valve to the radiator broke apart (pic 1). Which is now replaced.

one radiator in living room on 1st floor has new #5 mist-o-mist on it and it still leaks water.

loud hammering is still there.
One of the Radiators in attic with #D mist-o-maid takes too long too get hot.

So after reading some of the posts here, I went back to the boiler and looked at the pressuretrol (pic2)

On this particular pressutrol What should the ideal setting be so that all the radiators heat up quickly including the ones in attiic and also cure other problems.

Thanks gor reading this long post and for help in advance.

Rog

KC_Jones

That pressure is WAY too high. The setting on the right side that is currently at 5 should be down as low as you can get it and the same with the setting on the left. Do you have main vents? If you do how many and what kind? That high pressure is certainly part of your water leaking problem. Keep in mind though to run correctly with low pressure you need adequate venting. The pressuretrol simply turns the burner off once a certain pressure is reached. If your venting is proper you should almost never have the pressuretrol turn the burner off. Also post some pictures of your boiler and near boiler piping, sometimes this can be a factor in some of the issues you are experiencing.

Robert O'Connor_12

I'd start by thoroughly cleaning the system (skim if unstable water line). Check near boiler piping and determine if to manufacturers specifications as per size of piping and distance from normal recognized water level. Correct piping if not in conformance to minimum heights and sizes. Check main venting to see if size appropriate and that they work. Insulate any piping and check and or correct pitch on piping and radiators.
Turn down the pressurtrol.

Fred

The Pressuretrol is set way too high. The Main should be set at about 1.5PSI (slightly below the "2" in the face plate and the Differential should be set at 1PSI so that cut-in is .5PSI and Cut-out is 1.5PSI. Your water hammer problems are most likely due to water setting in the radiators or the piping. Make sure all the radiators are pitched back towards the inlet valves (for 1 pipe system) and towards the outlet side for 2 pipe system. Also make sure all of you horizontal radiator pipe runs are pitched back towards the Main and the the pitch of the Main in the basement is properly pitched. Check for any sags in the piping that may allow water to sit in the pipe and correct those if you find a sag. Most of your valves probably leaked because of the high pressure. Normally the boiler should only gain a pressure of a few ounces and should only rarely (during really cold weather or recovering from a deep thermostat set-back) cause the Presuretrol to shut the boiler down on pressure. You must have good venting on the mains (the equalivilant of a Gorton #2 for every 20 feet of 2 inch Main). Make sure all of your radiator vents are functioning properly as well or they won't get steam.
Adjust the pressure first and add main vents, if needed, before doing anythin else to that 3rd floor radiator. It may need a small vent at the top of that riser too but I'd check the other things first.

ROG

As far as I remember there are no main vents.

There are two screws on top of pressuretrol. Are those the ones I will use to lower the pressure? What is the big screw in front of the glass?

The markings on Diff. start from 2 so how do I exactly set it below that?? Same for the main?

Fred

The big screw on the front just holds the plastic face plate on. Use the screws on the top. Just turn the screw till it is just below the "2" on the Main Dial. If you don't have any Main vents, the system won't treat you right and be effective at delivering an even distribution of steam until you add them. Follow your mains all the way down to where the very last radiator run is or to the point where they turn down and drop to the floor. There should be a vent there or a plug that indicates a vent was once there.