Stupid Convector Water Hammer Question

ChicagoCooperator

So in the midst of our latest arctic blast in Chicago, the temperature really dropped Sunday night from fairly mild temps. The heat took a while to catch up to the drop and while it did, I had a strange experience. In my bedroom, which is normally overheated (I don't even have storm windows its so warm), it got a bit chilly, so I opened the damper on the convector. Now keep in mind that I have Trane concealed convectors pretty much everywhere, with no valves, only traps, the intent was that the dampers control the room temperature (which they do when the damper fits snugly, which the bedroom damper now does). When I opened it up slightly, I seemed to be getting a gawd-awful water hammer from the convector which stopped when I closed the damper (since it's behind furniture and it was the middle of the night I wasn't about to start opening up the covers to see what was what). That seems strange to me since there is no valve and even if the air flow is low, steam is still entering the convector and condensing, albeit more slowly than if the damper was open, eventually draining into the return. I'm wondering if this was either a) coming from above, b) a freak occurrence or c) explosive expansion heating up from cold.

At some point I'll have to open the panel and check that the convector is pitched correctly, but as it has never happened before I was rather surprised by it.

Steamhead

Maybe the trap is going bad, and opening the damper produced more condensate than could get thru it........

ChicagoCooperator

Steamhead said:

Maybe the trap is going bad, and opening the damper produced more condensate than could get thru it........

Hmm, I hadn't thought of that, thanks. I wouldn't mind that trap being "failed shut".... Most of the time anyways.

bernieward

hi can you please let me know if this convector look right because one steam convector is straight and the other one is very slanted on a two pipe steam system noisy and feels like aslug of water under floors thks

Fred

Is it sloped towards the steam inlet? Looks to me like it is. Needs to be sloped a 1/2 inch or so towards the outlet pipe, otherwise it will hold water and bang and not heat properly (if at all).