Wet Return Elevation

hvacfreak2

I am replacing my wet return piping today ( all of it ) . Right now it is slammed tight on the basement floor , is there any problem coming up a couple of inches and getting it into some loose split rings or something ? I believe there is 4 feet or so from any steam carrying pipe . I'd also like to get some 1 inch fiberglass on it just because I enjoy insulating. Thanks for reply's.

hvacfreak2

Ok , after reading chapter 3 again I'm going with a no.

The old piping is 1 1/4 throughout but the first half could drip at 3/4 and return at 1 inch . Is there any performance benefit to reducing size here ?

JUGHNE

If you are doing a new boiler have you considered the water level on the new verses the old?

Could you post pictures of the cross sections of the old wet return, just curious. From reading on the wall, this is an often ignored part of the system. The few I have opened were pretty bad.

Clean out/flushing tees or cross fittings would probably be a good idea for future maintenance.

hvacfreak2

I think the 396 is going to be real close to the V7 that it is replacing for waterline elevation.

It looks like the returns were replaced when the V7 went in. I probably should have looked at that before I bought materials. I'll sleep better with new returns and they are off of the floor and have clean outs now. I reduced the wet return on one side just to do something different , but piped to a full size tee in case things don't work out , lol.

Jamie Hall

The main thing is to make sure that all wet returns are well and truly below the water level in the boiler -- when it is operating. It is best to match the new water line to the old as closely as you can -- within an inch or two -- to avoid unexpected problems out in the far corners of the system.

As jughne said, there is no such thing as too many places to clean out the wet returns. Crosses and T's are great. So are drain valves. They are all cheap.

I don't really like insulating wet returns, as I feel that there is a risk that the insulation will hold dampness against the outside of the pipe and result in corrosion. So I don't do it. But that is my preference.

Dave0176

I'll add my 2 cents, what I do on all jobs that have wet returns is try to talk the HO into replacing it, because after 80 years its full of crap. I learned from experience just replace it, it's not that much more expensive.

When running the new wet return drip your steam main down, were the connection to the wet return goes run a tee up from the floor, below the tee run a 6" nipple with a cap to collect the sediment much like a gas line. If you'd like instead of the cap, use a reducer coupling and a 3/4 boiler drain to drain the sediment out once a year.

Steamhead

hvacfreak2 said:

I think the 396 is going to be real close to the V7 that it is replacing for waterline elevation.

I think I remember that V7.......

hvacfreak2

[quote]I think I remember that V7....... [/quote]



It never got a fair chance at life for sure , and the past 2 winters were enough to seal the deal on it. You got me 6 or 7 years or so that it wouldn't have had SH.

Steamhead

Thanks! Love to see pics of the MegaSteam.

hvacfreak2

Absolutely Brother Frank . I was stressing the cost of the 2 1/2 header , and I was in the shop the other day and looked over at an old rusty bin in the plumbers section. 2 1/2 by 2 tees , nipples galore , reducers , and a reducing ell. Work has been hectic so I'm not where I need to be on my boiler but I'm getting it all down there. I got the oil tank fixed today and most of the wet return rebuilt. Had some downtime fixing my 1 1/4 inch die that I had lent to a friend ( err!!! ). I don't turn pipe much anymore I'm going to be feeling it tomorrow.