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Main vent leak?

sobriquet
sobriquet Member Posts: 50
in Strictly Steam
Hello, over the summer I installed 4 gorton #2 main vents, 2 on the ends of each main pipe in the house, as was the suggestion of this forum. The mains were previously unvented. Yesterday I turned my heat on for the first time and all radiators heated up quickly and quietly. Today I turn the heat on and I hear a constant hissing from the basement, I go downstairs and it seems 2 vents on one of the mains is leaking. Constantly blowing out steam, the other 2 vents are silent. Are these defective? Is there something that would make 2 brand new vents leak on their second day of use?

Comments

  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,880
    One possibility is a piece of dirt got in there causing it not to seal. It isn't uncommon for a vent to be faulty either. It's been mentioned recently that some people are experiencing failed vents right out of the box. I would first check to see if it got some dirt in it. If that isn't it then I would guess it is bad. I had a #1 vent do this and mine turned out to be some dirt.
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
  • sobriquet
    sobriquet Member Posts: 50
    Is there a way to check or clean the vent? Take it off, shake it around, run water through it?
  • vr608
    vr608 Member Posts: 144
    I've heard boiling it in vinegar usually does the trick.
    Peerless 63-03, 118,000 BTU (308 sqft), single-pipe steam system connected to 286 EDR of radiation, 30ft of baseboard and indirect DHW
    3PSI gauge
  • Abracadabra
    Abracadabra Member Posts: 1,949
    I have unfortunately run into a higher than normal "failure" rate on Gorton #2s lately. Supplier will take them back when they are stuck closed or don't shut completely.
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    I have Hoffman 75's on my system and last year I replaced four of them with new ones. Two of the four ran fine for about a month and then started sticking open. I tried to clean them but they would only work a couple weeks and the issue would start up again. I replaced them and so far, so good. I think the quality assurance at most of these suppliers continues to deteriorate.

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