gorton#1&2 vents backwards? or not!

johnnyh13

why does #2 valve which is bigger have a 1/2 opening and #1 have a 3/4 opening which is smaller? I have on my main long run 3/4 female opening on elbow and 1/2 inch on short run which has a nipple so #1 vent can fit. long run has no nipple goes directly into elbow with 3/4 #1. I want to put all pipes with the #2s. do I need that extendtion? why isn't there a 3/4 #2 it seems reversed! did i confuse everyone?

Steamhead

The #2 was originally designed for Gorton's Vapor system, so it might have been 1/2" to thread into some other part of the system.

How long are your steam mains, and what pipe size?

johnnyh13

i knew would confuse people my point is why is the #2 only come in 1/2 ? & the #1 which lets out less air is a 3/4 male fitting? in my house long run has a 3/4 hole with a #1! and my short run has a 1/2 hole used with a short pipe to the inside of #1.shouldnt the bigger#2 air valve come in 3/4?

KC_Jones

The size of the threads has nothing to do with capacity. Steamhead probably has the most logical answer. As far as venting capacity, 1/8" pipe has enough capacity to support a Gorton #2 vent so even the 1/2" size is more than adequate to support the vent.

johnnyh13

so why does my long run 3/4 wont fit a #2 but short run does? why make #1 3/4 its backwards! any explanation?

KC_Jones

I am a bit confused by what you are trying to understand. The threads have nothing to do with the vents function. You DON'T use the threads to size the vents to your system. You size the vent by the amount of venting you need (length and size of mains). If you are sizing vents by their threads you are doing it incorrectly. If you need a different size you need to use fittings and adapters to make it work. On my system the vent tapping is 1" so I had to reduce that down for the vents I used. If you need more than that I suggest you call Gorton, because I don't think anyone can tell you more than that.

Mark N

Buy a 3/4" to 1/2" bushing and thread the Gorton #2 in to that. Also if you look in the steam section in the Heating Museum here on Heatinghelp.com there is a PDF of a Gorton catalog from 1926. The main vent shown in that catalog is a 3/8" connection, and its the only main vent in that catalog.

Steamhead

The #2 was originally designed to work as the only vent in Gorton's early-20th-century Vapor system. I can't swear to this, but it may have 1/2" threads because the device it was meant to be installed on had that size threads. I do know that both Dunham and Webster used 1/2" threads on their air traps for the vacuum checks that you could use with them, so maybe 1/2" was an unofficial standard. OTOH, later Trane Vapor systems used vents with 3/4" male threads.

Regardless, a 3/4"x1/2" reducing bushing or coupling will adapt the #2 quite well. That's why I always carry a bunch of these on the truck, along with enough #2 (and other model) vents so I can handle pretty much anything that comes up.

Danny Scully

There actually was no device on the gorton 1-pipe vapor system (that the # 2 screwed into), and the original # 2 was 3/8". But again, a bushing/coupling would work fine.

johnnyh13

my only point was gorton #2 valve is 1/2 inch which should let out more air and #1 is 3/4 which is less air.im not expert but I would think that a bigger hole would let out air faster. my long steam run has a 3/4 fitting and short has 1/2 inch so it would seem that valves should be made opposite thread size

johnnyh13

my only point was gorton #2 valve is 1/2 inch which should let out more air and #1 is 3/4 which is less air.im not expert but I would think that a bigger hole would let out air faster. my long steam run has a 3/4 fitting and short has 1/2 inch so it would seem that valves should be made opposite thread size