is am improperly pitched wet return actually a system upgrade?

matthew_rogers

I have recently fixed the wet return lines to my 27yr old steam boiler.
they pitched the wrong way and were sub-slab in the basement and rotten right through
the sludge was incredible in all these pipes.
the system was never maintained or weekly "blow-down'd"
the boiler itself is remarkably clean
i assume this is so because the sludge did not pitch into the boiler

my new wet return pipes introduce sludge drains at these lowpoints

is this a way to protect our boilers over the years?

SWEI

Keep your system tight in order to minimize makeup water consumption and make sure the chemistry (specifically pH and chlorides) of the water stays within bounds.

Jamie Hall

The pitch of wet returns is irrelevant, provided that they are wet. Having a drain at all low points, however, is a very very good idea indeed.