Richardson Vapor

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Just Read Dan;s "We Got Steam'. very helpful. I have a 1920 Richardson Vapor system with a WM boiler change about 10 yrs ago. No vaporstat. Runs ok,ut with occasional hammer on two rsds at startup. Would the addition of a vaporstat be worthwhile to have a vaporstat installed to maybe eliminate the hammer?

Fred

I'm sure the Pro's are going to tell you that low pressure (in the ounces) is always best for vapor systems and to achieve that, you probably should install a Vaporstat.
Check the pitch on those two radiators and make sure they are slightly pitched towards the outlet pipe. They may be holding some water.

Jamie Hall

Also check the pitch of the pipes going to those two radiators -- things have been known to sag.

And yes, though I'm not a pro I will tell you that you need a vapourstat, because for best results that system needs to run at no more than about 12 ounces -- and a pressuretrol just can't do that. Not that more pressure (within reason) will hurt it, but it won't add any more heat to the building, so every gallon of fuel you burn while the pressure is over that is just wasted fuel (and money).