Circulator pump noisy and relief valves purging

effluvium9

Hi,

I have a single pipe steam system in a two story house in New Jersey. There is an indirect fired water heater with a circulator pump in between. Everything's been ok* for two years since I bought the house, but this winter the circulator pump started to get noisy when it kicks in and the relief valves are leaking occasionally. Any ideas what the problem might be?

*by OK, I mean tolerable. In the summer I have to close the radiator valves throughout the house to prevent the radiators from heating up as the hot water is still being heated (I know this is wrong). This mostly works except for a few radiator pipes get hot due to leaks in the radiator valves. In the winter, the sunroom in the back furthest from the boiler doesn't heat up too well, likely due to an ancient clogged main vent (vacuum) that I'm too scared to replace myself. There's one large radiator in the entryway that never heats, but so far thats not an issue since its in the common area of my two family, not living space. These are things I'd eventually like to fix, but haven't found anyone in my area (Jersey City, NJ) that I trust around a single pipe steam system. I read Dan Holohan's book, Greening Steam, and when I talk to plumbers who give me blank stares when I say "main vent" I don't trust them.

KC_Jones

If you are looking for a good steam contractor in NJ contact either @Dave0176 or @EzzyT below is a link to Dave's information. Both are very good with steam and should be able to help you.

https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/dl-mechanical-llc

EzzyT

@effluvium9 You can send me a private message