help to properly hang steam main

lbeachmike

And now for my second set of known issues ... okay, I realize this section of pipe is copper and should be black pipe. But more immediately my concern is about the way this replacement copper section has been hung. Doesn't look so safe to me. Are perforated metallic straps the right way to do it? Or should I use clamps with hangers? Or is this polypropylene strap material any good?

https://www.amazon.com/Sioux-Chief-554-10PK2-10-Feet-Polypropylene/dp/B000H5P080/ref=sr_1_24?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1478478605&sr=1-24&keywords=pipe+strap

Thanks again for the help!

Fred

Get your self some clevis or swivel hangers and threaded rods and hang it right
http://www.supplyhouse.com/Clevis-Hangers-725000
http://www.supplyhouse.com/Swivel-Rings-13650000

BobC

Anything would be better than what you have now but I don't know how that poly will act with piping at 215 degrees. Steel clamps are the best, how is the steel pipe supported.

Bob

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Fred is right clevis hangers, or swivel hangers (we call em band hangers here) with 3/8" threaded rod and nuts. Use side beam hangers, F & M plates or Sammy's for wood to attach it to the floor joists

Hap_Hazzard

lbeachmike

Oh - I like it. It's so much nicer when things are done properly.

Currently everything else is hung with perforated steel straps. Are the steel straps sufficient for a while in the interest of making things safe quickly? After all, I ultimately want to have the copper replaced with black pipe as it should be.

BobC

Anything is better than what you have and the copper is lighter than steel pipe but do support the steel portion as correctly as you can. Straps will be fine for the copper portion until it gets changed.

Bob

Hap_Hazzard

Mine were hung with perf straps when I moved in, so that was either original or done when they removed the asbestos. When I removed them I could see that the screws and/or nails that held them up were partially worn through, so that's what you need to look out for, but it's not easy to see that until you take them apart.

Jamie Hall

Your wires look like the hangers for the exhaust on my truck...

While you are fiddling with hangers, though -- and the band hangers are much the best -- also check and make sure that the pipe is straight and pitched properly. No sags. No humps...

lbeachmike

Jamie Hall said:

Your wires look like the hangers for the exhaust on my truck...

While you are fiddling with hangers, though -- and the band hangers are much the best -- also check and make sure that the pipe is straight and pitched properly. No sags. No humps...

I'm not sure how to know if the pipe is pitched properly. I'm not sure if the entire layout of the approximate 80 feet of overall pipe is proper or not. I'm just beginning to learn the basics of steam systems. It's a bit overwhelming - it seems there is a lot to know.

Jamie Hall

There are guides for the amount of pitch (elevation difference end to end) which is required; it varies depending on pipe size and connected load. You can't go far wrong with an inch in 10 feet, and in many situations even as little as half an inch in 10 feet.

What is even more critical in that length of pipe, though, is to be sure that there are no humps or sags. This can be a little tricky to do, although if there are no serious obstacles the old tight string from end to end will work.

lbeachmike

Jamie Hall said:

There are guides for the amount of pitch (elevation difference end to end) which is required; it varies depending on pipe size and connected load. You can't go far wrong with an inch in 10 feet, and in many situations even as little as half an inch in 10 feet.

What is even more critical in that length of pipe, though, is to be sure that there are no humps or sags. This can be a little tricky to do, although if there are no serious obstacles the old tight string from end to end will work.

This will be tricky to figure out because most of the main is buried in a dropped ceiling. I'll also post some photos of the visible main. What is the impact of improper or non-ideal pitch?

BobC

Improper pitch can lead to water hammer and poor heating of radiators downstream from the pooled water.

Bob

Fred

@lbeachmike You should be able to look at that main and see it pitch downward from one end to the other. I can see it in your second picture. I'm sure you have had the boiler running at least once this year. Did you hear any hammering or banging along that main while it was running? If not, I'd say, for starters, strap the main right where it is while it is supported by that wire. If it were me, I'd still buy the clevis or swivel hangers and threaded rod/hardware and install it on the current main. All that hardware is reusable and, if you don't plan to change the route of the main, it will all be hung when you change out the copper for black iron.

Hap_Hazzard

These are a couple of tools I find useful for hanging/re-hanging/adjusting pipes.



I place the adjustable torpedo on a section whose pitch I know to be corrrect and adjust the gauge until the bubble is centered, then I can tell when the section I'm working on has equal or greater pitch.

The laser torpedo lets me shoot a beam parallel to the pipe it's attached to so I can measure its height from the floor or distance from the ceiling at various distances and calculate the pitch.

The type of hanger we're all recommending is fully adjustable. Make sure each hanger is snug up against the pipe so the pipe doesn't sag over time and the shackles don't rattle when the heat is on. You might be surprised at how much movement there is when the pipes are carrying steam, but they're carrying an energetic fluid, at high rates of speed, that has to go around corners, and changes volume and density very rapidly as it encounters different surfaces.