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Name this main vent!

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barnic
barnic Member Posts: 16
in THE MAIN WALL
My wife and I bought a house this year that was built in 1869 and it has a single pipe steam system. Trying to test a few things to see why one upstairs radiator is not getting warm quickly. It already has a new radiator vent (due to damage when we were moving the radiator around to refinish the floors). Can anyone name this main vent and what its venting rate is? I'm guessing I should be able to feel air coming from it during boiler startup?



Also, separate question. I am assuming if the shell of the radiator vent is loose that steam will come out of the separated shell/fitting interface even if the float closes? Want to know if I need to replace a few more radiator vents before the system is running hard in the winter (most of the radiators don't heat up completely now before the thermostat kicks off but would like the radiator vents to seal when steam does eventually get to the vent on the cold days). Thanks -Barry

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  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,062
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    A safe bet is that if it works it is too small.
    When your house steam system was installed it most likely burned coal. Vents were not as critical with a constant burning fire.
    Today with on/off gas or oil burners you have to vent air quickly with each start up of the burner. You want to vent the steam main piping quickly (typically in the basement).

    Are there any more vents in the basement or plugs where some may have been?
  • barnic
    barnic Member Posts: 16
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    The vent shown is at the end of the main (beginning of the dry return) for the south/front side of the house. There is a #4 Hoffman quick vent on the end of the dry return for the rear side of the house. I plan on trying to get that one off but need a bit more leverage and probably some heat. I saw on these forums that Hoffman #4 quick has a pretty low vent rate. Its much lower than the gorton D that is attached to a small upstairs radiator that gets hot pretty quickly. I need to remove that one too and replace with a hoffman 1A. There are no other main vents that I can see.
    Any thoughts on the possible broken radiator vent question? Thanks
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
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    If that radiator vent housing is actually loose as a result of being bumped/hit during your move in, replace it. It will likely leak when steam hits it.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,849
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    That's an old Warco vent. And yes, it's probably too small
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • barnic
    barnic Member Posts: 16
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    OK. Thanks Jughne, Fred and Steamhead.

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