One pipe steam system at 8psi

SirLoin027

Hello everyone. I've been in this house for a couple of years now and I never had any problems with the heating system. Radiators heat up fine, and aside from some hissing here and there, everything seemed great.

Then I started poking around on this forum and bought We Got Steam Heat by Dan Holohan and figured it'd be a good idea to get better acquainted with my heating system. That's when I realized that steam systems are supposed to be operating at less than 2psi, well mine goes up to 8.

I'd like to get this addressed but I'm not sure exactly what would be causing it in the first place. I'm assuming that the pressuretrol is either malfunctioning, or some service guy fiddled with it in the past. Also, I did some research on how important it is to have a good main vent(s). I have about 72ft of main pipe and it all goes to one VentRite #35. I'm suspecting that I may need something a bit more heavy duty. I saw the antlers that people have been making, and that's probably a good move, but how many vents would I need? I was leaning toward Gorton #2s because I've seen good things about them on here.

So, in short, what's causing the high psi, and how should I fix it?

A few pics of the setup:
http://imgur.com/a/4mcGn

lchmb

your pressuretrol looks to be set low which is good. I would shut off the power, pull the power leads from it, run a wire down through the pigtail and blow through it to clear it.

Fred

You need to turn the boiler off and take the Pressuretrol off of the pigtal (looped pipe) and make sure that pigtail is not clogged with gunk. They should be cleaned out every year. If, after you take the Pressuretrol off, you can blow into the pigtail, it's open. If you can't take the pigtail off and use a wire to get it opened up and then wash it out well.
For 72 ft. of steam main, if the tapping that the Ventrite is 3/4", I would install two Barnes and Jones Bigmouth vents. They have double the venting capacity of the Gorton #2, are built to last a life time and cost less than the Gorton #2's. You can purchase them from the store here on HeatingHelp.

New England SteamWorks

Also, though I hate to rain on your parade, you should be preparing for a boiler replacement sooner, rather than later. That Burnham you have is notorious for block corrosion. Where are you located and what's the chloride level in your water?

SirLoin027

I took your advice and cleaned the pigtail out. It was totally blocked. That should solve that problem, and I'm going to look at the Barnes and Jones vents.

@RI_SteamWorks I live in eastern CT. Not sure what the chlorine level is, but I have city water if that helps.

New England SteamWorks

Not chlorine, but chloride. Look up your town's water report. It's public info. Report back with the level.

SirLoin027

Assuming I'm reading this right, there are 2 reservoirs that we're getting our water from.

One has 19ppm with a range of 13-27
The other is 18ppm with a range of 14-22
It also says SMCL 250, not sure what that means.

Fred

At least we got the pressure issue resolved!

SirLoin027

Yup, and I ordered the vents! What should the pressuretrol be set at for cut in and differential?

Fred

If it's the gray box, the scale on the front (Cut-in) should be set at .5 PSI and the white wheel inside the box should be set at "1" facing the front of the box. If it is the subtractive Pressuretrol (clear plastic front) Set the "Main" to 1.5 PSI and the Differential to "1". That will give you a Cut-in of .5 PSI and a Cut-out of 1.5 PSI

New England SteamWorks

Chlorides not awful. But with that boiler I would still worry. Do you have any type of automatic water feeder?

SirLoin027

I do have an automatic water feeder, but it has a tendency to flood the boiler (possible slow leak?), so I leave the main valve off and add water manually as needed.

How much money should I sock away for when this one finally goes?

EzzyT

We don't discuss pricing here

Ironman

We're not allowed to discuss pricing, but look at getting a Burnham MegaSteam for a replacement. There's nothing close to it in comparison.

The contractor is far more important than the equipment. Hang around here and learn as much as you can absorb. Then, you'll be better equipped at choosing a good steam contractor.

SirLoin027

@Ironman Thanks for the reply about the MegaSteam. I understand why talk about pricing is discouraged on here, so a quick Google search told me what I need to know.