Steam issues. I need help please

alextauber

Hi. Where do I start. Bought my home a year ago and have a bunch of issues. I have steam heat. Well McLean boiler that branches of to 2 pipes. 2.5" piping main. It's set to cut out 1.5 and in at .5. I changed all the vents with Home Depot vents and pitched them. All work ok. There is 1 main vent on the end of 30 foot pipe in the basement seiling. That vent if a Hoffman no 16 specialty vent. The problem is it leaks all the steam out. So I changed it to maid o mist main vent. It worked good for a few months and now it's leaking as well. Also after I changed it there is no heat in the basement. I think it vents too quickly I guess.
So what would be ideal for the basement main vent? I want heat in the basement. Every other part of the house has heat. I read on here gorton 2 is best but I think if I vent too much I won't get heat basement. Thanks for any input.

Abracadabra

PIcs of near boiler piping please? Do you have a low pressure 0-3psi gauge on the boiler? If so, what's it reading maximum during a cycle?

Jamie Hall

What is producing heat for the basement? Heat from that steam main -- the 30 foot pipe, which I presume feeds the rest of the radiators? That main should be insulated, to get the best results for the rest of the house. A Gorton #2 would be good for the vent.

A vent -- any vent -- should close tight when steam gets to it.

The pressure seems to be set properly -- but is it working properly? You can't tell with the gauge which is usually on the boiler -- 0 to 30 pounds -- as they don't register reliably at normal operating pressures. It would do no harm to take the pigtail off (be sure the boiler is shut off!) and make sure that it is clear, so that the pressure control is actually seeing the pressure; they get gunked up sometimes.

Fred

Are the Mains in the basement insulated? You want to vent mains quickly so the steam can move to the connected radiators. You should probably put a Barnes and Jones Bigmouth vent on each of the mains. They cost about the same as a Gorton #2 but vent about twice as fast. You don't want to compromise the efficiency of the system by slowing the steam down and building pressure in the system as a means of heating the basement. Is it a finished basement? You can maybe take insulation off of a section of a main to get some heat there or even add a hot water loop and a couple radiators down there to heat the basement.
Vents from home Depot are cheap imports and typically don't last very long. Vent-rites #1 or Hoffman #1A are good radiator vents when you need to replace the ones you have.Try the Bigmouth vents on the mains. They can be purchased from the store, here at HeatingHelp.

alextauber

Sure. 0-30 psi gauge. Max I see is 1.5. Is that ok? Also has universal water feeder that I hear every couple days comes on.

alextauber

Basement is finished and is also the man cave lol. The main pipe is giving off heat in the basement and has no insulation. If I have a faster vent then the rest of the house will he hot but basement cold?

alextauber

Are the pictures working? Yes 30 foot feeds the first floor and second floor. Other short main pipe also feeds 1st and 2nd floor on the boiler side. No vent seen on the short pipe.

alextauber

How can I add a water loop? If you mean using the return i can't because it's behind the wall.

Fred

There are no pictures?? Also as @Abracadabra said, you need a 0 - 3 PSI gauge, the 0 - 30 PSI gauge that is on the boiler just is not accurate.
This is the gauge most of us use. Add it next to your Pressuretrol but leave the current one as well since local codes require the 0 - 30 PSI gauge.
http://www.valworx.com/product/low-pressure-gauge-25-0-3-psi

alextauber

Steamhead

No pics yet. How long is that shorter main? What size pipe is used on the two mains?

alextauber

alextauber

I will order that gauge thanks. I can't find the big mouth vent. Looks like it's sold out. Any others I can buy?

Steamhead

Gorton #2. If that longer main is 30 feet of 2-1/2" pipe, one of these should work. How long is the shorter main?

alextauber

About 3 feet then it goes up.