Water hammer- several fixes and worse than ever

Sailah

Not saying they are right just what I observe

Jamie Hall

Sailah said:

Not saying they are right just what I observe

Guess I won't use that example again! Be interesting to really analyse the system and find out what they are really doing. Don't suppose we'll have the chance, though.

Sailah

I'm headed back this May to test our monitoring system in the city. I'll see if I can see the people again and get some proof or gauge shots.

Grallert

My building has about 200 rooms. Emitters are a mix, convectors radiators some unit heaters in the class rooms, steam to water to air fan coils. all on five floors. No hammer happy traps and a big drop in fuel and water use. I run the boilers at 2 1/2- 3psi

stopgogo

Seems to me your radiator valve is set horizontally and being that the orifice of the valve is in the center which raises the water level in the already low 90* that goes into the radiator. I would switch that vlave to its proper position and extend the nipple so that you can properly raise the radiator for shut off/on operation.

Also its good to know that if all of your radiators are banging there may be a horizontal line/ header bellow your flow that is the culprit of your banging.

The psi issue should not be an issue as long as you dont go above 5-7 for an old building with sched 40 piping ...

But im not a pro and this is just an observation gl

nicholas bonham-carter

Don't ever allow the pressure to go above 1.5 psi!
The main and radiator vents can be damaged by over pressure.
The situation here is a classic example of parts swapping by people who will not take the time to diagnose the problem and it's solution.
When first installed, hopefully by a knowledgeable steam pro, this system would have been quiet, even, and economical. The task is to find out what subsequent changes have caused this problem, and correct them.--NBC

Jamie Hall

Indeed on the 1.5 psi max. You don't gain anything with higher pressure so far as heating goes, and it's easy to keep it in line -- just set the pressurestat properly. You do lose. Not only is there additional fuel cost, but while the pipe can take the pressure, most vents begin to get unhappy at between 3 and 5 psi; they may not fail immediately, but their lives will be shortened.

ChicagoCooperator

I'm going to add my two cents worth for what it's worth. As someone with convectors - they do make a bit of noise when the system comes on from cold - I think a bit more than cast iron radiators would.

I see a bit of rust in the enclosure - was there a leaking element there or was that a leaky valve?

water_hammer_hell

Can anyone recommend someone not far from the Manhattan region who really knows what they’re doing with steam heating?

We live on the third floor of a very old 6 floor walk up (24 units, built in the early 1900s) in the upper west side of Manhattan and the CLANGING is UNBEARABLE. This only started in late April 2018 ...during the last two weeks of needing heat. So after a few attempts by our super/plumber, the solution was to just turn off the boiler and hope it goes away for next winter. Ugh and now it started back up last night as soon as the boiler went on. I’m dying of sleep deprivation today.

The same super/plumber team from April is coming to check it out this Friday....They seem very nice, but if they couldn’t figure it out in April over a 2 week span, I doubt they’ll figure it out this week either.

So email me with recs please!!
nicole.rachel.mathew@gmail.com

And how does pricing work for something like this? How much should I tell the building the job would cost etc? I’m sure I can convince my building to hire an expert if they actually were an expert.


Thank you SO much.