Cast iron radiators as condensate coolers

Arnold E. Clubine

Installed horizontally in the basement, it looks like the condensate from the down feed steam system runs thru the radiators. Has anyone seen this before. Condensate is being sub cooled?

EBEBRATT-Ed

I suppose it's possible but what do you gain? Remove btus from the condensate and then add btus back in at the boiler which is less than 100% efficient. The boiler will make steam easier with hotter condensate. Nothing is free.

The only reason I could see for this is if it was a district steam system that wasted the condensate or if for some reason the condensate is too warm

Danny Scully

Think you're just looking at a wall hung basement radiator.

Jamie Hall

Are you quite sure that they are on a wet return? And not on a dry return or a steam line? Some vapour steam systems did have large radiators on the dry returns, to capture any steam which might venture into the dry returns and condense it and return it to the boiler; they usually were connected via another line to a vent. Otherwise, I'd imagine that as @Danny Scully said they are just radiators, set horizontally in the basement.

jumper

The colder the condensate the faster the steam moves in a down feed.

Steamhead

I've seen radiators used this way but it's not common. How about posting some pics?

gerry gill

Frank, didn't the Broomell steam system do something to that effect on the vent line?

Steamhead

That one did and so did a few others- see Jamie's post.

Pumpguy

This could be a way to heat the basement, if that's needed.

If this is a vacuum return system, cooler condensate will improve the performance and volume capacity of the vacuum pump.

ScottSecor

We've done something similar with two pipe commercial steam systems. We used 1.25" bare steel element on wet returns to cool the condensate just before the condensate receiver tank. The purpose was to prevent the live steam from destroying the condensate pumps. It also reduced the amount of steam that blew from the vent.

All of this could have been eliminated if they just repaired or replaced the failed steam traps. Unfortunately, they did not consider trap maintenance important (we see this often).

Pumpguy

ScottSecor said:

We've done something similar with two pipe commercial steam systems. We used 1.25" bare steel element on wet returns to cool the condensate just before the condensate receiver tank. The purpose was to prevent the live steam from destroying the condensate pumps. It also reduced the amount of steam that blew from the vent.

All of this could have been eliminated if they just repaired or replaced the failed steam traps. Unfortunately, they did not consider trap maintenance important (we see this often).

I couldn't agree more!