Problems with 1 Pipe Steam system

kevinjames79

Hello guys

Need help here with 1 Pipe Steam system.

Replaced all the vents with Gorton. (Not the main vents. Will be replacing them soon)

But i have got many problems.

1) Even after installing new air vents, i still hear a lot of hissing noise like steam OR Air leaking from from the vents. Putting something infront of the vent hole ends that noise that means that something is leaking.

2) I am getting Loud thumping sound from one of the main lines. I have two. One main is getting that Loud thumping noise like expanding and touching something. Could it be that problem? If that is the case then i may have to break the ceiling of my basement. Please suggest. It also seems to be happening with one of the radiator lines going upstairs. Upstairs i do not hear a lot but downstairs bedroom has a lot of this ticking and thumping noise. What should i do?

3) One of the radiator is getting filled with water. Could it be Pitch issue?

I want to make the system as quite as possible. Can we fix all these problems?

JUGHNE

Your rad vents probably hiss because they are doing all the venting. You need large main vents for the steam mains. The rad vents should only vent the rads themselves. High pressure will make everything hiss. What is your operating pressure?

The "ticking" may be pipe expanding thru a hole or hanger.
The thumping could be water hammer.

Pictures of your boiler piping....wide view...

kevinjames79

Operating pressure is around 2 psi.

is Hoffman #4 good enough for the main vent?

How to fix water hammer? pitch?

JUGHNE

Book says Hoffman #4 rated at 0.060
Hoffman #40 Radiator vent rated at 0.042
I would say not a good main vent.......

Gorton #2 rated at 1.100
These are CFM @ 1 ounce
There is a "Big Mouth" rated at twice that.
See the difference....

You say you have 2 mains, can you see a vent on each end?

kevinjames79

Yes. One vent at the end of each main line

JUGHNE

Pictures....how large is the tapping hole?

Steamhead

How long is each steam main, and what pipe size?

kevinjames79

Main lines are about 55 feet give or take couple of feet

JUGHNE

Each main is about 55'?

Jamie Hall

You need least a Gorton #! on the end of each main, and a Big Mouth would be better. That will help a lot.

The radiator with water may be pitched away from the valve rather than towards it -- or the valve may be partly closed. Single pipe steam radiator valves must be fully open.

If the noise really is thumping, it could well be expansion, as @JUGHNE says, in which case it's a matter of finding out where it is and allowing enough room for the pipe to expand without hitting at something. If it's more like a sharp clang or rap, it is more likely to be water hammer, which can be remedied (usually) by making sure that all near horizontal runs have enough pitch so that the condensate water can run freely to the boiler and not pool in a low spot.

2 psi is the highest pressure a residential steam system should ever run at. You may be able to reduce that on the pressuretrol on the boiler.

AnthraciteEnergetics

I've had vents hiss loudly when the burner shuts off and system goes into vacuum (air going back in). I fitted one large radiator with a Heat Timer Vari-Vent. That radiator became waterlogged, it vented so fast that steam rushed in and began condensing, pulling more steam in. It's a 1 pipe so water couldnt leave with so much steam going in.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Yes it can be fixed.
Don't break the basement ceiling until you have fixed all the venting and pitch issues. This will probably resolve your problems. Run the pressure as low as possible

nicholas bonham-carter

Now the water is being thrown up into the supplies by overpressure, and is carried along to the radiators along with the escaping air, as the main venting is inadequate.
Probably you need a vaporstat to keep the pressure way down in the 8 ounce range, verified by a low pressure gauge, 0-3 psi, (valworx).
You definitely need more main venting, with slow Hoffman 40 vents on the rads. Don’t follow the venting advice on the Gorton website, as it is wrong. During the venting phase, the air should be able to escape with a back pressure of 2 ounces for even economical steam distribution.
Later on, any radiators which are slow to get steam, such as on the top floor may have their venting increased, such as with a Hoffman 1A.—NBC

kevinjames79

Gorton #1 or Gorton #2? Would'nt #2 be overkill or will it be better ti put #2?

JUGHNE

Somewhere here on the wall there were rules of thumb discussed for venting.
IIRC it was 1 Gorton # 2 for every 20' of 2" steam main?

Hopefully someone will check my memory.

I have a good memory.....it's just short

kevinjames79

Thank you jughne.

So definitely #2 then. Any other suggestions?

1) how to remove the sloshing sound from one radiator?
2) how to fix the expanding pipe tick tick sound which gets very loud at night?

Steamdoctor has been very extremely helpful too and very nice guy too. I also thank all others helping here in the forum.

Jamie Hall

kevinjames79 said:

Thank you jughne.



So definitely #2 then. Any other suggestions?



1) how to remove the sloshing sound from one radiator?

2) how to fix the expanding pipe tick tick sound which gets very loud at night?



Steamdoctor has been very extremely helpful too and very nice guy too. I also thank all others helping here in the forum.

That sloshing sound -- make sure the radiator is definietly pitched towards the inlet valve. You may have to put shims under the other end. Use a level, not your eye! And then make sure that the valve is really and truly all the way open. You may even have to take it apart, as they have been known to come apart inside.

The tick tick is a lot harder. It's an expansion noise, almost certainly, which come from a pipe rubbing on something -- usually the floor, sometimes a hanger in the basement -- as it expands. Rarely it can even be a radiator expanding (the feet trying to slide on the floor). You really have to scout around and see if you can locate the noise, and then see if you can see what's rubbing. Once you find it, the fix isn't hard -- either make room somehow for it to expand, or place a piece of plastic between the offending pipe and whatever it's rubbing on. I use chunks of plastic milk jugs, and they seem to work.