Is air vent recommended if you have a thermostatic trap?

rhodebump

This is a two-pipe system, and every radiator has a thermostatic trap. From my reading, air vents are recommended if you have a one-pipe system, or a radiator without a thermostatic trap.

Hoping someone can set me straight.
Thanks so much!

Waterbury Steam

The thermostatic trap is essentially the air vent in a 2-pipe system.

Steamhead

In your system, the air from the radiators is supposed to go out through the trap, into the dry (overhead) return and be vented out of the system at a central location near the boiler.

If the central vent is not working properly, the system will not heat well. The usual knucklehead response is to put a vent on a radiator, but that never works well.

Look at your radiator traps and any original radiator valves, as well as any devices in the piping near the boiler, and tell us if you see any names on them. This will help us ID your system.

Also, where are you located?

rhodebump

Thank you for the answers! I am replacing the traps and going to remove the vents (plugging them)

This is in Tarentum, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh)

ratio

The air vents may have been an attempt to correct some kind of issue with the system. Do you have some pictures you could post (use the little icon immediately above the text box), both of a sample radiator and the boiler piping?

gerry gill

you mean this?

https://gwgillplumbingandheating.com/webapp/p/260/bad-practice-on-2-pipe-steam