Sound of wet steam

mikeg2015

Does it sound a little like popcorn popping? I have periodic hollow boiling water sounds coming from my largest radiator. I’ve pitched it back but might need to lift or some more. Does it more when i increase venting trying to get more capacity out of it.

It will do it for 30 seconds at a time and stop for a couple minutes. Radiator isn’t fully heated. Stops completely after boiler has been on for 10 minutes.

It has 24 sections and it almost 5’ long.

System is running at less than 0.5oz now that space temp is under 68f. Might even be pulling a vacuum at the boiler sometimes have a gauge on order.

I added a check valve on the main vent tree and that’s helped vent noise on shutdown.

It’s averaged 2f the last 24 hours so I’m getting some nice long run time. But think I burned $25 in gas. Thank goodness I’m not on oil.


Oh...radiant stream heating is wonderful. People are idiots to rip this out. 67f and it feels better than 70f scorched air.

acwagner

Welcome to the under 1oz club.

I have something similar happen. I don't think it's wet steam. My theory is water pooling in a fitting or maybe a minor imperfection in a pipe.

mikeg2015

I like your theory. Sounds more like water spittering in oil in a frying pan.

My 15” gauge is dead flat after it vents. Hasn’t hit the vaporstat yet that I know of. Ran about 45 minutes straight this AM from a hot start.... burning $2.25 in fuel. About what my car burned driving to work in that same amount of time.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Water in the radiator. Check the size of the runout against the radiator edr. Also pitch of runout

mikeg2015

So Is there a minimum runout length or maximum. Pipe is 1-1/2 or 1-1/4.

It’s one of the shorter run outs because it’s only 1/3 down the main header so less head room.

Radiator has sunken into the wood flooring at least a 1/2”. I’ve shimmed it maybe 1/8” on one end 1/4” the other. But Floor has sagged a little too. So may need to really get at it with a hydraulic jack and lift it up more and reshim it a lot more. Pitch is past horizontal but not much.

mikeg2015

Need to get he correct 1/2”. Have some light hammer in a small bath radiator riser and think same issue. Just needs more pitch.

Thanks for the feedback.

Fred

If the floor has sagged as well and enough that the run-out has lost its pitch , you may have to raise the entire radiator back up to where it should be to get the correct pitch back in the run-out and then repitch the radiator.

nicholas bonham-carter

If you have a check valve on the main vents, then the rad vents will be doing all the vacuum relief. Take the check out for a test period, and see where the sound really comes from-inlet pipe to radiator or radiator itself.—NBC

mikeg2015

The check is at the end of the antler. It’s a poor mans vacuum breaker.