2 Pipe Heating System

Elliott

Does anyone know how cut off the water supply to 2 pipe heating system. I removed a radiator from my cousins 2 pipe system. However, the the pipe that doesn't have the valve on it is constantly getting a small stream of water forced up through it. How do I cut off the water supply so it will stop? Any help is greatly appreciated guys/gals.

JUGHNE

That is the return. It needs to be capped off.

If you shut the boiler down the water will eventually stop dripping.

If there was a trap on that pipe, you need to remove it and put a pipe cap on the riser. A cap will not fit on the trap union.

Elliott

Thanks. I did cap off the pipe. However, I also turned the boiler off completely and the water ran all night long. That's why I was thinking there must be a water supply constantly being fed to the pipe. What do you think?

Elliott

I'm new to this, so maybe there is something I'm overlooking.

JUGHNE

Two pipe rad, supply pipe with valve shut off. Return side with pipe cap installed. Where is the water running to?

Or do you mean that when the boiler was off overnight the return line had a small stream of water before you capped it?

There could be a water feeder valve in the basement at the boiler incorrectly passing water into the system when it shouldn't be. With the boiler off for at least an hour where is the level in the sight glass?

Steamhead

Is this a steam or hot-water system?

Elliott

Hey guys. Thanks for your replies. I'm heading back to my cousins today to look at the system again. Since I capped on the one pipe, he stated water started leaking from radiator upstairs. I'll chime in with a report later on this evening for more advice.

Elliott

I also believe it's a hot water heating system because there is a large tubular expansion tank that sits above it.

Jamie Hall

Hot water system... you have removed a radiator. Both the supply and the feed should have a proper cap on them; don't count on the valve. If it's threaded, you need to use a threaded cap and dope or tape (I prefer tape).

Now... you also need to check and make sure that the loss of water didn't allow air to get into the rest of the system, where it can cause problems with heat. There should be a water feed -- either a pressure reducing valve or a manual feed -- to the boiler. There should also be a pressure gauge. The system pressure needs to be enough to reach the highest radiator, plus usually around 5 psi (allow 1 psi for every 2.33 feet of elevation from the boiler to the highest point, and add 5 psi). The horizontal tubular expansion tank shouldn't need to be fussed with. If the pressure dropped too low, you will need to add water -- just enough to bring it up -- and you may need to bleed the radiators.

Elliott

Thanks Jamie. I'll be checking for all of this when I head over there today after work. I'll post my report later this evening.

Elliott

Ok. So what I did was turn off the water supply to the heater and drained some of the water from the boiler. Problem solved. No more water being forced up pipes. The pressure even went down. My cousin will be calling a pluming & heating specialist to install new radiators and get the system back up to speed. Thanks for all of your replies!!