A vaporstat put an end to the hammering.

Double D

When I installed the low pressure gauge, I found the actual operating pressure was over 2pslg. When the pressure reaches 1+psi, the system starts hammering everywhere. I now have a vaporstat controlling high fire. When the pressure reaches 10oz. high fire kicks out. The system is silent for now including 1 hallway radiator that has no trap and is vented in the basement with a Hoffman 75. I still need to address the venting and the end of main crossovers are Warren Webster 1/2" 02H traps. I have not done a rad survey yet but I assume the boiler is oversized. The classrooms are heated with forced air furnaces and the offices and basement men's room are heated with a hot water boiler. The near boiler piping is not optimal with the colliding headers but we have all seen much worse.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Everyone would like a perfectly piped perfectly vented job. We see a lot of horror stories.

We also see les than perfect job that work ok wit a few tweeks.

Should all these jobs be ripped out? In a perfect world, yes. Is it practical to rip them out cost wise...probably not

Double D

My guess is they would be happy with those few tweeks you're talking about. I'll give it a few days to see how well the system is doing operating at the lower pressure. If it's not, my next move won't be to crank the pressure back up. I certainly won't be recommending condensing hot water boilers. It was one of their proposals. I told them count me out on that one.

Double D

Another Steam system saved in a historical landmark. Previous contractors were convincing them to change the system over to hot water with condensing boilers. They decided to stay with the steam especially now since the system is virtually silent and heating the building evenly.






However, I will need to do some de- knuckleheading.



This is a vent on a side entrance radiator return side. BTW no trap. The dry return is on the other side of the brick wall, inside the hallway ceiling .

nicholas bonham-carter

Is that a dryer vent I see there?
Is the Hoffman vent big enough? Should it be hooked in higher off the floor, so it does not get waterlogged by rising wet return water levels?—NBC

Double D

That is a dryer vent. This is a 2 pipe Webster vapor system. I will put a trap on the return side of the radiator, remove the vent and run the pipe over to the dry return. The run side of the tee in the pic drops to the wet return.