Before and after video, copper piping Gone!

GW

https://youtu.be/Kqgv418yLqs

https://youtu.be/caOvy-WZFlc

KC_Jones

Quite an improvement!

Fred

Wow, Much better!

GW

Thanks, y’all see 1 1/2” mains in your travels? The system heats much better says the home owner

Fred

GW said:

Thanks, y’all see 1 1/2” mains in your travels? The system heats much better says the home owner

1 1/2" mains are small. Can't be many radiators on them and the ones that are have to be small too.

EzzyT

Nice install Gary. I see a fare amount of 11/2” mains. There’s a 3-4 block area of South Orange NJ that all the houses where built by the same developer back in early 1900’s and all the house are alike with the same layout. Every single one of those homes have single pipe steam with 11/2” steam mains.

KC_Jones

My mains reduce from 2 to 1 1/2 about halfway through with concentric reducing tees that are also used as radiator takeoffs. Pretty much every rule has been broken on my system, but it still works well.

Dave0176

I service a system Bloomfield NJ both mains are 1-1/2 and its an old house steam system definitely an add on. It works fine.

coelcanth

KC_Jones said:

My mains reduce from 2 to 1 1/2 about halfway through with concentric reducing tees that are also used as radiator takeoffs. Pretty much every rule has been broken on my system, but it still works well.

mines here in new york city are similar, reducing tees and 1-1/2" or less but split into four parts to run front and back of house for each of two floors

EBEBRATT-Ed

Nice job Gary,
Did you put the grinder and cutting disk to the test?

JUGHNE

A great improvement, even sounds better?

I looked inside one of those Dunkirk side outlets and noticed how small the push nipples were across the top.
They were about 1 1/2" compared to the 2 1/2" discharge.
It seemed that when skimming out the 2 1/2 nipple only the water from the closest section would be flowing as the bottom of the next section push nipple is much higher than the bottom of the 2 1/2 nipple.
I added a 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 reducing coupling for skimming so the water had to rise up more in the boiler and come from each section for skimming. FWIW.

GW

Yes that gas gun was a little loud.

Ok I will peek inside the boiler on our next install. When I skim I try to boiler out the top layer first, then step two is “flooding” the block and getting big flow. Then I repeat that process.

Ed I haven’t got the new tools yet. I did try step one——got a basic grinder and I can’t get the old wheel off! I need the skinny wrench. Or, maybe there’s a magic button to lock the motor; gotta look again

EBEBRATT-Ed

Lock the motor and use a pair of gloves u can usually get the wheel off. I can never find the skinny wrench when I need it

GW

ok my cheapie doesn't have the magic button; i'll figure out a way to remove it

Steamhead

GW said:

Thanks, y’all see 1 1/2” mains in your travels? The system heats much better says the home owner

Yup, the Charles Village and Hampden neighborhoods of Baltimore are full of them. I've even seen a couple that were counterflow. They work....................

SeanBeans

> @JUGHNE said:
> A great improvement, even sounds better?
>
> I looked inside one of those Dunkirk side outlets and noticed how small the push nipples were across the top.
> They were about 1 1/2" compared to the 2 1/2" discharge.
> It seemed that when skimming out the 2 1/2 nipple only the water from the closest section would be flowing as the bottom of the next section push nipple is much higher than the bottom of the 2 1/2 nipple.
> I added a 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 reducing coupling for skimming so the water had to rise up more in the boiler and come from each section for skimming. FWIW.

Very true!

coelcanth

Steamhead said:

GW said:

Thanks, y’all see 1 1/2” mains in your travels? The system heats much better says the home owner

Yup, the Charles Village and Hampden neighborhoods of Baltimore are full of them. I've even seen a couple that were counterflow. They work....................

lucky ! i think most of the (small) houses i remember being in around there had the vintage forced air with the huge 4x4 foot register in the center of the house