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Friend’s steam system

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ethicalpaul
ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,704
When you find out your friend has a 19th century two-family home with steam, you make him show it to you, am I right?

- Pressuretroll cut-in set above 8
- 4 mains, 3 with Gorton 1’s, one no vent at all, just a plug. One of the Gortons apparently failed closed due to cold main pipe at the vent.

He started to think I was magic when I told him he must have some cold radiators.

- and then, the steam supply pipe is like 1-1/2” copper 😭 but it goes to a nice big 3-1/2 or 4” iron header and the water level was steady and I heard no surging so he’s lucky there but I told him a good steam guy could fix it easy if it started to give him problems or leak.
NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el

Comments

  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,706
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    The boiler piping : https://youtu.be/ca9GuwuOVZc
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    Canucker1MatthiasethicalpaulSuperTech
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,739
    edited March 2019
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    That installer didn’t earn their money, they stole it from the homeowner. Truly sad.
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
    1MatthiasethicalpaulstlvortacSuperTech
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,544
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    All true but they sometimes work....against all odds
    ethicalpaul
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,967
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    @ethicalpaul if and when your friend needs help with his system? I hope that he will follow your well educated advice.
    ethicalpaul
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,843
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    KC_Jones said:

    That installer didn’t earn their money, they stole it from the homeowner. Truly sad.

    This. That Weil-McLain boiler has a 3-inch tapping but the guy was lazy and bushed it down to 2-inch. Fortunately replacing that copper with 3-inch black steel shouldn't be that hard.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    ethicalpaul