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What is the shortest main vent?

erickehoe
erickehoe Member Posts: 19
edited November 2019 in Strictly Steam
I need to replace my main vents. I tried to use a Gorton #1 but it's too tall to screw in because there is piping right above it. I was going to do a 90 out from the main but even that is too big to fit into the spot.

So I'm wondering: what is the shortest, stubbiest 3/4" main vent?

Comments

  • kcopp
    kcopp Member Posts: 4,419
    Well if you really in a pinch you can use a Varivalve straight radiator vent. Open it up fully. They are better than nothing...
  • acwagner
    acwagner Member Posts: 505
    Got a photo of the situation?

    I don't think there are any main vents smaller than a 90 degree fitting. I recall you have a photo of your boiler install and the main vents were in that photo. Are you relocating your main vents?
    Burnham IN5PVNI Boiler, Single Pipe with 290 EDR
    18 Ounce per Square Inch Gauge
    Time Delay Relay in Series with Thermostat
    Operating Pressure 0.3-0.5 Ounce per Square Inch

    ethicalpaul
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,177
    If a Gorton #1 or a 90 elbow won't fit, you're going to have to get creative. As @acwagner says, picture please.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    ethicalpaul
  • erickehoe
    erickehoe Member Posts: 19
    The other main vent is easy to adjust, but on this one you can see the base of the old vent that was in there. The previous owners had a broken radiator vent in that spot. This main is 3” and about 20 feet.
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,695
    That photo is cryptic 😅
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
  • erickehoe
    erickehoe Member Posts: 19
    Can you use a Hoffman 4 as a main vent? Or does it need to have a float.
  • acwagner
    acwagner Member Posts: 505
    What's going on in your photo? I don't see the vent location.
    Burnham IN5PVNI Boiler, Single Pipe with 290 EDR
    18 Ounce per Square Inch Gauge
    Time Delay Relay in Series with Thermostat
    Operating Pressure 0.3-0.5 Ounce per Square Inch

  • acwagner
    acwagner Member Posts: 505
    I think I see the vent location in your photo. Does it not fit because of the pipe insulation on the pipe above it?
    Burnham IN5PVNI Boiler, Single Pipe with 290 EDR
    18 Ounce per Square Inch Gauge
    Time Delay Relay in Series with Thermostat
    Operating Pressure 0.3-0.5 Ounce per Square Inch

  • erickehoe
    erickehoe Member Posts: 19
    The Gorton is actually hitting the pipe itself.
  • acwagner
    acwagner Member Posts: 505
    What's the fitting that you're trying to connect into? Looks like a small union is there from the photo. Hard to tell.

    You might try getting whatever fitting is in there out and put in a street 90. Then you get get it over and away from the pipe above.
    Burnham IN5PVNI Boiler, Single Pipe with 290 EDR
    18 Ounce per Square Inch Gauge
    Time Delay Relay in Series with Thermostat
    Operating Pressure 0.3-0.5 Ounce per Square Inch

  • Do you have dry returns, or is this a counter flow system?
    The main vent could be put on the vertical drop down to the wet return, mounted as high as possible though.—NBC
  • erickehoe
    erickehoe Member Posts: 19
    I tried a street 90 but unfortunately that doesn’t work either. As I rotate it it runs up against the other pipe.

    I’d like to try the Hoffman 4; since it tapers at the top I think it’ll work. But if not I like the idea of using the vertical drop down.
  • acwagner
    acwagner Member Posts: 505
    A vent is better than no vent, but the Hoffman 4 doesn't have much venting capacity--it's basically a small radiator vent. You probably won't see much improvement.

    It's not the best practice to put the vent at the end of the line like that--makes it susceptible to being damaged if water hammer occurs.

    You might consider moving the location further up the line. A much bigger job, but that will get it out from under all the obstructions and will enable you to put appropriately sized vents in.
    Burnham IN5PVNI Boiler, Single Pipe with 290 EDR
    18 Ounce per Square Inch Gauge
    Time Delay Relay in Series with Thermostat
    Operating Pressure 0.3-0.5 Ounce per Square Inch

  • erickehoe
    erickehoe Member Posts: 19
    Is there a how-to on tapping black pipe if I made a new one?
  • coelcanth
    coelcanth Member Posts: 89
    it's really hard to tell from your photo, but maybe there is a chance you can use something like a barnes&jones bigmouth.. since they can be installed in two pieces;
    the very short tailpiece first, and then the valve body itself (without having to rotate this part to thread it in)
    erickehoe
  • mroberts5
    mroberts5 Member Posts: 76
    Not sure if this will help you, but when I installed a big mouth in one location I had to separate the pipe fittings from the body, thread that in, then reassemble. That bought me maybe 1/4".
    erickehoe
  • erickehoe
    erickehoe Member Posts: 19
    @coelcanth @mroberts5 so it’s a two-piece vent, and the top portion doesn’t need to be screwed in? Does it just snap in place? I think that would work for me if so.
  • mroberts5
    mroberts5 Member Posts: 76
    It has a screw on nut, like a union.