Balancing question

LIsteampad

Hi, I recently did some home remodeling, in the process 6 steam radiators were cut out of the system, from both the 1st and 2nd floor. What was cut out was mostly from a main that was added to the original system. This year I am noticing that some of the rooms on the 2nd floor are not heating up as I would like them to. Additionally most of the radiators now are on one side of the existing main. Thanks in advance!

KC_Jones

I think we need more clarity on the situation. You completely removed 6 radiators from the system, or you moved 6 radiators to a different main?

Jamie Hall

If you completely removed six radiators, you are -- at the very least -- going to have a struggle with a badly oversized boiler and short cycling. There isn't much you can do about that.

You probably will need to increase the main venting on the remaining mains to compensate for the loss of main venting, if that was removed too.

And if this is single pipe steam, you will need to go around and rebalance all the venting.

mikegcny

I just had a new steam boiler installed and rebalanced my single pipe system (it was not well balanced).

I got in touch with the people at Gorton (Ken) and send him a detailed drawing of my system (boiler location, thermostat location, mains, radiators, etc,) and he was able to verify the venting choices that I made.

Jamie Hall

No one, including the good folks at Gorton -- and they are very good indeed -- can do more than make suggestions as to what the optimum venting for a given system is. They can give a starting point, but then the technician on site -- in this case you -- has to adjust or change things so that they work as wanted. No two systems are alike, and so far as I've seen there is no analytical or numeric approach which can do the final adjustments.

Bottom line -- try different venting sizes and arrangements until it works the way you want it to work. Remember that slowing overambitious radiators is always preferable to trying to speed up an underperforming one.

nicholas bonham-carter

The important step in a balanced venting system is getting the main vents to let the steam push out the air from the supply pipes with as little resistance as possible-2- 3 ounces measured with a good low pressure gauge, (0-3psi).
Next put small radiator vents on the rads, to handle the air pushed out of the risers to each radiator.
The aim is to fill the main supplies first, then allowing all the radiators to receive steam simultaneously.
This may not be the way Gorton advises, but it is the most effective, and simplest.—NBC 

LIsteampad

Here is the schematic that I made of the system as it stands right now. I am going to start tomorrow with trying to brainstorm some ways to handle the issues that I'm having.

nicholas bonham-carter

https://www.peerlessboilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Survey_Stm.pdf
These schematics are a little easier to understand than yours.
I presume that your boiler will now short-cycle, due to being oversized. This makes generous main venting even more important, as the aim is to get steam to all the radiators simultaneously..—NBC