Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.
Changing dry to wet return
Klmdss
Member Posts: 4
Is it possible or nonadvisable to lower a current dry return, which is about 3 to 6 inches aboves the waterline over of 20ft span into a wet return? There are no real obstacles. I can't get it all the way down to the floor, but can get it well below the water, probably close to the lwco trigger? One pipe steam, no Hartford loop.
0
Comments
-
It's not only possible -- it's a very good idea, unless it is part of the venting (unlikely on a one pipe system). It's likely that in the original installation it was below the water line, and a new boiler was put in without paying any attention to the water line.Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England1 -
@Kimdss
The return needs to be either 28" above the center of the gauge glass (Or higher if a dry return)
If you turn it into a wet return it needs to be 2" below the gauge glass lower (bottom) connection)
1 -
Thanks, def can get below bottom of gauge, probably right around 2 inches.
And that can be done (mostly) in copper, right?0 -
Where are the steam main air vents located at now?
Once return is wet no air or steam will pass, obviously.0 -
air vent is located at the end of the steam main, right before it drops down to the return.0
-
Should be good to go assuming the vent is adequate.Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England0 -
IIWM, I would go with type L copper wet return.
You can go smaller than the "dry" return was.
Also I would add an isolation ball valve on each end, placed above the water line.
At each end then install a tee with ball valve with hose fitting/brass cap.
Then you can close the isolation valves and flush out the wet return with house pressure....hose on the water heater tank drain....flushes out that tank also.
Pictures?1 -
I had to sell a kidney to buy all the copper and fittings and nearly gave myself a hernia twisting off the100 year old fittings, but everything seemed to go well enough. I realize too late I probably could have gotten away with 3/4 pipe instead of 1 inch. I did swap a couple 45s with 90s near the boiler to get around a sewer pipe. Figure wouldnt be much of an issue since its under the water line now.
I was going to add the shut off and the cleanout T as recommended but couldn't quite size it right with nipples and fittings available if I wanted to keep the copper all below the water line. It won't do any good until I replace the other return, and shouldn't be too much trouble to add them back in later if I can get a short piece of black iron pipe cut and threaded.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 86.3K THE MAIN WALL
- 3.1K A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
- 53 Biomass
- 422 Carbon Monoxide Awareness
- 90 Chimneys & Flues
- 2K Domestic Hot Water
- 5.4K Gas Heating
- 100 Geothermal
- 156 Indoor-Air Quality
- 3.4K Oil Heating
- 63 Pipe Deterioration
- 917 Plumbing
- 6.1K Radiant Heating
- 381 Solar
- 14.9K Strictly Steam
- 3.3K Thermostats and Controls
- 54 Water Quality
- 41 Industry Classes
- 47 Job Opportunities
- 17 Recall Announcements