The case of the steam amateur and the wrong way main

mike7832

If you didn’t recall, I’m the person in the “Steam noon and the cold radiator.” I’ve got another case I need some help solving. After tracking my oil consumption and finding it was 6-10 gallons a day, I decided it should be time to insulate my mains. Before wrapping them, I checked them for pitch and low spots. One main is fine while the other is incorrectly pitched in spots (that explains the bangs) and the initial pipe off the boiler is pitched towards the boiler. Will this cause problems? 

Second question, is there anything I can do to decrease oil usage? I have an insulation guy coming to look at the attic and I’m putting plastic over the few single pane windows I have left. My pigtail was cleaned to the best of my ability and pressures set at 0.5/1. I’ve turned off radiators to rooms I don’t need. 

See attached pictures. The first 15’ or so (before the turn) is pitched towards the boiler while the rest is pitched away. 

Long Beach Ed

I will let others address the pitch of your main which sounds as though it works fine.

The single best payback you can make in reducing heating bills is the insulation of the top of your living space - your attic floor or ceiling. Infiltration losses - cracks, old window and door openings and drafts are next and should be sealed.

Insulate your steam mains, select a boiler that is not oversized and operate your system at the lowest working pressure. Vent the ends of your steam mains and select the proper venting for radiators.

Adjust the combustion of your burner properly, matching the nozzle size/pattern to the heating load/boiler design size and adjusting the fuel/air mixture properly.

Judiciously brush down and vacuum the fire side of your boiler each year.

Jamie Hall

Ideally that stretch of main leaving the boiler would not drain back to the boiler, or if it did it would have a drip on down to the wet return. Ideally. However, if you insulate it heavily, there shouldn't be all that much condensate in it to give much of a problem. Provided it doesn't cause a water hammer elsewhere, which doesn't seem all that likely (it would happen, if it did very soon after the boiler started making steam).

PC7060

Insulations and air-sealing will give you the best payback. There no one single fix but starting at the attic as @Long Beach Ed described is good advice.  Focus on sealing any and all penetrations into the attic. Especially electrical boxes, cables and ducts. Dense pack fiberglass into large opening like the one below and use pro grade great stuff to seal gaps, cracks and over and around electrical boxes.

PC7060

I also built up the structure to allow for 11” dense packed blown in blanket (BIBS) insulation under a walkable floor. This included sealing and burying the ductwork either under the floor or inside chased packed with insulation. The picture below shows the structure and the netting before the dense back fiberglass was blown in. 

mike7832

The main insulation is in work. How do I slope this main the correct way? The hanger that is pictured is loose and the main is still sloped incorrectly. The smaller pipe that runs on the main is the radiator that is banging which I think is caused by this section of main.

reggi

PC7060 said:

Insulations and air-sealing will give you the best payback. There no one single fix but starting at the attic as @Long Beach Ed described is good advice.  Focus on sealing any and all penetrations into the attic. Especially electrical boxes, cables and ducts. Dense pack fiberglass into large opening like the one below and use pro grade great stuff to seal gaps, cracks and over and around electrical boxes.

The white foam sealant that you used to replace? the plaster from between the lathe ... How did you do that without causing the ceilings below to fall after losing the "Locking" between the lathe ? Or was the plaster removed during a remodel and drywall replaced it ?

mattmia2

reggi said:

The white foam sealant that you used to replace? the plaster from between the lathe ... How did you do that without causing the ceilings below to fall after losing the "Locking" between the lathe ? Or was the plaster removed during a remodel and drywall replaced it ?

That isn't foam, that is the base coat plaster keyed in between the lath.