Vent Size for 1 pipe Steam House

bdc_diy

Hello,

New to this. New boiler, all radiator vents >20 years old. Replaced two Dole 3C main vents (completely plugged) with Gorton #1. Attached is a simple power point with the piping. There are three upstairs radiators. Downstairs heats fine. Upstairs is the problem, the middle heats fast, almost inline with the main boiler. The other two are slow to heat. One very very slow.

Was the Gorton #1 a good choice? Should I get a larger vent?

Learned about this as there was no advice or information on uneven heat from installer. Started search around and found both Silent Steam and Garry Gill youtube.

Thanks
bruce

Big Ed_4

You can't go too large on main vents . You don't want any resistance on the main vents . You want the main to charge first .. You need resistance on the radiators vents to direct the steam down the main first and then to the radiators

First size the vents to the size of the radiator and increase size if needed. Work your way up slowly .It is best to have an adjustable radiator valve or different size caps ......

Steamhead

@bdc_diy , how long are your steam mains, and what pipe size?

bdc_diy

I tried to add a power point hope it will work. It shows the up. Thanks for all remarks.

bdc_diy

All the runs to all the radiators are 1.5" OD pipe.

Steamhead

bdc_diy said:

All the runs to all the radiators are 1.5" OD pipe.

That's 1-1/4" I.D.

The pipe coming off the boiler would be 2-1/2". What about the two pipes after the split- what diameter are those?

bdc_diy

After the split they are 2" OD. 1.5" OD going upstairs, 15' up. That radiator gets hot quickly. Almost inline with the main pipe.

ethicalpaul

That's where your steam is going first. Try slowing that one down a little

Steamhead

bdc_diy said:

After the split they are 2" OD. 1.5" OD going upstairs, 15' up. That radiator gets hot quickly. Almost inline with the main pipe.

So each of the main lines that feed groups of radiators, one going front and one going back, are 2" O.D>? That's kind of unusual, except in very small houses.........

bdc_diy

I will have to get under the insulation and check.

bdc_diy

Thanks for you help and patients. I new to this. Many updates. Found a chart to convert OD to ID so now all the pipe diameters ID's are listed. Starts at 2.5" out of the boiler. Split is 2". The front loop stays 2" till the return. There 1.25". The back loop, 2" -> 1.5" -> 1.25" progressively. Updated power point attached.

All the radiator feeds including the verticals to the 2nd floor are 1.25 ID.

Thanks!

bdc_diy

So I took the numbers in the power point and calculated the volumes in the two loops. I split the volume in the main pipe between the front loop and the rear loop.

1.0 CF Front loop
1.1 CF Rear loop

Is a Gorton #1 appropriate for a main vent for that volume?

ethicalpaul

Yes. if not, add more

bdc_diy

Key resources:

Youtube:
HeatingHelp
silentsteam

Sites:
https://www.gwgillplumbingandheating.com/ Garry Gill's website
HeatHelp.com

Searching this site heatinghelp.com using many different key words.
Watched many of the detailed and helpful youtube videos.

What I did:
There are 2 main loops.
First bought 2x Gorton #1, one on each loop. Too little venting (an opinion on my part).
Bought and added 2x Gorton #2. One each on each loop (size difference dramatic).
8 radiators in house, bought 8x Vent Rite Adjustable vents.

Main vents installed. #2 and #1 on each loop though #1 will not add much.
In the process of installing new radiator vents. Not doing all at once.

Thanks for those that stopped by and to those for maintaining this site!

Steamhead

So, @bdc_diy , how does it work?