help with terminating one radiator on the steam single pipe system

valentino

Hello ,

I use this forum a lot so decided to become a member and ask for help.

I have a steam boiler system and want to remove a small radiator that is at the end of a main. What I would like to do is remove all the black iron from the second to last rad to the last rad and hopefully be able to just loop the main to the dry return (perhaps its called drip return) at the point where the 90's are.

So the loop would be after the run to the 2nd to last rad, I would remove the two 90's and put new ones and loop it with a nipple. The other issue is the last rad has a main valve that is just before the run into the rad. You can see the large nipple that runs to the vent but vent is high in the picture so you can not see the vent.

If it can not be lopped then I would have to remove over 15 feet of pipe on the main and dry return plus remove the T at the run up to the 2nd to last rad and make it so the dry return is directly below the run to the rad or at least before it. Then the problem of the vent location comes into play.

Thank you for the help!

EdTheHeaterMan

Insufficient info with those 2 pictures.

perhaps a piping diagram would help.

Jamie Hall

Have to have a piping diagram. If the line you are looping to is, in fact, a dry return (here we go again) you have one kind of problem. It it's a steam main extension with a main vent somewhere on it, you have a very different situation.

mattmia2

You could move what is happening after the last radiator to after the second to last radiator with the vent and ell to the return. The main needs to slop to the end and the return needs to slope it the boiler when you're done. You could even move the vent to anywhere in that return before it goes below the water line. it could be in the vertical section dropping down near the ceiling because as @Jamie Hall said it is really just an extension of the main until it drops below the water line.

Steamhead

I bet you have banging where that reducing elbow is in the first pic.

Why do you want to remove that radiator?

valentino

@ steamhead…are you saying the banging at the elbow would happen because of the type of elbow? Its not up and running yet because the last rad on the main rad E is leaking in a few spots. Its a very small rad in the hallway to the apartment so trying just to eliminate it.

The reason as stated above is the leaks in the pipes to the last rad, rad E. I would just replace all the pipes but the owner rather just remove it. Its not my house and the boiler has not been run since the leaks but I did clean pigtail, burners, new sight glass and fired it up to see all the leaks. Also no insulation on any pipes is another issue but have not address that yet.

I will try to get pipe diagram today.

enclosed labeled pictures. F is from the boiler main and about 25 feet long then of course runs to rad-1 and then to rad-E via the reducing elbow. At Rad-E the dry return runs all the way back to boiler into wet return 25 feet also.

thank you for the responses!

valentino

valentino

I would be looping after the T perhaps with male 1 1/2 to female 1 1/14 elbow or of course nipple and reducing elbow but with a nipple on top of elbow for vent …my concern is venting after the rad-1 and not before.

it seems mattmia2 is saying what I want to do will work…there are no other vents on the main pipes. If I remove the only vent that is right before rad E after removing everything to rad E the easiest way is at the new loop…or of course drill and tap somewhere because most the fittings are so old it seems I will be there for a long time replacing pipe..

mattmia2

The reducing ell will trap condensate because its outlet toward the return is higher than the bottom of the main. When steam hits that condensate it will bang

valentino

thank you mattmia2, I could not remove the elbows it was impossible to budge anything going to the first radiator so I not only removed the pipes to the last rad but also removed about 2 feet of the top main at the union before in the run to the first rad but also 17 feet of the bottom dry return at the union. This allows me to have a clean slate since all the connections were just not gonna budge.I did at first I try cutting at the elbow and chisel the pipe out with cuts in the pipe but realized it was a waste of time so removed all the old rusty pipes.

Also , a lot of water came out of the first radiator (not pitched correctly) and some out of the bottom dry return had water which has a bow at the point 17 feet where I disconnected at the union so probably held water because of the bow.

valentino

this is my idea of new replacement pipe, missing in the picture I would put a second Tee with nipple and vent in the main before the radiator…please correct me if I am wrong…most my background is plumbing , electrician and hot water baseboard hadronic boilers so steam is a whole different type of work for me….

I will be going back today and get more pictures, was at a different job removing banging in another steam boiler system that I replaced over 25 feet of pipes (rinsed the pipes before install) with steam flying out in the basement…. had to skim the boiler , plus adjust pressure differential (set at 2.5 with cut in at .5) and clean pigtail/site glass/burners . As of today and last night working nicely now. It is an old V float low water cut off type system over 40 years old…

valentino

also what I am calling dry return is really an extension of the main until it drops before the water line from what I understand…correct me if I am wrong

ethicalpaul

@Jamie Hall will happily tell you that your definition of that part of your main is correct 😅