Balancing a large one pipe system

darden0820

Large 3 story home oil fired boiler with 4 long pipe runs servicing 6 bedrooms and common spaces with one thermostat first floor center.

Center of home heats evenly with 2 pipe runs.

left bedrooms and right bedrooms heat well initially but then go cold.

If the radiator vents are removed the radiators get more heat.

Main vents are old - dight glass water is dirty and pipes in the basement have had asbestos removed and are not insulated.

Would like recommendation for new vents and the type of in of insulation to use on the pipes.

Is there any way to get heat to only one or more of these pipe runs as the whole house rarely needs to be heated to comfort.

located in Rensslaer county N.Y

Any steam pros in my area?

EzzyT

From what can be seen in the pictures, the near boiler piping is incorrect and no where near enough main venting. That’s where I would start.

clammy

Part of your issue is no pipe insulation ,the other issues may be that your main venting is not aquadate . Surely the lack of pipe insulation is not helping anything and is part of your issues . Aside from possibly installing new radiator vents ( use Gorton's main and radiator vents the home depo and vari vents are garbage)

Has your boiler been cleaned and flushed of mud and debris being your piping is not insulated there s most likely a fair amount of crap in there which does and will effect how well your boiler producers dry steam . Also are you sure the boiler is properly sized ? I see the boiler is equipped w a cycle guard low water cut off not any steam guy choice being it cycles the boiler off which interrupts the burner to check boiler water level on tightly sized boiler this some times makes the system balance a little hard to get ,usually i remove them and install a non cycling low water cut off. Has anyone cleaned the fire side of your boiler w your annual burner service ? Radiator vents which are over 5 years old should be replaced if they do not close or spit steam ,they should be checked yearly for proper function , The older chrome main vent should be replaced also its done its time . In balancing your system the most important thing is to get the steam main vented a quickly as possible that way radiator vents are only responsible for the run out and radiators .Trying to vent mains w just working radiator vents is no way to get a system balanced it will never happen . Also trying to balance a system w not enough main venting and no insulation is a project which is futile . Aside from that it s a waste of fuel putting heat in the basement ,a bare pipe and a cast iron radiator both dissipate heat but you want the heat in the radiator not heating your basement which always makes it hard to balance . GET those pipes insulated first other wise it will be difficult for sure .

At a min 1 wall fiber glass insulation is the proper material for insulating your steam mains and run outs . It can be order on line from retailers like buyinsulation .com as for radiator vents and main vents there available from supplyhouse .com Gorton has a little chart which will help you figure out what you need according to there chart and location . Depending upon your length and pipe size of your steam mains you may need multi main vents are a larger no 2 vent to get your main hot quickly .

As a general rule of thumb i usually use gorton no 5.6 and c and use no 4 just where the radiator closest to the thermostat or 1 st floor rad which heat quickly on really tough rads or very large rads maybe a c but very rarely . On another note are you sure that when the boiler was installed that it was sized properly by the installer and is the boiler firing w the correct nozzle and size for the boiler .A undersized boiler will never heat a home properly and is usually difficult to balance and cost more to operate then a properly sized boiler . A steam boiler is sized by figuring the edr of your radiators adding up and picking your boiler according to the edr rating . Realizing your up in the sticks your choices of contractor maybe slim. Educate your self by purchasing some of Dans book which will help you understand your systema little better and help you figure out if your contractor /plumber has a clue, Also your near boiler piping is incorrect according to the manufacturers diagram and general practices of most who install steam boiler which greatly effects production of dry steam . i am sure others will chime in .

peace and good luck clammy

Steamhead

Do your main vents first. How long are your mains, and what pipe size?

Mad Dog_2

I'll be passing through the area this weekend if I can be of any assistance to you. Mad Dog

jumper

All good suggestions above. After you get all radiators working well; then balance by partially covering rads in rooms that get too warm.

darden0820

Fantastic response and suggestions and I will follow up. Thanks