Inspection camera -- recommendations?

Saldanah

Our building has a two-pipe steam heating system, and we're trying to investigate an issue with the main horizontal return pipe that collects condensate from multiple risers in our fourteen-floor building. This pipe runs 50-60 feet horizontally, is wrapped in asbestos, and is concealed within the ceiling of the first-floor retail space. Several risers in the building are getting hot, seemingly due to steam traveling back through the main return pipe. Unfortunately, we have no way to trace the flow of steam or confirm whether it's caused by an unknown failed trap within the inaccessible section.

If anyone has dealt with similar issues involving hidden or inaccessible horizontal steam pipes, we’d greatly appreciate your insights or advice. Thank you!

neilc

rad traps are failed open, passing live steam to your returns, gonna need to survey all those rad traps

Saldanah

Hmm, but the steam is rising from below, where all the return pipes feed into the horizontal return. Wouldn't failed radiator traps cause steam to flow downward into the returns instead?

neilc

ok, same answer, end of main traps in the basement,

or,

newer boiler not set to an old original boiler water line?

wet returns that are now dry?

boiler pictures, and of that horizontal return, in relation to each other

Saldanah

We are really challenged by lack of access to this pipe.

Saldanah

The end of main traps were replaced last year.

neilc

is this a new(er) issue, or been there forever?

how does that horizontal return to the boiler? that connection needs a water seal,

can you show, not the horizontal that's hidden, but its vertical / connection at boiler?

Saldanah

There are several return lines that end up in the boiler room (seen on left). They don't connect directly to the boiler. They feed a horizontal pipe below that flows into f&t traps (with a potential bypass) and then into a condensate tank.