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Help Identifying A Radiator Part

Mdddd
Mdddd Member Posts: 3
in Strictly Steam

Hello,

Can you please help me understand what this is and if/how it should be adjusted? When my boiler is running, I can hear steam coming out of it and I see a few drops of water on the pipe below. Is that normal?

Thanks

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Comments

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 17,230

    It is an air bleeder for a hot water system. Put a screwdriver in the slot and turn it clockwise. If it doesn't stop leaking you will have to replace the vent and drain the boiler to do it.

  • Long Beach Ed
    Long Beach Ed Member Posts: 1,637

    May be the "automatic" kind with cardboard disks in it. When air forms,the disks dry out and shrink, allowing the air bubble to escape. The water reaching them swells the disks, closing the vent. The screw "adjusts" it.

    Grallert
  • Shane_2
    Shane_2 Member Posts: 198

    It's a Hoffman No 500 air vent

    It came in a package that said for water or steam, didn't work great for either, but worked a little better for water

  • Waher
    Waher Member Posts: 333
    edited January 8

    Those “coin” style air vents for steam cast iron baseboard eventually fail when the hydroscopic material that seals them fails. What you want to do is add a brass nipple to a brass elbow/coupling to install a small typical radiator vent.

    See this thread:

    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/153455/baseboard-vent-one-pipe-steam-system

    BobC

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