Steam heat issue

diverdw

I moved into and Inherited this steam system late last winter. To start this is an early 1900s house with one pipe steam. The boiler is a Burnham 405B from 1985. The house has 7 radiators all stand up style 3 on the first floor all 6 section, 3 4 sections and 1 3 section on the second floor. Since the start I’ve had issues with water hammer and 1 radiator spitting. I have changed all the vents, pitched all the radiators, and even the angle valve on the problem one. There are no main vents as well. The systems has not properly been maintained in the past I have drained down multiple times and done a skim today water color is not good my pressuretrol is set to .5 diff if 1. After 10 minutes of operation I get significant surging on the sight glass and water level drops more than half all at 0 psi . The radiators on one side of the house heat up fine on the far side is where I get gurgling, spitting, and water hammer. All pipes in basement are exposed and they are pitched. I don’t know if it’s water quality, near piping issue, or an oversized boiler. The only thing that reduces issues is lowing water level

diverdw

if I close off problem radiator the spitting migrates to a different radiator

109A_5

" on the far side is where I get gurgling, spitting, and water hammer. "

I'm thinking multiple issues. Water quality and pipe pitch. The side that is gurgling, spitting, and water hammer, I check the pipe pitch carefully.

Boiler surging, probably a water quality issue, probably not helping with the gurgling, spitting, and water hammer.

How did you Skim the boiler I don't see a Skim port on the boiler.

Looks like a counter-flow system. Does the far end of the Steam Mains pitch down towards the boiler ?

EBEBRATT-Ed

From what I can see the piping looks ok if the size is right. Its a small boiler so i think your ok. I would skim it.

Take the safety valve off and replace the elbow under it with a tee. Put a 3/4 ball valve on the tee. Fill the boiler to the normal water line then drain it and measure how much water it holds by using a 5 gallon bucket. Just get the water volume close. Refill the boiler and add arm and hammer washing soda. 1lb/every 50 gallons of boiler water you will have to calculate that based on what you drained. Mix the soda in a bucket with water and pour it in through the safety valve opening.

Put the safety valve back on and start the boiler. Add water until you get a trickle out of the new ball valve the size of a lead pencil and leave the water MU at that rate. Run the boiler until the supply pipe is hot but do not make steam. Shut the burner off and keep the trickle going for an hour. Then drain to get the soda out. refill-drain refill-drain then fill and run normally. Make sure the boiler has cooled before you add a lot of cold water

diverdw

far ends pitch down toward boiler. As for the skim took off the relief and used that port.

patrykrebisz

Do yourself a favor and with a piece of paper sketch out pipe layout with all radiator and main vents.

Then get yourself one of those cheap laser levels to confirm if the pipes indeed are pitched properly.
Assuming you have good pitch and proper venting, your problems arise from:

a.) dirty water getting into the main
b.) pipes close to the walls are exposed to cold and condense steam too quickly.

mattmia2

if the water level is bouncing around violently it has to be either surging or priming which is a water quality issue.

was there any work done on the piping?

if oil got thrown up in to the mains it could take a while for it to work its way back to the boiler so you probably will need to skim a few times (don't need to use the detergent each time, just get the water hot and float the surface out slowly for an hour or so.)