Steam Shower Generator T&P

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Would be rather difficult to trap & vent the T&P. Generator located in little closet above stairwell so operation would make a nasty, expensive mess.

Unit purges itself after each cycle. Am running this purge to an extra steam outlet located far from the bench. Would it be insane (or worse yet, illegal) to run the T&P outlet to this as well? Really can't find anything applicable in either plumbing code or instructions with the unit.

ScottMP

steam shower

Mike we commonly run the T+P relief into the shower area. I understand the concerns and feel the temperature of the steam outlet is more than the relief temperature would be. The only other option is a seperate line down to the basment and somtimes thats just not possible.

I have never heard of a unit that purges itself, whats the manufacturer ?

Scott

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Mike T., Swampeast MO

Mr. Steam

by Sussman Automatic Corp.

The automatic purge pump is required on their larger units and HIGHLY recommended on small to mid-size unless you have naturally soft, neutral water. Mine is mid-sized (8.5 kw) and we have very hard, alkaline water. As you know they're not cheap, so it seemed inexpensive insurance.

Thanks for advice on T&P. We used the same logic. Had also thought of merely running it to the great outdoors (an exterior wall is directly behind) but figured it would get clogged with bugs, etc.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Purge operation

Haven't tested the unit yet, but believe operation sequence of purge is:

1) Cool reservoir by pumping out while introducing fresh water.

2) Complete drain of reservoir.

Dana

We have a small galvanized pan made and mount it under the steam unit. Then attach a 1" pvc line to the pan with a bulkhead fitting and pipe it to the basement and pipe the relief to the pan. If the unit leaks or the pressure valve pops the pan catches the water and off it goes. This is code for MA for any unit six gallons and larger, such as small elec. water heaters in buildings, where there is occupied space below. We do it on steam units to cut down on damage should something nasty happen.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

That was original plan

but location above stairwell, solid sills, headers, windows, doors, new structural steel support for weight of cement/tile make a route to the basement nearly impossible.

There's an accessible lav drain nearby, but venting the overflow trap would be a nightmare and I'd have to break my personal rule of never making a 90 degree change of direction in the horizontal ("long" ells, 2-45s included) with new work. Inspectors around here are REALLY rigid about venting/trapping T&Ps--but they say NOTHING about protecting occupied space from unit leaks. Go figure. Nor do they say anything about a 30+' branch to a kitchen sink with multiple long ells on the horizontal. Guess such is technically "to code" but I call it a "Roto-Rooter Retainer."

Dana

Could you run a sanitary waste line and vent to the pan and then install a trap primer on the trap. Alot of work. In MA they wouldn,t allow us to run the auto purge or pressure relief into the shower. I wouldn,t do it anyway for reasons below. When the steam unit purges, its usually right after it shuts off, that would be some mighty hot water running into the shower where someone may be standing. Pressure relief would only blow when unit is on, therefore the assumption would be that someone may be in the shower enclosure and, again, that would be some mighty hot water spewing into the enclosure. I would find a way to get the pan in and run a indirect down to the basement.

hr

I like Danas idea

we always installed a pan under steamer units. We had deep heavy gauge versions custom fabed to the dimensions needed. We ran 1" copper to a drain or outside, however. I just didn't trust PVC at those temperatures.

They all leak someday
The flush valves are usually an Erie zone valve connected to the drain port! Simple to retro fit to any unit.

hot rod

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Mike T., Swampeast MO

Right as usual, hotrod

Purge is a motorized zone valve. Hadn't even opened it's box yet as was concerned with supplies first.

Is my guess that it first cools then empties the chamber correct?

Totally agree about water that hot and PVC--part of the reason I liked the idea of draining down shower wall to shower floor. 2-person bench located at "dry" end of 8' shower with drain 2 1/2' from opposite wet end. Control outside the shower, so in normal use it wouldn't purge until you're outside. But then "normal" doesn't always apply!

Only have one possible route to basement, one cavity in outside wall. More appropriate cavities blocked by original 22' header that I won't even consider touching and windows/doors. Then there's the solid sill below! Can from offset sill into space below steps, but that area is planned for big vertical rolling pullouts for storage behind the wet bar.

Arggh! Oh well, what's the big deal of another 40' or so of 1" copper. With 6 baths & 3 kitchens all home-run to 1 1/4" pressure balance loop, a 60' 1" gravity recirculation loop, 1" line for gutter washing, full-perimeter dedicated hose bib loop, several 1/4" branches supplying drip irrigation for outside hanging plants & window boxes and 1000s of feet of wire, someone's gonna' sell the place for scrap after I die!

Dana

I dought if it cools before the purge valve opens. Should tell you somewhere in the instructions. If it doesn't, I'm sure you could delay its opening some how. Definately a tricky one. Dana