ReRouting the return condensation pipe in a Steam System

Henry_3

Hi All- My Return pipe in our Steam system runs down the middle of our basement about 5 foot five inch from the floor. Natch we have been banging our heads on that pipe for years. Our neighborhood plumbing store guy tells me that it is a DRY SYSTEM because it is fully PITCHED back to the furnace. He advised us that we could easily convert to a WET System by Rerouting the pipe-now copper-down along side the wall floor level throughout to the back of the furnace GIVING us much needed HEAD ROOM - Just as long as we TAP back into the furnace at a level BELOW the upper Water Level. Is this OKAY to Do? We made sure to CUT IN at an area BEFORE the required LOOP for saftey purposes. So are we "doing it right so far"? Since we already made our cuts and soldered- I hope that we were RIGHT in cutting In at a level BELOW the Water level as is needed in a WET SYSTEM. We CURRENTLY are NOT HEATING the house until we are certain that we followed all the rules properly. So I am waiting to HEAR from someone out there BEFORE we "fire her up". In the meantime we are freezing but we are all bundled up in sweatshirts and sweatpants . It currently 54 degrees in the house with no heat. And the kitchen is the best room in the house- with a warm oven.

Kent

good luck

Steam systems are piped certain ways for good reasons, usually.

If all of your steam fitting was done well the worst that might happen would be a system not so good as it used to be.

Having said that, I must say I feel you are apparently unschooled in steam, sir. It's hard to imagine why you didn't at least seek professional on site advice.

Kent

safety

Please try to stay warm tonite without the services of your boiler. Call a boiler man in the morning and persuade him to come and see what you've done.

DanW

How are you venting what remains of the dry return? You should have a vent at the end of a dry return as air obviously cannot follow the wet return. Otherwise it sounds okay - I'm a steam savvy owner (2 pipe) but not a professional. I say fire her up, assuming you have a vent, and watch carefully that everything works as before.