1887 two pipe steam without traps?

E. Holtman

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I just started managing a beautiful old 8-unit building and (thanks to this site/Dan's book) I'm quickly learning about steam heat. I have a two pipe system but where I would expect to find traps on the rads, I have some other type of device, maybe an orifice? It's on the exit side of the rad and looks like a spud with a little downward projection approx. 1" in diameter and 1.5" long, hemisperical on the bottom. There's a hex-head plug on top. Can anyone identify this and tell me what maintenance (if any) I should do on it? I found that on a cold rad, I could remove the plug and watch as air purged and then steam entered, resurrecting the rad.
I'm fascinated by this old system and the opportunity to learn some really arcane stuff over a century old. Big ups to Dan for creating this forum!
Eli

DanHolohan

Can you

show us a photo, Eli?

E. Holtman

picture

Here's a photo of the item... on this rad, the bowl portion was painted white, but it is one casting (not a metal colored piece AND a white piece). The hex cap is laying on the dollar bill.
Eli

DanHolohan

Broomell

or VECO. That's what you've got here. The inlet valve on the radiator has a series of orifices to allow just so much steam into the radiator. That fitting is just a small trap to stop any vapor that makes it through the radiator. There's a small hole to let the air pass into the return. That cap allows you to access the hole for cleaning.

This one has to run on a vaporstat, and never over 10 ounces of pressure.

Steamhead

That's a great system

very few moving parts, and it runs on seven ounces or so.

Get Dan's books "The Lost Art of Steam Heating" and "The Lost Art of Steam Heating Companion". This type of system appears in both books. Order them on the Books and More page of thi site.

In the basement, you may find a cylindrical receiver/regulator unit near the boiler, and a radiator mounted on the ceiling. This radiator was installed to condense any vapor that passed the receiver/regulator. The pipe leading out of this condensing radiator led into the chimney flue. They used the chimney draft to pull steam thru this system!

With proper care, this system will last many more years.

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E. Holtman

vapor... who knew?

Thanks so much for your responses and insights. I have the lost art, just didn't bother reading the chapter on vapor until I found out I had it! I'm very pleased to not have the headache of traps in the apartment units. Unfortunately the described condenser is gone (if it ever was). The boiler was replaced about 7 years ago. Apparently they didn't know it was a vapor system either. I'm picking up a vaporstat tomorrow to replace the dual pressuretrols so that I can "crank it down"! (cut in at 3 oz. out at 10 oz.?)
More questions to follow once I find them!
Eli