steam in dry return

steve_6

worked on a steam job today. while replacing a return pipe with a big belly in it we noticed steam coming from it after a while. we found a few bad radiator traps that we'll replace tomorrow.my question is should there ever be any steam in a dry return?

Steamhead

If the system has traps

there should never be steam in the dry return. What kind of Vapor system is it?

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Boilerpro_3

Don't forget alternating recievers...

they can let steam into the return. I was out on a system friday and saturday with a Sterling unit in, guess where, Sterling Ill.... however no relation. My first one in real life...system's a mess, but hopefully will be saved. Boiler twice as big as necessary running 5 to 8 lbs, rad vents on some of the rads, a little hofman 75 for the main system vent. Hope to get rid of the rad traps and put in orifice plates in the valves. We'll see.

Boilerpro

steve_6

steam system

I don't think this system was a particular brand . Regular steam valves and hoffman style steam traps on the radiators. They also used radiator traps to drip the mains into the dry return. System was hacked up. Air vents on about half the radiators, and a boiler feed pump installed on the return. Homeowner states that the heating contractor who installed the previous boiler, a Burnham that only lasted 15 years, had worked on the system for approximately 2 straight months after his install. He added the radiator vents and the boiler feed pump. We installed a new dunkirk sized to the radiation with the proper near boiler piping and found a few problems we listed on the previous posting.

steve_6

steam system