new steam install from cleveland

Steamhead

If you vented the dry returns into the chimney, you could use those Gortons to vent the steam mains. But you'd HAVE TO have a way of keeping steam out of the chimney. The Mouat diagram in Lost Art doesn't show a condensing pipe or radiator but I wouldn't try a chimney vent without some form of protection.

<A HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=157&Step=30">To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"</A>

steve_6

new steam install from cleveland

here's a new install that gerry gill and I just finished. I believe we're having a little venting problem though. We replaced a hoffman 75 and a gorton #1with 2 gorton # 2's and I don't believe it's enough. the vents still hiss quite a bit, but not as much as the old ones. this old mouat system may have once vented into the chimney with a 1" pipe. this house has 1700 sq.ft. of radiation and about 100" of 4" main and 100' of 1 1/4" dry return in the basement. What do you guys think?

Unknown

Two # 2s should marginally do it IF

IF they are at the last radiator take-off, and not at the end of the dry return.

Of course, they're at the end of the dry return, so all of that pipe counts also. I'd use another one if they are way out there.

Beautiful piping. Welcome to the Dropped header club. Don't they go together easy?

Noel

David Sutton_3

the club has a new member

welcome to the drop header club, hope you enjoy your stay. all kidding aside you did a top notch job Steve, i love seening this stuff done with care, do have a cold one on me. thanks for sharing the pics with us...David

steve_6

venting

is there a rule of thumb for venting two pipe steam maybe based on sq. ft. of radiation. Or is there a time that you can shoot for to have steam at the last radiator. The vents are on the dry return. Thanks guys...Steve

Unknown

One Minute

If you can get the radiator valve to get hot within one minute of the main at the header getting hot, you have a nice fast system.

Since it is two pipe, you can watch it run with the vent removed. No steam will hit the vent because all of the traps are working. You can time the system with the vent removed, and try to approach that time with steam vents installed. The vents don't serve a purpose unless a steam trap fails and let's steam into the returns.

Two pipe systems with a boiler feed pump use an open 2" pipe for a vent, at the tank. If a trap blows by, you see steam vapor at the vent pipe.

Noel