dropped headers and 2 pipe steam rads

ed wallace

need info on dropped headers how hi above the water line can they be installed max height also on 2 pipe steam radiaters should the return pipe be lower then the supply pipe?

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Unknown

Hi Ed,

Good question on the header. I wonder how low you can go, too. Here's how I look at it.

The "B" dimension is out at the end of the mains where the water can push up towards the air vent. At the boiler, the equalizer and the header are all at the same pressure. However, the water in the equalizer is going so fast that it appears to be a tiny bit higher than the waterline in the boiler when operating. I'd want my dropped header to be above the point that the equalizer backs up to.

As long as the risers meet the minimum height and the header is below the mains, and the header can drain, it should be good to go.

About the mains, the steam main has to be above the pipe it drains into, through a trap. The dry return from the radiators can be higher, the same, or lower than the supply main, as long as the supply main drips into a lower return. The high return does the venting of the air from the radiators.

That's vapor, if it has high and low returns.

Noel