AIR-RID vacuum vent ????

frank s

these vents are placed in the run end of a tee at the end of a steam main, do they still make them? Where can I find them, could this system at 1 time been a vacuum system? Thanks for your knowledge,
Frank

Steamhead

Vacuum vents

only worked well with coal-fired boilers. On oil or gas, you'd get vacuum before all the air was vented. This caused steam circulation problems.

Hoffman still makes a vacuum-type main vent, but it only works well with vacuum-type radiator vents, which aren't made anymore. Your best course is to change those old Airids to standard main vents.

Measure the length and diameter of each of your mains, and we can tell you what vents you need.

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frank s

Just what I did'nt want to hear

Hate messin with them old pipes. The mains are about 40' long and are 2" pipe, they run along each side of the house. As I have said the airids are in the ends of the tees, The homeowner was telling me that 1 was hissing and spitting. I'm ready for my rude awakening. Thanks for your help,
Frank

Steamhead

40 feet of 2-inch pipe

is within the range of the Gorton #1 or Hoffman #75 vent. But I'd use two such vents on each main, so the mains will vent at a slightly lower pressure (we're talking OUNCES here, not pounds) than the radiators. This will insure that the mains will fill with steam quickly, before the steam begins to flow to the radiators.

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frank s

thank you....

Thanks steamhead for taking the time to get me that information, you're a gentleman and a scholar.......of steam anyway. I truly appreciate your knowledge and I thank you again, now if you can just tell me where I should position them I will be forever(atleast a day or 2) in your debt. Thanks again, Frank

Steamhead

They should work OK

in the tee where the old vents are, even though that's not the textbook location. I have a bunch of vents located this way and if the pressuretrol is cranked all the way down, they last OK.

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