steam pipes

ed wallace

just looked at a burnham gas boiler steam system the steam main runs around the basement feeds the radiators then returns to the boiler as a return could this be a vapor system ? each radiator only has a supply there is no return piping does not appear to ever have had any return return piping except the end of the main

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Steamhead

That's a \"One-Pipe Circuit System\"

which works the same as the more usual one-pipe system that has two or more mains.

You'll want to vent the heck out of this main to get steam to the end quickly. I usually don't use anything less than a Gorton #2 on a circuit system, since the long pipe has more internal resistance than two shorter ones.

How long is your main, and what diameter?

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paul lessard_2

Hey frank..

After hearing so much gorton#2 out of you ,I had to see for myself.I went down to the garage and found 1 vent-rite 75, 1 hoffman 74 and one little copper gorton#1 the difference was amazing,almost no resistance at all compared to the other two. cool!

Steamhead

You thought the #1 was fast

Get a #2 and experience truly quick venting.

I'll never forget the first time I got my hands on a Gorton #2.... I had been going thru some literature at a supply house and the salesman had never seen a #2. The only thing he knew was that it was larger than the #1. So I had him order me one, and when it came in I blew thru it. It out-vented every vent I'd ever seen. I used so many of these vents that they started stocking them, and continued doing so until the business was sold.

My most recent Gorton #2 experience was at a large house that was split into 4 apartments. We went there to fix a stubborn toilet and I noticed the lady had steam heat. She told me there was one radiator that never heated. I saw why and told her I could get it hot. With a Gorton #2 on each main (had to drill and tap for one of them), that radiator got hot for the first time in who knows how long. We're going back when the system has run a while to inspect the rest of the system and flush it out.

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ed wallace

steam pipe

ok so its a 1 pipe circuit system the circuit pipeing is 2 in all thu the basement it returns to the boiler without a hartford loop which i believe it needs where would i install a gorton vent it has i main vent just before it drops down to return to the boiler

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Steamhead

Replace the existing vent

with the Gorton #2. Depending on the length of the pipe and the boiler's capacity, you may need more than one #2. Remember, the entire output of the boiler is pushing the air out of that main, as opposed to two mains and two main vents each getting half the boiler's output.

Yes, the boiler needs a Hartford Loop. If you don't have the piping diagram, Glenn Stanton (gstanton@burnham.com) can get it for you. I'll bet there are some other piping problems on that job too.

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Tony Brown

Hello, it's me again, although in a different discussion. I've been reading, and learned here in this thread, that missing a main vent on the short main is not end of the world, because can always drill to place a vent there.

Question is: does main vent need to be Gorton's #2, or since it's the short main and not the long main, will #1 suffice? I WILL use #2 for the long main...I promise.

Steamhead

Main vents are sized

according to how much air is in them. I'll post the answer in the other thread.
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Tony Brown

Well, my short main has no air vent. What do I measure to?? If I measure to where I believe the short main vent SHOULD BE...then it's 252" (or 21'). The main is 2.5" diameter. There's an elbow where the vent should've been, but it's capped.
The long main is 747" (or 62'), out of the boiler, to the long main vent, w/ 2.5" diameter

Steamhead

Main vent sizes

Put a Gorton #2 on the long one, and a Gorton #1 or Hoffman #75 on the short one. These vent sizes will make sure steam reaches the end of both mains at about the same time, and quickly. Then all your radiator vents have to do is vent the radiators and associated runouts. You won't believe it's the same system!

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