Balancing One-Pipe Steam System

Josh

Three issues:
-Kitchen radiator not getting steam
-Rooms not heating evenly
-Garage radiator turned off at valve to save energy

First, the kitchen:
The steam line to the kitchen radiator branches off one of the mains just after the vent. Steam fills the main, but seems to pass right by the kitchen branch. The vents on the main line and the radiator are both new. When I remove the vent from the radiator, I can hear a subtle gurgling/whistling sound, and eventually the steam pipe to the radiator gets hot. It takes a long time though - every other pipe gets hot instantly when I remove a vent.

Second: Balance.
When I replaced my first vent and the radiator sprang to life, I was hooked. I started replacing vents at the first complaint of any room not heating fast enough. I've been replacing steam vents on radiators throughout the house, and I seem to have created a whole new set of issues. Now there are rooms that are too hot, and rooms that aren't getting warm fast enough. Is there a logical process I can follow to restore balance and get everything heating evenly? Do fast vents belong with big radiators, or is vent size supposed to be matched to the distance from the boiler? Argh!

Finally, the garage:
Although our system is a one pipe system, there is a giant radiator mounted to the ceiling of the garage (the 2 car garage is under the house)and it has one pipe going in, and one going out (see pictures of garage "in" and "out".) I turned this radiator off at the supply valve because the other steam pipes that pass through the garage keep things warm enough to prevent any freezing, and I don't want to heat the garage to 60+ if I don't have to! Could turning the garage radiator off be part of my balance problem?

The boiler is <5 years old, the house is 3,400 square feet, and we have a 2gph nozzle on the burner. Thanks in advance for any good advice.

Mad Dog

Put in a real Main vent..like a Gorton #2

Mad Dog

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M Ransley

Im a bldg owner no HVAC pro but ive rebalanced an apt building. I had apartments up to 20 degree difference and balancing is time consuming. First off get a Rayteck Infrared thermometer apx 70 US at mailorder RC hobby places, Im not sure of the model but be sure it has a minmum error, 1%. Or get a Pro mini digital, the one with the spike - meat probe on it. To be sure its accurate swish it asound in a glass of ice water for 30 sec. At least you will know thats 32. I got a bunch of cheap Taylor metal housing thermometers and calibrated them all, 90% were off, some by 5 degrees. [ quality control, ha ] Put one in each room. You can go several ways use Gorton 4-5-6-C-D vents or Dole adjustable. For an apt bldg you dont want a tennant messing with an adjustable vent so i use Gorton.I dont know what you are using for vents now but basicly the coldest room- radiator gets the D . And the room to cut down gets the 4 . It could also be a bad main or return vent if a run is cold. Balancing should be done slowly , alow the room to stabilise 12 hr to a day, remember when you increase a room temp, you take heat away from others , so dont reajust all at once. For cold problem rooms there is the Vari Vent the most open vent I know of , or double venting. Or forget all i said and go the expensive adjustable thermostatic valve route.

Josh

Real Main Valves

Is there really a big difference? The Vent-Rite 75 was installed by the oil-man, who seemed to understand steam. The valve it replaced looked much bigger - it was a Hoffman 75A. I couldn't find anything online about the Hoffman 75A, but I noticed that the Hoffman 76 mentions vacuum in its description. What do I have (marked Vent-Rite #75) and what do I need?

Josh

Voila: Balance! (or at least heat in the kitchen)

As it turns out, by changing to a larger Gorton #2 vent on the radiator in the breakfast room, further away from the boiler than the kitchen rad, suddenly both radiators are heating evenly. It's a mystery, but the Vent-Rite #75 seems to be doing an adequate job venting the main. Steam heat is fun, when it works!