\"The Lost Art\" and the \"plumbing consultant\" don't agree.

Dave_29

I am reposting this as its own thread, since I thing I miss-posted before. Anyway:

"The Lost Art" and the "plumbing consultant" don't agree on the size for runners to new radiators in an addition we added.

We just built an addition onto our house. The first floor has a largish (54 EDR) Burnham (?) in-wall convection radiator. The 2nd floor has a similar, 40.5 EDR radiator.

The 2" main feeding the runners for both is long - about 36 feet (the length of the basement), and is 1 of 3 loops off the boiler ( a 1 year old Burnham). The runner for the 1st floor radiator is then another 15 feet. The 2nd floor has a 2 foot runner, then the riser, and then another 12 foot runner. ALL of the new piping is 1". I think the pressuretrol has a cut-out of 1.5 and cut-in of about 0.5

The charts on page 89 of The Lost Art indicate that the runners should be at least 1.25", if not 1.5". The plumber's consultant (who I think is a rep for the radiator supply house) thinks that they are "plenty big for low pressure steam", and that the problem is that the far end of the main needs to be vented.

What problem? - It's mostly difficulty getting the system balanced. The new rooms are either too hot, or too cold, depending on how warm it is outside. There is also a lot "gurgling" sounds coming from the system as a whole that did not exist before the addition. And lastly, mild banging in the middle of the night (from exactly where I am not sure).

The consultant thinks there is no reason to change the runners because he did not hear any noises when he tuned up the thermostat. I want them changed because I don't want noises later.

The plumber is a very generous and friendly guy who knows more about steam heat than many, and wants to do the right thing. But he has his supplier saying one thing and his customer saying another.

The way things stand now, I have agreed to have them add a vent to the far end of the main and fix a few other oddly plumbed sections of that part of the main (removing a gate valve for instance), and then see how things go.

Any suggestions about what, if anything, I should do? Thanks for reading my (long) post.

Thanks

Dave in Boston

Earthfire_2

my opinion

go with the "Lost Art" The recommendations in it are based on fact not speculation or got away with it on another job.

Ken_8

Earthfire's correct.

1" is too small and is the cause of your demise. The Holhan book is based on actual engineering principles and rules of steam from the "dead men" who ate steam for lunch.

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Mad Dog

I concur, too small, never gonna work right

Remember, this! The Lost Art IS a steam-heating bible, follow it to the letter and you will stay out of trouble. The larger the pipe the lower the pressure you can run. Mad Dog

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jim sokolovic

Lunch! There wasn't any...

such thing as lunch back then! And dinner...why they were lucky to have a raw potato, split 10 ways - and that was on Christmas only! And don't even ask about the being in the Navy! Dirt and nails was all they had to eat - well, an ocassional flying fish might flop up on the deck - but that was split 100 ways, and the captain got most of it! (Excerps from the rave I used to get every time I meekly inquired about interrupting our 14 hour workday to grab a bite between jobs)