Water coming out of main vents on single pipe steam system

Steamhead

There's definitely something wrong there. Is the "return valve" a check-valve or a trap? Tell us more about your system and post some pics if you can.

Do you know if the system originally had a condensate tank, or was it added later? Most one-pipe systems used straight gravity returns, without the complication of a tank and pump.

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Ray_11

Water coming out of main vents on single pipe steam system

Well, this is a struggle. I bought a 120 year old Victorian. During this last summer I replaced all of the leaking pipes in the basement that were the condensate returns. I rebuilt the Hoffman Low WaterCutoff/Pump Controller Model 150 mechanical) hacking and scraping about 20 years of scale out of it and the pipes going to it. It works fine now. All the leaks in the pipes are repaired and I have now done the first two blowdowns that have been done on the the controller in, what I am sure, the last 20 years. When I did the blowdown today water started coming out of the two main steam vents located in the return pipes on this single pipe system. Then after a while I heard the return valve going to the condensate tank working and after a while the water stopped coming out of the vents. I assume this means that my return valve is crudded up and needs repairing. Am I correct?

Ray_11

Pics

I'll take some and post them tomorrow. I have no record of the history oher than the boiler is a 20 year old peerless and it appears the lwco/pump controller and condensate tank are of the same vintage.

Steamhead

OK, I'll be

watching for them!

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Ray_11

Pictures of System

Here are pics of the steam vents and of the piping

Steamhead

OK, that's a Float & Thermostatic trap

which was put in the wrong place. The installer should have used two, installed on the drips above the tank.

I don't think you need that pump & tank. Extend the drips to about floor level before connecting them together, run them into a Hartford Loop and put on some new main vents. You can also add an electric feed valve to that pump controller.

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Ray_11

Thanks, I'll start getting stuff together for the job