A couple of simple (I hope) steam questions

Vincent_2

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the help you guys gave me a week back or so. I wrote about having the "hybrid" one pipe and two pipe steam system, with a bunch of problems. Things seem much better now, with the heat feeling much more evenly distributed in the house and it feeling less drafty (the second issue being connected to the first I assume).

So here are my questions...

1. I have gotten all the radiators except one..(one of the one pipe rads in the upstairs bath) to work well. That particular rad worked well until the vent seemed to clog. It is a smaller older American brand rad, with only 3 radiator fins. Anyway..it seemed to work best with a Uni-vent..which I am sure you are aware costs like $24 at a local hardware store (only place I can buy without ordering). I think it is because it is much smaller than the others...it was the only one that didn't get blocked with water, so the rad stayed continuously warm for several days. So my question is this..is there a cheaper smaller air vent..or should I go and fork over the $24 bucks, and hope this just works (I think the other one stopped working because of age..I had cleaned it with boiling vinegar but that only worked for a few days).

2. If I do need the uni-vent..is there a cheaper place to get it? I am a bit phobic of ordering anything online so anyplace that would sell it for less in seacoast New Hampshire area?

3. My thermostat still has a bit of a hard time reaching the temp it is set at...I usually keep it set at 70 (as this is the temp that house feels more comfortable). I do suspect since it is located on the other side of the hallway wall about seven feet from an old double door that is very drafty that this may have something to do with it, as the rest of house generally feels good. Could it be the thermostat? Its a honeywell round. I know it is supposted to be set at some number on small dial at base of thermostat...anyone know where i would look on radiator to figure that out?


4. As I mentioned earlier I don't like buying stuff onnline..I am a bit paranoid of the whole thing still.
Anyway I wonder if I could buy Dan's book Pocketfull of steam anywhere retail?

FYI: Insulating the main pipes did seem to help. So thanks for the suggestion. Also shimming the one pipe rads to tilt back towards the supply seem to have helped (except the above mentioned bath rad which is when I started having trouble with it heating again..)(but again I think the problem is the type of vents i have on that rad..Right now I have a maid o mist one- type J, I believe and that works better than the hoffman..but again until I shimmed it the uni-valve worked best (by the way I unshimmed to see if that would make a difference it didnt..so I know its the air vent as using the maid o mist is working somewhat and the old univent isnt'.
Also I asked a local retired plumber who knows his way around a steam system and he told me the reason my system probably doesn't have steam vents is because the boiler sits about in the center of the basement so the runs on the mains are probably about 15 ft and 11 feet, which means they are well balanced..does this make sese or should I be thinking main vents intstallaton in the not too distant future?


Thanks with any help you can give me..You guys are great!!

Vince

Vincent_2

oops..Varivalve not uni-vent

Well I should have looked at thename of the air vent before I wrote that last email.. I should have said Varivalve..not uni vent.Sorry for the confusion..

John Conway

no answers, just a suggestion

If you feel uncomfortable ordering on line, ask a friend or relative to do it for you.

As for ordering parts, if you know a reliable steam guy, why not ask him to get your parts. Of course, I have (an unfounded?) belief that coastal NH must be crawling with reputable steam techs. And Boston is just down the street. Oh, for such proximity...!

I strongly recommend "We Got Steam Heat!" to anyone who lives in a building with steam and "The Lost Art of Steam Heating" to anyone who wants to dig more deeply. (I'd say get LASH, but some might be put off by its encyclopedic completeness. WGSH is shorter, a quick read and very informative.) "A Pocketful of Steam Problems (with Solutions)" recapitulates information in a format suitable for troubleshooting and is a fine book. In short, useful, but not nearly as entertaining for a knuckleheaded homeowner (me).

Good luck & peace to you.

kevin coppinger_4

Vince...

I'm in Dover...give me a shout! kpc

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