problem with vents

Bill_39

I have a customer with 2 radiators that have vents spitting. I was there a l;ittle over a month ago and a replaced the main vents and cleaned the pigtail and it solved the problem. I just got a call yesterday that they are spitting again. I think I have checked everything. THe radiator vents are new, the valves are open all the way, the radiators are pitched, I took the valves apart and they are clear, all of the pipes are pitched. The only thing I didn't do is clean the boiler. Could just cleaning the boiler solve the problem?

Steamhead

It could

but if the boiler was real dirty, it might actually make it worse since you'd be making more-potent steam!

Have you checked the size of the boiler against the existing radiation?

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Bill_39

ok

I went back today and cleaned the boiler. The oil company already put a smaller nozzle in it. But i noticed something that I didn't notice before because I have never put in a WM steam boiler. I found the manual and it says the header should be 2 1/2" and the equalizer should be
1 1/2". Right of the top of the boiler they reduced down to 2" copper and the equalizer is only 1 1/4. I' thinking that the equalizer can't drain the header and all of the water is getting pushed up into the system and can't get back to the boiler. The boiler is also surging. The two radiators that are spitting are at the end of a long main and the takeoffs are about 6" away from a 90. Maybe when the water hits the 90 it's getting pushed up into the radiator. I have pictures of the boiler. I will post them as soon as I figure out how.

Bill_39

near boiler piping

Here are the pictures I took. I think if I re pipe the boiler it will solve the problem. I don't see anything else

Fred Harwood

Spit

For sure you want to insulate all steam pipes. Might be as simple as that.

Bill_39

yeah but

the water is not getting back to the boiler. I don't think insulation would have much to do with that. Also most of the main is insulated with asbestos

Bill_39

anybody else

Can anyone else give me an opinion? Steamhead? Mad Dog? Anyone?

Mark Hunt

Does the boiler


have a skim tap piped? Can't see in the pics.

The flux that was used during the installation is probably floating on top of the water line causing the boiler water to surge. Skimming could be the answer.

We recently re-piped a boiler that was piped with copper and ended up using Rhomar Hydro-solve to get the boiler clean. I had never seen a boiler surge like this one. Spitting air vents, hammering, you name it.

I got an e-mail from the customer last week stating that the system has never been so quiet.

Draining the boiler won't help either as the flux will stick to the sections and will coat the water again on restart.

Mark H

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Dale

Main vent

I wonder how well the main vent works on that end of main drop down jog. I would cut and resolder a bit of that copper to put the main vent up on the horizontal steel pipe. Looks like you have the room for a tee for that vent.

Jack_24

spitting

i'm having the exact same problem with my system. one radiator in the top floor apt. (there are 3 other radiators in thae apt.) continues to spit. This is on the 5th floor so it is also the end of the line. i've changed the valves, gone to a very small opening on the valve, increased the pitch, and it still spits. please help.
jack

Bill_39

Mark

I skimmed it for about 3 hours yesterday. there IS a skim valve. Do you think if I pipe the boiler properly it would solve the problem? I also would fix the way the main vent is installed.

Steamhead

First repipe the boiler

to the manufacturer's specs. It's OK to use a larger header and equalizer than called for but never a smaller one. And use black pipe like the Dead Men did- but you know that already.

Then see if any of the runouts to the spitting radiators are off-pitch, and that the main vents are sized properly.

The one nice thing about the present piping is all that height between the boiler and the header. This helps to produce bone-dry steam. It would be worth keeping that height.

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sinkdoc 43381

Sitting Vents

Never Reduce The Header. Never pipe in copper. And always follow the boiler instructions to the letter or you will have problems. This is very important.

sinkdoc 43381

Sitting Vents

Never Reduce The Header. Never pipe in copper. And always follow the boiler instructions to the letter or you will have problems. This is very important.