no seal loops in riser drips

wallace

I have a one pipe steam system that has condensate drips on all the 2nd floor risers. These drips discharge into the dry return header but without a seal loop or stm trap, as suggested the "steam problems?" section of this site. What effect does this have on the system?

gerry gill

are you sure

its a DRY return header and not a continuation of the pressureized side of the system?

wallace

The dry return header is a continuation of the steam supply line. It begins at the end of the steam line and pitches back down to the boiler

Steamhead

Could it have been

a wet return before the boiler was changed? The water line on older boilers was generally much higher than on current ones.

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Christian Egli

But it works good, no?

If the risers had simply dripped into the main, we would not wonder about it, but they drip into the return. Call it a returning main and, again, nothing will seem out of the ordinary.

You say the return is pitched well, so there should be no risk of water hammer. Everything goes happily back to the boiler.

The risk is water hammer caused by the bad coexistence of steam and water in no slope returns. Are you having problems now?

This drip situation would have no effect on efficiency. Where are your main air vents located? Are there any near the boiler where this returning main comes back?

Fred Harwood

Return

Is the system gravity or pumped? And does any other drip connect to this return above the water line? If so, a possible steam pressure short exists. Keep the steam pressure very low.