Comm'l Steam Re-Pipe - DF

Dan Foley

We replaced the inoperative Heat-Timer control with a tekmar steam control last winter. We returned last week to tackle the venting problems. Brian added a dozen Gorton main vents to vent the mains. He cut in nine F&T traps on the downfeed risers to keep steam out of the wet returns and removed the "master trap" from the feed pump. The Gorton #1's on the F&T outlets act as vacuum breakers to allow the condensate to drain properly. A bucket trap was added to drip the header which was not pitched properly. I'll be curious to see how this one runs once it gets cold. -DF

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Dan Foley

Before..

My steam man, Brian Golden, re-piped this one-pipe steam system in a 5-story apartment building in Dupont Circle. The boiler was replaced with a 1.6 million BTU Burnham V-11 last year but the building still suffrered from the usual complaints: high fuel bills, banging & water hammer, uneven heat, etc.

The piping is a Mills system with downfeed risers. The wet returns originally ran under the basement slab but rotted out long ago. Someone ran new wet returns above the floor and added a boiler feed pump, with a 2" master trap for good measure. When they did this, they created a water seal that prevented the mains from venting through the receiver as well as creating some hellacious water hammer on start-up. All of the air vented through the radiator vents. -DF

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Christian Egli_2

Double trouble predictable

Removing the master trap alone would make you look like a genius. Installing any type of double trap brings in nothing but trouble, the exact same troubles one gets when installing two drain traps in a row in a sewer system without venting everywhere.

For educational purposes, every one should build himself one such unvented double trapped drain line on a sink. It's lots of fun, it looks fully operational, it gurgles, it backs up, and... it doesn't work at all, even on the faintest trickle of water. You got to see it to believe it.

We accept this as gospel when talking about drain lines and air bound causing puddles in sagging sewer lines. It's the exact same thing in condensate drain lines.

DF, another hero saved the day of this helpless heating system. I hope the owner and tenants were standing by and clapping when your guy wrestled away the master trap.

Now, to wrestle with changing all the broken radiator traps the master trap pounded into a pulp... (if you have two pipe radiators on the system)

DanHolohan

It's going to be so easy

to check and maintain those traps as the years go by, and that's going to save these folks so much money. They're smart to have chosen FMI. Thanks for sharing such fine work with us, Dan.

Dan Foley

Thanks

Thanks for the comments, Dan. Brian will be at the Rockville steam seminar on Oct. 4. It is looking like I will be able to make it as well. Looking forward to it. -DF

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Dan Foley

One-pipe.

Great observations, Christian. To my knowledge. the entire building is one-pipe but we did not go into all of the apartments. I offered to change all of the radiator vents but the board declined. I guess they handle that themselves. I will report back on this one after a couple months of operation. -DF

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Steamhead (in transit)

Looking good

especially all those Gortons! Do I see they installed them on the overhead mains too?

And I wonder if that system could have run on straight gravity return?

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Steamhead (in transit)

lwco lines

I love the brass pipes and fittings on the lwco lines!

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Boilerpro_5

One other thing to check for

Are there actual swing joints on the header (threaded connections) or is it just a welded header. If I understand correctly welded headers are not allowed on cast iron sectionals. I have an older Burnham that has a welded header that needs to be replaced with threaded. Nice work on the traps, but I wonder as Steamhead did, would gravity return work. Headroom does look tight, through. I hope to convert the above system back to gravity.

boiler

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EBEBRATT-Ed

Great looking job and a lot of work to make it right FIRST RATE! It will show in the fuel bills. Is brass piping on the boiler controls required in your area?? Or was this done to make a better job(which it is)

I had a 13 story building in Boston with "master traps" one on every return. There were about 8 returns. The owner would not budge. I told him we had to fix the rad traps and remove the master traps.I took him to the boiler room and showed him the steam blasting out of the condensate vent. I told him he was literaly pouring oil down the drain and that there was enough steam being wasted to heat half of Boston. They had no problem paying for fuel or for having there condensate pumps rebuilt constantly due to overheating. He told me "write down your theroies". I told him it wasn't a theory--it was a fact!

This was an orginazation that handed out fuel money, heating assistance, insulation money to those in need. Good cause but they couldn't see the forest through the trees.

Sorry for the rant--youd did agreat job!

Ed

Dan Foley

Piping

BP,

The piping was already done when we got involved with the project. It is not piped exactly as we would have done it (take-offs between the risers, welded swing joints) but is performing satisfactorily. Threaded swing joints would have been better but the companion flanges are better than nothing. -DF

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Dan Foley

Brass

Hi Gordo,

Brass piping is required in DC for the LWCO piping. We would typically use black steel which is ok in VA and MD. -DF

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Dan Foley

Traps

Ed,

Thanks for the comments on our work. See above - brass is required in DC for control piping. I agree with you, you can spend the $$ on proper traps and maintenance or you can spend it on fuel. -DF

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Dan Foley

Vents

Hi Frank,

Vents were installed on the basement mains as well as at the base of the drops. When we first surveyed this system, the steam took 45 minutes from a cold start to circle the mains. When Brian started this one up last Thursday after properly venting and trapping the system, the steam shot around in 10 minutes.

This was most likely originally a gravity return system. The feed pump was most likely added in response to the extremely long duty cycles caused by the lack of venting. The boiler would shut off on low water long before the condensate could return. I call this treating the sympton rather than the cause.

There is no harm in leaving the pump, other than routine maintenance costs. It acts as a buffer for the lower water content of the V-11 vs. what was there before. If you and Gordo are down this way, I'll buy you lunch and show off Brian's piping skills. -DF

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Mad Dog_2

The right men on the job..........................

Way to go Foley! Mad Dog

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Brad White_122

Can Steam be Delicious? Yup.

Exceptional work Dan and crew! I agree with Dan H. on trap servicing and particularly like the "surgical intervention" on the wet returns. File this one as a Case Study in an album including fuel bills before and after.

Some owners have all the luck....

Brad