One pipe steam question

mel rowe

Warren, I'm inexperienced at this, but I've been doing a lot of reading in Dan's excellent book, TLASH, and picking up a lot from this site. Interestingly, I'm struggling with some of the same problems. Here are just a few things to check out. First, is the near-boiler piping correct, to prevent excess steam velocity and assure dry steam leaving the boiler? Second, what is the system's operating pressure range? Third, could the wet return line(s) be partially plugged, thus leaving a lot of condensate in the mains, that then finds its way into the risers and rads and makes lovely gurgling noises? I've already been through the first two myself and am now starting to check out my wet return lines.

Warren J. Mateychak

One pipe steam system question

I have a one pipe steam system with a gas fired boiler. I've noticed that the radiator furthest from the boiler will collect a large amount of water during longer heating cycles. Before I changed the air vent from a Gordon D to a Hoffman 1A, the vent was spitting water while the radiator gurgled during heatup. Changing the air vent and pitching the radiator back to the supply pipe has dramatically helped the function of the radiator but you still hear what sounds like gallons of condensate draining back down the supply pipe when the cycle ends. This is the only radiator to have this problem and it's riser is the only one that experiences any sort of hammer (minor) in the system. Is this a common issue with steam systems? By the way, the mains are adequately vented and insulated, and the pitch seems correct.

Thanks

Warren