Replacing Vents - What & Where To Buy

Chuck_29

The two mains are:
Short run: ~20' of 2.5" pipe
Long run: ~44' Overall: ~12' of 3" pipe into ~32' of 2.5" pipe

Chuck_29

What Gorton Vents To Buy

Entering my third season in my single pipe steam, little cape cod home, and I'm now going to do a little (and I mean little) more upkeep on the heating system. I have had a professional come and do a cleaning/maintenance visit, and I had the low water cutoff cleaned last year.

1.) I just purchased a low pressure 0-5 PSI gauge for the boiler to replace a 0-30 PSI gauge that I have never seen move. It will be interesting to see what the pressure on the system is.

2.) The first year I moved in, I bought a bunch of Hoffman 1A Air Vents and replaced all of the old Dole vents on the radiators. This helped to get things moving. I also installed new main vents, Gorton #1s on each run. One side of the house should have had a Gorton #2, but I was cheap/stupid. I am going to fix that this time around. Also, some of the Hoffman vents seem to be failing (Stuck open/closed occasionally), and I am thinking of switching over to Gortons on the radiators. Is this a good idea?

(Related Tangent: Occassionally, all of the vents pop open for about a minute, does this mean my system might be running at too high a pressure?)

3.) Assuming I switch to Gorton's, I am curious as to which I should buy? I have looked at the diagram on their site, and come to the following conclusion:

Downstairs:

2 Medium Radiators Above Boiler: #5
1 Large Radiator on back wall: #6
2 Small radiators on short main: #5 or #6
1 Small radiator in dining room, closest to thermostat, but not in same room: #5

Upstairs:
1 Large Radiator, far from boiler: C
1 Large Radiator, closer to boiler: #6
1 Small Radiator, in bathroom: #6

Does this sound like a good plan? When I buy them I am planning to go through Pexsupply.com, they seem to have good prices. Is there someone else out there I should check out? I assume I want the angle valves, but was curious what the straight valves would be used for? Odd shaped radiators?

Thanks in advance for any help, and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Steamhead (in transit)

First thing to do

is to upgrade your main vents. To make sure you're getting the right sizes, post the length and diameter of each main here. We can tell you what you need.

The 0-30# gauge should remain on the boiler to satisfy Code. You can put the 0-5# gauge on a tee with the 0-30# one.

The Hoffman #1A vents should last a long time, but main vents that are too small will shorten their life.

I like to use fixed vents in the main living areas where the thermostat is, also in the bathroom which you want to keep at full temperature to avoid condensation and mold after a shower- and adjustable vents everywhere else for easier fine-tuning. Unfortunately, Gorton doesn't make adjustables.

If you have any rooms that aren't used much, try the Vent-Rite #1 adjustable vent there. This vent has a little wheel that you can turn without tools to adjust it. You can keep the vent closed when not in use so the room won't heat, and open it when needed.

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Steamhead (in transit)

Use

a Gorton #2 on the long main, and a Gorton #1 on the shorter one. Bewtween the two of them they will vent the 3-inch portion.

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