Tap 1" pipe?

What are you attempting to accomplish by doing this? Is this a one pipe system? That 1" pipe has minimal air in it. The radiator vent (or trap, if 2 pipe) can handle that. What is the size of the radiator it feeds? If the radiator EDR is greater than than 1" pipe can accommodate, venting it isn't going to change that. A 1" pipe can supply a radiator up to about 25 EDR, on a one pipe system, a bit more on a two pipe). If your radiator is much larger than that, you need to put a larger pipe in. In any case, you don't want a BNJ vent for that pipe. It will provide no value and serve no purpose over a regular radiator vent.

Steamhead said:

And use plenty of Teflon, so if the pipe or vent must be removed, it'll come right out.

@Steamhead, do you have a preference for teflon tape, or paste? I'm still using wick and dope quite a bit, but I often wonder if I'm just stuck in my father's world with that. My guys love this new Blue Monster tape or whatever it's called.

3-4 wraps of blue monster and smear on a thin layer of Megaloc over the tightly wrapped tape with your finger. The PTFE tape seals better and the dope lubricates better.

Perfect seal every time.

For some reason, I kind of like the smell of Megaloc cooking on a new steam pipe. Maybe that's a bad sign.

If it's thread tape, it's not Teflon™.
https://www.chemours.com/Teflon_Industrial/en_US/teflon_tape.html

Correct, except that DuPont is no longer the trademark holder. Last year they spun off their performance chemicals division as a new company, Chemours ("chemical" + "Nemours"?), which now holds the trademark and patent for Teflon™.

What Chemours is doing is trying to keep their trademark from becoming a generic synonym for polytetrafluoroethylene before it goes the way of kleenex, xerox and scotch tape. This allows them to bring suit against companies who claim their products contain Teflon when they actually contain polytetrafluoroethylene made by a competitor. Ultimately, it's probably a losing battle—just ask Kimberly-Clark, Xerox and 3M—but I respect their position.

Hap_Hazzard said:

Correct, except that DuPont is no longer the trademark holder. Last year they spun off their performance chemicals division as a new company, Chemours ("chemical" + "Nemours"?), which now holds the trademark and patent for Teflon™.

What Chemours is doing is trying to keep their trademark from becoming a generic synonym for polytetrafluoroethylene before it goes the way of kleenex, xerox and scotch tape. This allows them to bring suit against companies who claim their products contain Teflon when they actually contain polytetrafluoroethylene made by a competitor. Ultimately, it's probably a losing battle—just ask Kimberly-Clark, Xerox and 3M—but I respect their position.

Southwire takes a similar position regarding the Romex© brand

Insert at the top and wait.

Bob

Aside from the one that looks like it leaks? It should work. Looks like 1/4" tapping, which is fine for Gorton #1's and #2's

I was told it's 1/8" NPT tappings into pipes.

I won't explain how the picture came to me but it was concerning our vents. My thought is why spend the money on venting if you are going to do it this way? Why not break the pipe somewhere and install a proper fitting so that you can take advantage of the money you are spending on venting.

I guess I would ask it simply.

Would any of you pros ever do a job like this unless specifically instructed to by a client to getter done?

These are 1/4" tapped into 2". I wanted the strainers and distance from the main. It would have been quite a weight on a 1/4" tapping without the mini-clamp supports.

Abracadabra said:

1/8" pipe will vent 2.5 cfm @ 3oz.
gorton #2 will vent 2.2 cfm @ 3 oz.
So by the numbers it'll work. I don't like it tho. A good accidental hit to one of those vents and you've got steam leaking all over the place. I'd never do it that way, but maybe they couldn't find a proper spot to add a tee?

From what i was told this is fairly common work and they anticipate doing a lot more just like this. In other words, they are doing it this way because it's the fastest way to get it done.

I was asked to spec a substantial qty of my vents up against the competition, but I don't see how I could make it work with their insistence on using 1/8" tappings. And I could never recommend going in there with a 3/4" tap.

with the amount of vents they are talking, it would save them a ton by just doing it right and reducing the amount of vents they are using and piping it in properly. I don't expect to be able to convince them so I'll probably just politely say I'm not interested.

JUGHNE said:

If I had to open the 2" run for any reason it would have gotten a tee installed. I am a one man shop with limited pipe threading tools, so breaking a 2" line open is not a simple job for me.
This was the most economical solution for the home owner who previously had no venting at all.

Would a 1/4" tap be enough for a Big Mouth?

I understand that. For a single job, you do the best you can with what you have. But this is a large scale venting change out in a large city with apparently a crew. If your job detail was to change or add 1000s of vents to steam systems all over, would you not invest in proper piping tools? I have to think that this was just one building, but others may have proper places to add vents and their MO is to leave the 7/16" drill in one drill and the 1/8" tap in the other. Bam bam done next.

In your situation I think that's a fine job and you obviously took pride to do a workmanlike job.

The picture I posted was sent to me as an example of their work. Personally it looks lazy and half ****. There I said it, now I feel better. Lol

Danny Scully said:

Of course we would @Sailah , it's a commonly used technique. And to answer your question as to why we don't cut out a portion of the piping, thread in place presumable, and add a fitting...well, because we don't have to In all honestly, every situation is different. But really there is nothing wrong with tapping/threading a pipe.

Ok I respect that, maybe I was a bit harsh about judging others work.

I worked in a custom cabinet shop when I was younger. I remember asking my boss,

"Greg, is this good enough?"

"Peter, perfect is good enough, do it over"

Always stuck with me. I don't ever achieve perfection, far from it, but I always strive to.

If I had a big boy crew for that job you describe, I would go with the welded saddles and use an antler assembly.
Build it on a bench with a union and strainer for multiple vents.
Less pipe wrench time on a ladder.

Here a tee did get installed....still concerned about weight on fittings; this is in a boys shower room; who knows where they would want to do pull ups.

I would have tapped 1/2" NPT inste4ad of 1/8" or 1/4". Not that hard to do if you have the right tools.

We've been tapping since before we started the company and have never had a problem. If done right, they don't leak.

Nice setup @RI_SteamWorks

@RI_SteamWorks

From now on if you put that many vents in its required that you polish them! I love that pic.