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Balancing question

Hi, I recently did some home remodeling, in the process 6 steam radiators were cut out of the system, from both the 1st and 2nd floor. What was cut out was mostly from a main that was added to the original system. This year I am noticing that some of the rooms on the 2nd floor are not heating up as I would like them to. Additionally most of the radiators now are on one side of the existing main. Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,722
    I think we need more clarity on the situation. You completely removed 6 radiators from the system, or you moved 6 radiators to a different main?
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
    ethicalpaul
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,170
    If you completely removed six radiators, you are -- at the very least -- going to have a struggle with a badly oversized boiler and short cycling. There isn't much you can do about that.

    You probably will need to increase the main venting on the remaining mains to compensate for the loss of main venting, if that was removed too.

    And if this is single pipe steam, you will need to go around and rebalance all the venting.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    ethicalpaulHap_Hazzard
  • mikegcny
    mikegcny Member Posts: 18
    I just had a new steam boiler installed and rebalanced my single pipe system (it was not well balanced).

    I got in touch with the people at Gorton (Ken) and send him a detailed drawing of my system (boiler location, thermostat location, mains, radiators, etc,) and he was able to verify the venting choices that I made.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,170
    No one, including the good folks at Gorton -- and they are very good indeed -- can do more than make suggestions as to what the optimum venting for a given system is. They can give a starting point, but then the technician on site -- in this case you -- has to adjust or change things so that they work as wanted. No two systems are alike, and so far as I've seen there is no analytical or numeric approach which can do the final adjustments.

    Bottom line -- try different venting sizes and arrangements until it works the way you want it to work. Remember that slowing overambitious radiators is always preferable to trying to speed up an underperforming one.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    ethicalpaul
  • The important step in a balanced venting system is getting the main vents to let the steam push out the air from the supply pipes with as little resistance as possible-2- 3 ounces measured with a good low pressure gauge, (0-3psi).
    Next put small radiator vents on the rads, to handle the air pushed out of the risers to each radiator.
    The aim is to fill the main supplies first, then allowing all the radiators to receive steam simultaneously.
    This may not be the way Gorton advises, but it is the most effective, and simplest.—NBC 
    ethicalpaulwlgann
  • LIsteampad
    LIsteampad Member Posts: 6

    Here is the schematic that I made of the system as it stands right now. I am going to start tomorrow with trying to brainstorm some ways to handle the issues that I'm having.
  • https://www.peerlessboilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Survey_Stm.pdf
    These schematics are a little easier to understand than yours.
    I presume that your boiler will now short-cycle, due to being oversized. This makes generous main venting even more important, as the aim is to get steam to all the radiators simultaneously..—NBC