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Drip to nowhere.

delcrossv
delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916
edited February 14 in Strictly Steam

Hmm. Looks like this drip goes to a drain. Sink is directly below.

I can say with absolute certainty it does NOT go back to the boiler. Wonder how much water loss this would account for. Pipe is riser for a single rad. 1-1/4".

Main is lagged pipe in the lower left corner of the bottom picture.

Thoughts?

Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.

Comments

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,773

    If that pipe with the drip on it isn't the main than what is it?

  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916
    edited February 14

    Riser to 2nd floor rad.

    Here's the bizarre main connection.

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,773

    Maybe it was a steam supply for laundry equipment or a water heater. It isn't really in the right place to be a drip, it is both coming off the side of the lateral above the condensate and is on the uphill end of the slope of the lateral.

  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 2,439

    Did this leak come from a source above the pipes in the pictures? And not from the pipes? Or maybe its a leak from both?

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 25,623

    If it really is a drip from that riser and radiator, it could be a lot. Not hard to calculate — take the EDR of the radiator, multiply by 0.24 and that will be the pounds of water per hour of operation.

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    delcrossv
  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916
    edited February 14

    Who knows. Building is from 1912 and we've owned it since the early 60s.

    So not since our ownership. It does look like it had been repaired more recently than the original installation. Partly done in galvanized for one.

    Maybe because of the downstream horizontal union?

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916
    edited February 14

    Water damage was from cracked stack I replaced. Note nice new CI in the pic.

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
    Intplm.
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 2,439

    Haa* Damn auto correct🤨

    delcrossv
  • Dave in QCA
    Dave in QCA Member Posts: 1,801

    Are you saying that you have not been able to find the end of the pipe? Or, does it go down through the floor? and if through the floor you don't know where it goes?

    Is there evidence that one some time wet returns were under the floor? Sometimes, the get replaced with new wet returns running on top of the floor.

    Dave in Quad Cities, America
    Weil-McLain 680 with Riello 2-stage burner, December 2012. Firing rate=375MBH Low, 690MBH Hi.
    System = Early Dunham 2-pipe Vacuo-Vapor (inlet and outlet both at bottom of radiators) Traps are Dunham #2 rebuilt w. Barnes-Jones Cage Units, Dunham-Bush 1E, Mepco 1E, and Armstrong TS-2. All valves haveTunstall orifices sized at 8 oz.
    Current connected load EDR= 1,259 sq ft, Original system EDR = 2,100 sq ft Vaporstat, 13 oz cutout, 4 oz cutin - Temp. control Tekmar 279.
    http://grandviewdavenport.com
  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916
    edited February 15

    No evidence there were ever under the floor wet returns. This is the only drip in an otherwise conventional one pipe system.

    I have to open up more wall to see where it ends. Being in line with the sink drain raises suspicions.

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
    Long Beach Ed
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,773

    except basically none of the condensate is going to go that way, the only condensate that would take that path would be from steam that condensed in that section of pipe after the tee, if air can get out so steam can get in.

    delcrossv
  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916
    edited February 15

    Gets warm, not steam hot. The takeoff on the tee is angled slightly downward so some condensate may be going that way.

    If it ends in a drip loop to the sanitary drain I'm thinking of just capping it off. What would it be there for anyway?

    The takeoff from the main is weird too. Why all the s turns instead of tee-nipple-45 like everywhere else?

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,773

    if it were hooked to the sewer, unless there is a water seal at the bottom, it would be able to vent and would get steam hot. and you'd lose a ton of water through it as steam.

  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916
    edited February 15

    It doesn't, so I'm figuring there's a loop seal lower down.

    See any downside to just capping it?

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
  • clammy
    clammy Member Posts: 3,212

    Are you sure there is no radiator connection being all drips i have ever seen or installed where on the bottom not piped off the side being for it to serve its intended purpose it would be facing down not to the side being on its side a decent amount of condensate would need to build up before draining . Why not just use a camera and look down the wall or better yet just remove the rest of he damage dry wall and visually take a look ? At one tome there may have been a wall or ceiling mounted rad but in which case there would be a wet return for condensate to drip too one would assume .

    peace and good luck clammy

    R.A. Calmbacher L.L.C. HVAC
    NJ Master HVAC Lic.
    Mahwah, NJ
    Specializing in steam and hydronic heating

    delcrossvmattmia2Long Beach Ed
  • Dave in QCA
    Dave in QCA Member Posts: 1,801

    If it were me, I would have my hammer in hand, plus a prybar, a small saw to cut the lath, and the shop vac to clean up the mess. Get busy and tear into that wall. No amount of guessing is ever going to come up with the answer of where that pipe goest and does it do anything. My guess is that it runs down the wall a ways and then is simiply capped off. Maybe it was used for something at sometime in the past, but my guess is that it is presently doing nothing at all. On the other hand, if it is connected to something…. or disappears under the floor, you need to deal with it and the sooner the better. This is not going to be a big project, just a minor annoyance and you will be so happy once the riddle is solved.

    Keep us posted, these riddles are great fun.

    Dave in Quad Cities, America
    Weil-McLain 680 with Riello 2-stage burner, December 2012. Firing rate=375MBH Low, 690MBH Hi.
    System = Early Dunham 2-pipe Vacuo-Vapor (inlet and outlet both at bottom of radiators) Traps are Dunham #2 rebuilt w. Barnes-Jones Cage Units, Dunham-Bush 1E, Mepco 1E, and Armstrong TS-2. All valves haveTunstall orifices sized at 8 oz.
    Current connected load EDR= 1,259 sq ft, Original system EDR = 2,100 sq ft Vaporstat, 13 oz cutout, 4 oz cutin - Temp. control Tekmar 279.
    http://grandviewdavenport.com
    delcrossv
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,773

    This is a put your hands in your pockets until you understand what is going on situation. it could be steam to something that was removed, it could be knuckelheading. it could be something else we didn't even think of. what does the plaster look like below it, does it look like it was patched or there was something mounted there? remember automatic storage water heaters and any of the laundry equipment we have now or even they my grandparents used didn't exist in 1912. i know solid fuel kettles were common for heating laundry and water, something steam for heating a kettle or a drying cabinet or for ironing is certainly possible.

    delcrossv
  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916

    I'll see where it goes and report back.

    Impetus to this is after going through the system, I'm still having to add ~3 gallons a week in makeup water, and I'm not liking that at all.

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
    Dave in QCA
  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,916

    And the winner is....

    It's a dead end!

    No idea what it could have been hooked to but at least this mystery is solved.

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
    mattmia2PC7060