Radiator Vents and other issues

mhjaq8603 · January 2

I moved into an old house in the Detroit area (1927) a couple months ago and had no idea about boilers or steam heat. For some context I’m just about halfway through “We got steam heat”, so Im starting to understand a lot more about what’s going on. When I moved in the sight glass on the boiler was cracked, the previous owner had the boiler inspected as part of the sale( by what I now understand to be a knucklehead) he did not replace the sight glass. Fast forward a month and my heat was out, I went and looked at the boiler and noticed a red light and the low water cut off active. I turned the water inlet very slowly and added a bit of water then fired the system back up. Once it came on a few of the radiator vents started hissing loudly. I eventually installed a new sight glass and now have changed about half of the vents and the 2 main vents. I changed the ones that hissed and I noticed a couple had been spitting water. Now others hiss a bit and then turn off during heating. All of the radiators had Hoffman 40s. Should I replace all of the rest of them with more Hoffman 40s? I hear some water hammer and I am getting some pretty wet steam. Should I use Gorrtons instead and use different sized vents? I’ve noticed some radiators take longer to heat up. I have also drained dirty water from the boiler on one occasion.

Thank you for your comments and advice

EdTheHeaterMan · January 2

The wet steam you are getting may ber a result of poor near boiler piping. Can you take some photos of the boiler and the pipes from floor to ceiling (all in one shot) so we can tell if you are having a problem due to one reason or an other reason. Near boiler piping may be part of the problem. Or it may not be part of the problem.

dabrakeman · January 2

Do what @EdTheHeaterMan said and also take a close up of the pressuretrol setting.

mhjaq8603 · January 2

mhjaq8603 · January 2

mhjaq8603 · January 2

mhjaq8603 · January 2

mhjaq8603 · January 2

EdTheHeaterMan · January 2

That near boiler piping looks to be in order. Even if it is undersized under all that insulation @ethicalpaul's latest video indicates that it will not cause the "Wet Steam" problem you are describing. The noise may be a result of the building settling and some of the pipes are not pitched properly. Perhaps adjusting some of the pipe hangers in the system will reduce the noise and get the condensate out of the steam mains and back to the boiler. You may need a real steam pro to figure this out. Where are you located? near a big city? not your exact address

mhjaq8603 · January 2

mhjaq8603 · January 2

please see the above photos as requested

mhjaq8603 · January 2

I’m in Detroit area.

ethicalpaul · January 2

is the water level in your gauge glass dropping rather dramatically during a call for heat? If so that would indicate carryover, and I would suspect that very muddy looking water.

The water can be a little muddy, or even a lot muddy and be OK, but yours is very very muddy and I would like to see how it did after one or two complete drains and refills.

But do be aware that draining and refilling in order to get the water clean is a bit of a fool's errand because fresh water will create more "mud" fast. But sometimes it's required if it hasn't been done in a long time, or if there is a lot of fresh water coming in due to steam or water leaks.

You want to get to the point where you are only adding a gallon or less per month, where you can run the same water all winter and have the water still mostly clear. A pH boosting additive such as 8-way can be beneficial to greatly reduce corrosion, but don't bother with that until you are running clean water with a rather steady waterline during a call for heat.

Real real dirty water:

n1976jmk · January 2

apologies but looking at the site glass that water looks pretty dirty and water level seems low. For comparison, here’s mine. Thanks

mhjaq8603 · January 2

I drained it about a week ago and had the water pretty clear. It got dirty fast. It seems like it wants me to add water every 5-6 days too.

ethicalpaul · January 2

how much are you losing in 5 days? You shouldn’t need to add any that often.

RTW · January 2

As an aside, what level should the water be in the sight glass before boiler turns on. A google/AI search mentioned half way to three quarters though I trust opinions on this site more

Regards

RTW

ethicalpaul · January 2

Usually the manufacturer indicates it with a mark or label. Two-thirds up is the minimum I would ever run.

mhjaq8603 · January 2

I’m loosing enough for the LWC to activate. I can see water coming from one of the vents in the third floor every so slightly and the steam sounds wet.

dabrakeman · January 2

Looks like there are marks on your sight glass indicating the proper range.

If you are frequently seeing vents leaking steam or water that can add up to water loss faster than you think. If a radiator vent has failed and won't close on steam arrival sometimes you even need a mirror to realize it.

I don't know your boiler sizing relative to connected sqft of radiators but minimizing how often your radiators completely fill can minimize your issues.

Radiator Vents and other issues

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