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Water Boiler has no automatic air vent

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Chorse
Chorse Member Posts: 3
in THE MAIN WALL

Good morning,

I recently purchased a home with a hot water radiator system, and this is my first experience with one. I’ve been doing some reading and noticed that many systems have an automatic air vent installed somewhere near the boiler, but mine does not.

I’m considering adding one above the expansion tank by replacing the existing 90° elbow with a tee and installing the vent there. Would this be advisable, or is it better to leave the system as-is?

Since the home is new to me, I don’t yet have much information on how the system performs or whether there are any existing issues.

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

boiler 1.jpg boiler 3.PNG

Comments

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 12,284

    If it ain't broke don't fix it

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    Intplm.
  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,819

    If you have no issues with heating your home I would not mess with it as Ed has stated.

    Would you be so kind as to take more pictures of your systems piping near the boiler and above it please? Let us see more of your boilers plumbing first before we can offer you any solid ideas.

    But as Ed mentioned if the system is working and heating your home adequately I would not mess with it.

    GGross
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 27,396

    Leave it alone and see how well it is working for at least a good part of a heating system.

    In any event, the location for an air vent which you have proposed would do no good at all.

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • Chorse
    Chorse Member Posts: 3

    I will take some more photos later this afternoon. I do notice that the relief valve does let water escape during long heating cycles. I’ve replaced the relief valve and double checked the expansion tank for leaks at the air nozzle and tapped the side to listen to the tank.
    thanks for your help!!!

  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 3,033
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1893881#Comment_1893881

    This is a separate issue. The expansion tank and pressure in the boiler should be the same. When you changed the relief valve, did the leak stop?

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 27,396

    What are the pressures in the system when it is cold? When it is running hard? Should be in the 12 to 15 psig range cold for most residences, but should not rise to much over 20 psig hot. If it rises farther than that, the expansion tank is at fault — it may just need more air (or less) or it may have failed.

    The only way to check is to disconnect it from the system, empty it completely, and add air to the desired system cold pressure. Leave it for a while, and check the pressure — it shuld not hav changed.

    Tapping on the side of the tank annoys the tank, but tells you nothing about what is happening inside it.

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • PC7060
    PC7060 Member Posts: 1,814
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1893886#Comment_1893886

    ”Tapping on the side of the tank annoys the tank, but tells you nothing about what is happening inside it.”

    😂

  • Chorse
    Chorse Member Posts: 3

    Thanks for all of this! I will double check the tank pressure, removed..

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