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Posted by Sal B on December 05, 2004 at 04:11:42:
In Reply to: Re: Banging in steam system posted by HeatPro on October 20, 2004 at 20:41:41:
I solved my radiator "banging" problem by ensuring that each radiator was tilted slightly backwards TOWARDS the inlet to the radiator--meaning: if the inlet to the radiator is on the right, be sure that the left side of the radiator is slightly higher than the right. Also, you need to be sure that the pipes that lead to each radiator are the same---that any water that accumulates within the radiator or the piping, drains back towards the main system. The banging in pipes and radiators is because the hot steam is coming in contact with some residual cold water that's in the system. Allowing the water to return to the main boiler by ensuring there's a slight tilt in the radiator AND the piping, BACK to the main system will prevent this. Hope that helps.
: Yes, the banging is from overfilling. An autofeeder on a small residential system is a mistaken idea to keep from having to fill the system manually and usually causes this problem eventually. After you drain the system to get rid of rust each week, open the autofeed and let it fill the boiler to about 2/3 the glass, then close the manual feed to the autofeed. You won't have the problem.
: The mistaken idea is that it is a safety device to keep from having water too low in the boiler. Instead, the correct safety control is the low water cutoff you are supposed to drain of sediment so it doesn't hang up and allow the boiler burner to run when the water is low.
: The fault of installing the autofeed is that owners then believe that the autofeed will solve thair problems and they can walk away without doing anything to the boiler for a long time. This permits the LWCO to fill with dirt if not drained weekly and taken apart and scraped clean once per year.