Testing Steam Vents

Testing Steam Vents

Some years ago, Steve and I were wondering which vent was a better vent. Not in quality of construction, but in ability to pass air. Was one vent able to pass more cubic feet of air per minute than another? No one seemed able to answer this question. Those that did have some data, had it for 1 pound per square inch pressure. We thought, heck, whats it vent at 1 ounce, or 2 ounces, when the boiler is first sending steam into the system? That seemed much more critical to us than 1 pound of pressure. Cripes, by the time we get 1 pound of pressure built up I would certainly hope that we already had steam in the radiators!

Anyways, what we eventually did was to purchase a bunch of different Dwyer company flow meters and test just about every vent we could get our hands on at 1 and 2 ounces. 

Recently a contractor in Chicago that does a lot of steam work asked us to test a new main vent on the market. This time I video taped it so you can see how we did this.