Steam cycle too long. How to limit?

[greg748]

I have an old house (1905) with a single pipe steam system that replaced an old "snowman" coke furnace. The boiler's about 8 years old, and it heats well. I have found though that when it runs for more than about 10 minutes, especially when stone cold, the radiators fill with sloshing water, even though they've been tipped to make sure water flows back down. Left unattended, water can shoot out the steam valves.

I quickly learned that just letting the heat run was unproductive, and often led to cleaning up water on the floor. What works best is letting it run for about 8-10 minutes, then turning it off for 2 minutes to let the water drain back down. Doing this, the house heats up more evenly and more quickly. Of course, this means running to the programmable thermostat every 8-10 minutes to fiddle with it.

Is there something I can put between my thermostat and my furnace to regulate this for me?

[NJ Trooper]

I'm not a steamhead... we need one of them on this one ...

I know a question to ask though:

Are the pipes insulated ?

[greg748]

Originally Posted by NJ Trooper

I know a question to ask though:
Are the pipes insulated ?

They all were once insulated with asbestos, like the old snowman, but now about 50% of them are insulated. I have some more to put on, which sounds like my weekend project now!

[xiphias]

Plenty of good steam guys in Boston. Start calling around. The system shouldn't be that wet. Might need new main vents, might be some issues with the piping, etc.

[NJ Trooper]

I know if ya post a picture or ten, I for one would find something to pick on ! I'm good for that ...

free account / Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket / upload there / post link here ...

[plumbingods]

First off, steam pipes must be insulated and with fiberglass, not rubber insulation.

It sounds like you are getting a lot of surging going on in your boiler. You may need to drain it down, put some steam boiler liquid in and let it boil for a while, skim off the impurities and then make sure it is clean. I have not done this in years, so the exact process is a little fuzzy to me, but I am sure we can help you find something to read about it if you cannot.

Has this boiler always worked like this? If so, there could also be some piping issues.

[rbeck]

As stated skim the boiler. You don';t need chemicals to do this just skim as per the manucaturers directions. When skimming does not work skim again. Also as stated insulate those mains.
See link
Steam FAQ