Steam heat - boiler pressure settings

first winter in this house - last week some banging in steam pipes when System starts up, this morning leaking at 2 rads from the piping (yea! Ceilings to repaint, can't wAit...(NOT))

Had a realization - bet the pressure is too high - and yes, boiler gage was at almost 9 psi

Found a few postings by @mastvrplumber suggesting high 2 psi with a differential of 1 psi.  My boiler set to 5-6 with differential of 2.  So I'm pretty sure it's way too high

Will call plumber in am, but I think I'm n the right track - pressurtrol settings way too high.

Here's the wild card - the steam pipes in the basement were uninsulated, last week I added about 120 feet of 1" Fiberglas insulation to riser and return steam pipes in the basement.  This has drastically reduced the absurdly high temp in the basement, but has totally evened out temps between first to third floors.   Perhaps the huge loss of BTUs in the basement before insulating somehow kept pressure lower - and this upset the balance (as imperfect as it was)?

Comments and ideas appreciated !

Thx / p

If you have PSEG, you can get a very low cost maintenance contract to cover your furnace (and water heater, if desired). While the contract doesn't include annual inspections, you can call them for problems encountered. We have an old steam system, and over the years we've called a number of times, sometimes for small things (e.g., viewing glass too dirty to clearly see water level).

One other note: Over the years, there were only two causes of leaking that I can recall: problem with radiator valves and overfilling the boiler. The overfilling occurred as a result of the shutoff valve leaking, which allowed way too much water into the boiler, which then came out all over the place. Once we resolved that issue and reduced the water level, the problem was solved, so you might want to check to first make sure you haven't overfilled.

go here for help and advice: http://forum.heatinghelp.com/

Banging pipes at the beginning of the cycle mean you've got standing water in the system. You're going to have to fix that. It's probably a back pitched section somewhere or possibly a logged return. 

Yes - your pressure is way too high and should be adjusted to the level you mentioned. It is simple to do. Check out Dan Holohan's book on steam if you are interested in learning a ton about your steam system and, as mentioned above, heatinghelp.com has a lot of info for DIY. If nervous, call a pro.

Using PSg&E contracts is not the best approach, in my humble view.  You are getting the lowest bidder plumber that they can get so Public Service can make a $$ or two on the deal.  The plumber is motivated to do a little as possible and close as many tickets as possible to break even in the deal.  Doing a good job and getting you to call him or her back is not the goal.  You are on contract.  You have to call back.

I suggest that you work with a few local plumbers and get a feel for them and then build the relationship you need to support you.  You have one of the locals out they will be doing the work needed to solve your problems and keep you happy for the referral or the next call then the kitchen sink clogs.

Think about it. This comment is not just based on opinion, but experience.

I've had nothing but great experiences with the PSEG worry free service. I don't disagree that a relationship with a local Plummer can be great but I've used a couple of the ones that are generally recommended on this board and both of their prices were astronomical in my opinion. After two bills that I damn near had to finance I switched over to the PSEG service and never looked back. They show up within 24 hours and I have never had to have them come out and repeat the same work on my boiler which is something I can't say for my local Plummer experience. I still have a guy that I will use for pipes, clogs, leaks and installs but for my boiler, water heater, and AC I don't think PSEG can be beat. They also have a great replacement service if they cant fix your unit. I think the deductible is 100 bucks or something. 

thanks all.  In the meantime turned the pressurtrol way down.  Still toasty warm throughout!   Still banging in one rad, in the bath that was remodeled, I suspect the steam line was incorrectly moved.

I honestly think the previous owners (first time homeowners) probably increased the pressure to get more heat upstairs - when the correct thing to do would have been to re insulate the pipes in the basement!! (Seems asbestos removed and oil tank pulled and boiler replaced/converted to gas when they bought).

I'm really pleased the pipe insulation evened out heat so much throughout the house.

My recent rental house was steam - it worked like crap and the landlord sent clueless plumbers/handymen, often I knew more, and given it was my first steam house - that wasn't much.  (So other than the 1 problem rad, the steam heat in this house is positively wonderful - quiet, not drafty, not at all "cranky")

I'm still "local" - my couple of moves with past few years have never been more than a mile 1/2 !  But after renting for a year, need to refresh my list of contractors... Already made a few calls in my months here and will post my house adventures!

/p

You probably checked this already but is the radiator pitched correctly? Could just be "water hammer" if it's titled the wrong way. We had a similar problem with a radiator in our bedroom and it was solved with a cheep shim from Home Depot. 

GGartrell said:

You probably checked this already but is the radiator pitched correctly? Could just be "water hammer" if it's titled the wrong way. We had a similar problem with a radiator in our bedroom and it was solved with a cheep shim from Home Depot. 

I've noticed that a lot of houses have problems when they have the floors refinished.   The floor guys pull the radiators to sand and then put them back without paying attention to whether they were shimmed previously.    A quick sample in our house shows several shimmed.   Easy to test with a wadded up piece of cardboard.    

pete check you radiator shut off valves and make sure they're fully open. If not that may be a cause for water spitting out..