Hartford Loop - close nipple missing

Heating · Components and Problems · printed page 197 (PDF page 198)

Book index entries

Close Nipple Missing on Hartford Loop in Steam Heating Hartford Loop – Close Nipple Missing on Steam Heat Steam Heat – Close Nipple Missing Steam Heat – Systems

Text in the illustration

boiler water line
2" to 3"
water hammer
close nipple
steam bubbles
equalizer pipe
Hartford Loop
hot boiler water
cross section
cool condensate water
as the cool condensate water comes out of the Hartford Loop, the steam bubbles in the equalizer condense
the collapsing steam bubbles create a vacuum that accelerates the condensate water into the back of the "T" - creating water hammer
by using a close nipple, the horizontal leg of the Hartford Loop is made as short as possible - minimizing the horizontal momentum of the water and, therefore, the water hammer

Generated explanation

The cross-sectional drawing shows a steam-heating Hartford Loop joining an equalizer pipe below the boiler water line, with a indicated separation of 2 to 3 inches. Arrows show cool condensate rising through the loop and flowing horizontally into the equalizer, which contains hot boiler water and steam bubbles. The annotations explain that condensing steam bubbles create a vacuum that accelerates condensate into the back of the tee, causing water hammer. Although the title identifies a missing close nipple as the problem, the drawing labels the close-nipple connection and explains how shortening this horizontal leg reduces water momentum and water hammer.

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Hartford Loop and equalizer - details

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