Steam specialists use the phrase with respect: the Dead Men sized the pipes, pitched the mains and placed every vent for a reason, often in ways many techs do not understand. Many steam problems start when someone changes a boiler, pipe or vent without working out what the original design intended. Figuring out what the Dead Men knew is the first step on an old system.
Before you rip out that drip, ask yourself why the Dead Men put it there, they didn't waste pipe.
Also heard as
- the Dead Men
Related terms
Hartford loop
A residential steam boiler piping arrangement that stops a leaking return from draining the boiler below a safe level.
Main vent
A large-capacity air vent at the end of a steam main that lets air out fast so steam can fill the main.
Wet return
A steam system return line run below the boiler water line, so it always stays full of water.
EDR
Equivalent direct radiation: the square-foot rating of heating radiators, used to size steam boilers.