Steam Radiator Problem

John_150

Did a small renovation in residential home with an existing steam system.We relocated an existing steam line in den on first floor app. 10' and installed a new sunrad radiator.Now the new radiator does not get hot unless you raise the thermostat high so it can reach that radiator.The customer claims that the old radiator had no problems getting hot. We changed the main quick vent on that line and still no change. The thermostat is located in the living room and gets satisfied quick and shuts off thermostat. We suggested moving the thermostat to another location and so did another contractor to keep boiler cycle on longer to reach radiator. Please give your ideas to this matter. Thanks in Advance.

Ken_40

Here's why it doesn't work...

1. The pipe length extension now exceeds the capacity required for the expension. The additional length has the steam "collapsing" back into water before it gets to the radiator. The fix? Resize the pipe by one dimension, or insuklate the hell out of the pipe from the main to the radiator.

2. The vent on the new rad needs to be larger. Conversely, the vents on the other rads need to be reduced - resulting in them all being relatively cooler, in order to get the new rad warmer.

3. Make sure the "enclosure" the sun-rad is in is minimally inulated with 1/2 foil faced rigid insulation. All the insulation you can get behind and around the new rad will help get steam into it.

4. On really bitter cold days the rad will work a bit. This does not mean you fixed the problem. It means the boiler runs for so long that even the bad piping situation can be overcome by a two hour long boiler "on" cycle.

5. Save the job by using a listed contractor by using the "Find a Professional" tab atop this webpage (top left). Plug in the zip code and find a guy who can cut your losses.